“What I know is, we’re ready, and that is my job, is to make sure that our team is ready with a full season, and a balanced budget to present. … I’m very excited about what we could share, and what might be possible.“

By SHARON EBERSON

Pittsburgh Public Theater’s 51st season is drawing to a close with Eboni Smith’s Primary Trust, described by the committee that awarded the play the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as, “A simple and elegantly crafted story of an emotionally damaged man who finds a new job, new friends, and a new sense of worth.”

“It is a splendid way to end the season,” said Shaunda McDill, the Public’s managing director. She was speaking while awaiting a verdict on the future of the venerable producing company. On Tuesday of this week, the boards of directors of the Public and Pittsburgh CLO are scheduled to vote on consolidating into a new producing model.

The issues of loneliness, isolation and new beginnings inherent in Primary Trust serve McDill as a reminder of her recent trip to a theater gathering organized by the Milwaukee Theatre Alliance, and “what they’re doing in terms of really starting early and trying to change outcomes in their city because of the true impact they believe art has on people’s mental health.” 

The discussion led to the inevitable segueway into, “What’s next?,” for the Public and its hard-working skeleton staff, after reducing the workforce and the budget, from $8 million to $4.8 million, amid a financial crisis that looks similar to other resident companies in Downtown cultural hubs. 

Earlier this month, for example, The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle reduced its workforce from 55 to 41, to combat a $7.5 million budget deficit “caused by pandemic-era financial pressures, declining subscriptions, and rising costs.”

“I guess I’ve been saying lately, ‘How do I keep smiling?,’ ” McDill said. “Not that I don’t have moments where I’m up at night and can’t rest. There are these moments where I’m thinking very much about the people remaining at the Public, and the people at other institutions that have gone through this with us, over the past 2 ½ years, almost all the tenure of my time here. And I think that I think about the fact that in high school, I moved probably seven times, and just my history of being able to endure change. That’s not a badge. It’s not like it was something that I would’ve wanted to endure. But I am so grateful that I think that it is what the times demand, is to be flexible.”

What being “flexible” may mean will come into focus after the boards vote on Tuesday. In the meantime, the Public is operating on all cylinders, McDill said. 

Kyle Hayden, who directs Primary Trust, was acting under the title “Artistic Consultant” through December of 2025, after Marya Sea Kaminski exited in July of last year. Kaminski planned the current season — three plays, plus the annual A Christmas Story — and Hayden came aboard to create a 2026-2027 season proposal that is on the table, pending the outcome of the consolidation vote.

“I’m proud of the work we’re doing. I’m proud that we have a unified voice about some priorities that are important, that are also measurable. Are we getting better? We are actually doing things that are helpful to artists of all kinds in this region, which ultimately helps with retention, and ultimately helps with the economy, and ultimately helps with all the things that everyone needs to make sure that we are thriving and not just kind of surviving in this moment.”

Although unable to speak directly to what’s ahead, McDill talked about Primary Trust and the inner workings of the Public Theater, which McDill joined in 2023, to work alongside Kaminski.

McDill had previously served as program officer for arts and culture at the Heinz Endowments, while also co-managing the Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh initiative at the Pittsburgh Foundation. Among her other roles in Pittsburgh, McDill  was communications director for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and a resident artist at Quantum Theatre, and she founded Demaskus Theater Collective.

McDill was speaking via Zoom on the same day Mark Fleischer announced his departure as Pittsburgh CLO artistic director, after the current season. Kaminski’s departure had come as a surprise as well. The current Public leadership structure does not include an artistic director.

“So I’m working during the day, and I’m in production meetings at night. It changed my role a bit,” McDiill said. “However, I think having Kyle for that time provided a sense of stability. He was able to help with season planning so that we could get to a new season to propose for next year. He was able to continue to keep our connection to artists and make sure that the resident artists and the Actors Collective felt like there was someone guiding in that area, very specifically. And so I’m so grateful for the work that he did. I would say who is continuing that work [on the artistic side] is our team.”

Lindsay L. Barr, Manager of Executive & Artistic Operations, “has been promoted to associate producer,” said McDill. “She’s a dramaturg, and has worked at many theaters across the city. Brian Pope was [Casting & Literary Director], but he’s taken on more of a leadership role. So as you know, when organizations transform and they morph, it really provides opportunities for people to grow in areas, and they already have deep connections to the artistic community. 

“I’m excited for what’s ahead in terms of bringing in artistic leadership that is going to be exciting for the city, if that’s what happens next, whether that’s a part of a merged new entity, or whatever is to come.”

While looking ahead, McDill said there is an untold story about what is happening right now, including a book project on the history of the Public, which was founded by Margaret Rieck, Ben Shaktman, and Joan Apt, and opened in September 1975. The Public resided on the North Side before moving to its current home — the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s O’Reilly Theater —  opened with the world premiere of August Wilson’s King Hedley II in December 1999.

Here’s more of what Shaunda McDill had to say about the state of the Public and Primary Trust, which stars Monteze Freeland, the Artistic Director of Alumni Theater Company, and Sam Turich, both Post-Gazette Performers of the Year, Bria Walker and Malic Maat, a previous arts leadership fellow at the Public.  

onSTAGE PITTSBURGH: Is there anything more that you can say about looking ahead, besides what you’ve already said about the possibility of new artistic leadership? Do you have a wish list?

SHAUNDA McDILL: Honestly, sharing development. I haven’t had a development department in three years, so I don’t think people understand the impact. We’re probably not netting about a million dollars in revenue that we could be if we had that in place. And thank goodness for Aja [Jones] and her history of having been in the Cultural District for many, many years and the connections she has, because raising money in Pittsburgh is not like raising money anywhere else, particularly given the generosity of the foundations and the fact that you really have to know people and have meaningful relationships in order to increase your individual giving. 

oSP: So your team is preparing for whatever is next?

McDILL: They’ve done a miraculous job in terms of navigating this time. So many changes are happening, and I feel the Public is changing also, in that what we’re saying: Being a true public theater is putting the best of the best of the art on stage, doing it with excellence, but we can also be a true public theater to communities, where the art on the stage may not be their first point of access. Maybe you come to see the art in the rehearsal room from New Horizons Theater, maybe you come for the Lobby Series. Our goal is always to push people to what we do best, which is our shows, but we have to be able to meet people where they are. And I think we’re in a place where we’re doing that. So while we do need to get back to producing more, and this is the hope of working together collaboratively, if that’s the direction, is that there’s more work, more art for more people, and activating Downtown in a real way. …

I would say we still are doing 132 performances a year and growing, and that’s a lot, knowing that there were studies that said, this is the year — Year 5 after COVID — where you’ll see the return of audiences, which we’ve seen. So we’ve seen 1,500 new audience members. We’ve seen a 20% increase over the same period since last year, in terms of ticket sales. All this ties into everything that’s going on, but it also ties into like, oh, my goodness, if we had someone who was specifically charting the course artistically, if we had a development department, to me it would be keeping pace regardless of the way in which the sky is falling around the cost of materials and all this other stuff that needs to be addressed as well. 

oSP: Would you say the Public’s mission statement has changed? Is it the same now as it’s always been?

McDILL: I know it’s to challenge, to entertain, to stimulate. It is to make sure that we share our resources with the community, which I think is really important. It explains why we would have a New Horizon Theater here for three years. It explains why we would have DNAWorks in residence. … To me, what our mission statement says is we are a flagship regional theater, which means we are meant to strike a balance. I promise you, if you liked Noises Off and then you weren’t sure about Enemy of the People as a classic, but you really liked that, you got to come see Primary Trust, because there’s a trust and a relationship that should be happening and is happening with our audience to say, ‘Go with us on this journey.’ And that journey is not always about just entertainment. It can’t be. … I also think a responsible regional theater plays well in the sandbox with other people to say, ‘You know what? That is your strength. So let’s do our strength, or let’s partner.’ … We are part of an ecosystem; that word gets utilized so much, but I think that it is true.

So I think I answered the question, but good gracious, I think Margaret Wright and Ben Shackman and Joan App set a mission in place that was very clear, and I think also stands to this day. It is broad enough to encompass many things, but also specific enough to say fiscal responsibility needs to be in your mission statement, and it is. And also what needs to be in there is sharing your resources with community.

oSP: What are you doing specifically about the impending changes?

McDILL: What we’ve done is to be prepared. We know that we’re going to be announcing something and again, we’re optimistic that what we are announcing will be better for audiences in accordance with whatever is decided. … And so I think our staff is feeling like, yeah, there’s all these things, and it is uncertain. … What I know is, we’re ready, and that is my job, is to make sure that our team is ready with a full season, and a balanced budget to present, and for those who are the decision-makers to select from what is given to them. … In that way, our staff and our team, we have done our job and done it well. And I’m very excited about what we could share, and what might be possible.”

MORE ABOUT ‘PRIMARY TRUST‘

McDill sometimes takes her laptop and works from the back of the theater, to watch rehearsals, and “watch how beautiful it is to see this set come together.”

McDill said, “I think [Primary Trust] represents the best of what the Public is, because it’s a ‘yes and …’ We have these tremendous local talents. We have Monteze returning to the stage after many, many years, not unsimilar to Jalina [Williams] from what I hear at Eureka Day at City Theatre. She hasn’t acted in a while. So what a beautiful privilege for Monteze to say, I’m an artistic director at ATC, but I have the ability to also continue to hone my own craft and passion for acting and return to that love. … So all of the cast, it is a beautiful thing, but it’s also beautiful to marry that with creatives that are from across the country.”

The creative team for Primary Trust includes Antonio Troy (scenic designer), Alethia Moore Del Monaco (costumes) Kathy Matthews (hair and wig design), Bryan Ealey (lighting designer) and Chris Lane (sound designer).

“Kyle’s entire team really, he put together this stellar group that for him, it was also important that they were a really diverse group of artists. And so that’s amazing,” McDill said. “And I think what people miss in these conversations, … it is the mixing of both that makes it beautiful. It is the ability for artists to be homegrown in Pittsburgh, but go and be in the West End or other places, then come back. It is the beauty of the opportunities that exist here to meet and engage with artists that are not from here, to forge new perspectives together.”

TICKETS & DETAILS

Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production of Primary Trust is at the O’Reilly Theater, Downtown, March 25-April 12, 2026. Tickets: https://ppt.org/production/100484/primary-trust . Special events: Visit PPT.org/SpecialEvents.

Categories: Arts and Ideas, Our Posts, Show Previews

Tags: 2026, Monteze Freeland, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Primary Trust, Pulitzer Prize, Season Finale, Shaunda McDill