Last August, three major local theater companies — City Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO — announced they were considering the possibility of a merger. Today, the companies revealed that such a union is not in the cards — or, at least, not for all three.
In a statement emailed to supporters on Tuesday afternoon, heads of the three companies wrote, “We are writing to share that the Boards did not reach united alignment on a vote solely to authorize participation in a proposed three-way consolidation process. City Theatre will remain independent, while Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Public Theater explore the possibility of a two-way merger that was not contemplated as part of this vote. This process was never about a predetermined result.”
The email referred to the process of examining a merger as “highly collaborative” and said that it was “designed to secure a financially sustainable and artistically ambitious future for professionally produced productions and arts education in our region through a potential merger.”
News of these three institutions possibly joining forces broke during a year that saw arts organizations around the country in precarious positions, especially as pertained to funding.
While Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Public Theater’s respective boards voted to approve the merger, City Theatre’s did not.
“City Theatre’s structure and positioning are the most unique among the three organizations, with a South Side location integral to its identity and audience pool, as well as its small size and intentionally intimate scale. Those crucial factors were at the core of its Board’s carefully considered decision to remain independent,” the email statement read.
On the other hand, Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Public Theater will continue to explore the possibilities of a consolidation.
“At the same time, Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Public Theater — as two more similarly situated, Downtown theaters — remain energized about the possibility of a two-way merger and what groundbreaking opportunities that could yield for audiences, artists, arts education, and our producing theater ecosystem, particularly in the context of the broader Downtown revitalizing plan that includes a specific focus on enhancing cultural vibrancy in our great city,” the email continued.