City Theatre Set to Open New Philip Chosky Production Center

Since 1991, when City Theatre moved to its current location on Bingham Street on the South Side, the production artisans behind the nearly 170 shows seen on its two stages during this time have endured a type-of performance of their own: nicknamed the "City Theatre Shuffle," scenery and props have been built, painted, assembled, and moved in disparate cramped spaces with poor lighting and limited assembly area. While boasting an impressive props collection, they are located, inconveniently, over a mile away. City's long-time Director of Production, Tony Ferrieri, has worked without a window in his basement office for 28 years.

This will all change soon as City Theatre is scheduled to officially open its 6,000 square foot Philip Chosky Production Center, which will, for the first time, allow all critical scenic disciplines to be housed under one roof, as well as provide office and break-room space for City's production staff. The Center's construction will also allow City Theatre to move its prop storage on-site, occupying freed-up space, and provide the organization a new multi-purpose venue where its old scene shop has existed. The organization's strategic plan calls for increased usage by outside groups and rentals, including the production center, allowing the facility to serve as an income driver.

A ribbon-cutting is scheduled for Friday, November 15 at 11:00 a.m. The Press is invited. Scheduled guests include State Representative Dan Frankel, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh Council President Bruce Kraus, and Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD) board president Dan Griffin. Meryl Ainsman from the Chosky Foundation (Philip Chosky was long-time board member and advocate for City Theatre; a parking space still bears a reserved sign in his honor) will attend and speak along with donors to the New Ground Capital Campaign, board members, and the City Theatre staff.

"Every season, 30,000 audience members experience the work that appears at City Theatre. However, few can ever know the herculean efforts made by our terrific production team who have long-labored in a chopped-up maze of scenic, paints, and props shops," said City Theatre Artistic Director Marc Masterson, "With the addition of the Philip Chosky Production Center to our five-building cultural campus, we aim to improve their creative opportunities and resources, be more efficient, and further and better serve the new plays seen on stage."

"We have a world-class facility fitting our 45 years of artistic excellence and we can't wait to build our first show in the Chosky," added Managing Director James McNeel. "And, as parking is a four-letter word on the South Side, I hope our patrons will appreciate our new and improved lot and that our neighbors will enjoy our brand new community plaza. This project has transformed our home on Bingham Street and we are incredibly grateful to our donors and funders who have made it all possible, as well as our brilliant partners at R3A Architecture and Massaro Corporation who helped us realize this dream."

The Chosky Production Center occupies property purchased by City Theatre in 2004, located at 1313-15 Bingham Street, which stretches to Muriel Street. It is the former site of the Walter Long Manufacturing Company, which for decades provided custom metal bending and fabrication before moving its operations outside the city. Work began on the site, which had been used solely as a parking lot and for temporary storage in the rapidly deteriorating structure, in August 2018 with an official ground-breaking on November 2, 2018.

Renovation contained several facets, beginning with the demolition of the parking lot "canopy" that spanned from the back of the building to Muriel Street, the demolition of a two-house structure facing Bingham Street (which required a structurally engineered wall to support neighboring property), the complete rebuilding of the remaining structure (including two new walls, roof, flooring, and interior build-out), the design and creation of a community and patron plaza, the repaving of two parking lots, and the repair of sidewalks along Muriel and 14th Streets.

R3A Architecture designed the building and provided project leadership and Massaro Corporation served as general contractor.

The total cost of the work is $2.3 million, which has been raised from individuals, foundations, and government grants from the Allegheny Regional Asset District and Community Infrastructure and Tourism Fund (CITF) from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County. Considered the second phase of a planned three-phase capital campaign which was officially begun in October 2013, to date City Theatre has re-invested in its South Side neighborhood over $3 million in improvements. The first phase of work was completed in November 2014 with the renovation of the 104-seat Hamburg Studio Theatre. Financing for this phase of work has been provided by Huntington Bank.

In addition to honoring the late Mr. Chosky, the scene shop area within the production center is named after Mr. Ferrieri. The "Tony Ferrieri Scene Shop" was announced last year in recognition of Mr. Ferrieri's 40th season with the company.

"I am incredibly grateful to receive the honor of the naming of the scene shop in the new Philip Chosky Production Center," stated Mr. Ferrieri. "It's been a great 40 years at City Theatre and I am looking forward to what is to come and the shows we will build in this excellent new facility."