Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Public Theater announced they will vote on consolidating their organizations. A letter emailed to supporters on Monday stated the consolidation is “not a merger” but rather a “differentiated theater model” aimed at building “a true destination theater experience” in Downtown’s Cultural District in alignment with broader revitalization efforts.
The boards of both theaters will vote on the proposal later this month, according to the letter signed by Pittsburgh Public Theater board chair Krysia M. Kubiak and CLO board chair Joseph V. DiVito Jr.
If approved, the decision will lead to a “formal integration process,” including naming and forming the new operating entity, selecting an interim board and leadership and “finalizing the artistic/programming vision.”
The new entity would produce both the contemporary plays by the Public Theater, staged at the O’Reilly Theater, and “large-scale” musicals put on by the CLO, staged at the Greer Cabaret and Byham theaters.
The CLO and Public Theater “already share similar audiences, aligned programming and a common artistic mission,” the letter said. “Building on those key factors, we envision continuing to produce plays and musicals throughout Downtown with a focus on choosing theaters that best fit each show, both creatively and financially.”
The statement added that consolidation would expand the theaters’ educational programs, “beginning with the integration of CLO Academy’s star-making power with the Public Theater’s Shakespearean traditions to give young artists more ways to master their craft and shine onstage.”
The idea of consolidation was first floated last August, when three of Pittsburgh’s largest nonprofit theaters — CLO, PPT and City Theatre — announced they were in the early stages of exploring a merger amid diminished ticket sales and shrinking arts funding, including federal cuts.
City Theater’s board voted not to merge in January, citing its South Side location, smaller size and “intentionally intimate scale” as reasons to remain independent.
A representative for the CLO and Public Theater was not immediately available for comment.