Since its founding by Edgar J. Kaufmann and A.L. Wolk in 1946, The Civic Light Opera Association of Greater Pittsburgh -- now Pittsburgh CLO -- has been a beloved part of the lives of Pittsburghers and of the musical theater industry nationwide. CLO’s first 13 seasons were held at Pitt Stadium, where crowds of thousands gathered to see productions that might include both a neighbor and a national star. Through the intervening decades, the Summer Season moved venues several times -- from the Melody Tent (1959 - 1961) to the Civic Arena (1962 - 1969) to Heinz Hall (1971 - 1987) to the Benedum (1988 and onward) to, this year, Heinz Field! -- but its driving force has remained consistent: to bring artists and audiences together to build community and celebrate musical theater.
Putting on a six-show Summer Season in ten weeks requires dedication, rigor, and passion across all disciplines. Luckily, Pittsburgh CLO’s administrative and production staff is always up to the challenge. Each season, hundreds of artists and craftspeople -- cast, directors, choreographers, stage managers, designers, pit musicians, union stagehands, and more -- team up with the full-time Pittsburgh CLO staff to take each Summer Season show from first rehearsal to a dazzling opening night in only 9 days.
Each production spotlights Pittsburgh actors alongside Broadway legends and young performers just beginning their careers. Many of the young people who got their start at Pittsburgh CLO have gone on to become stars themselves, including Pittsburgh-born actors Lenora Nemetz, Shirley Jones, and Rob and Kathleen Marshall. More than 700 performers attend open auditions for the Summer Season in Pittsburgh each winter, while hundreds more attend auditions in New York City. The younger auditionees -- many of them students at top conservatories across the country -- are hoping for the chance to earn their equity card in the versatile, hard-working CLO Ensemble.
From 1946-2003, Pittsburgh CLO kept its programming exclusively to the summer. But with all of the excitement in the warm sun, audiences started to wonder: could the fun of CLO’s musical theater be a year-round phenomenon? When Van Kaplan became Pittsburgh CLO’s Executive Producer in 1997, he knew year-round entertainment could help to further define CLO as an entertainment destination within the city it calls home. With this goal in mind, he set out to find a venue that could turn these goals into reality. He found it in the Cabaret at Theater Square, now the Greer Cabaret Theater, and launched the CLO Cabaret.
Since its inauguration by Billy Porter and Victoria Clark in 2004, the CLO Cabaret has offered audiences year-round plays, musicals, and revues in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. In fact, that first season in 2004 greatly expanded CLO’s reach in Pittsburgh, with 53% of patrons being new to CLO. The Cabaret offers both table and traditional theater seating, with food and drinks available before the show. Since its inaugural season almost seventeen years ago, almost 500,000 patrons have enjoyed extended runs of Off-Broadway-style productions in this unique venue, from popular revivals and regional premieres including Forever Plaid and Murder for Two to world premiere productions including 'S Wonderful: The New Gershwin Musical and Judge Jackie Justice, The Trials of Love.
By regularly hiring Pittsburgh-based actors, designers, craftspeople, and musicians, the CLO Cabaret provides year-round employment to the gifted artists who call Pittsburgh home. In addition, the Cabaret offers professional performance opportunities for performers getting their start in Pittsburgh, including recent graduates of Pittsburgh’s prestigious performing arts universities.
Young people have always been an integral part of Pittsburgh CLO’s story. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Saturday matinees, “Wednesday Family Nights,” and the Monday and Tuesday “First Nighters Club” encouraged families to bring their children to the theater and students to discover the joy of live performance. In the 1970s, Pittsburgh CLO paved the way for the next generation of theater professionals by creating the CLO Summer Internship Program -- an initiative that continues today. Interns work directly with CLO production and administrative staff, getting hands-on behind-the-scenes experience in their chosen department.
The 1980s were a transformative time in Pittsburgh CLO’s Education program. In 1981, the organization established the Mini Stars Program, an ensemble for young people that performed musical revues at concerts and special events. In 1985, the CLO launched the Gallery of Heroes Program, which over the last 35 years has brought original 50-minute musicals about important historic figures to more than one million students in the region through in-school tours. And in 1989, under the leadership of Executive Director and General Manager Charles Gray, CLO opened the doors to the Pittsburgh CLO Academy of Musical Theater.
The CLO’s commitment to Education continued with the introduction of the Creative Vision Program in 1991 and the New Horizons Program in 1995. Both programs are still thriving. The Creative Vision Program’s teaching artists bring writing, performing, and design exercises to elementary and middle school classrooms within Pittsburgh Public Schools and Propel Charter Schools. The New Horizons Program offers children and adults with disabilities and children on the Autism spectrum the opportunity to explore creative self-expression through the performing arts. These innovative programs meet students where they are -- whether in geography or ability -- and ensure that arts education is accessible to everyone.
Over the past 25 years, Pittsburgh CLO’s Education program has flourished. Today, the CLO Academy is an artistic home to nearly one thousand students. Whether absorbing wisdom in a Master Class, honing multidisciplinary artistry in the Professional Development Program, or building community in a Summer Camp, students are developing skills that will serve them as artists, professionals, and community members for years to come. Many of the CLO’s longest-running Education programs have deepened their ties to the Pittsburgh community through partnerships, including the New Horizons Program’s partnership with the PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Gallery of Heroes Program’s partnership with the Heinz History Center, and the Professional Development Program’s partnerships with Pittsburgh CAPA, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, and Westinghouse Arts Academy.
Furthering its commitment to young people in the community, Pittsburgh CLO inaugurated The Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater (GKAs) in 1991 to recognize and encourage student achievement and amplify the importance of musical theater and arts education. Named for Gene Kelly, a Pittsburgh native and former Honorary Chairman of the Board of Pittsburgh CLO, the Kellys were the first high school musical theater program in the country to honor both onstage and backstage theatre artists, patterned after the Tony Awards. An average of 30 schools participates in the program annually, with all performances adjudicated equally by a team of judges. An awards showcase is held at the Benedum Center each May, and winners are announced live. On that day, the roar of classmates and family members rips through downtown, causing rivers to overflow and buildings to sway. In 2021, the program marked its momentous 30th anniversary with an online ceremony due to COVID-19.
The ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future have been haunting Pittsburgh’s Byham Theater since 1992. Every December, Pittsburgh families come together to celebrate the spirit of the holiday season with David H. Bell’s A Musical Christmas Carol. A cast made up of veteran Pittsburgh performers, visiting artists, and CLO Academy students bring the adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic story to life, warming the aisles of the Byham with holiday carols and a touching story of family, generosity, and forgiveness. The gorgeous onstage production, with a new set and costumes funded by the Next Generation Capital Campaign and created for the show’s 25th Anniversary, is a testament to the craft and artistry of the CLO Construction Center, Scenic Designer D Martyn Bookwalter, Costume Designer Mariann Verheyen, and Wardrobe Master John Lindsey McCormick.
In addition to being a valued theater in the region, Pittsburgh CLO has positioned itself to be a national player in the musical theater industry. As a subscriber-based theater with sophisticated audiences, CLO embraced the reality that theatergoers wanted to see the newest hit shows in addition to revivals of classics. Given the high cost of producing independently, nonprofits like CLO have always had to be resourceful about developing new shows, with shared producing responsibilities the norm. So, in 1996, a fund was designated to heighten the organization’s reputation as a producing regional and expand the variety of musicals in its repertoire.
The world has changed since 1946, but as Pittsburgh CLO has evolved over the years it has never wavered from its mission. Our efforts both on and off stage are all in support of “the celebration” of musical theater and our dedication to our family of supporters who share with us a love for live theater. As we continue to explore opportunities on stage in Pittsburgh, as well as beyond the walls of our theaters and our city, we look forward to continuing to make headlines and musical theater history for the benefit and with the support of our Pittsburgh family.
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