Pittsburgh Cultural Trust implements new security measures at venues

Audience members filing into the Benedum Center on Tuesday to catch opening night of the national tour of “Fiddler on the Roof” encountered recent changes in security by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

The Trust has also rolled out the new security at other venues, including the Byham Theater and the August Wilson Center.

Attendees now go through a metal detector and bag checks, officials at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust said. The increased security began in October.

“The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is committed to providing a space for a wide range of opinions and ideas,” Pittsburgh Cultural Trust President and CEO Kevin McMahon said in a statement. “We will not, however, tolerate violence of any kind — be it physical, threats or hate speech. We feel now more than ever, it is important to facilitate this confluence where members of the Pittsburgh community feel safe to come together and share artistic experiences.”

“Fiddler’s” previous venue was Baltimore, where on Nov. 14, a drunken man shouted “Heil Hitler, Heil Trump” during intermission. The incident caused panic.

“People started running,” audience member Rich Scherr told the Baltimore Sun. “I’ll be honest, I was waiting to hear a gunshot. I thought, ‘Here we go.’ ”

The policies the Cultural Trust has in place are meant to preserve the commitment to safety the trust has, a spokeswoman said.

Because of the measures, the trust is advising those attending events at the venues to pack lightly and arrive early.

Visitors also can benefit from half off of all concessions from the times doors open until 30 minutes before showtime.

For more information, visit trustarts.org .

Tom Davidson is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tom at 724-487-7208, tdavidson@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TribDavidson.