On Tuesday night, Pittsburgh Musical Theater’s board of directors voted unanimously that the show must go on. The company’s 2002-03 season and its future as a producing organization has been in doubt since Oct. 21, when founding artistic director Ken Gargaro announced that Pittsburgh Musical Theater was postponing its production of “A Chorus Line” and might have to cease operations entirely if it could not raise $150,000 within 30 days. “A Chorus Line” had been scheduled to open a two-week run Nov. 1 at the Byham Theater, Downtown, Over the past five or six years, the company, with an annual budget of $1.5 million, has struggled with debt that stood at $492,769 at the end of its 2001-02 season. Season subscriptions, which had been as high as 3,500, dipped to 2,000 last year. Only 1,600 subscriptions had been purchased for the 2002-03 season, although sales normally continue through the first production. The current crisis arose when Pittsburgh Musical Theater lacked the $40,000 it needed to post an Equity bond and pay the royalties for “A Chorus Line” and could not find a bank that would extend it a line of credit. In the past four weeks, the 12-year-old nonprofit theater company has raised $135,000 in contributions and pledges. This includes $27,000 that students at the company’s Richard E. Rauh Conservatory raised with a dance-a-thon on Sunday evening. “I’m very excited,” Gargaro says. “Due to overwhelming support from the community, we are now into phase two.” Board president Bruce E. G. Smith says the contributions have made it possible for the theater to move forward with plans to produce “A Chorus Line.” The board’s decision makes it possible for the conservatory to begin accepting enrollments for the school’s next term. “The community has responded, and not just with money. People are supporting us.” Board members are now planning additional fund-raisers in conjunction with “A Chorus Line” and expanding their marketing efforts. “But first we have to sell the heck out of it,” Smith says. According to Gargaro, tickets will go on sale Monday for “A Chorus Line,” which now is scheduled to open Jan. 15 at the Byham Theater. “I’m hoping that the community who wants to help us will buy tickets for ‘A Chorus Line,’” Gargaro says.

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