Arcade at Home

Keep Pittsburgh's non-profit home for comedy open in your hearts! Show some love for Arcade Comedy Theater during its shutdown due to COVID-19.

A fundraising campaign for Arcade Comedy Theater

Due to the rapidly evolving nature of the national and local response to COVID-19, Arcade Comedy Theater decided to postpone or cancel all programming and classes starting on March 13th. The safety of our patrons, staff, students and artists is our top priority. The staff at Arcade will continue to monitor the situation closely, and look forward to welcoming you back into our theater as soon as we can. While Arcade is currently closed for indoor operations at our 943 Liberty Avenue theater, the staff is working hard to provide outdoor and online shows and classes at a reduced capacity. Stay tuned to our Facebook, Twitter, or website for the latest updates about our schedule. You can also check out our Community Update video from April 13th: Checking in with Our Community: April 2020and our July 3rd update video here: Checking in with Our Community: July 2020.

Whether you're attending an outdoor show or class, or are more comfortable tuning in for one of our online shows or workshops, we hope you'll continue supporting Arcade by donating to this page. The impact of Arcade's temporary COVID-19 closure since March 13th is immense, as Arcade is a bustling comedy community full of performances, events, classes, and rehearsals each and every week. During this hiatus, Arcade has had to cancel or postpone over 194 primetime productions, 10 Penny Arcade children's shows, 33 class shows, 7 corporate events and rentals, 23 workshops, 198 classes, 4 kids camp class sessions, 2 birthday parties, 5 Pop-Up Nights, and 175 rehearsals. Since March 13th, the staff and artist community has pivoted to present over 54 online shows to 9,000+ viewers, and 8 online classes and workshops to 69 students through its Arcade at Home shows and classes. program. Arcade began outdoor classes and shows in early August through its Arcade at the Oasis program. This temporary reimagining of our normal operation restores joy, laughter, and a sense of community in downtown Pittsburgh where we left it.

Your financial support is critical to the continued health of the organization through this unimaginably difficult time for nonprofit organizations across the country. Your continued support and sharing of this page makes a huge difference each week--you can use bit.ly/ArcadeAtHome to share this page with others! You'll notice there is an option to set recurring monthly donations after you click the "Make A Donation" button--if you are financially able to do so, setting up a monthly donation offers us a way to monitor donation income in a stable way to help plan for our future. We know that not everyone is financially able to lend their support right now and that there are many causes to aid. We are grateful for any and all donations given through this page and love seeing positive messages on our social media. 

Looking for a specific show fundraiser?

Thank you for contributing, sharing this page, or just enjoying some of our online or outdoor content. We can't wait to hear your laughter again soon. Sending you love and laughs from Arcade's Board and Staff. Stay well, friends! 

P.S. Interested in our current online and outdoor programming?


9.3.20 UPDATE: Celebrating Youth Programming

September 3, 2020

Arcade is celebrating Youth Programming this September!


In June, Arcade successfully raised $3,658 to fund Academy classes for Diversity Scholarship recipients. Our donors were inspired to give generously when we pledged 50% of all individual donations would be earmarked for this important initiative. While Arcade must continue to raise operational funds that supplement the loss of earned revenue due to the impact of COVID-19, we have not lost sight of the programs and projects that make us who we are. The continued support from our friends and family will ensure Arcade’s doors re-open to a vibrant theater, full of unique, community-focused offerings.  


Throughout the month of September, Arcade will direct 50% of all individual donations toward Youth Programming at the theater, including Penny Arcade “Pay As You Wish” shows and youth education and outreach. Youth Programming at Arcade includes shows and classes for children and teensonline and outside now, and indoors once it is safe to do so again. 


Improv shows and classes for kids and teens often use topics like science, literature, or pop culture to build bridges between the creative play encouraged in improv and the creative thinking necessary in learning. In summer 2020, Arcade launched its weekend comedy camps for kids and teens despite the limitations imposed by COVID-19 safety. In addition, Arcade Academy has partnered with the Learning Disabilities Association of Pennsylvania to provide summer camp and afterschool improv lessons for Provident Charter School, a tuition-free public charter school for children with dyslexia and other learning differences. We saw that even over Zoom or in a distanced, masked in-person class, our young students were embracing and enjoying improv comedy, and we want to continue bringing that joy throughout the year.


The award-winning children’s programming Penny Arcade has performed monthly shows and outreach for schools and nonprofit groups since February 2014, as well as Penny Arcade Online shows since April 2020. In the interest of becoming even more accessible to audience members, Penny Arcade changed its ticketing structure to be “Pay As You Wish” in 2017 and has continued with this program ever since. Penny Arcade is many children’s introduction to theater, and seeing their ideas come to life on stage ignites a love not only of comedy and theater, but an appreciation for the three tenets of Penny Arcade: listening, collaborating, and supporting. Arcade Comedy Theater and Penny Arcade strive to keep kids laughing and creatively inspired during the pandemic by providing engaging and interactive children’s programming both online and in-person. 


Your support of Arcade’s Youth Programming this month makes shows and classes more affordable, helps pay instructors and artists, and offers arts education and outreach opportunities for local students. Any help big or small brings more laughs to Pittsburgh’s youngest audiences. Click the “Make a Donation” link on the Arcade At Home fundraising page to make a one time--or monthly!--gift to Arcade Comedy Theater today.


5.6.2020 Arcade at Home Update: Thank you for giving big laughs on #GivingTuesdayNow!

May 6, 2020


What an exciting 24 hours! After crushing the original goal of $5,000, you all came together and knocked our first stretch goal of $7,500 out of the park. Thank you for donating an impressive and heartwarming $7,924 to the Arcade at Home campaign for #GivingTuesdayNow and #GiveBigPittsburgh COVID-19 Response. We are so grateful to everyone that made a gift (all 146 of you!), shared the campaign and their personal Arcade story, and tuned in for the Jer & Ky & Guests & Live show last night. Thank you from the bottom of our goofy hearts.

We hope you'll join us for one of our many online shows this month. You can keep updated on the Upcoming Events page of our website and Facebook

Missed the big day? Our second stretch goal of $10,000 will be open through the end of May.

Your donation may be worth double! Your company may have a matching gift program that can double your level of support. Check with your Human Resources Department for your company's guidelines on matching your donation to Arcade Comedy Theater, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contact our Director of Development Beth ([email protected]) if you need any assistance.

It is humbling to feel just how much you care about the comedy community. We couldn't be prouder to bring Pittsburgh together through laughter, even when we're apart, and we are so excited to see you all in person again soon at our home at 943 Liberty Avenue. 

Thank you again, and sending you love and laughs from Arcade's Board and Staff. Stay well, friends! 

4.29.2020 Arcade at Home Update: #GivingTuesdayNow

April 29, 2020


Laughter brings us together, even when we're apart. Arcade Comedy Theater is participating in #GivingTuesdayNow and Give Big Pittsburgh COVID-19 Response on Tuesday, May 5. #GivingTuesdayNow is a new global day of giving and unity that will take place on May 5, 2020 – in addition to the regularly scheduled Dec 1, 2020 #GivingTuesday and #GiveBigPittsburgh – as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. We hope you'll join us in showing some love for Arcade Comedy Theater during its shutdown due to COVID-19 by donating to and sharing this page

4.22.2020 Arcade at Home Update

April 22, 2020

Hi everyone! Thank you all so much for donating to the Arcade at Home campaign, sharing it on social media, and tuning into our virtual shows. Arcade has been very busy! Check it out:


New videos:

There are fundraisers galore!

In addition to the $1,935 raised for the Arcade at Home campaign so far:

And two new fundraisers have popped up online this week to tie in to virtual shows happening this week:

Your continued support and sharing of these fundraising pages makes a huge difference each week--you can use bit.ly/ArcadeAtHome for short!


Ready to tune in for an online Arcade show? You’ve got a lot of options!

Arcade Academy:

  • With two sold out sketch classes underway, Arcade Academy is adding more online classes and workshops soon -- they're a great way to learn the art of comedy from the comfort of your own home. Join our mailing list to find out first when new classes are launching.

We hope you are staying healthy and look forward to seeing you online soon. Thank you for donating, sharing, and tuning in!


3.25.2020 Arcade at Home Update

March 25, 2020

Thank you so much to our "Arcade at Home" supporters! We're glad to stay connected with you and appreciate your sharing, donating, and kind messages. Our team is hard at work keeping the theater thriving during this time and we are excited to report on the success of the first online show, Knights of the Arcade: Online Adventure, entertaining over 200 viewers on Twitch.tv last Saturday night and raising an impressive $1,724 for the organization through their Knights Support Arcade giving page. Missed out on the fun last weekend? You can catch a recording of the show online AND there's another Knights of the Arcade show scheduled for Saturday, April 4th at 9pm

During our continued hiatus through the end of April, Arcade has had to cancel or postpone an additional 28 primetime shows, 2 Penny Arcade children's shows, 1 workshop, 37 classes, 1 Pop-Up Night, and 40 rehearsals. Your continued support and sharing of this page makes a huge difference. You'll notice there is an option to set recurring monthly donations after you click the "Make A Donation" button--if you are financially able to do so, setting up a monthly donation offers us a way to monitor donation income in a stable way to help plan for our future. 

We hope you continue to stay well and look forward to when we can see you all in person at the theater. 

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