Get dramatic with Pittsburgh’s diverse theater scene

Pittsburgh’s theater, like its rivers, can be divided roughly into three groups: avant-garde… Pittsburgh’s theater, like its rivers, can be divided roughly into three groups: avant-garde theater, Broadway theater and student theater. The avant-garde theaters are situated throughout the city’s many neighborhoods. The Broadway theater hub, on the other hand, is centrally located in Downtown’s cultural district. Finally, Pittsburgh is home to a number of excellent student theaters. Most theater companies offer discounted tickets for Pitt students with a valid student ID. Cheap Seats, a program offered through Pitt Arts, also offers ticket discounts.

Avant-garde theater

While the famous Broadway shows may run in New York, some of the most creative and experimental theater work happens right here in the city of Pittsburgh. Regional theaters are, after all, where avant-garde plays are first performed. This way, innovative scripts and stories are exposed in smaller theaters first, and then they’re more likely to find acceptance with mainstream Broadway audiences.

One of Pittsburgh’s most experimental and daring theater companies is Quantum Theatre, founded by Karla Boos in 1990. Quantum is best known for its unique theater spaces and set designs. The company does not have its own theater venue; instead, it rents out various spaces that accentuate the mood and theme of each play.

For instance, in the summer of 2006, Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” was performed at Mellon Park in Shadyside. Last fall, “El Paso Blue”- a play about a released convict who goes in search of his ex-girlfriend – was performed in a warehouse in Lawrenceville. The company’s plays are often adapted from existing literature.

Contact and Directions: Quantum’s upcoming season will soon be announced, and can be viewed online at www.quantumtheatre.com. The theater can also be reached by phone at (412) 697-2929.

Another experimental theater company is City Theatre. Much of the theater’s work contains a political or social message. Last fall, for instance, City Theatre presented “The Good Body” – a set of monologues about food and body image obsessions – written by “The Vagina Monologues” playwright Eve Ensler.

City Theatre commissions playwrights from across the country for creative and contemporary plays. City Theatre’s recently announced 2007-2008 season includes “A Marriage Minuet,” “Flight” and “Murderers.” More plays for the season will be announced soon.

Contact and Directions: City Theatre is located in the South Side. Take the 54C bus toward the South Side; get off at East Carson and 17th streets and walk down East Carson to 13th Street. The theater will be to your right, on the side closest to the river. For ticket info and show times, go to www.citytheatrecompany.org or call (412) 431-CITY.

Broadway theater

Many of the famous Broadway shows appear in Pittsburgh throughout the year. If you are interested in seeing a particularly popular play, make sure to purchase your tickets in advance, because they can sell out quickly.

The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts is easily the city’s greatest venue, seating more than 2,800 people. The Benedum has orchestra seating on the first floor and two upper-level tiers. It’s also the home of the Pittsburgh Opera.

For the most part, however, the Benedum presents Broadway musicals. These musicals have short runs – a matter of days – but there can be as many as three or four distinct musicals in a single month. For instance, this July the Benedum is presenting the musicals “White Christmas,” “Camelot,” Cats” and “The Full Monty.”

Contact and Directions: Benedum Center is located at 719 Liberty Ave. in Downtown’s Cultural District. Tickets can be purchased through the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s homepage, www.pgharts.com or by calling (412) 456-6666.

Like the Benedum, the Pittsburgh Public Theatre at O’Reilly Theatre also presents big-name Broadway musicals and plays. But unlike the Benedum, the Public Theatre has a much smaller thrust stage where the audience is seated around three sides of the stage. This stage design creates a sense of intimacy between the actors and audience. The Public Theatre occasionally presents plays that make their world debuts right here in Pittsburgh. Some of the season’s upcoming performances include Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors,” “This Wonderful Life” and “The Odd Couple.”

Contact and Directions: O’Reilly Theatre is located at 621 Penn Ave. in the Cultural District. For ticket info visit www.ppt.org or call the Cultural Trust at (412) 456-6666.

Student theater

Pitt Repertory Theatre is the University of Pittsburgh’s student theater troupe. Undergrads, grad students and theater faculty produce, direct and act in the diverse plays. Pitt Rep often has seasonal themes for its plays. For instance, this past academic year, Pitt Rep presented “Global Crossings,” a set of plays whose settings span the globe. For the upcoming academic year, the theater is presenting “Playing with the Classics” – four classic plays that will be newly interpreted. In November, for instance, Shakespeare’s “Othello” will be re-imagined through the eyes of Desdemona in “Desdemona, A Play about a Handkerchief.”

Pitt Rep productions take place in three distinct theater venues: the Charity Randall Theatre and the Henry Heyman Theatre – both located in the Stephen Foster Memorial adjacent to the Cathedral of Learning – or in the Studio Theatre, located in the basement of the Cathedral. The Studio Theatre is a black box theater, intricately constructed from the ground up for each play.

Contact and Directions: For show times and information on how to get involved in Pitt Rep Theatre, visit www.pitt.edu/~play./index.html. Tickets can be purchased by phone at (412) 624-PLAY.

Other student theaters include Point Park Conservatory Theatre Company and Kuntu Repertory Theatre, along with Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama.

These are just a few of the popular theater companies in Pittsburgh. As you explore the city’s vibrant theater scene, you are sure to find something that fits your taste for theater.