Pittsburgh CLO Announces The Next Generation Campaign

PITTSBURGH CLO announced today before an enthusiastic crowd of Board Members, donors and friends at its Cabaret Theater in the Cultural District of downtown Pittsburgh that it has embarked on a $10 million fundraising effort called THE NEXT GENERATION CAMPAIGN, marking only the second capital campaign in the organization's 70-year history.

"Our goal for this $10 Million Campaign is to ensure Pittsburgh CLO's legacy as a cultural leader inspiring the next generation of theater audiences and artists," said Executive Producer Van Kaplan, "and help us meet our community's needs in arts education and outreach programs."

"We are proud to announce that the response to the private phase of THE NEXT GENERATION CAMPAIGN has been overwhelming, and that we have already secured $9 million toward our $10 million goal from generous corporations and foundations, and members of our Board of Directors who personally contributed a total of $3.7 million. We look forward to kicking off the public phase of this campaign to raise the final $1 million we need by asking our friends and neighbors in the Pittsburgh area for their support," reported campaign co-chairs Dan Booker and Bill Lambert.

"For 70 years the Pittsburgh CLO has been integral to our regional economic development, and key to this community enrichment has been their commitment to arts education for young people. They've been igniting imaginations and changing lives for generations," said Mayor William Peduto.

Recent innovative accomplishments of the organization include the Paris and Broadway premieres of the new hit musical An American in Paris; the founding of the Pittsburgh CLO Cabaret Theater; the introduction of student productions into its Pittsburgh CLO Academy for students ages 3-17; and the creation of The National High School Musical Theatre Awards, an annual program that concludes with the Jimmy Awards, a student showcase held at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. Founded in 2009, this program was the subject of the 2012 PBS documentary series "Broadway or Bust," which Pittsburgh CLO also co-produced.

Kaplan added, "Our vision for the future is to be an even more thriving home for artistic creation and partnerships that engage and benefit as many people as possible in our region."

THE NEXT GENERATION CAMPAIGN will support the following initiatives:

• Creating a Festival for New Small Musicals for the purpose of the Pittsburgh CLO Cabaret Theater and touring.

• New Work Development of large-scale musicals for potential inclusion in Pittsburgh CLO's Summer Season, to include workshops and staged readings of new musicals open to the public.

• Education programs support to build and train tomorrow's musical theater artists by satisfying growing demands for in-school arts education.

• New Physical Production for A MUSICAL CHRISTMAS CAROL, now celebrating its 25th anniversary.

• Support for the organization's Construction Center for the Arts facility.

• New audience engagement program for musicals and new works that deepens the potential for audience involvement.

Pittsburgh CLO gratefully acknowledges Richard King Mellon Foundation for their $2 million Lead Gift and the Heinz Endowments for their $1 million gift, both of which will support the development of new musicals. Pittsburgh CLO also acknowledges the generosity of the PNC Foundation's $800,000 gift for an expansion of Pittsburgh CLO's Education and Outreach programs.

Since 1946, the Pittsburgh CLO has been the driving force behind live musical theater in Pittsburgh and the entire Southwestern Pennsylvania region. Under the direction of Van Kaplan since 1997, this not-for-profit arts organization appreciates the support of nearly 200,000 patrons each year and produces a subscription series, educational programs, national tours and develops and invests in new works, including 20 Broadway shows (29 Tony Awards) featuring the current productions of On Your Feet, An American in Paris, Kinky Boots and Matilda. Its dedication to the musical theater art form extends to include such programs as the CLO Academy, the CLO Mini Stars, the Gene Kelly Awards, the Richard Rodgers Award, the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Construction Center for the Arts and the CLO Cabaret.??