Located in the basement level of the Cathedral of Learning, the Richard E. Rauh Studio Theatre was newly dedicated in 2017, following a $1 million bequeathed endowment made to support Pitt’s Studio Theatre and the University’s productions. Richard E. Rauh is a lifelong Pittsburgh theatre artist and Pitt alumnus, having earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English in 1962 and 1964. He was part of a team students who successfully launched the Pitt student-run radio station, then called WPGH. His engagement in the arts includes a prolific theater career with appearances on the Pittsburgh Playhouse stage, Little Lake Theater, City Theatre, and Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh. Renovations to the Rauh Studio included a refurbished box office, lobby, and entryway from the elevator bank, an LED display screen, LED-lit display cases, and new lobby seating.
A black box space the Rauh Studio can be manipulated into many performance configurations, and the space serves as a student lab for testing out concepts as well as practicing theater-making. It is home to student-directed laboratory productions, student group presentations, departmental shows, play readings, and summer rental companies.
