About The Next Act

Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO voted in March 2026 to merge into a single organization: a new theater company built from two of Pittsburgh’s most storied performing arts institutions, that will continue to serve our audiences, artists, and community with excellent art.

That decision has been public, but much of the work that follows happens behind closed doors: hiring decisions, systems integrations, financial planning, governance design, and the thousand smaller choices that shape what this organization will actually become. This Substack exists to help you peek behind the curtain.

We share here what we’re working on, how we’re thinking about hard problems, and where we’ve had to course-correct, because we believe the people who care about Pittsburgh theater deserve more than a press release.

This isn’t a marketing channel. It’s a running account of what it actually takes to build something new from two beloved institutions. If you’re a patron, donor, artist, staff member, or just someone who pays attention to the Pittsburgh arts community, this is written for you. Subscribe below to get updates in your inbox as the work unfolds.