Now we need something to call it.

A few weeks ago, we landed on a name we were genuinely excited about. Then, last week, so did another organization that we deeply admire. Small city, big coincidence. What drew us both to the same word was the idea that we were building something new, truly meant to last, and made in Pittsburgh.

So we pivoted and we’re ready to forge ahead.

Rather than lock ourselves back in a room and hand you a new name, we’d rather the people this is actually for — you — help us find it. We’re collecting ideas this week, and whatever name we land on, it’ll have your fingerprints on it.

Head to Mentimeter and share your ideas. You’ll find a few options to choose from, plus a box to write in your own. Send it to anyone in Pittsburgh who might want in on the fun. We’ll be reading every submission. Voting is open through August 8.

Shakespeare said it best: a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Our identity was never going to live in a word anyway. It lives in the work, the audience, and in the people creating it. The name is just how the rest of the world gets to say it out loud. Help us say it right.

CAST YOUR VOTE BY AUGUST 8!

Or, visit Menti.com and enter code 2701 6073

Our First Season Begins

One of the biggest changes for this new company: We’re producing year-round. Think of us not just as a summer destination, or a place for holiday shows, but your answer whenever you’re looking for a great night out.

You’ll also notice we’re not staying put in one building. We’re finding the right room for the right play, using multiple stages Downtown. The Prologue Season is proof of that: it moves from The O’Reilly, to the Greer Cabaret, and around the corner to the Byham.

You’ve already heard about the Prologue Season, but here’s a refresher: it kicks off with the Pittsburgh premiere of HOW SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE, followed by adult favorite WHO’S HOLIDAY!, and family favorite A MUSICAL CHRISTMAS CAROL.

Ticket Alert

We’re also excited to announce that tickets for HOW SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE are now officially on sale!

One more thing worth circling on your calendar: our November 11 preview performance of HOW SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE is Pay What You Can. This is part of our commitment to equitable and accessible theater. In addition to our typical RAD Pass offerings, we are thrilled to offer Pay What You Can performances during previews, and will preserve a portion of every house for low-price, quality seats.

The Prologue Season is just the opening act. We’re still finalizing agreements with our rights holders — but…

If you love Shakespeare:

look for William Shakespeare’s THE COMEDY OF ERRORS at The O’Reilly in 2027 — two sets of long-lost twins, separated by shipwreck, spending the whole play a few feet apart before finally finding each other. Four hundred years early, Shakespeare wrote us our own press release.

If you love Tony Award Winners:

PURPOSE, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning drama, gets its Pittsburgh premiere on our stage. It’s the kind of bold, ambitious storytelling our new company exists to bring to this city.

If you love Musicals:

Big, beautiful musicals aren’t going anywhere — and you’ll find them not just in the summer, but year-round. Expect at least three of your favorites, chosen from recent CLO and PPT subscriber surveys.

When we launch the full season, you’ll get to choose how you experience it:

• One series built around the artistic excellence that’s always defined Pittsburgh Public Theater

• One series carrying forward Pittsburgh CLO’s extraordinary musical legacy

• One full season that brings the best of both together

Stay tuned.

For the Artists in the Room

A Pittsburgh Theater Artist Convening

Thursday, August 20 | 5–6:30 p.m. Early enough to make your call time if you’re in a show!

Kyle Haden, Brett Crawford, and the staffs of our new company are inviting artists and producing companies from across the region to join us for a conversation built around connection and creating a platform for our collective future as artists in Pittsburgh. Sign up here.

Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO have executed an Agreement and Plan of Affiliation. We know it sounds more like required reading than opening night, but this is the document doing the real work behind the curtain. On July 31, the affiliation will formally take effect, making our new organizational structure official.

Here’s what that means in practice: PPT and CLO are establishing a single governance structure. This isn’t a dissolution of either institution. It’s a shared structure built on top of the strengths, histories, and identities that already exist. We'll have a new leadership model, including a reshaped board of directors and new staff positions geared toward true organizational sustainability. With those pieces in place, we’ll be on our way to finishing the unification work that’s been underway for months.

We know “Plan of Affiliation” is new language to a lot of us. Thanks for sticking with us through the legalese.

For an audio perspective on what’s ahead, listen in as our board chair, Tom McGough, sat down with WQED’s Jim Cunningham in Voice of the Arts.

Calling all Artists

Save the Date: Thursday, August 20 | 5-6:30 p.m.
Early enough to make your call time if you’re in a show!

We’re bringing together the people who actually make this work sing, literally and figuratively. Our Artist Gathering on Thursday, August 20 is a chance to connect with artists and producing companies from across the area. Building a stronger artistic community is at the heart of why we’re creating this new company.

Making a List and Checking it Twice

The work doesn’t stop while we count down to July 31.

Beyond the Unification Team’s work — PPT and CLO staff sitting down together to build the future organization — we’re teaming up with the Cultural District on this year’s Christmas in July promotion, running through Sunday, July 26. This annual celebration offers deep discounts on Cultural District shows. This year it includes two productions that will be produced by the new company for the first time: Who’s Holiday! and A Musical Christmas Carol. Visit CulturalDistrict.org and use code XMASINJULY to unlock savings.

Next up, we’ll put How Shakespeare Saved My Life on sale — an exciting new production that welcomes Gene Kelly Award winner Jacob Ming-Trent home to The O’Reilly stage for the first time.

This collaboration isn’t just paperwork. We’re aligning our box office strategy, sharing expertise, and building the systems and practices that will help create a sustainable future for the new company.

In the Spotlight:

“Nonprofit AI Adoption Hits 92%, But Only 7% See Major Impact” — NonProfit PRO

Why it matters: A benchmark study of 346 nonprofits found nearly universal AI use, but only 7% reporting real gains in what their teams can do — and almost half operating with no governance policy at all. The lesson isn’t that the technology underdelivers; it’s that tools alone don’t move an organization. The gains come from shared standards, clean processes, and staff who know how the work is supposed to get done. Growing our advanced-technology capability is part of our organizational design.

“The Cultural Horizon: 2026” — The Audience Agency

Why it matters: Another take on as similar issues. Many cultural organizations are rushing to use AI while ignoring the quality of the data underneath it. A model is only as good as what you feed it. Messy patron records don’t get smarter with a smarter tool on top. This is the heart of the improved-data-accessibility work: getting our audience information clean, unified, and usable is what makes everything downstream possible.

The thing we haven’t written about is the tie that binds our work across the decades: whether you were making theatre in the 1940s or today, theatre is made by people, in real time, together. That is the heart and soul of theatre’s transformative power (in my opinion). The vision of the new combined theatre company (NCTC) is to provide a platform for a thriving, healthy theatre ecology in Pittsburgh.

Having a resident acting company was a founding principle of many of those in the regional theater movement of the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. Arena Stage and the Alley Theatre, the originating theaters of the movement (thank you, Zelda and Nina), both included core companies. However, the European model upon which company models were most often based proved to be incompatible with the operational realities of most USA theater companies. Those who have succeeded (we see you Steppenwolf ;) are more the anomaly than the rule.

Yet again, theatre artists are the heart of all that is theatre. That is why the new, combined theatre company is creating a dedicated space for artists - inspired by a “resident company.” But our model is unique, at least in Pittsburgh. It is not a core set of actors to be seen show after show, season after season. We envision a group of local theatre artists broadly defined — not just actors — but all theatre artists. Artists who will engage actively with the company across all of its business activities, including education, production and community relations. They are a part of the team, a unique and critical part.

Why is this collective of artists critical to the business model and impact of NCTC company?

Because artists are the fuel of our work, and they need support and opportunities to continue their work and growth in Pittsburgh. Furthermore, emerging professionals (of all ages) benefit from mentorship and continued engagement with fellow artists to truly grow in their own life’s work. By embedding artists within the worlds of the next generation, Pittsburgh theatre will not only continue to exist, but it will grow and thrive.

Theatre is a collaborative art form; ergo, this company of artists will be provided opportunities to not only collaborate with the organization’s work but also to collaborate with each other. And, like an artist residency, there will be something in it for each of them, individually.

Who are these artists?

We don’t know yet. We are still working through the details for creating the most respectful, holistic, and transparent process for recruitment. We do know that we want them to be a group of Pittsburghers who are multi-generational and work across all the theatre domains.

Behind the Curtain

• Senior leadership team design complete We finalized the design of the senior leadership team and are moving forward with direction on the remainder of the organizational chart.

• HR policy development underway We are partnering with Compass HR, through shared services with the Cultural Trust, to design the new organization’s HR policies — including the staff handbook and approaches to PTO and benefits.

• 2027 season development: We created several permutations of the 2027 programming year and are finalizing season dates. We are working carefully to ensure both legacy organizations are well represented in the programming we present — and that artists, audiences, and staff alike can see themselves in this new artistic path.

• Fall education promotion begins: We are beginning to promote fall classes through the CLO Academy. Check here for updates.

• Merger filing on track: The merger filing remains on track to be complete by July 31.

In the Spotlight

“How We Got Here, and What Comes Next: Unifying Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO” — onStage Pittsburgh

Why it matters: Sharon Eberson’s in-depth account of the unification is the fullest public telling of this process to date as we approach the July 31 announcements.

“Analysis: After Some Setbacks, Pittsburgh’s Theater Merger Is On Track and Taking Shape on Paper” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Why it matters: The city’s paper of record now frames the merger as on track after a candid acknowledgment of a difficult spring. Note: subscription required.)

“Duke Partners With Ford to Fund Performing Arts Tech Innovation” — American Theatre

Why it matters: Two major national funders are investing more than $4 million in technologies designed to transform how performing arts organizations operate and reach audiences — an encouraging signal that philanthropy is betting on the field’s future, and worth tracking as we build our own technology infrastructure.

"American Players Theatre Receives 2026 Regional Theatre Tony Award" — American Players Theatre / Tony Awards

Why it matters: A classical repertory company in rural Wisconsin that draws nearly 100,000 guests a season just won the field's highest regional honor for broadening the theatergoing audience — proof that ambitious, locally produced regional theater can still thrive and grow when it's built around its community. An encouraging benchmark as we design a producing model meant to do the same for Pittsburgh.

This week, we want to show you what that actually looks like.

Fueling the future

The future of theater in Pittsburgh is about more than what’s on stage next season. It’s about growing audiences for the next hundred years, and education is the fuel that makes that possible. The education programs you know at the heart of these organizations didn’t pause for the merger. They’re the engine underneath everything we’re building — and together, they’re just getting started. The Gene Kelly Awards celebrated another outstanding class of young performers this spring — the same program that once sent a CAPA kid named Jacob Ming-Trent on a path that’s now bringing him back to The O’Reilly stage this fall. The Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest will ensure a bright future of budding bards as it has for over 30 years. Summer Sessions at The O’Reilly and Summer Camps at the Academy, along with the Holiday Student Program already on the Prologue calendar, are all moving forward as planned. These programs aren’t an afterthought in this process, they are undeniable proof of why it’s worth doing.

Two strong legacies, one foundation

Pittsburgh CLO’s education programs have a strong and storied history — generations of Pittsburgh kids who came through the Academy, the Kelly Awards, and grew up to fill stages here, on Broadway, and beyond. Pittsburgh Public Theater’s education work has long championed inclusivity, building programs designed to make sure theater felt open and accessible to every kid who walked through the door, regardless of background or experience. Put those together, and you get something neither organization could build alone: deep roots and wide doors. That’s the kind of math we’re most excited about in this process. But as we build the merged education program, our ambition goes beyond counting more students through the door. We’re approaching education holistically — not just strong programming for youth, but real pathways for the next generation of theater makers and arts professionals. Education isn’t a side revenue stream for this organization; it’s a companion to everything we do on stage, woven into the business model itself.

Behind the Curtain: What We’re Doing Now

A few things moving on the education side this week:

• Education strategy planning for 2026/2027 is happening on the same timeline, and with the same urgency, as our mainstage programming decisions — not after them, not separately.

• We’re examining how the Gene Kelly Awards and the Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest can lift each other up going forward — two competitions with real overlap in spirit, even if they’ve lived in separate organizations until now.

• We’re designing a fully unified education presence with a view of what it will look like across our venues, our schools, and our communities, built with the same ambition shaping everything else ahead of us for this year and beyond.

  

Before you go

If you’ve ever sat through the cheers of a Kelly Awards ceremony, dropped a kid off at a camp that became the best part of their summer, or watched a teenager find their footing in a Shakespeare sonnet they didn’t think they could pull off — you understand the power of theater. These programs don’t just serve audiences of the future. They fuel the creative economy that makes Pittsburgh thrive. Building a robust, Pittsburgh-proud education program is what we’re determined to get right, for every kid in this process.

Subscribe to The Next Act for more as it develops.

There’s a version of today’s newsletter that opens with a balance sheet. We walk you through the (at times difficult to accept) insights from the feasibility phase and months that followed. The merger becomes an obvious triage to keep both organizations afloat.

That version is true. But it’s not the whole truth.

The leadership recognized this as a moment to build something better, not just bigger. With some reworking of excellent source material, their vision was to build a new organization, unique for its size: financially stable, artistically ambitious, and operationally efficient. A cultural engine with deep regional impact.

Simply: an awesome local theater company that matters to its community.

When 1+1 equals 1

Imagine that the red bricks here are the Pittsburgh CLO. Every red brick represents their core reason for being: The Celebration of Musical Theater.

The focus is clearly - and only - on musical theater. At the top, you have excellent classic, proscenium musical theater productions. In the middle, there are some gaps - these represent the “experiments” of developing new musicals, or smaller shows in alternative venues.

At the bottom, there’s a robust education layer. The CLO Academy and related programs are excellent on their own and at times even transcend the core product, creating the next generation of musical theater artists.

Pittsburgh Public Theater has an altogether different shape. With musicals, classics, and new works mixed into a traditional season, their core programming was more “well-rounded,” built for theater lovers of all types.

Unlike CLO, however, the overall organization appears unbalanced, and the foundation too small. Developmental work and successful programs have grown in a few areas and the industry relationships are deep. But the artistic excellence isn’t appropriately supported.

There are obvious gaps in both organizations.

Throughout this process, we’ve had a lot of suggestions about how to “merge” or as we think of it, “unify.”

One of the most common suggestions is to simply combine the administrative staffs and allow each organization to keep doing what they do best. While that strategy preserves what many people love, it also allows many gaps to remain - each of which is a future risk or missed opportunity.

Our new model

Something really magical happens when we fully blend our knowledge, experiences, and opportunities.

Consider the visual below. It looks smaller, and in year one, it will be. However, there are fewer gaps and the blending and integration is central to it all.

We will still have main stage productions - musicals, contemporary plays, and classics at the top. Now, however they dip and span differently. This is where we see the work of emerging artists and introduce new types of theater experiences.

Education is embedded across all aspects of the work, expanding apprenticeships, fellowships, and workforce training. The Academy, Gene Kelly Awards, and Shakespeare programs remain a strong foundation for youth.

Utilizing smaller or nontraditional spaces, we will support developmental programs led by a mixed-discipline resident company - offering more opportunities to more artists, and allowing audiences to peek behind the curtain.

Finally, and crucially, in this model, we can open our arms wide. We are prioritizing our audience experience - from preserving affordable ticket prices at every show to offering community engagement before and after performances - we want you to feel welcome sharing space with us.

The Critical Path

This is a phrase we use a lot. It refers to the steps we need to take to get to our first opening night. Over the next 7 months, we are working to:

• Re-negotiate terms with key vendors and lease holders

• Finalize programming and begin contracting/producing work

• Complete the merger! Target: July 31, 2026.

• Announce Name, Brand, and Website

• Announce core 2027 programming

• Develop new policies, procedures, and benefits plans

• Hire all staff roles

• Hire President & Executive Producer

• Launch Founders campaign

• Start selling tickets and packages

• Unify staff offices / processes / technology

• Begin Artistic Director search

• Re-negotiate union agreements

• Launch Prologue season

• Begin inaugural season rehearsals

LEGO visuals & narrative created by Tom McGough, Chair of the Interim Board.

Because our process had a lot of attention during the (typically quiet) feasibility phase, it has felt like the process has been going on forever. Really, though, we are less than 100 days “post-vote”!

We have received a lot of questions about the vision that got us here, and what comes next. We also know there’s a lot of curiosity about governance and structure, and especially around how we will preserve the legacies and investments of both organizations as we move forward. Starting next week, expect an update every Thursday, where we plan to address all of those questions and more.

But first, we wanted to acknowledge a dedicated group of leaders who have been keeping this process grounded in reality and humanity.

The Unification Team

For the last 6 weeks, every Wednesday morning, a group of leaders from PPT and CLO (and a few free agents like myself) have been meeting to prioritize which problems to solve first, set strategy, and identify opportunities for collaboration. We call ourselves the “Unification Team.”

We are still alllll the way at the left of this graphic: Forming!

There are obviously deep emotions involved this work. These leaders are carrying the torch for their organizations, their staff, and their audiences.

In that meeting, we pick a few issues to discuss, rumble with each other to solve them, and set clear tasks for next steps. It’s intense but also something I look forward to every week (I may be the only one).

The Unification Team is comprised of the following experts. Each person’s work is wide-ranging, but listed below is the one major item they’re focused on moving forward through the end of July.

• Dr. Brett Ashley Crawford, Executive — Finalize the business model for the combined organization

• Monica Bowin, Production (PPT) — Migrate the CLO Production Center to Dargan Street

• Wynne Fedele, Development (CLO) — Launch the Founders Campaign

• Laura Greenawalt, Operations — Stand up integrated operations and execute planning across both organizations

• Kyle Haden, Artistic — Finalize the core 2027 season shows

• Aja Jones, Marketing (PPT) — Launch the new brand identity and microsite

• Angela Langill, Finance (CLO) — Begin unifying finance processes & accounts

• Jim Scriven, Education (CLO) — Develop an education programming strategy for Fall 2026

• Kate Sphar, Foundations — Drive foundation engagement and funder communications

These are the stewards of the future entity. We’re lucky to have them at the table.

Behind the Curtain

A look at what’s moved over the last two weeks:

• We briefed our foundation partners on recent unification progress, and talked openly about both the opportunities ahead and the real challenges we’re working through.

• Pittsburgh CLO’s 80th Anniversary Gala was a triumph — a celebration of eight decades of musical theater that honored longtime supporter Carol Hefren Tillotson with the Chloe Award for her civic leadership and philanthropy.

• Our staffing and HR work advanced considerably. We’ve finalized our staff timeline, process, and approved retention and severance packages for currently employed staff. We have engaged an HR consultant through our Shared Services partnership with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. They are building a new set of staff policies and tools for us. They have also reached out to support our colleagues from PPT with benefits and Employee Assistance Programs.

• We’re standing up a new strategic communications strategy, being led by Aja Jones. This weekly update is part of that. Expect more opportunities to learn about our team and decisions.

• The brand work is on track, with significant progress against our timeline. We’re excited to share that soon!

• We’re forming wider staff working groups to bring more team members into major projects — including future office integration (IT and facilities planning) and our announcement events.

• Unions and critical industry memberships are a near horizon. We wanted to ensure we didn’t disrupt or confuse CLO’s operations before digging in with these essential partners.

In the Spotlight

A Night to Cherish: Pittsburgh CLO Concert Salutes 80 Years of Musical Theater onStage Pittsburgh A first-hand account of CLO’s 80th Anniversary Gala — the tributes, the alumni who returned to the stage, and the honoring of Carol Hefren Tillotson. The piece doesn’t shy away from the bittersweet note running through the night: the sense of one era closing as a new chapter with Pittsburgh Public Theater begins.

What Nonprofit Leaders Should Know About Mergers and Partnerships NonProfit PRO A clear walk-through of how nonprofit mergers actually unfold, laid out in five phases from early exploration through due diligence to integration. The article singles out integration planning — the work of figuring out how teams, systems, and fundraising will function together before any legal transition — as the stage leaders most often underestimate. This is a map of exactly where we are right now. The integration planning the article calls “the most overlooked stage” is precisely the work our Unification Team is doing this summer.

Before you go: Pittsburgh CLO’s summer season kicks off with Beautiful: The Carole King Musical — the start of the 80th-anniversary PNC Summer of Musicals. And there’s still time to sign up for Pittsburgh Public Theater’s summer education programs at the O’Reilly. Call 412-456-6666 for more information.

NextActPGH is published weekly during the merger of Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Public Theater.

First, we want to say thank you to the staff of Pittsburgh Public Theater. We’ve been in touch with almost everyone personally. They are handling an impossible moment with grace, kindness, and, in most cases, hope. We are so proud of you.

Second, to the community groups, parents, and students: we are committed to ensuring that Pittsburgh Public Theater’s programs continue this summer. New Horizon Theater will open this weekend as planned and the summer camps begin next month; we will see you at the O’Reilly.

For the audiences and subscribers and donors who have supported Pittsburgh Public Theater over the years: we will do our best to ensure that we honor the Public’s legacy by producing work that brings you joy and engages your curiosity.

Finally, for the artistic community in Pittsburgh: the ripple is reaching far and wide, and you might be ready to jump ship. If you can’t pursue your livelihood here, how can you stay?

That question has been at the heart of this conversation all along - even if it hasn’t felt like that publicly. For the last year, we have been making the argument to our funding community that without locally-produced professional theater at scale, Pittsburgh will lose a key part of it’s artistic identity.

We believe that our city needs performing arts organizations of all sizes to be successful. The larger ones should be resilient to absorb macroeconomic shocks, take artistic risks, and be a resource and thought partner to organizations across the region. They should also lead by example.

We intend to fulfill that one day soon - for artists and passionate administrators; audiences of all ages; and truly for a better Pittsburgh.

Just the facts, ma’am

A few things have come up this week (that’s an understatement) that we want to help clarify.

• There were 11 Pittsburgh Public Theater administrators affected by the layoff this week. We were able to provide them with one month’s severance, thanks to funds that were available from the unification project, though we know that does not erase the immediate hardship this action has caused.

• The union production staff at PPT are on seasonal furlough and have a call back date of September 1.

• At the beginning of PPT’s 2025-26 season, the administrative staff were asked to prepare for a 2 month furlough between seasons. This would have occurred from July-August this summer.

• The unification project has a timeline for hiring staff into a new org chart, however, there are still operational milestones to complete before we can share it. We will deliver this plan to the staffs of PPT and CLO at the same time and in the same format.

• Where possible, we are looking for ways to “bring aboard” PPT staff members into projects or contract work in support of summer programs and the business of unification.

• The Pittsburgh CLO was unable to immediately hire impacted PPT staff members. There are limited administrative roles open at the CLO at this time.

• All CLO programming, including the summer season, annual fundraiser, and Gene Kelly Awards, are continuing on track and will not change. The Prologue programming is continuing as planned.

• Programming in the new entity will cross genres and reflect the tastes of each organization’s legacy audiences. There will be both musicals and plays.

• Education and Academy programs from both organizations will continue, and we intend to preserve and celebrate marquee programs like the Gene Kelly Awards and Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest.

Last Friday, we made our first joint programming announcement. It started, as the best Pittsburgh stories do, with a kid from here. But there’s more to the season than one show — and more to say about what we’re building toward.

A Pittsburgh Kid Comes Home

Jacob Ming-Trent grew up in Pittsburgh. He went to CAPA & participated in the Gene Kelly Awards. He found Shakespeare not as a boring assignment, but as something that felt, in his telling, like a superpower. The rhythms and language unlocked something that astonished the people around him, and eventually set him on a path to becoming one of the country’s most exciting playwright-performers.

His autobiographical solo show, How Shakespeare Saved My Life, is being co-produced by Berkeley Rep, Folger Theatre, and Red Bull Theater. This fall, it plays the O’Reilly Theatre November 11–25.

It’s the anchor of our Prologue — the name we internally (and now externally) gave to the programming we’re presenting jointly in the back half of 2026. But it fits, right? It’s just enough of the story to make you want a little more.

We chose to lead with Jacob’s show because it says something true about what this organization is prioritizing. Theater made by Pittsburghers. Stories that deserve to be told. Artists that come home.

This is a moment built to introduce two audiences who have never (intentionally) been in the same room, with an experience we think they will both love. The Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Public Theater subscribers aren’t really the Sharks and the Jets, but they certainly reflect different habits and wants. We’re looking for the places where they’re more alike than apart. Lyrical, theatrical storytelling is a great place to start.

What we believe is that the organizations best positioned to succeed are the ones that can make a clear case for what they’re building, not just what they’ve survived. The Prologue selections are a testing ground, in that respect.

Behind the curtain…

A small sample of what progressed with the unification team this week:

• We’re narrowed down to some final decisions for 2027 planning and will be reaching out to our audiences for help selecting one more show. Follow here (or on our PPT & CLO email lists) to participate!

• We selected a partner for Brand, design, and website work. More soon on this.

• We met with a number of experienced arts leadership search firms to discuss our executive needs.

• We’re running a technology and software inventory and discussing what operational modernization is possible during this transition.

• The team is actively engaged in conversations with audiences, donors, and artists and we’re preparing answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.

• Meetings, meetings, meetings. Lots of 1:1s with Brett and staff and close stakeholders across our community. This “listening tour” will continue over the next several weeks.

The Prologue

The O’Reilly is undergoing renovations this fall, which made a traditional full season impossible. It will be a more comfortable and beautiful home base for us - we’re grateful for that!

We also have the business (busy-ness) of uniting our organizations during that window, which includes a lot of work to unify team processes, align software and technology, move offices, hire leadership, programs, and build a stunning season for 2027. So instead of going totally dark, we built something simple and - to us - exciting. The result is a calendar that spans four venues and runs from September through December, mixing work already in development with new opportunities designed to bring CLO and PPT audiences together.

Here’s what the season includes:

• September–October — SCRIPT TEASE (O’Reilly Rehearsal Hall): Two intimate, invite-only weekends for subscribers and donors featuring vocal performances and readings from works under consideration for 2027. Details coming soon.

• November 11–25 — HOW SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE (O’Reilly Theater): Ming-Trent’s autobiographical solo show, co-produced by three major national theaters, makes its Pittsburgh debut. A CAPA kid & Kelly Award Winner on the O’Reilly stage.

• November 25–December 20 — WHO’S HOLIDAY! (The Greer Cabaret Theater): A sharp adult comedy reimagining Cindy Lou Who as a grown woman reckoning with life after the Grinch incident.

• December 11–23 — A MUSICAL CHRISTMAS CAROL (Byham Theater): Dickens’ classic, family-friendly, built for the holidays, packed with artists you love.

• December — HOLIDAY STUDENT PROGRAM (O’Reilly Rehearsal Hall): Holiday music featuring students from CLO’s education programs and Mini Stars.

The PNC Summer of Musicals — Pittsburgh CLO’s 80th Anniversary season at the Benedum, continues as planned, June 23 through July 26. We can’t wait to see you there.

In the Wings

For Starters: How to Launch a Theatre Company in 2026 American Theatre This week’s national trade feature on why artists are still founding new companies despite a turbulent funding landscape — tighter federal dollars, retreating foundations, and audiences still finding their way back. Founders describe having to plan for philanthropic volatility from day one. Why it matters for Pittsburgh: Newer companies are filling gaps that established institutions have left, but they will need time to grow to the level of opportunity that legacy orgs hold for artists and audiences. What we’re doing is hard and rare; building something new from the foundation of two existing ones, preserving legacy, and keeping a large roster of artistic and administrative opportunities alive.

The Fall and Rise of Private Funding for Theatre American Theatre A clear-eyed look at where theater philanthropy stands — uneven, with some foundations pulling back while others have significantly increased performing arts spending. Funders describe making longer-term bets on institutions they believe in, not just emergency support. Why it matters for Pittsburgh: The philanthropic field is actively deciding which organizations are worth doubling down on. We are making our capitalization case with a focus on audience growth, artistic opportunity, quality, education, and a vibrant Downtown.

People to Watch: Jacob Ming-Trent American Theatre Earlier this year, American Theatre named Ming-Trent a playwright to watch for How Shakespeare Saved My Life, tracing how growing up in Pittsburgh and finding Shakespeare as a teenager led to a show now co-produced by three major national institutions. Why it matters for Pittsburgh: Come see the show ;)

Two of the city’s longest-running theater companies - Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO - have decided to create a unified new organization. When it’s all said and done, we will be one company, with one mission, under one (still-TBD) name. We have remarkable legacies to build on, and are excited to share the future with you.

This newsletter exists to document what that actually looks like from the inside. Whether you’re our biggest fans or just a little nebby: Welcome to the process.

We are storytellers by trade, and want to share this one.

Mergers in the performing arts are complicated, emotional, and rare. There aren’t a lot of examples out there. We’ve shared relentlessly about the challenges that we have as an industry: shifting funding models, audience entertainment spending, and rising material and labor costs are a trifecta that is pushing many performing arts companies into a crisis.

We’re lucky to have board and staff leaders who saw this coming and wanted to pro-actively set us up for the next 100 years of creating great stories on stage. We have had to create this process from the ground up and it hasn’t been perfect. But we’ve heard from our communities loud and clear: they want to know what’s going on.

Our organizations have spent decades as collaborators. And speaking honestly, often as competitors. It’s made this a very tricky process to get right; it’s awkward at times.

For our combined 130 years, we’ve cultivated separate identities, patron bases, donor relationships, union contracts, and artistic philosophies. These don’t simply blend together.

There have been many spreadsheets that translate our challenges into hard data. There have been many hard conversations, and more certainly will happen. But there are also moments, when we are open to genuine discovery, that have created a true excitement for what’s possible.

It’s exciting to bring together some of the most talented people in our city (really, the industry) to start working on this problem together.

What You’ll Find Here

Every week (or as close to every week as the work allows) we’ll share an update on what’s happening in the integration of Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO.

Some weeks that will mean big news: a financial milestone, a key hire, a brand decision, a board vote. Some weeks it will be smaller or stranger: what does it look like when two different prop teams try to rationalize decades of kitchenware? How do two education departments bring together programs for learners from 6 to 86?

Some weeks, when things are quiet on the merger front, we’ll zoom out and look at what’s happening nationally in theater, arts nonprofits, and the creative economy.

We will do our best to be transparent and forthcoming. There is a delicate balance to strike with information at a moment like this, and our staff comes first.

Who’s Writing This?

This newsletter will be drafted & updated by members of the staff of the new combined organization, led by Dr. Brett Ashley Crawford, the Transition Executive Director. It’s typically posted by Laura Greenawalt, the Transition Operations Manager.

This is for our Community.

If you’ve ever sat in the O’Reilly or sent a kid to CLO Academy, this is for you.

If you work in the arts, this is for you.

If you are just curious what it looks like when two institutions decide to bet on each other, this is for you.

If you’re a Pittsburgher who cares about what culture looks like in this city, especially in and around downtown, this is absolutely for you.

You don’t need a background in theater management to follow along. We’ll try to keep things as interesting as the work actually is. Which, most weeks, is pretty interesting.

The Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Public Theater merger was approved by both boards in March 2026. The inaugural season under the new entity is expected to begin performances in January 2027. In the meantime, teams from both organizations are already working together: sharing spaces, aligning programs, and figuring out what it means to build something genuinely new from two genuinely great legacies.