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Pittsburgh Public Theater Lays Off All Staff Amidst Merger with Pittsburgh CLO

Pittsburgh Public Theater has terminated its entire staff, numbering between 9 and 12 employees, as it moves forward with its merger with Pittsburgh CLO. Staff were informed their positions were eliminated and were asked to depart the same

BroadwayWorld·May 21, 2026·via BroadwayWorld

Pittsburgh Public Theater Lays Off All Staff Amidst Merger with Pittsburgh CLO

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On Tuesday, between 9 and 12 staff members were told that their positions have been eliminated and they were to prepare to leave the same day.

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Pittsburgh Public Theater has terminated all of its staff as the merger with Pittsburgh CLO proceeds, WTAE News has reported. On Tuesday, between 9 and 12 staff members were told that their positions have been eliminated and they were to prepare to leave the same day.

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This comes after a statement was recently made about Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO being in the process of coming together to form a "unified organization."

The staff members were previously on an eight-week temporary furlough, after they were ordered to take a 20% pay cut during the winter. Staff returned from the first four weeks of that temporary furlough Tuesday, which is when they were told their jobs were eliminated.

A letter from board chair Krysia Kubiak was given to the staff members to announced their termination. The letter stated, "With the Pittsburgh Public Theater facing ongoing financial constraints and foregoing a traditional fall season as it prepares to create an entirely new, unified organization with Pittsburgh CLO , it is with sincere regret that we inform you that your position has been eliminated. Your final day of employment with the Public will be today, May 19, 2026."

Read the original story on WTAE News .

Founded in 1974 by Margaret Rieck, Ben Shaktman , and Joan Apt, Pittsburgh Public Theater opened in 1975 with a mission to provide artistically diverse theatrical experiences of the highest quality while serving and engaging the community. The company was established during a time when Pittsburgh’s once-thriving theater scene had declined following the loss of major venues such as the Nixon Theatre and the closure of the Pittsburgh Playhouse.

Pittsburgh Public Theater launched with more than 7,000 subscribers and an acclaimed inaugural season that included The Glass Menagerie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Twelfth Night, featuring Leonard Nimoy as Malvolio.

After 24 years on the North Side, the theater moved in 1999 to its current home, the O’Reilly Theater in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, opening the venue with the world premiere of August Wilson ’s King Hedley II. Over the years, Pittsburgh Public Theater has built a strong legacy of developing new work, including the professional premiere of Wilson’s Jitney and world premieres by writers such as Horton Foote , Naomi Wallace , Lynn Ahrens , and Stephen Flaherty .

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/pittsburgh/article/Pittsburgh-Public-Theater-Terminates-Staff-Ahead-of-Merger-With-Pittsburgh-CLO-20260521)._

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