Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA) is comprised of professional, working artists dedicated to a conservatory approach to training. We believe that the path that leads from student to professional, from apprentice to artist, is a journey of education, example, discipline and experience. COPA is committed to the development of the craft, the engagement of the imagination and the cultivation of skills that enable students to pursue careers as working artists.
The Conservatory of Performing Arts includes four performance companies: The REP, Point Park University’s professional theatre company, and three student companies – Conservatory Theatre Company, Conservatory Dance Company and Playhouse Jr.
The REP
The REP is Point Park University’s professional theatre company. The REP functions as a laboratory for provocative theatre, producing plays that ask more questions than they answer. A major part of The REP’s mission is to articulate a Pittsburgh voice, whether by cultivating and exporting works with a local accent or by importing works that speak to this community, while serving as an artistic laboratory for our Conservatory and its professional artists.
This season’s performances challenge us to look within – at our passions and our demons, at our dreams and our delusions, at our perceptions of ourselves and our expectations of others. They seek to uncover truths about humanity and society. Together, they lead us outside the comforting bounds of the familiar into expanses we often don’t dare to explore. The ultimate purpose of this venture is to collectively consider our deepest concerns and try to envision better ways to live. It a journey of investigation and imagination.
Take this journey of discovery with us.
Conservatory Theatre Company
Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts has been called a world-class theatre program. The aggressive conservatory environment immerses our young artists in acting, dance, movement, and voice training.
The talent crystallizes in critically-acclaimed performances by the Conservatory Theatre Company, presenting fully produced seasons of just about every type of theatre in Western civilization.
View the Full Conservatory Theatre Company Season
Conservatory Dance Company
“Have we ever seen such combined strength and harmony?”- words penned by an eminent critic to describe the Conservatory Dance Company.
The Conservatory Dance Company’s superlative performances of ballet, modern and jazz are drawn from the most challenging classic and contemporary repertoires, plus dazzling original works by esteemed guest artists, and a faculty of renowned dance professionals.
This season includes a mélange of styles and a variety of works, ranging from edgy, student-choreographed pieces to classic works by renowned artists such as George Balanchine and Martha Graham.
View the Full Conservatory Dance Company Season
Playhouse Jr.
Playhouse Jr. brings children and young adults into the world of imagination through live theatre with fairy tales, modern and timeless stories adapted for young audiences and classics from children’s literature. The productions are crafted to be family friendly for children of all ages.
The second oldest continually running children’s theatre in the nation, Playhouse Jr. is now performing for third generations of patron families.
