Apr 24, 2025 By Stephanie Kalina Metzger 3 min read

Drinks, light bites and an evening of entertainment will be on tap at the “Time for Love Cabaret” on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. at The Barn at Highcroft in Mars.

Presented by the PMT Conservatory, the educational arm of Pittsburgh Musical Theater (PMT), this event showcases young artists as they develop transferable life skills to help them shine both onstage and off.

Falling in love-with PMT

Jayden Greening is just one of the students who will be taking the stage on Saturday night and performing two songs: “30/90” from “Tick, Tick…Boom!” -a number reflecting the pressure of time ticking away and unfulfilled goals-and “I Want You,” from “The Girl from the North Country,” a poignant reflection on lost love.

Greening, a 17-year-old student who resides on Pittsburgh’s South Side, began his journey with PMT in 2017 in an effort to get accepted at Pittsburgh’s Creative and Performing Arts School (CAPA). “I wanted to attend CAPA because it’s the best school in Pittsburgh and to gain entrance, you need to have some experience, so I started training at PMT and fell in love with it,” Greening explains.

Greening has since performed in many musicals, most recently making history as the first student in 35 years to play Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol.” When Greening graduates, he plans on attending film school, but remains open to professional stage roles.

“At the Conservatory I learned leadership, how to stay organized and how to work as part of a team. I used to be terrified to perform, but now I love it,” said Greening. “My colleagues helped me get over the fear of messing up and I’ve learned how to communicate onstage without even speaking. It’s been a great experience,” he added.

Preparing students for the future

PMT Conservatory Director, Quinn Patrick Shannon, said that the Barn at Highcroft provides the perfect setting for a show themed around love. “It has a barn wedding sort of feel-very warm and romantic,” he said.

As for the show’s format, Shannon said that there will be an opening and closing medley, along with songs from various musicals like “Into the Woods,” “Little Women,” “Crazy for You,” and more.

Shannon hopes audiences support the students.

“They’re involved in every aspect of production. I love seeing those lightbulb moments-when they make decisions on their own and come up with creative ideas. That’s how I know that they’re learning,” he said.

According to Shannon, enrollment in the Conservatory has been steadily increasing. “When I took over three years ago, we had between 120 and 130 students. Now we have over 200,” he said.

He added, “These young artists learn transferable life skills, from thinking on their feet, performing, following through on commitments, learning how to lead and follow, the importance of teamwork, public speaking and communication and so much more. I like to say that we’re helping to create good humans so that the world is a better place in the future,” Shannon said.

To purchase tickets, or for additional information, visit the webpage at https://pittsburghmusicals.com/cabaret/.

Stepahnie Kalina-Metzger is a freelance writer.