4301 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
The Stephen Foster Memorial is home to most mainstage productions of the University’s Department of Theatre Arts. The facility’s 478-seat Charity Randall Theatre replicates features of the original Foster auditorium but is equipped with state-of-the-art technical, sound, and lighting capabilities for the University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre (a.k.a., Pitt Rep) and guest companies. Downstairs, the 151-seat Henry Heymann Theatre provides a more intimate setting.
Designed by Charles Klauder to complement his Cathedral of Learning, the Foster Memorial is a tribute to Pittsburgh native Stephen Collins Foster (1826-1864), America’s first professional songwriter, whose works include “Camptown Races” and “Oh Susanna.” It was dedicated in 1937.
The Stephen Foster Memorial Museum houses an exhibit on Foster’s life; adjacent to it is Pitt’s Center for American Music, a special collections library that contains one of the nation’s most significant collections of 19th-century American music.