With news about … Pittsburgh’s theater history, new company’s ‘Assassins,’ Anthrocon on parade, Canonsburg theater, National Opera House grant, PSO Christmas in July, and more
🎭 ICYMI:
- Review: Little Lake Theatre Company Handles Truth with Intensity, Valor, and Suspense in ‘A Few Good Men’
- News: Pittsburgh’s a.k. payne named Best Playwright at NAACP Theatre Awards
- Review: Pittsburgh Festival Opera’s The Three Tenors Concert at Carnegie Music Hall
WHERE IT BEGAN, WE CAN ONLY BEGIN TO TELL YOU …
To honor the 250th anniversary of American independence, American Theatre Magazine has presented the essay “We the (Theatre) People: The history of live performance on this continent has been about art, commerce, innovation, stereotyping, and the breaking of stereotypes — i.e., messy democracy in action,” by Charlotte M. Canning. In Pittsburgh, most accounts agree that theater dates back to “early frontier performances by officers stationed at Fort Pitt,” and that Pittsburgh’s first free-standing playhouse, built in 1813, was The Theater on Third Street (see source below). The Mountain Playhouse in Jennerstown (about 70 miles east of Pittsburgh) was founded in 1939, housed in a gristmill dating to the early 1800s. It is Pennsylvania’s oldest professional stock theater, and one of only a dozen professional summer stock theaters remaining in the United States. In August, both Mountain Playhouse and Pittsburgh’s Front Porch Theatricals will present productions of that most North American of musicals, Come From Away.
📖 Find these and other facts and perspectives on local theater history in the excellent book Pittsburgh in Stages by Lynne Thompson Conner.
‘ASSASSINS’ IS COMING TO THE GREER CABARET
A new production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Assassins is coming to the Greer Cabaret August 20-23, 2026, directed by Michael McKelvey and courtesy of new Pittsburgh-based theater company Rogue Artists Theatre of Pittsburgh and Doctuh Mistuh Productions. Tickets will be “25% off for 25 hours for the 250th,” with the code: INDEPENDENCE. The cast has yet to be announced, but Allan Snyder has said on social media that he is all in: “I am so thrilled to be working with a new company on a musical I have loved for many many years.”
🎟️ TICKETS AND DETAILS: https://trustarts.org/production/109094/assassins
20 YEARS OF ANTHROCON IN PITTSBURGH
Let the sightings commence: Pittsburgh celebrates Independence Day at this time every year, but there is another annual celebration afoot every July 4th week since 2006, when Anthrocon arrives at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The Furries are back, and, “We’re taking our engagement with the City of Pittsburgh to the next level!” On Saturday, July 4, in case you are headed Downtown for this and other pursuits, know that Penn Avenue between 9th and 11th Street will be closed for the Fursuit Parade (starting at 2 p.m.), and the Anthrocon Block Party (immediately after the parade), in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh, “to create a day of friendly, safe mingling where we can share the magic of our fandom.” According to the Anthrocon website, “In 2024, the convention contributed an estimated $18 million to the local economy.” Editor’s note: It’s going to be hot out there, so please, be cool inside those fursuits!
NEW CANONSBURG THEATER TOUTS POTENTIONIAL FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH
The Pittsburgh Business Times reports that The Canonsburg Educational and Cultural Institute “aims to position Canonsburg as a cultural destination amid downtown growth,” with the draw of the 560-seat Canon Theatre expected to “generate an estimated $250 million in economic impact over 20 years.” onStage Pittsburgh reported in November 2025 that Little Lake Theatre would launch “a new chapter in the theater’s growth and outreach” when the theater opens in fall of this year, as “resident and anchor theater company” at CECI. While the bulk of Little Lake Theatre’s productions remain in its Washington County home, the company is spreading its wings to including the Canon Theatre and, new this year, a production of The Wolves at F.N.B. Stadium, alongside Station Square on the South Shore, and home to the Riverhounds and Riveters soccer teams.
🎭 ICYMI: Little Lake Theatre Expands Community Reach in Programming and Partnerships for 2026 Season
HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE
- 🎶 Via The Soul Pitt: A major investment is giving new life to one of Pittsburgh’s most important Black historic sites. The National Opera House has been awarded a $1.75 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to continue the restoration and preservation of the historic property at 7101 Apple Street in Pittsburgh. Read more here.
- 🎶 Christmas in July: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is offering “bundle discounts” for selecting three or more holiday performances between Decemb er 5-20, 2026. Read more here.
- 🎭 The Anacostia Arts Center in Washington, D.C., has announced the promotion of Messay Derebe (Carnegie Mellon Arts Management, Class of ’15) to Executive Director, effective June 16, 2026. Derebe steps into an expanded leadership role as the organization prepares for the February 2027 reopening of its fully renovated facility. Read more here.
- 🩰 Point Park University’s International Summer Dance program culminates in a production of ] choreography by Joci Hzric, Colin Jacob, Dan Karasik and more, running July 24-25, 2026, in the George Rowland White Performance Center. Read more here.
🎟️ Reminder: The discount ticket initiative Go See a Show! is ongoing, with 18 performing arts companies and Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama participating. Find tickets at https://www.goseeashowpgh.com.
👉 Don’t forget — you can always explore the next two months of performances, organized by date or company, at onStage Pittsburgh.
👉 Did we miss your show? Send us your updates at info@onstagepittsburgh.com so we can share them in Listings and a future Call Board.
Categories: Arts and Ideas, CALL BOARD
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