Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company

Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company is a professional theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003 by artistic director Mark Clayton Southers, the company originally held productions at the Penn Theater in Garfield and moved to a new space on Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Between 2011 and 2018, it held productions in a space on Liberty Avenue in the same building used by Bricolage Production Company, as well as the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, where Southers was artistic director of theatre initiatives, and at other locations.[1][2][3] In 2022, it moved into the former Madison Elementary School in Pittsburgh's historic Hill District.[4]

The theatre's mission is to develop and showcase works by Pittsburgh playwrights, ranging from August Wilson and George Kaufman to new unknown playwrights, and to "nurture a racially and culturally diverse community of playwrights, directors, actors and technical specialists to hone their craft and to network creative opportunities."[5] The company has had premiere productions of works by such Pittsburgh playwrights as Tammy Ryan, Kim El, Marlon Youngblood, Brendon Bates, Wali Jamal, and Ray Werner. The theatre company is also well known for its annual Theatre Festival in Black & White, in which white directors direct one-act plays by black playwrights and black directors direct one-act plays by white playwrights.[6][7][8][9][10] The company has also sponsored series of readings by local playwrights.[11]

See also edit

Theatre in Pittsburgh

References edit

  1. ^ "August Wilson Center for African American Culture". Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2011-06-11.
  2. ^ "August Wilson Center for African American Culture". Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-06-11.
  3. ^ "Pittsburgh Playwrights relocates, plans 4 productions for 2011-12 season | TribLIVE". www.pittsburghlive.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  4. ^ "History of Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre". Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  5. ^ "About – Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company". www.pghplaywrights.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  6. ^ "PPTCO Showcases Plays by Pittsburgh Playwrights | Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
  7. ^ O'Driscoll, Ted Hoover, Bill. "Theatre Festival in Black and White". pittsburghcitypaper.ws. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Pilecki, Ted Hoover, Michelle. "Theatre Festival in Black & White". pittsburghcitypaper.ws. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Black & White theater fest's plays vary in quality". www.post-gazette.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  10. ^ http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/s_703960.html[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Production History – Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company". www.pghplaywrights.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2018.