"For 40 years Pittsburgh Public Theater has amazed patrons with new works and stellar productions of great classics while building the audience of the future and ending each season in the black," said producing artistic director Ted Pappas in a statement. "This is a tribute not just to the company but to the city of Pittsburgh itself."
The "Season of Legends" begins in October at the O'Reilly Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater's home in the heart of Downtown's Cultural District. For more information, call (412) 316-1600 or visit PPT.org.
Here's a glance at the 2014-15 season:
The Glass Menagerie
By Tennessee Williams
Directed by Pamela Berlin
Oct. 2-Nov. 2
"The fading Southern belle, Amanda Wingfield; her sensitive daughter, Laura, who collects figurines that catch the light; their hopes for the Gentleman Caller who comes to pay a visit. These are Tom's memories of his family. After the recent acclaimed Broadway revival, The Public launches The Season of Legends – our 40th Anniversary – with a new production of Williams' classic. The Glass Menagerie was the first play ever performed by this company and its beauty continues to astonish us today."
L'Hotel
A world premiere comedy by Ed Dixon
Directed by Ted Pappas
Nov. 13-Dec. 14
"Six great stars from hundreds of years apart find themselves together in a strange and wondrous hotel. How do Sarah Bernhardt and Jim Morrison end up at the same breakfast table? In a battle of wits, will Oscar Wilde or Victor Hugo triumph? Does the Ouija board favor Isadora Duncan or Gioachino Rossini? Find these and more enticing answers in the world premiere of Ed Dixon's comedy L'Hotel, a play that will make celebrity-watchers think they’ve died and gone to heaven." My Fair Lady
Book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Directed by Ted Pappas
Jan. 22-Feb. 22, 2015
"This acclaimed musical, based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, is the story of Eliza Doolittle and her teacher Henry Higgins, as she transforms from a Cockney flower girl to the fairest lady of them all. From the creators of Camelot, the exuberant score includes 'The Rain in Spain,' 'On the Street Where You Live,' 'I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face' and 'I Could Have Danced All Night.' Let your heart take flight!"
How I Learned What I Learned
By August Wilson
Directed by Todd Kreidler
March 5-April 5, 2015
"Two years before his death in 2005, August Wilson wrote and performed this one-man play about the power of art and the power of possibility. Recently produced at New York's Signature Theatre and directed by Todd Kreidler, Wilson’s friend and protégé, How I Learned explores his days as a struggling young writer in Pittsburgh’s Hill District and how the neighborhood and its people inspired his amazing cycle of plays about the African-American experience. A must-see theatrical event."
Othello
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Ted Pappas
April 16-May 17, 2015
"A secret marriage and a stolen handkerchief. Thus begins the headlong spiral of betrayal, jealousy, and heartbreak in the timeless tragedy of Othello, Desdemona, and Iago. With its rapid action, crystal-clear language, and thrilling emotional scenes, Othello is often described as William Shakespeare’s most perfect play."
Buyer & Cellar
By Jonathan Tolins
May 28-June 28, 2015
"Barbra Streisand's coffee table book, My Passion for Design, inspired this hilarious fictional account of what goes on in her Malibu estate’s basement, which has become an arcade of shops displaying the fabulous stuff the superstar has collected. Alex is the clerk of this mall whose only customer is Babs herself, and the nature of their relationship is both friend and faux.."
For more information, visit PPT.org.
