Charity Randall Theatre, Pittsburgh, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Charity Randall Theatre is a performance space inside the Stephen Foster Memorial at 4301 Forbes Avenue in Oakland, Pittsburgh. The memorial honors the songwriter Stephen Foster, and the theatre is used for University of Pittsburgh stage productions. It sits in the middle of the city's university and museum district, a short walk from the Cathedral of Learning.

The story behind it

Stephen Foster was born in 1826 in the Pittsburgh area and became one of the best-known American songwriters of the nineteenth century. His songs include "Oh. Susanna", "Camptown Races" and "Beautiful Dreamer". He died in New York in 1864, aged 37, and the city has kept his memory alive ever since.

The Stephen Foster Memorial opened in 1937 on the University of Pittsburgh campus and was designed by the architect Charles Klauder, who also designed the nearby Cathedral of Learning. Besides the theatre, the building holds material about Foster and the Center for American Music. That mix of a working stage and a tribute to a songwriter is what gives this corner of Oakland its character.

What to look for

• The stone exterior of the Stephen Foster Memorial along Forbes Avenue, which shows how the university's buildings were designed to sit together as one campus.
• Any posters or notices outside announcing current productions, since the theatre is an active stage and not a museum piece.
• The tower of the Cathedral of Learning rising close by, a reminder that the same architect shaped both buildings.
• The mix of university life and city life on the street, with students, museum visitors and theatregoers all passing the same doors.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about 20 to 30 minutes if you are looking at the building from outside and walking the surrounding blocks.
• Whether you can go inside depends on performances and events, so check current opening hours and the production schedule before you come.
• Daylight is best for seeing the stonework and for photographs of the Oakland streets.
• The Cathedral of Learning, Heinz Memorial Chapel and the Carnegie museums are all within walking distance, so it is easy to build a half-day around Oakland.

See it on a quest

The Oz Escape in Pittsburgh passes the Charity Randall Theatre on foot as one stop of a longer route through the area. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Pittsburgh is a good fit if you like a darker mood on a walk. You reach the theatre as part of the route, hear about it from the app, and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Pittsburgh Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. turns the same streets into a detective trail. You walk to the theatre, learn about it as you get there, and work out a puzzle while standing in front of it. One ticket covers the whole group.