Deep Roots, Wide Doors: An Education Foundation
Back in May, in one of our “just the facts” updates, we wrote a sentence we want to make good on out loud: “Education and Academy programs from both organizations will continue, and we intend to preserve and celebrate marquee programs like the Gene Kelly Awards and the Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest.”
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.
Mixin’ it up with Shakespeare Remix all week long at The O’Reilly
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.
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