Dan Pittman is the owner and artistic director at Act Oct Theatre Group, a workshop-based youth theatre company in Dunmore. Dan is an accomplished choreographer, director and performer who has worked with several local theatres. In 2017, he took over Act Out and fulfilled his dream of owning a theatre company at just 27 years old.

Dan and the company faced one of their biggest challenges in 2018, when they had to leave their former location in Taylor and relocate to Dunmore. But as the saying goes, the show must go on. In just 19 days, they reopened and performed their first show at their new home.

Since then, Act Out has grown their kids’ programs and expanded to include adult productions as well. They are currently preparing to perform Peter Pan and Romeo & Juliet this March.

How long have you lived in NEPA?

I was born and raised in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and I moved here in 2016.

What brought you to NEPA?

I used to work for Chipotle, so originally, I came up here in 2014 to open the Wilkes-Barre Chipotle. Then I came back in 2016 to choreograph Rock of Ages at Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre. From there, I ended up working for the old owners of Act Out and for KISS, and then at the Music Box in Swoyersville.

What surprised you about NEPA?

Compared to Chambersburg, there’s a lot more arts in the area. Chambersburg has one theatre, and then there’s another one in Gettysburg forty-five minutes away. It’s more saturated in this area, and there’s opportunities for pretty much everyone. Whatever you’re interested in, it exists. And if it doesn’t, it’s easy to create here.

What is your favorite thing to do in NEPA?

I get very little free time, so if I’m not here in rehearsals, I’m pretty much just hanging out with friends or seeing a show at another theatre and supporting the local arts scene.

What’s next for you?

Our big project of the year is getting a workshop program together for the summer that’s either drastically decreased in price or free for those who can’t afford it. That’s our short-term goal. Long-term—it’s not going to happen any time soon— I would like to open a larger facility. That’s the total dream: two performance spaces and a couple dance studios.

What’s next for NEPA?

I predict that we’re going to see a lot of new, innovative works coming out of the area. There’s a bunch of people who I’ve met that love to create and make their own stories, so I feel that we’re going to see a lot more original works.

Why NEPA?

For me personally, NEPA has welcomed me with open arms. NEPA accepts everyone, and different viewpoints can be seen. There’s also a common misconception that Scranton and Wilkes-Barre are light years apart, but they’re really not that far away. It’s nice to have two larger towns in very close proximity.