Author Archives

  • A Brutal Week in Pittsburgh Theater Demands A Reset: Let’s Do Better

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    I have seen the fallout from mismanaging expectations and a lack of transparency when jobs are lost, and the rift it can create between people practicing their calling and those entrusted with their livelihoods. The team transitioning Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO into a single entity, as well as those performing a “strategic review” of Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse, chose to fire a whole bunch of people (three at the Playhouse) within a few days of each other, without providing any public-facing explanation.

    Did they think no one would notice?

    Here’s my plea: Le’s do better.

  • 14 Community Theaters Featured in Downtown Pittsburgh Showcase

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    An event titled Pittsburgh Community Theater Showcase seemed like a good time to check out the Dollar Bank Lobby Series at the O’Reilly Theater. The three-day showcase illustrates the possibilities of the series, announced by Pittsburgh Public Theater in February as “intimate performances and community‑centered events designed to bring fresh artistic voices into the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh,”

  • Review: ‘Working’ Musical Uncovers the Lives Behind the Livelihoods

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    The arrival of “Working,” the first of Front Porch Theatrical’s two summer musicals, marks a sign of the season that’s as sure and welcome as a robin is to spring.

  • Review: Campus Activism in 1969-70 Brims With Connections to Today in New Play

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    If you lived through the era of the Vietnam War draft lottery, the independent production of the new play, “Sixty-Nine — Seventy,” is sure to force a visceral reaction. As it pertains today, it is a study as to how the timeline of the “peace, love and war” era is knocking on the door of 2026.

  • Director Griffith Digs Into the Art of ‘Working’for Front Porch

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    Daina Michelle Griffith has memories of “Working” dating back to her college days, when her friend was performing in a Theatre Factory production of the musical. “I went out to see it and loved it,” recalls Griffith, who will direct the musical to lead off Front Porch Theatricals’ 2026 season, opening Friday, May 15, 2026. To take on Working, Griffith will direct back-to-back shows (next up is barebones productions’ “Our Dear Dead Drug Lord,” June 12-28, 2026. When Front Porch came calling, she thought she knew exactly what she was getting into – until it was explained that the show, conceived and first produced by Stephen Schwartz in the 1970s, was to be the 2012 revised version, updated with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

  • Echoes of War: Students Face Vietnam Draft in New Play

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    The new play “Sixty Nine — Seventy,” among the independent productions sprouting in Pittsburgh this spring, is a throwback to the era of the Vietnam War, the draft lottery that sent young Americans to fight in Southeast Asia, and the antiwar protests of the “flower power” generation. It was the last military draft in the United States, ending in 1973, but not the last war. Every few years, it seems, the U.S. is embroiled in a violent conflict on foreign soil.
    For playwright Michael Eichler, a University of Pittsburgh alumnus, and director/producer Alex Manalo, “Sixty Nine — Seventy marks” a second collaboration as the play readies for a May 14, 2026 opening. In March of last year, Manalo produced and directed Eichler’s self-funded “Repulsing the Monkey,” at City Theatre’s Lillie Theatre.

  • Review: Italian ‘Jitney’ Exudes the Essence of August Wilson

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    The remarkable version of Jitney in Italian finished up three days of captivating sold-out Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre audiences on Sunday, ending a quick American tour that celebrated the years-long journey that carried the production from Vicenza, Italy, to August Wilson’s hometown.

  • Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO Reveal 2026 ‘Prologue Season,’ Ahead of 2027 Merger

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    Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO have announced a “Prologue Season” of curated programming for the remainder of 2026, as they prepare to merge into one organization in January of 2027.

    In a press release on Friday, May, 8, 2026, it was also announced that the O’Reilly Theater, home of Pittsburgh Public Theater since 1999, will undergo “significant renovations this fall.”

    The lineup also includes the return of the Pittsburgh CLO holiday standard, “A Musical Christmas Carol,” at the Byham Theater, and “Who’s Holiday!” at the Greer Cabaret Theater.

  • Stephen Flaherty’s ‘Ragtime’ and Carnegie Mellon Alums Feature Prominently Among 2026 Tony Award Nominees

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    Nominations for the 79th TONY AWARDS showcase the Pittsburgh theater community’s contributions to Broadway, including 11 nominations for the revival of Ragtime. Composer Stephen Flaherty, a Dormont native, won the 1998 Tony for Ragtime’s musical score, and will receive the Richard Rodgers Award on June 12, five days after the 2026 Tonys ceremony, at Pittsburgh CLO’s 80th Anniversary Gala.
    For his performance in the current revival of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson, Ruben Santiago-Hudson earned a nomination as Best Featured Actor. He previously won a Tony in that category, in 1996, for Wilson’s Seven Guitars. The play’s five nominations also included Best Costume Design, for Paul Tazewell.
    For more local ties and full list of Tony Award nominees, read👇

  • Review: Prime Stage Theatre’s ‘Speak’ Speaks Volumes About Aftershocks of Sexual Assault

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    “Speak,” a new play about the intentional damage — physical and emotional — we are capable of inflicting on one another, and the healing powers of kindness and art.

    The work, an adaptation by Tammy Ryan of Laurie Halse Anderson’s popular 1999 YA novel, was commissioned by Prime Stage Theatre, and made its debut on April 30 at the New Hazlett Theater. 

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