Despite economy, city’s cultural district still strong

The people of Pittsburgh get it: The economy is in the gutter. Economic woe is in the… The people of Pittsburgh get it: The economy is in the gutter. Economic woe is in the newspaper, on TV and on the lips of anyone concerned about where all their money just went.

One place you won’t find the woe, though, is in Pittsburgh’s cultural district, where ticket sales are as high as ever.

In fact, just last weekend, as part of the city’s International Festival of Firsts, the U.S. premiere of Ballet Maribor — a dance take on ‘Romeo and Juliet’ set to Radiohead songs — sold out the historic Byham Theater. Twice.

And with seats being quickly snapped up for upcoming local touring Broadway productions of ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Jersey Boys,’ it seems like the debt and despair running rampant on Wall Street hasn’t yet stifled the pulse of Pittsburgh.

Or at least not the city’s theatrical heart.

‘I have to think twice right now — I could be spending my money on something else, like gas,’ said Sandy Rice-Fritsch of Aspinwall. ‘But I love theater, so as long as I can go, I go. As of yet, too may things haven’t come up where we’ve said ‘Oh my gosh. Let’s not do that.’ But that time might come.’

Fritsch and husband Brian have two kids, a sick dog named Bagel and medical bills from a rough sprained ankle just two months ago. But, still, she’s not ready to give up on Pittsburgh’s theater scene.

‘I’ve thought that we could be spending the money somewhere else, but we still go out,’ she said of her recent trip to see the Broadway favorite ‘Wicked’ at Pittsburgh’s biggest theater, the 2,885-seat Benedum Center.

And she’s not alone.

All over the city, theaters as big as the Benedum or as small as the 270-seat City Theater haven’t felt the tug of the straining economy like so many other industries have. But theater is not a cheap investment. Unlike a movie, which would run a consumer no more than $9 to $10 — barring any obscenely expensive snack foods — a night out at the theater can cost far more.

One ticket for this weekend’s Byham Theater production of ‘Defending the Caveman,’ for example, is $35. And yet sales are not declining.

‘This year’s sales are very strong. The beginning of our season was our company’s ‘Death of a Salesman.’ It was our strongest opening since 2002,’ said Chris Hayes, director of marketing at Point Park University’s Playhouse in Oakland. ‘We’re going into the second week of the show ‘Can Can’ — reviews are out, the phones are ringing off the hook.’

Members of the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theater are similarly optimistic.

‘Our [ticket subscription] renewals are very close to what they were last season. And we do an in-house telemarketing campaign — our callers have been working for PICT for years. Our patrons know our callers,’ said Eric Nelson, the theater’s director of sales. ‘To me, that proves that our patrons, subscribers and donors have a commitment to PICT and don’t want to see us fall into trouble.’

Many explain the sustained ticket sales by simply citing theater’s biggest appeal: an escape from the world.

‘Despite the current economic situation, people still need to be enjoying life,’ said Veronica Corpuz, director of public relations at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. ‘And that includes theater, music and dance.’

But theaters can’t survive on ticket sales alone.

Enter the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the foundation that’s been a jump-off point for the obvious pull of the city’s still-thriving theater scene. Formed in 1984 by a band of investors led by Jack Heinz, chairman of H. J. Heinz Company, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has, in the past two decades, boosted the theater and arts culture of the city by transforming the 14-block area of the parallel Penn and Liberty avenues into a haven for theaters, art galleries and thriving nightlife.

Walking down either street on a Saturday night is a scene right out of New York’s Broadway district. Well-dressed couples hustle across the street to make shows on time, upscale restaurants line each corner — as well as some swanky cocktail bars — and the flashing lights of each theater shine bright, flashing the night’s entertainment.

Theater companies with a strong web of financial support also tend to have several layers of administrative jobs that, if money became tight, could be cut before patrons would ever know anything was wrong. But it’s not all singin’ in the rain — in the downfall of the economy, some theaters might actually get wet. For Pittsburgh’s lesser-known fringe groups, like Attack Theater in Bloomfield, there’s less room for financial instability.

‘We’re in a unique situation. We only have two full-time staffs, so there’s not a lot of fat to cut. If we lost money, we’d lose programming, not staff,’ said Rebecca Himberger, Attack Theater’s marketing and education manager.

‘We have to work extra hard this season to make sure we increase our earned revenue. We’re excited about these challenges — we’ve just got to get more people in the door.’