Launched in an era when theater in Western Pennsylvania seemed a growing extinction, PPT has, since it completed its first season in 1975, become a major player on the regional scene. With a six-show lineup featuring area premieres, ambitious classics, and usually a new take on a musical, PPT’s stellar reputation has helped launch debut stagings by playwrights as diverse as Horton Foote, August Wilson and Andrew Lloyd Webber. A Bonus series offers the best in comedy from groups like The Second City and Reduced Shakespeare Company. The Public’s dazzling venue, the O’Reilly Theatre features a state of the art three-quarter thrust stage, allowing audiences the most intimate experience in large scale production. The Pub on the O’Reilly’s second floor is open for pre-show drinks and a light snack.