PITTSBURGH – Season ticket packages are now on sale for the Media Innovators Speaker Series, featuring journalists from National Public Radio and The New York Times Magazine.
A four-show package can be purchased for $100, a 25 percent savings over individual ticket prices. In addition, a Herbein + Company Four Show Meet & Greet Package can be purchased for $400. This includes a ticket to each event, plus a pre-show meet and greet with food and drinks included. That package is limited to just 50 tickets. For more information or to order tickets, you can call 412-392-8000 or stop by the Playhouse Box Office, 350 Forbes Avenue downtown. Ticket sales for individual shows go on sale Monday, Nov. 26.
UPDATE: Starting Monday, November 19 at 10AM, WESA listeners and members have a special opportunity to purchase single tickets before they go on sale to the general public on Nov. 26. To take advantage of this opportunity, call the Playhouse Box Office at 412-392-8000 or visit the Pittsburgh Playhouse website and use the offer code NPR when prompted.
The series, presented by the Center for Media Innovation and the Pittsburgh Playhouse at Point Park University in collaboration with 90.5 WESA, kicks off Tuesday, Jan. 15, with David Folkenflik, a media correspondent for NPR. His work primarily appears on NPR news programs “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.” He also co-hosts “On Point” and appears regularly on “Media Circus.”
- Tuesday, Jan. 15: David Folkenflik, PNC Theatre. Tickets are $25.
- Thursday, Feb. 21: Nathaniel Rich, Highmark Theatre. Tickets are $25. Rich is a novelist and writer-at-large for The New York Times Magazine. He recently authored “Losing Earth,” an interactive feature in The New York Times that looks at how humans failed to stop climate change. Sponsored by the Heinz Endowments, as part of the Environmental Journalism Program at Point Park.
- Tuesday, March 19: Melissa Block, PNC Theatre. Tickets are $35. Block, the former host of “All Things Considered,” is a special correspondent for NPR. She produces richly reported profiles of figures at the forefront of thought and culture, as well as stories on the critical issues of our day.
- Thursday, May 9: Don Gonyea, Highmark Theatre. Tickets are $50. Gonyea, a national political correspondent for NPR based in Washington, D.C., spends much of his time traveling throughout the U.S. covering campaigns, elections and the national political climate. His reports can be heard on all NPR programs and at NPR.org.
Andrew Conte, director of the Center for Media Innovation, said this rich selection of national reporters will allow for engaging discussions on the rapidly changing media, the environment and politics.
“It’s important to listen to and read the work from these talented journalists, but it’s also extremely valuable for our students and the general public to hear about their perspectives and methodology, and to ask them questions,” Conte said.
WESA General Manager John Sutton said the growing role of media in people’s lives requires that we better understand it.
“We’re pleased to partner with Point Park to bring some of NPR’s best journalists to Pittsburgh for important conversations about how media both shapes the news and is a part of it,” Sutton said.
All shows start at 7 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Playhouse at Point Park University on Forbes Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh.
For more information or to order tickets, call 412-392-8000 or stop by the Playhouse Box Office.
