Ahead of the Pittsburgh premiere of a.k. payne’s BURNBABYBURN: an american dream, the local writer was named Best Playwright for her play Furlough’s Paradise at the 31st annual NAACP Theatre Awards, held Monday, June 29, at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in LA.
PITTSBURGH CLO 80th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT: ONE BRIEF SHINING MOMENT
During a nostalgia packed night — including the honoring of former CLO intern Stephen Flaherty, the award-winning composer of “Ragtime” — the end of an eight-decade era was mentioned several times, as well as the hopes for the future in combination with Pittsburgh Public Theater. Wisely, the night was focused on the local musicians and performers who have graced stages from Pitt Stadium to the Melody Tent to the Civic Arena to every stage in the Downtown Cultural District, plus Heinz Field.
It’s Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival and Tony Awards weekend!
Also on the Call Board:
🎭 Pittsburgh Playwrights ‘Art of the Wise’ is headed to the International Black Theatre Festival, where 2026 honorees include local stage manager Renee B. Sorrell.
🎭 City Theatre Seeks Artistic Producer
🎵 Pittsburgh Opera names Rehearsal Hall in Honor of Christopher Hahn
🎭 New Product Company’s ‘Whistleblowers’
⭐️ And More!
A CONVERSATION WITH “RAGTIME” COMPOSER AND DORMONT NATIVE STEPHEN FLAHERTY
Coming home to accept the Richard Rodgers Award is “a big, beautiful arc,” Stephen Flaherty was saying just the other day. Catching up with Flaherty was no easy task – he and his songwriting partner, lyricist Lynn Ahrens, have been on a seemingly endless red-carpet ride with the acclaimed revival of “Ragtime” ahead of the 2026 Tony Awards on June 7. Flaherty will then head home to the Pittsburgh CLO Gala on June 12, when he will become receive the award that has been bestowed on an impressive list of luminaries, starting with Mary Martin in 1988.
The 35th annual Gene Kelly Awards honoring excellence in high school musical theater in Allegheny County crowned the 2026 winners on Saturday night. Representing four budget categories, the Outstanding Musical winners, announced by Gene Kelly’s widow, Patricia Ward Kelly, were Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School’s Hadestown: Teen Edition (Budget Level 1), Central & Oakland Catholic High Schools’s The Addams Family (Level II), Elizabeth Forward High School’s The Prince of Egypt (Level III), and Pine-Richland High School’s Chicago: Teen Edition (Level IV).
I watch the Tony Awards with Pittsburgh in mind, because the pipeline of talent between here and Broadway is, hands-down, among the region’s chief exports. It also is the awards ceremony that gives and gives, showcasing live performances by the world’s top musical theater artists, especially for those who may never make it to New York. Here are a few highlights and observations from viewing the 2025 Tony Awards.
By SHARON EBERSON Pittsburgh CLO’s 34th annual Gene Kelly Awards, a celebratory ceremony of recognition for excellence in high school musical theater, has crowned the 2025 winners among 34 participating schools in Allegheny County. Top honors for best musical in… Read More ›
The Henry Mancini Awards, representing high schools in Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties, crowned its 2025 winners on May 18. Congrats to all!
The nominees for Pittsburgh CLO’s 34th annual Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater, recognizing 34 participating schools in Allegheny County, were announced on May 7, 2025. The ceremony on May 24 at the Benedum Center will… Read More ›
The 78th annual Tony Awards nominations were announced on Thursday, May 1, 2025, with, as is often the case, Carnegie Mellon University alums front and center. Megan Hilty earned her second Tony nod, this time as leading actress in a musical for “Death Becomes Her.” Natalie Venetia Belcon is nominated in the featured actress category for “The Buena Vista Social Club.”
