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New 'Public' Artistic Director Marya Sea Kaminski Promises More Women And Diverse Perspectives

Courtesy of Pittsburgh Public Theater

When the Pittsburgh Public Theater opens its fall season Sept. 27, it will mark the first assemblage in 19 years under a new artistic director.

Marya Sea Kaminski, who served as associate assistant director at the Seattle Repertory Theater for four years, will direct an adaption of Jane Austen's classic "Pride and Prejudice" as her inagural show. It's the first in a season with women at the forefront, including a reworking of Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

Through reexaming classic works and presenting new plays like "Marjorie Prime," Kamisnki says she's hoping to rev up new interest in the theater while still providing something for fans of the stage's familiar canon.

At the announcement of the upcoming season, outgoing artistic director Ted Pappas promised theater fans that the Public would "get to grow in amazing ways." Kaminski says she hopes to fulfill that promise, both expanding the theater's artistic profile and growing the size and scope of its audience.

Later in the program, we revisit the Squirrel Hill-based nonprofit Giving It Forward Together, or GIFT. The organization engages seniors who are homebound or living in a senior community by providing them with opportunities to give back to their own neighborhoods.

WESA's Sarah Boden reports on the lifetime of potential financial challenges for people who were sexually abused as children. Of the more than 1,000 victims documented in Pennsylvania's grand jury report on clergy sex abuse, just a handful can bring civil lawsuits which could lead to financial restitution.

University of Pittsburgh law professor and WESA legal analyst David Harris explores the legal ramifications of an Allegheny County police review board, one state's abolition of a cash bail system and alleged misconduct by a city police officer against a local activist.

Plus a look at what life would be like in Pennsylvania if Roe v. Wade was overturned. WESA's Lucy Perkins walks us through the first in a four part series.

The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in weekdays at 9 a.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators join veteran journalist Kevin Gavin, taking an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here.

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