Gary Kline

Associate Dean
Artistic Director
School of Theatre, Film and Animation

Contact Information

• Email: gary.kline@pointpark.edu 

Education

• B.F.A., Vocal Performance, Carnegie Mellon University
• Dana School of Music, Youngstown State University
• British-American Drama Academy, Stanford University
• Professional Music Theater Workshop, Manhattan School of Music
• Cabaret Symposium, Eugene O'Neill Theater
• Johnny Mercer Celebration, Sundance Festival

Background

Gary Kline is an internationally known vocal performance teacher, having trained dozens of Broadway performers and Tony Award winners including Renee Elise Goldsberry, Leslie Odom Jr., Christian Borle, Patina Miller and Patrick Wilson, among many others. 

Kline is the associate dean and artistic director of the School of Theatre, Film and Animation within the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University, and professor emeritus in the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). He was instrumental in building a world-class musical theatre program during his tenure at CMU, which began in 1989. 

At CMU, Kline directed the final musical on the Kresge Stage, The World Goes ‘Round, named in the Top Five of Pittsburgh’s Theatrical Best in 2000 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Kline is the creator of the CMU School of Drama/Pittsburgh CLO New Works Partnership, resulting in workshops of new musicals like Caspar, One Red Flower (Paris Barclay), Yeast Nation (Hollmann and Kotis) and Dr. Doolittle (with Leslie Bricusse). Under that partnership, he also coordinated The Jerry Herman Legacy Concert, with Mr. Herman, CMU students and Broadway’s Karen Morrow, Jason Graae and Donald Pippin.

In 2006, he negotiated a new national partnership with CLO, ASCAP and Stephen Schwartz’ New Writer’s Workshops, which have produced staged readings of Alive at Ten, Bubble Boy and most recently, Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s Nero at CMU’s School of Drama. That partnership with CLO's Mark Fleischer continues, producing recently the SPARK Festival of New Works.

A proponent of the art of Cabaret, Kline has connected with Broadway’s top composers/lyricists to participate in Cabaret class performances, including Stephen Schwartz, Jeanine Tesori, David Yazbek, Stephen Flaherty, Goldrich and Heisler, Andrew Lippa, Kooman and Dimond, and Maltby and Shire — all of whom performed live at Pittsburgh’s CLO Cabaret Theater with students in CMU's Fall Cabaret series.

His CD, Lucky, released in 2002, includes duets with singers Billy Porter, Patrick Wilson, Sally Mayes, the legendary Margaret Whiting and guitarist Joe Negri, among others. Other CD’s include choral pieces with the Saint Bede Choir, Pittsburgh. Under his direction, the choir opened for Odetta at the Carnegie Music Hall for the Calliope Music Society of Pittsburgh. 

In 2017, Kline appeared at Carnegie Hall in New York accompanying alumnus Corey Cott with Kevin Paul and Jada Mayo for a fundraising outreach for CMU.

In 2021, The Hollywood Reporter boasted Kline as one of the finest vocal teachers in the world, on the faculty at CMU. 

CURRICULUM VITAE

Professional Affiliations/Memberships

• American Guild of Musical Artists 
• National Association of Teachers of Singing
• Actors Equity
• National Alliance for Musical Theatre
• Who's Who in America (2009-11)
• Professional Music Theatre Educators
• Phi Mu Alpha (professional music fraternity) 

Selected Teaching/Faculty Credits

• Director, Summer Musical Theatre Intensive, Pre-College Program, Point Park University
• Faculty, Summer University Theater Experience, Loyola Marymount University
• Faculty, Vocal Classes and Master Class Teacher, Pre-College Program, CMU
• National Reviewer, YoungArts Competition
• Artistic Director, ArtsBridge Summer Musical Theater Program
• Guest Teaching Artist, Professional Promise Program, Pittsburgh CLO Academy
• The Torggler Vocal Institute
• Broadway Theater Project
• The Flying Swan Acting Program, Wesleyan University
• Perry Mansfield School
• Head of Music, National Institute of Dramatic Arts, Sydney, Australia
• New Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan

Selected Artistic Works
Director

• Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens, Carousel, 110 in the Shade, The Music Of Jacques Brel, Musical Theatre Scenes  and The World Goes 'Round, CMU
• Father Figures, City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh) and Primary Stages (New York City)
• The Quoter, Ensemble Studio Theatre (New York)

Performing Credits

Musical

• West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof, Pittsburgh CLO
• Man of La Mancha and Molly Brown, West Virginia Public Theatre
• 1776, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar and Man of La Mancha, Pittsburgh Musical Theater
• A Little Night Music, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra

Plays

• The Laramie Project and Simple Motion, City Theatre Company

Classical Roles

• Fidelio, Bartered Bride, Rigoletto and Faust, Pittsburgh Opera
• La Traviata, Pittsburgh Festival Opera

Collegiate Opera Performance Roles

• Pagliacci, Cosi Fan Tutte and The Medium, among others
• Soloist, various Oratorios

Soloist Roles

• Soloist, Tribute to Sondheim and The Twelve Days of Christmas, with the late Marvin Hamlisch and the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops
• Narrator, The Lordly Lion, Pittsburgh Symphony Fiddlesticks
• Soloist, South Hills Chorale, Edgewood Symphony, CMU Philharmonic, Youngstown State University Orchestra and West Virginia Orchestra

Cabaret Performances

• Danny Skylight Room, Duplex Cabaret Theatre, CLO Cabaret Theater, CMU's Chosky Theater and Christopher Newport University