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The Bluegrass Mile (2023)

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Seven Guitars (2016)

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Ground Up Theatre Training

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Gem of the Ocean (2019)

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The Piano Lesson (2015)

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Jitney (2010)

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Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (2023)

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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2018)

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Shantytown. The Ballad Of Fr. James Cox. (2023)

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Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (2023)

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Cyril (2021 film)

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Gem of the Ocean (2019)

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Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (2023)

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Savior Samuel (2019)

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Ground Up Theatre Training

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Grist From The Mill: 1902 (2021 film)

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Gem of the Ocean (2019)

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Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (2023)

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Cyril (2021 film)

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East Texas Hot Links (2017)

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Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (2023)

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Ground Up Theatre Training

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The Double V (2022)

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Gem of the Ocean (2019)

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Our 2024 Season

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Our 2015 production

DINAH

A Musical Revue
By Ernest McCarty
Directed by Mark Clayton Southers
At Madison Arts Center, 3401 Milwaukee Street
April 5th – April 28th 2024

Set during the last year of the short life of the remarkable woman called the Queen of the Blues. Dinah includes a riveting array of musical numbers and biographical vignettes. This show provides a powerful insight into the tragic and often controversial life of Dinah Washington, one of the most popular African-American singers of the 1950s.

Monteze Freeland

FISHY WOO WOO

By Monteze Freeland
Directed by Lovell McFadden
At Madison Arts Center, 3401 Milwaukee Street
May 31st – June 16th 2024
World premiere!

Shawn’s best friends will do anything to protect his heart from being broken again. When they accompany Shawn to collect the last of his things from the apartment he once shared with his ex-partner Jonathan they discover secrets, lies, and an uninvited guest and make it their mission to keep Shawn oblivious. Fishy Woo Woo is a comedy highlighting friendship, chosen family and a little revenge when the facts stop adding up.

Our 2013 production

RADIO GOLF

By August Wilson
Directed by Montae Russell
Outdoors at August Wilson House
August 10 – September 14 2024
Friday & Saturday at 8 PM, Thursday & Sunday at 7 PM

Real estate developer Harmond Wilks is determined to become the first black mayor of Pittsburgh, on a mission to revive his blighted childhood neighborhood. As Wilks confronts characters from the past, he is forced to question how pursuing change could put his neighborhood’s history at risk.

THEATRE FESTIVAL IN BLACK & WHITE

At Madison Arts Center, 3401 Milwaukee Street
October 5th – 27th 2024

Eight one-act plays by local playwrights in two programs.

Festival Coordinator Ashley Southers

More Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre News

March 2024: WQED’s Voice of the Arts podcast interviews Mark Clayton Southers on PPTCO’s 2024 season.

February 2024: We’ve added new photo galleries for our productions of Seven Guitars (2009) and Jitney (2010) as part of our website’s design refresh, plus a new production history page, improved navigation throughout, and more.

December 2023: Two of our plays in our 20th Anniversary 2023 season, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and The Bluegrass Mile, appeared in Sharon Eberson’s Best of Pittsburgh Theater 2023 at OnStage Pittsburgh, as did Karla Payne and Charles Timbers for their work on our stages! Thanks!

January 2023: Pittsburgh Playwrights names theater for actor Carter Redwood!

September 2022: Check out this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article about our future plans at Madison Arts Center! Read Tony Norman’s November 2022 article on Next Pittsburgh. And see Pittsburgh Magazine’s March 2023 writeup with photos and video.

In 2021, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre was recognized as one of Pittsburgh’s Cultural Treasures! Read more in this in-depth article (PDF)!

Applications for Ground Up Theatre Training are Open!

For 17 years Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Company has trained people on and behind the stage. Artists sought us out to help them start their careers because they saw people like themselves here.  We knew our method of giving individual attention while expecting accountability fostered growth, but we were always too busy to establish a formal training program, until now. With the help of the RK Mellon Foundation, we are proud to announce the establishment of the Ground Up Theatre Training program. We’ve assessed the regional theatre environment, and determined that our training will focus on:

  • Sound Design for Stage
  • The Art of Lighting Design
  • Costume Design and Assistance
  • Stage Management
  • Scenic Design and Construction
  • Stage Combat
  • Makeup Design and Application


Learn More

Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company thanks the following for supporting our season of plays and special projects:



And our Donor’s Circle and other individual donors
Thank you!

Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre was selected a Pittsburgh Cultural Treasure by Heinz Endowments in collaboration with the Poise Foundation, a national initiative by the Ford Foundation.

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Questions? Email us at contactpptco@pghplaywrights.org

Mailing address: 3400 Milwaukee St Rear, Suite #1, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Follow Us on Social Media @pghplaywrights

Slideshow photos by J.L. Martello/18ricco, Christopher Chapman Sr., Candace Michelle Perdue, Duane Rieder, Gail Manker, Joy Southers, and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre.