Artistic Vision

Pittsburgh Public Theater strives to be a legitimate "public theater" for the City of Pittsburgh. We are dedicated to creating not just high-quality theatrical productions, but a larger community that envisions a better future for our institution, our discipline, and our city through the power of inclusive, representative, and engaging works of theater.

We hope to tell stories that reflect the lived experiences of all residents of our city and region, while also stimulating and driving conversations and action plans to create positive change. Our productions will revive beloved classics told with a fresh eye, highlight bold new voices and stories, sing out through entertaining musicals, and experiment with form through special events.

In addition to productions, Pittsburgh Public Theater will present engaging programming to directly connect to our community, and ensure that our audiences have a hand in the work that is presented on our stages. Whether by connecting directly with artists, engaging with the development of new work, joining us on stage through Public Works, or simply spending time in our space outside of a typical performance schedule, we hope that PPT will serve as a galvanizer for community connection, both within and outside the realm of performance.

PPT's current mission is as follows: "The mission of Pittsburgh Public Theater is to provide artistically diverse theatrical experiences of the highest quality. Pittsburgh Public Theater also strives to serve, challenge, stimulate and entertain while operating in a fiscally responsible manner. The Public shares its resources with the community through education and engagement initiatives intended for a wide range of people with the goal of expanding and diversifying the audience while enriching the community."

While we do not deny that this current mission is admirable, we believe that PPT can go further. Theatrical experiences should not only be artistically diverse, but be diverse in the stories they tell, artists they feature, and audiences that attend them. As a not-for-profit, PPT should absolutely operate in a fiscally responsible manner, but not at the expense of actively engaging with the community. Additionally, while it is wonderful that PPT's current education and engagement initiatives are intended to expand audiences, there has been little to no evidence of their efficacy. Thus, in all ways that PPT currently enjoys success, we intend to go further: to be radically inclusive, boldly experimental, consciously challenging, deeply engaging, and wholly public.

In short: Pittsburgh Public Theater will be a theater for Pittsburgh, about Pittsburgh, and by Pittsburgh. We are thrilled to welcome you to the new PPT, and invite you to join us on this journey.