Theatre Arts Performance Spaces
Home to the productions of the University's Department of Theatre Arts for three decades, the Foster Memorial has been restored and upgraded to provide state-of-the-art performance and technical experiences for Pitt students.
The University of Pittsburgh's Theatre Department boasts three perfomance spaces: The Charity Randall Theatre, The Henry Heymann Theatre, and the Studio Theatre.
In April 2003, the Charity Randall Theatre was unveiled after a $3.2 million renovation of its home, the Stephen Foster Memorial building. A historic landmark, the Foster also houses the Center for American Music, the Stephen Foster Museum, and the Henry Heymann Theatre.
Charity Randall Theatre
The 478-seat Charity Randall Theatre, dedicated in 2003, replicates the intimate grandeur and features of the original Foster auditorium, from the restored 1930s seats (identical to those first installed New York's Radio City Music Hall) to the grand lighting of the theatre's upper vault, evocative of the Cathedral of Learning's majestic Commons Room. The mainstage is equipped with technical, sound, and lighting capabilities to carry Pitt Repertory Theatre and its guest companies far into the 21st century.
Charity Randall Theatre seating Chart
Henry Heymann Theatre
Downstairs in the Foster, the Henry Heymann Theatre, completed in 2000, offers audiences and players intimacy in a 153-seat venue.
Henry Heymann Theatre seating Chart
Studio Theatre
Our other primary space, the Studio Theatre, is located in the Cathedral of Learning. A black box space, it can be configured for almost any set requirements. It is home to student-directed laboratory productions, play readings, Dark Night Cabaret, and Friday Night Improvs.
Stephen Foster Memorial
Just as the Cathedral of Learning is the symbol of Pitt's academic tradition, the landmark Stephen Foster Memorial represents the University's deep commitment to the performing arts. The Foster Memorial is one of the three majestic Charles Klauder buildings of Indiana limestone occupying the Cathedral of Learning green. The crown jewel of Oakland's Cultural Corridor and East End performances spaces, this gothic-inspired arts complex emulates the City's tradition of preservation and practicality, "The Foster" provides Pitt students and the greater community with a warm and intimate setting for artistic exchange.
Conceived and initiated by members of the city's venerable Tuesday Musical Club as a tribute to Pittsburgh composer Stephen Collins Foster (1826-1864), the building was completed and dedicated in 1937. The Foster Hall Collection, the principal repository for materials pertaining to the composer, was founded by Indianapolis pharmaceutical giant Josiah Kirby Lilly and given to the University to be housed in the building. Dedicated in Lilly's honor were the Charles J. Connick stained-glass windows of Shakespeare and Beethoven in the lobby, as well as Lilly Court, the plaza behind the auditorium.
The Stephen Foster Memorial Museum is the 12-sided wing housing Pitt's Center for American Music, which contains one of the Nation's most significant collections of 19th-century music. The Museum is open to the public Monday–Friday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. and guided tours may be scheduled. Admission is free.
Completely accessible for physically-challenged audience members and performers, the Stephen Foster Memorial is a tribute to passion of creativity and imagination. From Pitt' Rep's Shakespeare in the spring to residencies by leading theatre, dance, and music companies, the Foster is alive year-round with the sounds of music and words—the very inspiration for this timeless tribute to one of Pittsburgh's own.
Fred Kelly Lobby
The Kelly Lobby commemorates Pittsburgh performer Fred Kelly, whose brother Gene was just one of the many Pitt-connected Kellys in the arts, as well as outstanding Pitt Theater alumni who are recipients of theatre-arts department's annual Fred Kelly Award.
Rentals
Rental and co-production inquiries should be directed to the Production Manager at bmorgan@pitt.edu.