Programming Analysis

PROGRAMMING BUCKETS

NEW PLAYS

• Sweat by Lynn Nottage (18-19)

• A Doll's House, Part 2 (18-19)

• Indecent by Paula Vogel (18-19)

• Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison (18-19)

• School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play by Jocelyn Bioh (19-20)

• American Son by Christopher Demos-Brown (19-20)

• STATS: 6/18 (~33.3%)

ADAPTATIONS

• Pride & Prejudice by Kate Hamill (18-19)

• STATS: 1/18 (~5.6%)

REVIVALS/CLASSICS

• The Tempest by William Shakespeae (18-19)

• A Few Good Men by Aaron Sorkin (19-20)

• Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (21-22)

• Two Trains Running by August Wilson (locally important) (21-22)

• Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon (21-22)

• STATS: 5/18 (~28%)

MUSICALS

• Little Shop of Horrors (19-20)

• STATS: 1/18 (~5.6%)

SPECIAL EVENTS, LOCALLY TAILORED

• Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin by Hershey Felder (18-19)

• Yinzer Yuletide (19-20)

• Slow Food by Wendy Macleod (21-22)

• The Chief by Rob Zellers & Gene Collier (21-22)

• How The Hell Did I Get Here? by Lesley Nicol (21-22)

• STATS: 5/18 (~28%)

PROGRAMMING TRENDS

• Shift of programming towards focus on locally tailored special events is likely due to COVID budgetary concerns, and less a sign of programming trend (normally one a year)

• Move from four new plays in 18-19 to two in 19-20, one adaptation to zero, static revivals.

• Decrease in new plays, replaced by musical / special event

• OVERALL: Less experimental, more classics, more tailored events, smaller casts.

EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT

• Open Stage Matinees

• Ticket discounts, classes, and workshops for students and educators

• Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest for students grade 4 - 12

• Adult Classes for acting and stage combat

• OVERALL: The basics. Not tied to specific programs or productions, but more "standard fare."

MISSION ALIGNMENT

• 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 outreach initiatives intended for a wide range of people with the goal of expanding and diversifying the audience while enriching the community.

• OVERALL: Season-by-season, they're not very artistically diverse: each season is mostly focused on one bucket.

  • It's clear this season that they heavily consider fiscal responsibility in programming: focusing on cheaper special events, only doing big-budget musicals every few years, etc.

  • PPT has really stepped up their outreach through free initiatives over the last year -- through PPT PlayTime, Classics N'At, and the Barefoot in the Park public performance.