THEATRE LOVES JAZZ to Celebrate The Spirit Of Pittsburgh's Historic Freedom House
The concert will highlight the world premiere run of Freedom House: Giving Life a Second Chance, an original Prime Stage Theatre play.
Get ready for an evening of epic jazz and landmark local history when MCG Jazz and Prime Stage Theatre present "Pittsburgh Jazz Legacy: A Concert Celebrating the Spirit of Freedom House" Monday, Jan. 26, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, on Pittsburgh's Northside.
The concert highlights the Jan. 23-Feb. 1 world premiere run of Freedom House: Giving Life a Second Chance, an original Prime Stage Theatre play by L.E. McCullough dramatizing the 1967 creation of Freedom House Ambulance Service, America's first mobile emergency medical unit staffed by professionally-trained paramedics from Pittsburgh's Hill District.
Pittsburgh Jazz Legacy features a live set by Roger Humphries (drums), Dwayne Dolphin (bass), Max Leake (piano) and Mark Jackovic (saxophone) showcasing the music of Pittsburgh jazz greats Ahmad Jamal, Stanley Turrentine and Billy Strayhorn.
Hosted by MCG Jazz executive producer Marty Ashby, the concert includes historic video clips and images from the award-winning PBS film documentary on Pittsburgh Jazz, We Knew What We Had: The Greatest Jazz Story Never Told.
During its 8-year lifespan from 1967-1975, Freedom House Ambulance Service flourished as the foundational model for today's paramedic profession and modern EMS departments around the world. Crucial to the program's success were the men and women from Pittsburgh's largely African American Hill District whose dedication and skill transformed themselves, their community and the nation.
Freedom House: Giving Life a Second Chance is the first-ever stage production of the Freedom House story, and it portrays a topic that couldn't be more timely, as America's public health resources face an ongoing wave of new challenges.
Directed by Scott Calhoon, the cast includes Willa "Katy" Cotten, Cynthia Dallas, Justin Mohr, Darrin Mosley, Anne Rematt, DeVaughn Robinson and Ryan Warsing.
The world premiere production runs for 7 shows Jan. 23-Feb. 1, 2026 at New Hazlett Theater and is sponsored in part by Arts, Equity, & Education Fund, The Pittsburgh Foundation and official media sponsor SLB Radio. Tickets are available at https://primestage.com/productions/freedom-house/ or by calling (412) 320-4610 x10.
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