Pittsburgh CLO announces programs to remove barriers for theatergoers

People stressed about where they will park Downtown, how much they’ll spend on their children’s tickets or arranging for a babysitter so they can go to a Pittsburgh CLO show can give its summer season a try because of new programs.

“We always say that (our shows are) by Pittsburgh, for Pittsburgh and partnered with Pittsburgh,” said Sharon Goldstein, director of sales and marketing for Pittsburgh CLO.

“We’ve come up with three programs that are going to remove the barriers that guests have for coming Downtown to see a show,” she said.

All three are pilot programs and will only be offered on select dates and times.

The PCLO Show Shuttle will allow showgoers to park for free at one of four area locations (one each to the north, south, east and west) and take a shuttle to the theater. After the show, the trolley will take riders back to their cars. Pittsburgh CLO is partnering with Molly’s Trolleys and Audacy Radio.

The shuttles will cost $10, and to use them, show tickets must be purchased in advance and trolley registration added on directly through Molly’s Trolleys.

PCLO Family Pass is aimed at parents and families who want to introduce their children to the theater but may get sticker shock when buying tickets.

For select shows, each adult ticket purchased will allow for the additional purchase of up to four children’s tickets at $10 apiece.

“This is good for any location in our theater. Normally, most family show offerings are for up in the balcony, off to the side,” Goldstein said. “But that’s not the case in this program. This program is really that they can sit anywhere.”

Those children’s tickets will be good for anyone ages 3 to 18 years old and will be offered for the CLO’s productions of “West Side Story,” “The Music Man” and “Seussical” this season.

They will also be available for “The Color Purple,” with the stipulation that PCLO recommends children be 13-18 years of age for that show because of some mature content.

PCLO Show Care will allow parents whose kids may not want to sit through a production to still come to the theater without stressing over finding and paying for childcare.

For the Saturday matinee performances of “West Side Story,” “The Music Man” and “The Color Purple,” faculty from Pittsburgh CLO’s Academy of Musial Theatre will be onsite to care for kids — and teach a class for them — while their adults enjoy the performance.

PCLO Show Cares is available for kids ages 3 to 12, provided they are fully potty trained.

Registration is required, Participants must register in advance.

“We are really excited that we’re about to put into action all that we learned in those focus groups and what we heard from our guests,” Goldstein said.

Mark Fleischer, executive producer of Pittsburgh CLO, said that he hopes these new initiatives will bring new generations to the theater scene.

“My hope is that it’s that family that says, ‘Oh, musical theater is out of our reach’ and now, suddenly, it’s not,” he said.

“To me, a child coming to the theater for the first time … it’s just a family experience. I want families in Pittsburgh to have that at an affordable rate,” he added.

This summer’s season includes “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill,” “West Side Story,” “The Color Purple The Musical,” “Meredith Willson’s The Music Man,” “Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein” and “Seussical.”