City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

In 1974, the City of Pittsburgh created its own theatre company. This company, The City Players, was a troupe based in the then newly renovated Allegheny Public Theatre, Northside (now the Hazlett Theatre of the Pittsburgh Public Theatre) of young professionals reaching out into the community with free performances of new plays and classics. The City Players were financed through the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) and administered by Pittsburgh's Citiparks Department. In 1979, the company moved to the University of Pittsburgh, became the City Theatre Company (CTC), and co-produced the inaugural season of the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival. Even though the festival continues from time to time to hire actors and directors from CTC, both organizations became separate entities. In 1980, Pitt assisted in the conversion of a campus building into a 117 seat theatre space, The New City Theater. Pitt also continued to provide financial support until the severance of the symbiotic relationship in 1988. Despite the change from a touring troupe to resident professional company, however, CTC continued to provide touring productions as a vital part of its operation. Tours reach about 35,000 children, senior citizens, and others each year. Local playwrights or the acting company usually write scripts for the touring shows. In 1988 The City Theatre Co. severed its artistic/financial relationship with the University of Pittsburgh and became a completely independent theatre company. In the summer of 1991, CTC moved into their new quarters at 57 South 13th Street, South Side.