Photographer, steelworker and man of many talents, Mark Clayton Southers has made his theatrical name mainly as an entrepreneur. Where many people talk, he acts. Taking over the old Upstairs Theatre in Garfield/Bloomfield four years ago, he founded Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater and just started producing plays.

Soon the rent escalated, in early anticipation of the new Children's Hospital, so, with the help of the Cultural Trust, Southers moved his young company to a scruffy space in the mezzanine of the Jackman Building at 542 Penn Ave. That's most recognizable as a parking garage, with the entrance right around the corner from Heinz Hall. (The old Upstairs Theatre space, by the way, is still empty and for rent.)

In this small Cultural District space, still feeling impromptu but far less scruffy, Southers has kept Pittsburgh Playwrights hopping, drawing on the energy of the many others he has persuaded and pressed into service. The company has been an active producer, staging a half-dozen or more shows a year, including its distinctive Black and White Festival, in which six one-act plays by black playwrights are paired with white directors and vice versa. Along with its volume of production, that practical and programmed racial inclusiveness has been Pittsburgh Playwrights' defining characteristic.

Another flagship has been the preeminent Pittsburgh playwright, August Wilson. Southers staged "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" in his first year and has followed with "Fences," "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" and "Piano Lesson." As you may recognize, those are the first four Wilson plays to reach Broadway, which means that Southers will next do "Two Trains Running." He also staged the annual (except for this year) "August in February" showcase at the Byham.

Pittsburgh Playwrights has made inclusiveness its key. It also started an annual Pittsburgh Pride Festival of gay-themed plays, and it makes its space available to other groups to such an extent, you could call it a talent incubator. In March, it produced a new play marathon, with a staged reading of a different play or plays every night -- a last-minute idea that involved 41 playwrights and more than 200 actors and directors.

But its main focus remains Pittsburgh playwrights, from George S. Kaufman to James McManus. And Southers too -- the producer/director/entrepreneur is also a produced and published playwright, whose work got a lot of attention at the recent national Black Theatre Festival in North Carolina.

Which brings us to Pittsburgh Playwrights' most ambitious production to date, Southers' own "James McBride." It will be directed by Andrew Paul, artistic director of Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre, and will feature a largely Equity cast including James Keegan, Jay Keenan, Roger Jerome, Bruce Hill, Joshua Reese and Joseph Martinez, with Randy Kovitz choreographing the boxing match. The script is a revised version of the one read to such promising effect in March.

Everything about this expresses the Pittsburgh Playwrights mission -- the playwright, theme, company and reaching out to Paul, himself one of Pittsburgh's most successful artist entrepreneurs.

"James McBride" is a comedy about an American of that name who wins a poetry contest in Ireland and who, when he goes to receive the prize, startles his hosts by turning out to be black. Meanwhile, these Irish have an agenda of their own, and the cultural conflict develops its own momentum, although it may be less black-white than American-Irish. As is the Pittsburgh Playwrights way, a black playwright is working with a white director, but that's not as important as the collaboration between Southers small company , which brings in occasional pro talent from out of town, and Paul, whose much bigger company brings it in from abroad.

Does it surprise you to hear that this ambitious production, set for Sept. 13-30, needs funding? Pittsburgh Playwrights has never done something on this scale and must raise substantial funds. Proceeding without having the funds lined up in advance -- that's a perfect expression of Southers' can-do attitude that has so far served his company well.

There's more about all this at www.pghplaywrights.com, a new Web site created by Steven Doerfler, where there is a plea for donations and a link to the secure Pay-Pal. You can also call Southers at 412-377-7803.

PLAYWRIGHTS' SCHEDULE

Season passes for four plays and the Black & White Festival are available for $75 at ProArts. Following "James McBride," the season at 542 Penn Ave. continues with:

Oct. 18-Nov. 4: Fifth Theatre Festival in Black and White, eight one-acts coordinated by John Gresh.

Nov. 15-Dec. 1: Matt M. Smith, "Bridge Club," directed by John E. Lane, Jr.

Feb. 2-March 3, 2008: August Wilson, "Two Trains Running," directed by Mark Clayton Southers.

March 1-31: March Madness Reading Series, coordinated by Wren Graves.

May 1-17: TBA, chosen from the March Madness plays, directed by Jeffrey R. Simpson.

June 12-22: Pittsburgh Pride Theater Festival, coordinated by Judy Meiksin.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Paid admissions at city's pro theaters for the week ending Aug. 12:

Loot/Mt.Playhouse (56%) ... 1,761
Patsy Cline/CLO (33%) ....... 503
Meaulnes/Quantum (80%) ...... 350
MaleIntellect/City (57%) .... 249
Pandora/Chantecler (16%) .....190