CURTAIN UP! Live Performance returns at PICT Classic Theatre

It’s been 18 months since the lights went out in theaters nationwide as the industry paused for the COVID-19 pandemic. But this Fall, the wait is over. PICT Classic Theatre, one of Pittsburgh’s finest professional theater companies, announced last week that they are returning to live, in-person performances at WQED Studios this October – just in time to celebrate their 25th Anniversary Season.

Located in Oakland, PICT has cultivated a reputation for excellence in both classic and Irish productions while showcasing the rich talent of Pittsburgh artists. This season they’ll present three full productions and launch a new, free staged reading series.

“It’s a season that celebrates where we’ve been and looks forward to where we are going over the next 25 years,” says Artistic and Executive Director Alan Stanford. “Rather than solely reflecting on the past, we want to focus our attention on the future.”

After the critically acclaimed, award-winning production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in February 2020, PICT first performance back will be another delightful comedy: William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. A show about love in all its aspects, this production takes the stage at the Fred Rogers Studio at WQED Oct. 30-Nov. 20, 2021.

Continuing its tradition of excellence Irish theatre, PICT will present a limited run of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame Feb. 12-26, 2022. At once wickedly funny and startlingly poignant, Endgame is a story of four individuals grappling with the reality of “ending” – of life, of time, and what we find at the conclusion. This production reunites PICT resident company members Martin Giles, James FitzGerald, Karen Baum, and Ken Bolden under the direction of Alan Stanford.

The season closes with a modern classic, Mart Crowley’s The Boys in the Band. Considered one of the most influential plays in the LGBTQIA+ canon, this timely piece focuses on a group of seven friends as they gather for a raucous birthday party in 1968 Manhattan. Flowing drinks and uninvited guests cause tensions to rise and deeply hidden truths to be revealed. This production welcomes multi-faceted artist Monteze Freeland, co-Artistic Director of City Theatre, to direct and performs June 18-July 9, 2022.

PICT will also launch a new series of staged readings this year entitled the Expand the Canon Series. This program of free staged readings will focus on the plays, perspectives and stories of women and People of Color in the classic canon – two groups usually marginalized in traditional classic work. Curated by Associate Producer Sharon McCune, this new program will present six different staged readings for free to the public at Rodef Shalom throughout the season beginning in November. Individual titles will be announced Oct. 1.

PICT will be requiring proof of vaccination and masking for each performance in the 2021-2022 season. Their commitment to safety has been prominent through the pandemic, being the first theatre to be approved for in-person production by Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers, in September 2020 for their radio drama, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll. PICT was granted approval based on a collaborative and detailed 27-page safety proposal that was then shared with all other professional theatre companies in Pittsburgh. They were also invited to present their protocols nationally for AEA last summer, in a panel of producers that had successfully navigated pandemic restrictions. For the 2021-2022 season, PICT has three certified COVID Compliance Officers on staff ensuring the reopening is a safe, comfortable, and joyous experience for all.

Subscriptions for the 25th Anniversary season run between $105-$125 and are available for purchase through the PICT website, picttheatre.org, or by phone at 412-561-6000. Single tickets will be available for purchase beginning Oct. 1.

Showtimes are Wednesday-Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Student matinees will also be available at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays during each run and can be arranged through General Operations Manager Catherine Kolos at [email protected].