Education
All classes and workshops are held at the O'Reilly Theater. Some financial aid is available. For more information, contact Rob Zellers, Director of Education, at 412.316.8200, ext. 715.
Summer Youth Classes 2013
Acting Workshop: Scene Study (Ages 13-17)
June 17 - 28, 2013
M - F 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Fee: $300
This popular two-week workshop focuses on the actor’s character development, objectives, subtexts, and scene work. Experienced and new actors are welcome; dedication and enthusiasm are the only prerequisites.
Introduction to Playwriting and Screenwriting (Ages 13-17)
June 24 - July 12, 2013
M W & F 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Fee: $275
This three-week introductory course is composed of intensive writing exercises that illuminate the basic tenets of playwriting and screenwriting.
Acting Workshop: Making It Real (Ages 10-12)
June 17 - 28, 2013
M - F 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Fee: $275
How does an actor make it real? How do you make the audience believe in you? Students are guided through an exploration of the basic skills of acting that address these questions. In-class exercises in improvisation, character development, and movement.
Acting Workshop: Shakespeare Intensive (Ages 13-17)
July 15 - August 2, 2013
M - F 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Fee: $350
Students approach Shakespeare from an actor’s perspective, using the text and verse to aid in character development. This class culminates in an actual performance of one of William Shakespeare’s works. Experienced and new actors are welcome. Enrollment is limited to a company of 20 actors.
Coming Soon to the OPEN STAGE STUDENT MATINEE SERIES
THE MASTERPIECE SEASON
America's most beautiful play. A drama that demolishes the stage. The musical heartbeat of Manhattan. An intimate encounter with an epic tale. Wit that dazzles like a diamond. The funniest farce of the last 50 years.
Welcome to The Masterpiece Season at Pittsburgh Public Theater.
by Thornton Wilder directed by Ted Pappas
A story that is simple yet profound. A work of unparalleled imagination and heart. A stunning theatrical achievement that captures the experience of living in the moment. These are just a few reasons why Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning Our Town is America's most acclaimed play. An iconic play deserves an iconic star, so we are thrilled to announce that Pittsburgh's most beloved actor, Tom Atkins, will perform the legendary role of the Stage Manager. OPEN STAGE PERFORMANCE: October 2 and 9, 2013, curtain time TBA
by Sam Shepard
Two estranged brothers find themselves together in a house near the desert. One is a writer and family man. The other is a drifter and a thief. Their epic rivalry has made this grand and mythic story Sam Shepard's most famous play. Full of twists, action, insight, and gritty humor, True West has been a magnet for charismatic actors since its debut in 1980.
OPEN STAGE PERFORMANCE: November 13, 2013, curtain time TBA
book by George Furth music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim directed and choreographed by Ted Pappas
When Company opened in 1970 it swept the Tony Awards and propelled the Broadway musical into a new era. Set in Manhattan, Company features five married couples, three single gals - and Bobby, the only eligible bachelor in the group. Through scenes and songs they celebrate and scrutinize married life and its alternatives. These hilarious, neurotic New Yorkers are ambiguous about their relationship, but the emotional impact of Sondheim's songs - such as "Being Alive," "The Ladies Who Lunch," and "Another Hundred People" - is crystal clear.
OPEN STAGE PERFORMANCE: January 29, 2014, curtain time TBA
adapted from Homer by Lisa Peterson & Denis O'Hare translation by Robert Fagles
Combining the majestic language of Homer with the informal way we speak today, An Iliad unleashes the thrilling tales of the Trojan War and delves into the psychology of passion and rage, ancient and modern. In this tour-de-force, one actor plays the Greek classic's famous characters Achilles, Hector, Agamemnon, and the beautiful Helen of Troy. Gods such as Athena and Hermes come and go. Colorful and emotionally charged, these accounts look at the impulses that drive people into battle, and ultimately reveal that human nature has not changed much in 2,000 years.
OPEN STAGE PERFORMANCE: March 12, 2014, curtain time TBA
by George Bernard Shaw directed by Ted Pappas
andida was a smash when it premiered in 1903 and is still a triumph of sophistication. In this sparkling comedy, Candida is in the middle of a romantic tug of war between husband John Morell, the practical parson, and Eugene Marchbanks, the passionate poet. They are surrounded by her uproarious provincial father and Morell's eccentric staff, but it is love and marriage that are the targets of Shaw's celebrated wit. Gretchen Egolf, the radiant Rosalind of As You Like It will return to The Public to dazzle audiences in the role of Candida.
OPEN STAGE PERFORMANCE: April 23, 2014, curtain time TBA
For reservations, call Katie in Group Sales at 412.316.8200 ext. 704. For more information on the OPEN STAGE series, click on the "For Teachers" link or call the Education Department at 412.316.8200 ext. 715.
Pittsburgh Public Theater invites you to be a part of our dynamic Public Education programs. Join us and experience the world of theater through performance, exploration and interaction.
Our initiatives reach more than 20,000 children, teens and adults each year - more than 13,500 of these are young people. The Public's education outreach efforts have won the praise of principals, teachers, students, parents, and community leaders. As just one example, the principal of North Allegheny Senior High School wrote,
"I am impressed with the range, organization and quality of the educational outreach opportunities available to students through Pittsburgh Public Theater...The Public is an oustanding educational resource for students in our region."
Each year, similar words of encouragement are heard from the more than 200 schools that participated in educational programs at The Public. The Public staff and guest artists are committed to sharing their expertise and resources with the community. We offer a variety of programs - backstage tours, free and discounted tickets, guest speakers, volunteer opportuntiies, audience talkbacks, benefit performances, volunteer opportunities, audience talkbacks, benefit performances, and technical and career counseling - that target a wide range of people with the goal of expanding, diversifying and educating our audience.
Pittsburgh Public Theater aims to achieve three major goals with its education and outreach programming:
1. Provide innovating, effective and engaging arts education opportunities for children, teens and young adults;
2. Bring young people, famiies and underserved populations from across the region to The Public, allowing them to experience as many artistic and education programs as possible; and
3. Instill in young people a greater understanding and appreciation of the dramatic arts, which in turn will help to build the arts audience of the future.
Pittsburgh Public Theater's education and outreach programs are generously supported by:
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Additional funding by:
