Theater Profile

For my theater profile, I have elected to review and write on the famous Pittsburgh Playhouse. The Pittsburgh Playhouse is owned and operated by Point Park University. Point Park University is a liberal arts university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Point Park University was formerly known as Point Park College until the name was revised in 2004 to show the diversity of classes available. Point Park is a master’s level university whose background is largely founded in strong liberal arts tradition. Point Park University has eleven graduate programs offered through its School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Communication and the Conservatory of Performing Arts. It is through the Conservatory of Performing Arts that the university operates the Pittsburgh Playhouse. The Conservatory of Performing Arts is an audition based program. Only 7 percent of those who audition for the program are accepted. The conservatory attracts students from all across the country and all around the world. Point Park University's Pittsburgh Playhouse is the performing arts center of Point Park University and the Conservatory of Performing Arts. The Pittsburgh Playhouse maintains a full schedule of shows and performances. Annually, the Pittsburgh Playhouse hosts eighteen major productions with 235 performances entertaining more than 30,000 audience patrons. Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts is comprised of professional, working artists dedicated to a conservatory approach to training. The Conservatory of Performing Arts includes five performance companies. These performance companies are the REP, Point Park University’s professional theatre company, and the Conservatory Theatre Company, Conservatory Dance Company and Playhouse Jr. The Conservatory Theatre Company, Conservatory Dance Company and Playhouse Jr. are all student companies. The Playhouse’s professional theater company is the REP. The REP is composed of professionally trained actors and actresses and puts on the majority of the major productions at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. The Conservatory Dance Company and Playhouse Jr. are smaller, less professional performance companies. These companies are sometimes composed of students who get to work along side more experienced artists and get to try their hand at the live stage production environment. Point Park Universities Pittsburgh Playhouse owns and operates three state of the art theaters. The three theaters are the Raugh theater, the Rockwell theater, and the Studio theater. These theaters offer modern seating and high quality sound and lighting systems. The Pittsburgh Playhouse produces mostly contemporary shows, but is also known to tackle just about any genre and a diverse selection of material. The mission of Point Parks’ Pittsburgh Playhouse is “to commit to the development of the craft, the engagement of the imagination and the cultivation of skills that enable students to pursue careers as working artists.” The Pittsburgh Playhouse is currently performing the shows Seussical and The Dark Side of Zylo’s Moon. Several past shows include The Crucible, The Philadelphia Story, The Wizard of Oz, Robin Hood, Hair, Romeo and Juliet, The Elephant Man, and Alice in Wonderland, just to name a few. Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse has had a long list of famous alumni. Dennis Miller, Keystone Oaks high school graduate, studied and performed at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. Other Pittsburgh Playhouse performers have gone on to star in major Hollywood films. A current director at the playhouse, John Amplas, starred in several of film maker George Romero’s movies. I find Point Park Universities Pittsburgh Playhouse very appealing because of their home grown nature. They take pride in their heritage and Pittsburgh roots, and are a great outlet for up and coming local actors and actresses to get a taste for professional stage production. The Pittsburgh Playhouse has been an inspirational and educational tool for the past 50 years and I have no doubt that it will continue to carry on as a great production company for a long time.