Pittsburgh Public Theater

Pittsburgh Public Theater, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a professional theater company. Led by Producing Artistic Director Ted Pappas and a board of trustees, Pittsburgh Public annually produces a six-play subscription series that mixes classics, works from Broadway, and musicals. Pittsburgh Public Theater has been in continuous operation since 1975, first on Pittsburgh's North Side and since 1999 in the O'Reilly Theater, in the heart of Downtown's Cultural District.

The Public has attracted several new theatrical works. In addition to the world premiere of August Wilson's King Hedley II, another of his masterworks, Jitney, received its professional premiere at Pittsburgh Public Theater. The pre-Broadway run of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Alan Ayckbourn's By Jeeves was staged at The Public before moving to New York's Helen Hayes Theatre. Other plays which received their world premieres on The Public's stage include Horton Foote's The Habitation of Dragons; Jonathon Bolt and Thomas Tierney's Eleanor; Michael Cristofer's Amazing Grace; Mark Hampton and Barbara Zitwer's Paper Doll; Rob Zellers and Gene Collier's The Chief; Naomi Wallace's Things of Dry Hours; Mark Hampton and Michael Sharp's The Secret Letters of Jackie and Marilyn; and Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's musical, The Glorious Ones.

History & Expansion (1974-present)

1970’s

In 1974, Joan Apt and Margaret Rieck created Pittsburgh Public Theater with Ben Shaktman as General Director.^[1] The City of Pittsburgh offered the Allegheny Theater to The Public rent free.^[2] Grants from 37 corporations, foundations and the state arts council, along with 934 individuals, funded the theater's $370,000 budget. With a grant from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and a design by Peter Wexler, a flexible stage and audience space with movable scaffold seating for 350 was created.^[3] Through strong outreach efforts, 7,100 subscriptions were sold before The Public’s first production opened in 1975. ^[5] Due to strong ticket sales and many sold-out performances, The Public expanded its season to five productions in 1977.

1980’s

After the Public’s fifth season in 1980, the season was further increased to include six productions, which is currently the typical quantity of productions in a season. In 1980, Howard J. Millman became Executive Director. Meanwhile, the Allegheny Theater was renamed the Theodore L. Hazlett, Jr. Theater in honor of the visionary head of the Mellon Trust.

The Public’s first General Director Ben Shaktman resigned on June 30, 1982. Larry Arrick replaced Shaktman as the Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh Public Theater from 1982 to 1984. Additionally, Dennis Babcock replaced Howard J. Millman in the position of Managing Director.^[7]

In April 1984, William T. Gardner replaced Arrick as Producing Director at The Public.^[9] In the same year, the Hazlett Theater was renovated with a design by L.P. Perfido Associates to increase seating capacity to 471, increase technical capabilities, and enlarge lobby space.^[7]

In the late 1980s, The Public presented its first benefit performance for the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force.^[7] Then, Dan Fallon joined The Public as Managing Director in 1989.^[12] During the Public’s 15^th season in 1989-1990, the theater had an all-time high subscription base of 16,185.^[7]

1990’s

In January 1990, Board President Joseph M. Wymard announced The Public's intention to move from the North Side into a new facility Downtown to be built by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.^[7]

William T. Gardner, Producing Director for eight seasons, died unexpectedly of a heart attack in April of 1992.^[7] In December, Edward Gilbert of Toronto, Canada was appointed Artistic Director.^[7] Stephen Klein was later appointed Managing Director, to share leadership in August 1994.^[7]

Also in 1994, the Public’s Education Department organized its first Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest for students.^[17] In the same year, The Public’s future Producing Artistic Director Ted Pappas began directing at The Public with the musical Wings.^[16]

Groundbreaking for Pittsburgh Public Theater’s future home in Downtown began in April of 1997. The theater was to be named the O’Reilly Theater for Dr. Anthony O'Reilly.^[7]

The organization launched the public phase of its $12.8 million capital campaign in September 1998. More than $8.5 million had already been raised during the behind-the-scenes phase. $10 million was earmarked for an income-producing endowment.^[7]

The O’Reilly Theater era (1999-present)

After 24 years on the North Side, Pittsburgh Public Theater moved to its current home — the O'Reilly Theater — in the heart of the Downtown Cultural District. On October 4, 1999, the Public announced that Ted Pappas, a director-choreographer who was president of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, would be leading the Public in their brand new facility. The new performing space, which was built by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, opened with the world premiere of August Wilson's King Hedley II in December 1999.

Notable Productions & Highlights

September 1975: The first Public Theater production, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, stars Carol Teitel and is directed by Ben Shaktman, at the Allegheny Theater on the North Side.

October 1975: Tom Atkins makes his first appearance as Randle P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

November 1975: Leonard Nimoy begins performances in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night as Malvolio.

October 1976: Aspiring playwright August Wilson is in the audience to see Sizwe Banzi is Dead by Athol Fugard.

1980: Ben Shaktman directs Macbeth with Tom Atkins in the titular role. Jean Smart is Lady Macbeth, and Keith Fowler is Macduff.

September 1984: Legendary actress Sylvia Sidney appears in Marsha Norman's 'night, Mother, directed by Peter Bennett.

April 1985: Helena Ruoti makes her Public Theater debut in Becoming Memories, written by Arthur Giron and directed by Lee Sankowich.

1988: Horton Foote directs the premiere of his play Habitation of Dragons.

July 1989: Cloris Leachman appears in a one-week engagement of Grandma Moses – An American Primitive presented by Pittsburgh Public Theater at the Fulton Theater.

1990: The musical Eleanor is directed by Mel Shapiro and choreographed by Rob Marshall.

1991: British actor Mark Rylance plays the title role in William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Academy Award winner Kim Hunter stars in A. R. Gurney's The Cocktail Hour.

January 1992: Twenty-five Pittsburgh couples celebrating 50 or more years of marriage are honored at production of I Do! I Do!.

1993: Mad Forest is directed by Mark Wing Davey. Playwright Caryl Churchill attends the first preview.

1994: Ted Pappas directs first production at The Public, the musical Wings.

1995: Amazing Grace, by Michael Cristofer, is directed by Eddie Gilbert and stars Marsha Mason. The Reduced Shakespeare Company makes its first appearance.

1996: August Wilson is in residence at The Public to rework his play Jitney.

1997: Over the Tavern by Tom Dudzick breaks previous Box Office records.

September 1999: The PPT's world premiere of King Hedley II, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson opens in the new O'Reilly Theater.

See also

Theatre in Pittsburgh

External links

• Official website