Pittsburgh Public Theater Staff Members Laid Off Amid Merger Preparation

(Photo: Katie Blackley/90.5 WESA)

by Chris Peterson

Several staff members at Pittsburgh Public Theater were informed this week that their positions had been eliminated as the organization continues preparations for its planned merger with Pittsburgh CLO.

According to WTAE, employees were notified on Tuesday that their jobs had been terminated and that their final day of employment would be that same day. The layoffs reportedly impacted between nine and 12 staff members.

The move comes as Pittsburgh Public Theater prepares to combine with Pittsburgh CLO into a new unified organization. The merger, announced earlier this year, is expected to create a single entity that will produce programming across multiple venues in downtown Pittsburgh. The first full season under the new organization is expected to begin in January 2027.

In a letter shared with WTAE, Pittsburgh Public Theater board chair Krysia Kubiak cited the organization’s financial challenges and the transition toward the merger as reasons for the staffing decision.

“With the Pittsburgh Public Theater facing ongoing financial constraints and foregoing a traditional fall season as it prepares to create an entirely new, unified organization with Pittsburgh CLO, it is with sincere regret that we inform you that your position has been eliminated,” the letter stated.

The letter also informed employees, “Your final day of employment with the Public will be today, May 19, 2026.”

The layoffs follow a difficult several months for the affected employees. According to the report, staff members had previously taken a 20% pay cut during the winter and were placed on an eight-week temporary furlough. Employees had returned from the first four weeks of that furlough on Tuesday when they were told their positions were being eliminated permanently.

One former staff member, Dominique Briggs, told WTAE that the news came as “a gut punch” and described the day as emotional for those affected.

“There were lots of tears,” Briggs said, noting that employees were not only processing the loss of their jobs, but also the sudden end of their working relationships with colleagues.

Briggs also made clear that her concern was not necessarily with the merger itself, but with the way the layoffs were handled.

“I’m not against the merger,” she told WTAE. “It was handled with little care. It was handled with very little empathy.”

The merger between Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO has been framed by both organizations as a way to strengthen the city’s theater landscape, expand programming, and support long-term sustainability. Like many nonprofit arts institutions, Pittsburgh Public Theater has faced financial pressures in recent years, and the upcoming merger represents a significant organizational shift.

Maybe this merger will ultimately create a stronger organization. Maybe it will help stabilize theater in Pittsburgh. Those are questions that will be answered over time.

But what happened to these workers should not be brushed aside as an unfortunate footnote to a bigger institutional plan. They deserved better communication. They deserved more care. They deserved more empathy.

And after everything they had already been asked to endure, they certainly deserved more than finding out on a Tuesday that Tuesday was also their last day.