We got an upgrade to our plans to paint 934 Liberty Ave this week thanks to Colorful Communities program from PPG! Thursday, August 3rd, members of the Arcade staff and board of directors gathered with over 20 volunteers from PPG and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust at the August Wilson Center to kick off the project. Then, the next few hours were spent applying the first coat of purples, blues, and golds to the entire first floor of our new facility. Everyone at the Arcade is grateful for the tremendous support of PPG, one of the biggest paint companies on the planet, and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

“They’re really funny people, but they’re also great partners,” said Kevin McMahon, president and CEO of the Cultural Trust, when introducing Arcade Comedy Theater.

“The creative directors felt that comedy is too often associated with nightclubs or basement, black box theaters,” said Mary C Parker, president of the Arcade Board of Directors, “so the Arcade was created to put this growing art form in the heart of the Cultural District, accessible and visible to the entire community in the same way that all of our other great theaters are. We could have never imagined this dream of a professional, state-of-the-art space would manifest to what is being created here at 943 Liberty Ave.”

“We are excited to continue expanding this initiative, which brings smiles to our employees and our neighbors. The main goal is to beautify the neighborhoods we call ‘home’ by investing in them, especially where the need is great,” shared Sue Sloan, PPG executive director of corporate global social responsibility. “Additionally, the projects encourage volunteerism by our employees, which builds morale and empowers them to create positive change in their communities.”

Arcade’s creative directors, members of the board, and Jason Clark, the theater’s operations manager, we there not only painting, but meeting all of the amazing PPG volunteers who donated their time and energy into making the theater shine. In a little under two months, the theater will be ready to rock, and we can’t wait to invite everyone from PPG down for a show!

Learn more about the event.