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 teens—online 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.

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! 

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. 

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:

• Did you see our Community Update video last week? Check it out on YouTube here.

• Want something sillier? Check out Penny Arcade’s Keep Dancin’ video here.

There are fundraisers galore!

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

• Knights Support Arcade has raised $4,275

• Arcade at Home: Brian Gray Remote Workshops has raised $365

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

• Arcade at Home: Jerome &

• Arcade at Home: Penny Arcade Online Shows (which has raised $50 so far!)

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!

• Friday, April 24th at 8pm: Jerome & A(n Online) Variety Show

• Saturday, April 25th at 1pm: The first-ever Penny Arcade Online Show (turn in those suggestions and videos to Question Monster now on their website!)

• Saturday, May 2nd at 9pm: The 4th edition of Knights of the Arcade: Online Adventure (810 viewers have tuned in so far!)

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!

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.