The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

I am beyond grateful to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for bringing such highly talented artists to us in Pittsburgh. You would think since we're in a smaller city, the shows we have wouldn't even compare to those in New York City, but WOW, I have been completely blown away by each show that I've attended. Most recently, we saw Mean Girls at the Benedum Center. To begin with, all of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust staff were phenomenal. From the staff outside controlling the lines to the security folks and staff inside directing us to our seats and controlling the flow of traffic in the bathroom (sounds silly, I know, but they truly were great at getting those lines down at intermission), each and every staff member was kind, courteous, and seemed to genuinely be happy to be there and to do their job. They made our experience great from the moment we arrived. Onto the show, just WOW! The live orchestra was amazing, the performers were first class, and all of the backgrounds and scenery were incredible. Even my fiancé, who is not a huge fan of musicals, was completely blown away and asked what's the next show we're going to come out for?! The whole experience was "so fetch" (had to through in a Mean Girls reference). It is amazing that we can have such a "Big Apple show experience" right here in our beautiful city!

I recently attended The Lion King with my husband and was blown away by the performance! I'm not one to attend broadway shows or musicals, but this experience was one-of-a-kind and has me interested in seeing more performances in the future. The performance was outstanding! The live orchestra music and actors were top of the line. I truly felt like I was witnessing the best of broadway while sitting in Pittsburgh! There was a mixture of children (about 6 years old and older) and adults at the show; it was a great experience for all ages! Our seats were on the first level in the back of the theater next to the sound/lighting booth. Despite where our seats were located, we had a full view of the stage and were next to the aisle and one of the exit doors. The theater seemed to be an appropriate size for the show. People were complimenting the sound/lighting staff on the quality sound during the performance. One person said that in other performances, the sound wasn't as good where they sat, but it was excellent during the Lion King. One of the first things I noticed was how friendly and professional the cultural trust staff was. From the ticket office, to security, to the ushers, everyone greeted us with a warm smile and was happy to point us in the right direction. The pleasant, upbeat personalities made the night exciting and added to the experience. My family is mostly a group of sports fans, but the wonderful experience we had with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will have us returning in the future! I hope they continue to bring in reputable, quality shows.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust does a great job of bringing in shows. I saw Hamilton in January and just the other night I saw The Lion King. Both times I was super impressed with the process of picking up your tickets, entering the Benedum (stadiums should take note on how to efficiently run security), getting drinks, using the bathroom (they have attendants in the bathroom to make sure all the open stalls are being used quickly), and watching the show itself. All of the staff are so professional and there is nothing like getting dressed up for a night out. The Lion King was an amazing show. I was so impressed with the actors, the music and the costumes. Can't wait to attend another show!

I had read an article about the first Cultured Cocktails event and knew I didn't want to miss it again. Once inside the Benedum Center I was blown away as the entire lobby, basement, second and third floor were packed with different local restaurants offering cocktails that were paired with food that complimented them perfectly. Some of the participating bars and restaurants included: Braddock's, Bridges & Bourbon, The Commoner, Con Alma, Eddie Merlot's, Monterey Bay & Fish Grotto, Or, The Whale, Scratch, The Warren and Yuzu Kitchen. Each vendor did an outstanding job and kept the food and drinks coming all night as there were at least 500 or more people at the event. There was also plenty of entertainment including a D.J. and in the basement area a band that featured an amazing singer that keep our heads bobbing all night. You could vote for your favorite drink, but I couldn't pick just one so I don't know how the judges did it. There was even a photo booth.Thank you to The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for a night full of wonderful cocktails and equally wonderful food!

We attended the 2nd annual 'Cultured Cocktails' event this past Saturday at the Benedum Theater. It was a lot of fun. The event consisted of a variety of local restaurants serving both cocktails, and a food item that was paired with it (see photos I posted for more details). We enjoyed the variety of samplings, plus in addition, they had a DJ, blasting music in the lobby (volume was a bit bombastic), a photo booth, and a place to vote for your favorite food and drink items. It was a very enjoyable evening in Pittsburgh's Cultural District ... Cheers!

Attended the opening show of The Bronx Tale thanks to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Yelp. Always loved the movie but the musical is even better. Songs and actors were fantastic. Seats were in first tier. A little less leg room but great view. Thank you again for an opportunity to see a Broadway worthy show in my hometown.

Let's begin with WOW!! I've been very impressed with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and everything that it has to offer. I've been to a few of the broadway shows and have been blown away with each one of them. If you're not a broadway fan, please do yourself a favor and go watch at least one. They do a great job at organizing it and putting a great show! The Lion King has been by far one of my favorite ones. Some of the shows that I attended were at the Benedum Center which is one of the nicer theaters around Pittsburgh. This theater is very spacious and the most important part is that they're so efficient in the ladies bathroom line which could be frustrating most of the time while you're trying to rush back during intermission. There is also always a gift shop as soon as you enter the theater which is convenient for souvenirs. Don't forget that you can buy drinks at almost every level!! The performances are just spectacular! From the orchestra playing to the costumes and actors! It always leaves me excited to see what the next show is going to be!!

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust does a really good job of bringing shows to Pittsburgh and expanding the theatre available for those living here. Generally, their employees are competent and friendly. Security can be a bit rude, but hopefully they'll work on that - they may have hired hastily due to the way they expanded the security.

We saw Cruel Intentions at the Byham this past Saturday and both really enjoyed the production! Keep the great productions coming!The security screening process went smoothly as well. Would have liked to enjoy a drink before the show but the lines for that were ridiculous.

Stop confiscating people's bottled water and charge $5 a bottle at the concession! This is called price gouging. I'm a season ticket holder and seriously considering cancelling my subscription and call on all my friends to do the same if this policy does not change. Frankly I'm miffed.