Programming Analysis
"How Did We Get Here?":
PPT's Programming Patterns Before
COVID and Our Arrival
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.