Pittsburgh might not be the first place you think of when thinking of an entertainment hub, but this small city is home to a wealth of talent with a history of pushing the boundaries in the industry. Whether you’re a freshman college student living in Pittsburgh for the first time or a returning student who’s been living here for a few years, it’s never a bad idea to learn about the culture of your city.
There are also plenty of fun activities related to these artists and creators to check out, so to make sure you’re not left out of some essential Pittsburgh knowledge, we’ve put together a guide to some of the biggest names in Pittsburgh entertainment.
music
Pittsburgh has a long history of music that has developed throughout the city’s history. This small city has always kept pace with the cultural capitals of the country. For example, Pittsburgh has a great jazz scene that dates back to the roots of the genre. Famous jazz musicians who came from Pittsburgh include Earl Hines, Mary Lou Williams and Erroll Garner. You can learn more about them at the Jazz Hall of Fame on the first floor of the William Pitt Union.
Pittsburgh is also home to Carnegie Music Hall, a historic theater built in 1895 that has seen some of history’s greatest musicians perform there, including Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Judy Garland and The Beatles. It’s a must-see venue and continues to host talented artists today.
Pittsburgh continues to produce talented artists like Wiz Khalifa, Christina Aguilera, and of course Mac Miller, who have achieved great success not only in the US but around the world. Miller released many albums before his untimely death and was nominated for a Grammy in 2019.
Film and TV
The city actually has quite a long history in the film industry. The film and television industry really took off in the 60s and 70s with George A. Romero’s “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Airing on TV station WQED just up 5th Avenue from the University of Pittsburgh, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was an educational children’s show that ran for 31 seasons from 1968 to 2001. The show is still beloved today.
Romero is a famous horror film director who attended Carnegie Mellon University. He has directed many movies, including Night of the Living Dead.
Another film that is important to Pittsburgh, although it wasn’t made in the city, is “St. Elmo’s Fire,” a hit in the ’80s and significant in that it was written by Pittsburgh native and University of Pittsburgh professor Carl Carlander.
Finally, many directors have shot their movies in Pittsburgh. The Silence of the Lambs was filmed in and around Pittsburgh, with famous scenes shot at the Soldiers and Sailors Museum on the Pittsburgh campus. Another movie, The Dark Knight Rises, was shot in various locations around the city. The coming-of-age story The Perks of Being a Wallflower was also shot in Pittsburgh, with the famous scene in which the characters drive through a tunnel being shot in the Fort Pitt Tunnel.
Arts and Theatre
As you’ve probably figured out by now, Pittsburgh is a creative hub. To those unfamiliar with the city, it may not seem like a creative hub, but it is a hub nonetheless. One of the most important people to have come from Pittsburgh is playwright August Wilson. Wilson is one of America’s greatest playwrights. He is best known for his Pittsburgh Cycle, a collection of 10 plays that portray life in America within the African-American community. Two of his plays have been made into feature films. Wilson’s influence has been felt by so many that the August Wilson African-American Cultural Center was founded in his honor. Some of his most successful plays include Fences and The Piano.
Another important figure in Pittsburgh is artist Andy Warhol. Warhol was a revolutionary artist who pushed the boundaries of what art could be and how it could be used by using a lot of celebrity and corporate iconography and mass producing his work. Warhol essentially created “Pop Art” and his work shook the art world. Much of his work is on display at the Andy Warhol Museum on the North Shore, where students can get in for free with their University of Pittsburgh student ID.
The Warhol Museum isn’t the only Carnegie Museum worth visiting; the Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and Carnegie Science Center are other museums worth visiting. If you’re more into art, the Mattress Factory on the North Shore has plenty of fun exhibits.