Feature Stories

Season Previews and Interviews.

Mark Fleischer Exits Along With Pittsburgh CLO: ‘It’s Been an Honor to Work Here’

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MARK FLEISCHER AND PITTSBURGH CLO EXIT

“It’s been an honor to work here. I take a lot of pride in what we’ve done, and the people I’ve worked with, the staff, the donors, the crew, but I recognize that it’s a time of transition, and a time that’s scary for some. My hope is that the community pulls around and says, ‘We still want this.’ Ask for what you want, and you’ll ask for what you want by buying tickets. And I hope that those people know change is not easy. Someone once said, ‘Change is not a Pittsburgh virtue,’ but we have had change. It’s not Heinz Field anymore.” — Mark Fleischer, leaving Pittsburgh for Studio Tenn Theatre in Tennessee

Ode to a Grecian Earn: ‘Hadestown’ Screen Splash Is a Sign for U.S. to Pick Up Pro Shot Pace

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‘Hadestown’ Screen Splash Is a Sign for U.S. to Pick Up Pro Shot Pace

Ancient Greek mythology had a big weekend at the movies, and it wasn’t all about “The Odyssey.” A lot has been made about the debut pro shot of “Hadestown: The Musical” beating the box office of the cinematic release of “Hamilton,” which hit movie theaters in 2025, after it first streamed in 2020, as an at-home treat during the pandemic shutdown. More to the point, “Hadestown,” on limited screens, finished in fourth place on its opening weekend, behind the juggernaut that is “The Odyssey,” and family films “Moana” and “Toy Story 5.” 

New Hazlett Launches ForgeWorks, Names First Artistic Director

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FORGING AHEAD: NEW HAZLETT THEATER REBRANDS FOR THE FUTURE

The New Hazlett Theater has appointed Melissa Cardello-Linton as the first Artistic Director in its 20-year history, in conjunction with the unveiling of ForgeWorks, “designed to partner with established producers, cultural institutions, and creative teams developing ambitious new projects.” A year in the planning, the programming of ForgeWorks will be announced in September.

‘SUFFS’ Tony-Nominated Director Leigh Silverman

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A CHAT WITH “SUFFS” TONY-NOMINATED DIRECTOR LEIGH SILVERMAN

The graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s BFA Directing and MFA Playwriting programs, and an intern for Pittsburgh CLO in 1994 — “We did The Music Man with Gary Sandy, and just a variety of really amazing musicals that we mounted in seven days,” she recalled — is known for the dozens of new works she has directed on and off Broadway.

Preview: Stage 62 Returns to Welcoming Downtown Venue With ‘Company’

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Carnegie-based community theater Stage 62 is returning to the Greer Cabaret for the second straight summer, opening the musical Company this week. The initial move from their home at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Musical Hall happened both by necessity and by kismet, said Haley Hiller, Stage 62’s president, who credits the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for putting out the welcome mat.

How We Got Here, and What Comes Next: Unifying Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO

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AN INSIDE VIEW TO THE FUTURE OF PITTSBURGH PUBLIC THEATER AND PITTSBURGH CLO

When their marriage becomes legal sometime this summer, only then will the new name and details of the Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO unification be fully revealed. Until that time, they are in the engagement period of a process that will culminate in the region’s two largest professional theater companies merging into one.

A Converstation With Stephen Flaherty: Composer’s Ragtime’ Red-Carpet Ride Stops in Pittsburgh for Richard Rodgers Award

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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.

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