• Theater topic No. 1 this past week was the split in the Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre board of directors, troubled by conflict between founding artistic director Andrew Paul and new managing director Jameson Gilpatrick, set off by an accumulated deficit of about 10 percent of the annual budget. But the June 27 PG story was already old news: By the time someone talked to us ink-stained wretches, the conflict had been resolved with resignations and new board appointments. I've now heard from more people, mainly off the record, but many don't want to talk about it at all because no matter which side they're on (there are more than two), they all care about PICT and wish Paul and the new board the best.

More than one person said it reminded them of the Playhouse/ACT battle back in the '60s, also a struggle between artists and administrators. The difference then was that the artists (Bill Ball and company) were the insurgents; at PICT, the insurgency came from the administrative side, with proposals to cut back on artistic expenses to bolster administration. Not that it's really that simple. But PICT is now looking forward with one good sign: Contributions have increased dramatically since news of the internal struggle.

People care about PICT, as well they should. Let's trust that Paul will continue to give us the interesting productions he has, using the best Pittsburgh actors and importing key stars. PICT is still a success story. But the main issue remains: How can America support artists without letting them be swallowed by administrative and fundraising structures?

Jeune Lune's sad demise

• There's a cautionary story out of Minneapolis: the great Theatre de la Jeune Lune has just disbanded, selling its building to pay its debts. I saw them perform several times, and they were one of the unique, idiosyncratic American companies, winners of the regional theater Tony Award as well as an American Theater Critics Association best play award (in both of which I was privileged to play a small part).

Dominique Serrand, artistic director, said: "It has been an amazing 30 years. Few theater companies last as long. We never sought nor desired to be an institution. Our home was always intended to be a playground in which we could gather with other adventurous souls and create the unimaginable."

But somebody has to raise the money and pay the bills.

Meanwhile, back at the PG

• As you know, American newspapers are having their troubles, too, and arts coverage has been suffering cutbacks. As current chair of the American Theatre Critics Association, every month I hear of another paper that has laid off or bought out a theater, dance, music or art critic, replacing him or her with sporadic freelance coverage.

We're fortunate that hasn't happened at the PG, which still has a fuller roster of critics than most American papers of equivalent size. Here, the cuts have been more of newsprint than personnel. Because we're still trying to cover as much as possible, that means increasing our Web-only content. Last week's re-design of post-gazette.com is a step forward, even though there have been glitches to smooth out.

• One of those was the apparent disappearance of my On Stage online journal. Part of the problem was that I had slowed down writing for it, in anticipation of the Web change-over. But it is soon to re-emerge in the new format that allows reader commentary. I'm also working on other ways to keep our theater coverage as robust as possible. Bear with us.

Squonk Opera, hard at work

• A picture of Steve O'Hearn on the front of the PG's June 16 Local section referred to Squonk Opera as "performance comedians," corrected the next day to "avant-garde band." Actually, it's one of Pittsburgh's treasures, a theater company I've described as "the performance art/bar band of your brightly fevered dreams" "crackpot modernists," and "cartooning Michelangelos ... beauties, geeks and crazies."

Now Squonk's Minister of Information, Jackie Dempsey, says it is working on a new project to premiere this fall at the University of Maryland, SUNY Oswego, "and, of course, in our fabulous hometown (with the Parks Conservancy at Schenley Plaza). The topic is top-secret!"

In addition to local support, Squonk has won a grant from the NEA and a $31,000 Ensemble Theater Collaborations grant from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, sponsored by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Ford Foundation. The APAP Web site describes the secret project as "Astro-rama, a science-fiction production full of humor, provocation and self-examination." Sure sounds like Squonk!

Nicole Underhay

• The actress who was coolly seductive in the title role of PICT's "Salome" has just won the Dora Mavor Moore Award (Toronto's Tony) for playing Jerry Lee Lewis' girlfriend in "Fire." I think this is enough of a hook for me to reprint these aphorisms from her Web site:

"My path through life would make more sense if I were left-handed."

At 3, a broken arm ended her figure skating career, "but I continued to wear sequined spandex dresses well into the '80s."

"I pay three phone bills but answer none. I like to see people when I'm talking to them, as the bulk of my charm relies on hand gestures."

"Even if you love nature, it's important to have cute shoes."

The Call Board

• Sorry I missed this: Time Magazine's May 15 piece by Richard Zoglin on high school musicals included Perry High School's "Urinetown" with quotations from its director, Christine Travalino.

• We've just posted online two New York reviews of "Passing Strange" and "The Adding Machine" by former PG staffer Phil Stephenson. You can find them at post-gazette.com/theater, your homepage for Pittsburgh theater.

• All remaining seats to CLO Cabaret's "Shear Madness" are $10 off through July 13; mention code #7823.

• CLO alum Andy Blankenbuehler, who won this year's Tony for choreography for "In the Heights," will appear on Fox TV's "So You Think You Can Dance," 9 tonight. A CLO ensemble member in 1991, he choreographed the CLO's 2001 "Bells Are Ringing."

• CMU noted a couple of grads performing on the Tony show: Telly Leung (2002) in the "Rent" number and Bob Lenzi (2008) in "South Pacific."

The bottom line

• Paid admissions at city's pro theaters for the week ending June 29:

Peter Pan/CLO (50%) ................ 11,063

Odd Couple/Public (71%) ............ 3,321

Salome/PICT (35%) ........................ 736

Bust/City (93%) .............................. 555

ShearMadness/CLO Cabaret (31%)..533

Out of Furnace/Unseam'd (108%) ..492

Unnecessary Farce/MT. Playhouse.. N.A.