New space, same name.
Riverfront Theater Company is moving from its home in Aspinwall to a more centrally located stage in Pittsburgh’s hub for cultural arts.
The venue, on Liberty Avenue in the heart of the city’s Cultural District, will raise the profile of productions, which typically feature a host of Lower Valley talent, and make them more accessible to people across the region, leaders said.
The nonprofit will spend at least one year at Three Stories, home of the Peirce Theater.
“The decision kind of made itself,” artistic director Caitlin Dobronz said.
“The cost of doing one show at the park adds up to more than a full season Downtown.”
The cost to rent the stage at Allegheny RiverTrail Park, along with lights and sound equipment, was close to $6,500 for a weekend, Dobronz said.
There are three main stage shows each season. This year, the group is adding a cabaret to the lineup.
Riverfront Theater Company has been entertaining crowds for about six decades. Founded as Fox Chapel Community Players, the volunteer-run group aims to mentor young artists and showcase creators.
The group moved to the Aspinwall park in 2019 and has reveled in successful attendance for popular shows like “If/Then” and “Company.”
Dobronz said there were other contributing factors to the move, including a multiyear park renovation that would displace the theater to an outdoor tent. Logistics would preclude “fully realized” theater productions, she said.
Representatives from the park did not immediately respond to requests about the planned renovations.
Theater leaders hope to return to the park in some capacity in the future, perhaps for their children’s program.
“RTC wants to continue cultivating the long-time relationship we have had with the Aspinwall/Fox Chapel community,” Dobronz said. “We are grateful for the long-standing support from this community and the District Association, and we would love to see our friends, old and new, join us Downtown.”
Despite the move, the Riverfront Theater Company moniker will remain.
“The name has become a state of mind,” Dobronz said.
“In Pittsburgh, you are always ‘riverfront’ if you look hard enough.”
Actors won’t have to wait until next year to become acquainted with their new home.
The group will finish out the 2026 season by presenting “Spring Awakening” from Nov. 12-21 at the new venue.
Three Stories is a three-level building with amenities that include a 95-seat theater with dressing rooms and rehearsal spaces.
Dobronz said that since taking the role as artistic director in late 2024, it has been her mission to give RTC a more prominent position in the greater arts community.
“This partnership feels right for where we are headed,” she said.