PITTSBURGH OPERA TO OFFER FREE CHILDCARE DURING LA TRAVIATA MATINEE

March 4, 2024
Chris Cox, Director of Marketing and Communications
412-281-0912 ext. 217
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Pittsburgh Opera to offer free childcare during La Traviata matinee

Pittsburgh Opera is debuting another innovative program to make it easier for patrons to enjoy their opera performances.

Pittsburgh Opera is offering free childcare to children ages 2-12 at the Sunday March 24th matinee performance of La Traviata, at 2:00PM at the Benedum Center.

The childcare will take place onsite at the Benedum Center, in its multipurpose room, which will be used exclusively for this service.

There are a limited number of spaces available, and pre-registration is required. To register, the parent/guardian will ‘purchase’ a free childcare ticket when they buy their own ticket to the opera. Their order confirmation email will include a link to a registration form, which includes the parent/guardian’s seating location, information about any allergies the children have, and other such matters. The parent/guardian must reconfirm the registration information at drop off, and remain in the building during the performance. Full details are available at pittsburghopera.org/childcare.

The minimum age to attend these opera performances and sit in the audience is six. However, children as young as two will be able to use the childcare service. Children between the ages of six and twelve have the option of seeing the opera with tickets at 50% off or using the childcare service at no charge. Any child using the childcare service must register in advance.

Pittsburgh Opera has worked closely with their partners at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, which owns and operates the Benedum Center, and Priya Amin, the founder of on-site childcare provider Flexable, to bring this program to life.

“For families with young children, finding and paying for a reliable babysitter can be a real barrier to attending arts and entertainment events,” says Pittsburgh Opera’s Director of Marketing & Communications Chris Cox. “This new program allows parents to enjoy the performance with peace of mind knowing that their young kids are being cared for right down the hall by trained, certified professionals. We hope to offer this again at future performances later this year, and that our childcare program inspires copy-cat offerings from other arts organizations once they see how successful it can be.”

Like Pittsburgh Opera’s Rideshare program launched earlier this month, this program is generously funded by the Richard King Mellon Foundation.