mission & history

Mission

The Hillman Center for Performing Arts is western Pennsylvania's newest cultural venue. As a not-for-profit professional performance space, the Hillman Center presents programs of excellence that represent Pittsburgh's cultural traditions while celebrating global, artistic innovation. Special emphasis is placed on family-friendly programming. As a community space, the Hillman facilitates performances by various cultural, educational and artistic organizations that showcase a myriad of traditions and talents.

The Hillman Center for Performing Arts also serves as Shady Side Academy's primary performing arts classroom. As a teaching, learning and student performance space, the Hillman Center offers current students a chance to discover and nurture their talents. The annual series benefits students and alumni of Shady Side Academy, as well as the citizens of western Pennsylvania, through residencies and performances.

Finally, the Hillman is committed to developing outreach programs for community members, particularly youth, that would otherwise be unable to participate in such activities.

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History

At the turn of the 21st century, Shady Side Academy was seeking a way to share its arts initiatives with the larger Pittsburgh community. The Academy's alumni has a solid footing in local, national and international fine arts: former CEO of MTV Networks, Mark Rosenthal; filmmaker and screenwriter Carl Kurlander; film composer Gary Chang; singer, director and film actor Tunde Adebimpe; drummer Chris Frantz (Talking Heads); Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough; film actor Richard E. Rauh; and arts aficionado Henry Hillman, from whom the Center is named. Shady Side even served as the setting for select scenes in Michael Douglas' movie, Wonder Boys, as well as several other feature films in recent years.

SSA believers and arts lovers came together to dream up The Hillman Center for Performing Arts. The facility was to serve the cultural needs of the greater Pittsburgh community while bolstering the school's existing arts curriculum. The idea was to design a professional arts series that could enhance the school's programming and make a positive impact on the Pittsburgh arts community.

In September 2004, Shady Side Academy celebrated the official opening of The Hillman Center for Performing Arts with an inaugural performance in the Richard E. Rauh Theater. Director of Programming and then Executive Director, David Liebmann, transitioned the theater into an official cultural venue; under his stewardship, the HCPA entered its first professional, public Performing Arts Series in fall 2006, with a performance by the Golden Dragon Acrobats from Hebei, China. Subsequent performances during the 2006-2007 season featured Pittsburgh's River City Brass Band and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. The 2007-2008 season included Boys of the Lough, a Grammy-nominated Celtic band; San Jose Taiko; Ira Ross & Friends; Samite of Uganda; Flamenco Sepharad; and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

Giant Eagle became the first major corporate sponsor. The Henry L. Hillman Foundation and the Weiner Family Foundation provided additional support. The 2007-2008 season also marked the beginning of substantive outreach programs through organizations like Tickets For Kids and the Afro-American Music Institute. Community development and outreach have been important to the Hillman Center's purpose and identity, and these collaborations remain at the forefront of its current mission.

In addition to offering a professional performance series, The Hillman Center for Performing Arts is also available to the public. The terrace is a great venue for fundraisers and weddings, and the two state-of-the-art theaters serve as wonderful community resources. Guests have included Pittsburgh Concert Chorale; Chatham Baroque with the Pittsburgh Opera Center; Nandanik Indian Dance Troupe; Pittsburgh Youth Pops Orchestra; the Organization of Chinese Americans; and the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society, among many others.