Pittsburgh International Children's Theater

and

Citiparks

Present the 22nd

Now in its 22nd year, the Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival will debut May 14-18 at a new site in Oakland with the Festival grounds to be located on the lawns of the University of Pittsburgh campus and Schenley Plaza. ... Read more below |or read full Press Release

The Rain Bird

Performances will be featured at the Charity Randall Theater, Bellefield Theater, and Studio Theater on the University of Pittsburgh campus and Synod Hall, adjacent to St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The Festival grounds, free to the public, will complement the featured performances with hands-on cultural and educational activities, roving artists, booths, and exhibitors. The Target KidStage returns this year as the center of outdoor Festival action. The stage features a lively mixture of professional artists and regional peformance groups.

Co-presented by Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater and CitiParks, the Festival welcomes several Pittsburgh institutions as key collaborators in bringing the Festival to its new home, including the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

“The University of Pittsburgh is delighted to partner with the Children’s Theater to bring the International Children’s Festival to Oakland,” states Vice Chancellor Renny Clark. “Oakland is already well-known for its educational and cultural institutions and the move of the Children’s Festival is a welcome addition as it not only serves as an introduction to the arts for many Pittsburgh-area families, but also promotes an understanding of and appreciation for different cultures—an enormous component of this region’s own rich, diverse heritage and which is reflected daily in the life of the Oakland community."

 “We are excited to host the Festival in a new, centrally-located site,” states Children’s Theater Executive Director Pamela Lieberman. “The move allows us to diversify our partnerships and the site offers multiple venues from intimate spaces for 100 to beautifully appointed theaters for up to 700.” Lieberman also notes that parking spaces for Festival attendees will be plentiful because the University will be on summer term.

In addition to the Festival’s relocation, five productions will make their US premiere. The Festival will also welcome one more production than last year and its first-ever theater company from Mexico.

Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, 2008 Stanier Arts Award winner, will present its first children’s theater production with, “The Happy Prince,” a world-premiere based on the tale from Oscar Wilde.

Featured performances and installations for the 2008 International Children’s Festival include...

Ticket packages will remain the same as last year with single performance tickets priced at $8. Special rates are available for school groups and groups of 15 or more. Advance tickets can be purchased by calling Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater at (412) 321-5520, or by visiting www.pghkids.org. Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater’s administrative office is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A limited number of ticket donations for groups that work with underserved children are available by calling Tickets for Kids Charities at 412-781-KIDS

The 2008 Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival is also made possible through the support of The Heinz Endowments, Giant Eagle, The Grable Foundation, Anonymous, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The Pittsburgh Foundation, Target, UPMC Health Plan, UPMC Corporate, US Airways, PennPAT, The Fine Foundation, Sunoco, Beatrice Compton Foundation, MCAI, Child Health Association of Sewickley, Tickets for Kids Charities, Bayer, United Jewish Federation, Association for Jewish Learning, Pennsylvania Tourism Office, VisitPittsburgh, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Asian Studies Center of the University of Pittsburgh. Media partners include Comcast, WLTJ Lite Rock 92.9 FM, WKQV, WQED Multimedia, and The Saturday Light Brigade.