Prime Stage Theatre's Cemetery Walk Adds Theatrical Touch to Pittsburgh History

Have you ever wanted to have a conversation with a teenage Union soldier who carried his company's regimental flag across a dozen of the bloodiest battle fronts in the Civil War?

Then stop by Homewood Cemetery on the afternoon of Sept. 27 and meet Henry Milo Curry.

While Curry died in 1900 at age 53 after a postwar career as one of Andrew Carnegie's top steel executives, he'll be one of seven Homewood Cemetery residents portrayed by professional actors in period costumes during Prime Stage Theatre's 3rd Annual Homewood Cemetery Walk.

The rain-or-shine event offers 13 one-hour walking tours from noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025 at Homewood Cemetery, 1599 S. Dallas Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA in Point Breeze. Tickets are $20 per person, available online and presale only at https://primestage.com/events/.

"Many of our mainstage plays have history as a central focus," says Prime Stage Theatre artistic director Dr. Wayne Brinda. "The Cemetery Walk is a chance for us to present audiences with a personal look at historic Pittsburghers and the impact they had on shaping our community."

Besides Curry, visitors will hear about the lives of 1880s railroad magnate Robert Pitcairn, 20th-century oil wildcatter Michael Benedum, World War II Army pilot William L. Flinn II, Gilded Age socialite Irene Peacock, "Father of Pittsburgh Parks" Edward Manning Bigelow and attorney Clarence Burleigh, who prosecuted the 1892 Homestead Steel Strikers.

Actors performing the historic characters are Frank Baker, Sarah Campbell, John Locke, Johnny Patalano, Suzanne Ward, Cindy West and Erica Fox Zabusky.

Homewood Cemetery was established in 1878 from the estate of William Wilkins, a 19th-century Pittsburgh judge who served as U.S. Minister to Russia and Secretary of War under President John Tyler. Nearly 79,000 graves lie within 200 acres of well-maintained landscape dotted by a profusion of monuments ranging from angels and obelisks to mausoleums and illustrated headstones.

Homewood Cemetery Walk is the kickoff event in Prime Stage Theatre's 2025-26 season that features three world premieres by Pittsburgh playwrights.

• Nov. 7-16, 2025 - Mr. Edgar A. Poe Presents: Tales of Mystery, Horror & Imagination

Written by Lawrence C. Connolly, directed by Art DeConciliis

• Jan. 23-Feb. 1, 2026 - Freedom House: Giving Life a Second Chance

Written by L.E. McCullough, directed by Scott Calhoon

• May 1-10, 2026 - Speak

Written by Tammy Ryan, directed by Dana Hardy Bingham

"Each of our plays this season is a new play from a Pittsburgh playwright," says Brinda. "We want audiences to see how real events are brought to life on stage with a unique local perspective."

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