PITTSBURGH: Pittsburgh Public Theater has announced that artistic director Marya Sea Kaminski will depart from the company in July 2025 after seven years at the organization. Pittsburgh Public Theater’s board of trustees is launching a nationwide search to find Kaminski’s successor.
“It has been an incredible honor to lead Pittsburgh Public Theater through this period of catalytic change for the company and in our field,” said Kaminski, who joined the Public in 2018, in a statement. “As I step into my next chapter, I am excited to find new, immediate ways to invest in and elevate the next generation of artists and leaders.”
During her tenure, Kaminski led the theatre through the pandemic and the organization’s 50th anniversary season. Under Kaminski’s leadership, the Public launched Public PlayTime, a program that has gone on to feature more than 30 staged readings from over 100 artists nationwide. Onstage, Kaminski’s 2020 production of Little Shop of Horrors broke the Public’s all-time box office record, and she produced five world premieres. Her stint with the company also saw the Public increase its investment Pittsburgh-based art and artists through its resident artist program, the Public Playwrights Collective, the Core Company, and Critical Insight.
“Her tenure spanned seismic shifts in American theatre, underscored by the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath,” said board of trustees chair Bal Srinivasan in a statement. “Marya led the theatre through these extraordinary circumstances with grace, passion, and enthusiasm, driving the theatre’s vision with innovative and groundbreaking productions. There is no doubt her imprint on this company will live on well beyond her tenure. We wish Marya the best and deeply appreciate all that she has meant to the Pittsburgh artistic community. We look forward to continuing our work with her through the remainder of this season.”
Before departing, Kaminski will direct the grand finale of the organization’s 50th anniversary season, a Public Works production of Twelfth Night (June 27-29) that will welcome citizen artists onto the stage alongside professional performers.
“I am grateful to Marya for seven incredible years of visionary leadership,” said managing director Shaunda McDill in a statement. “Her passion, dedication and resilience have guided the Public through both triumphs and challenges, always with an unwavering belief in the power of storytelling. ‘The better part of valour is discretion,’ as Shakespeare wisely said—her courage in navigating difficult times has always been a testament to that. My life is forever changed because of our partnership, and the arts are richer for her creativity, brilliant direction, and leadership. I wish her nothing but more and the best of what she can positively imagine.”
Pittsburgh Public Theater aims to serve as a true public theatre in the Pittsburgh region, producing more than 120 performances each season and welcoming over 70,000 guests. The theatre is committed to education and engagement initiatives and community partnerships. As of 2023, the theatre’s budget was approximately $6 million.
