Pittsburgh CLO Announces 2017 Summer Season Creative Team

Pittsburgh CLO has announced the creative team for the 2017 Summer Season at the Benedum Center.

Several members of the team this summer are making their Pittsburgh CLO debuts, and are joining the organization from Broadway shows such as HAMILTON, COME FROM AWAY, THE LION KING and countless other award-winning productions. This talented group is certain to bring the 2017 Summer Season to life for audiences of all ages.

Season tickets are on sale now and may be purchased by calling 412-281-2822 or visiting pittsburghCLO.org.

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2017 Pittsburgh CLO Summer Season Creative Team (in alphabetical order):

Michael Balderrama (Director/Choreographer, IN THE HEIGHTS) joins Pittsburgh CLO from Chicago, where he is currently the resident Choreographer for Hamilton. Some of his select Broadway credits include Hamilton, Ghost, In the Heights and Movin' Out, as well as films "Rock of Ages," "Across the Universe" and "Michael Jackson's Ghost." Mr. Balderrama has choreographed and/or performed with Gloria Estefan, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, Sutton Foster, Vanessa Williams, BrIan Adams, Mariah Carey and Jay Sean. He was the Resident Director/Choreographer of 2nd National Tour of In the Heights and Associate Choreographer and Creative Consultant for the Broadway musical Soul Doctor. He has taught for over 25 years on four continents, in more than 20 countries and in 47 of the 50 United States. He is currently producing the upcoming new musical Whiskeyland and new play Uncle Jackie with his production companies, Silver Towers Productions, LLC and Last Call Theatricals, LLC.

James Cunningham (Music Director, Disney's NEWSIES, MAMMA MIA!, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET) joins Pittsburgh CLO for the first time. Mr. Cunningham's New York credits include Avenue Q, music director for Bunnicula (TheaterworksUSA and original cast recording), Hot Mess In Manhattan (The Araca Project) and Happy Birthday (TACT) for which he also provided original music. His National Tour credits as pianist/conductor include Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Spamalot, Evita and Cats. For the past three seasons he has been a frequent music director for Casa Mañana where his credits include Million Dollar Quartet, Spamalot, Rent, Fiddler on the Roof, Les Misérables, Buddy...The Buddy Holly Story, Always...Patsy Cline and Cats. Regionally, he has also conducted productions for North Carolina Theatre, Sharon Playhouse, Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Engeman Theater, Paper Mill Playhouse, The MUNY and Cape Fear Regional Theatre. He holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music and New York University.

Zachary Dietz (Music Direction, IN THE HEIGHTS) has numerous Broadway credits, including School of Rock, In The Heights, Wicked, The Lion King and others. He has taught at New York University, Yale School of Drama and Pace University. He received his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and his Master of Arts at the University of Oregon.

Richard J. Hinds (Director/Choreographer, Disney's NEWSIES) is directing at Pittsburgh CLO for the first time. His Broadway credits include Come From Away (Associate Chor.), Disney's Newsies (Associate Dir.), Jekyll & Hyde (Associate Dir./Chor.) and Il Divo: A Musical Affair (Assistant Dir.) as well as the Off Broadway productions of Here Lies Love (Associate Dir./Chor.) and Frankenstein (Assistant Dir.). National Tour credits include 9 to 5 (Associate Dir.) and Disney's High School Musical (Associate Chor.). Regionally, Mr. Hinds has directed for La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, Paper Mill Playhouse, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Flat Rock Playhouse, Ogunquit Playhouse, Gateway Playhouse, Seattle Repertory Theatre and Seattle 5th Ave. Theatre. On television: "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," "America's Got Talent," "The Bethenny Show," and "Bring It."

Barry Ivan (Director & Choreographer, MAMMA MIA!) has directed numerous productions for Pittsburgh CLO, including Elton John & Tim Rice's AIDA, The Wedding Singer, Sunset Boulevard, Company, A Little Night Music, Footloose, The Full Monty, Miss Saigon, West Side Story, Smokey Joe's Cafe and Les Misérables. His national and international credits range from directing at the German State Opera to directing at Yale. Mr. Ivan's productions of The Full Monty and Hairspray received IRNE awards for Best Musical and he received IRNE nominations as Best Director for Nine and Les Misérables. Mr. Ivan directed the US premiere of Dracula, A Chamber Musical, and is slated to direct the world premiere of Jeff Stolzer's comedy-drama POWER PLAYS. Mr. Ivan is currently producing and developing multiple projects for the stage and television.

David Ruttura (Director, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET) is currently the Associate/Resident Director of Broadway's School of Rock. Directing credits include Priscilla: Queen of the Desert (Ogunquit Playhouse & Gateway Playhouse), White Christmas (Gateway Playhouse), Hot Mess in Manhattan (Araca Project), Electra in a One-Piece (Good Company/The Wild Project), He Who Laughs: Live by Isaac Oliver (TAI Group/Ars Nova), Moustache Guys by Mike Lew (Second Generation), Koberet (Joe's Pub), Eddie Goshen is Dead by Isaac Oliver (Fordham Playwriting Program) and Red, White and Purple (Ensemble Studio Theater). Film Credits include the web series Dick Punch and stalkTALK. Mr. Ruttera is a founder and the Artistic Director of Good Company. As an Associate Director, he has worked on Broadway, off-Broadway, regionally and internationally. Select Associate/Assistant credits include Spider-man: Turn off the Dark, Follies, Lombardi, Million Dollar Quartet, White Christmas, A Man For All Seasons (Broadway), The Phantom of the Opera (Resident Director, National Tour), Farragut North (Atlantic Theater Company), The Marriage of Bette and Boo (Roundabout Theatre Company), The Wiz and Fanny (City Center Encores!), Irving Berlin's White Christmas (12 productions nationally), Ben Hur Live (International Tour), Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Circus (Gold Unit 2007), Nerds (Philadelphia Theater Company), Most Happy Fella (New York City Opera), The Wiz and Zhivago (LaJolla Playhouse).

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Pittsburgh CLO offers affordable and flexible 6-Show and 3-Show Season Ticket Packages to fit even the busiest schedules. Season Ticket packages start at just $60, a significant savings over single ticket prices.

Pittsburgh CLO's 6-Show Premium Series allows Season Ticket Buyers to see all six sensational musicals with prices ranging from $120-$390.

The Smart Seats Series offers Season Ticket Buyers the opportunity to see three or six shows at a drastically discounted rate in Price Scale D.

Pittsburgh CLO's 2017 Season is also the perfect outing for any social group. Groups of 10 or more should call the Group Sales Hotline at 412-325-1582 to learn more about special discounts, exciting events and priority seating.

Since 1946, 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 yearly who attend its performances at three venues in the Cultural District: a seasonal subscription series at the Benedum Center, A Musical Christmas Carol at the Byham Theater and year-round shows at the CLO Cabaret. Its dedication to the musical theater art form includes educational programs such as the CLO Academy for Performance and Art, the CLO Mini Stars, the Gene Kelly Awards, the Richard Rodgers Award and The National High School Theatre Awards. As part of its new works development, the organization has been involved with 21 Broadway shows (29 Tony Awards), and in 2014 produced the world premiere of An American in Paris in Paris and on Broadway, where it won four Tony Awards and was the most awarded musical of the season. For more information, visit pittsburghCLO.org.