CENTER FOR NEW WORK
About the Center
The Center for New Work connects the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama with Pittsburgh’s established theaters and national partners to generate new work initiatives, creating a collaborative hub between higher education and regional theaters to sustain new live theatrical performance. Whether it be readings, masterclasses, workshops, or developmental productions, the Center provides students for-credit and extracurricular learning opportunities to engage with leading theatremakers as they develop their latest creations. These multilateral activities leverage individual organization’s strengths and interests, building a collective effort to establish Pittsburgh as an epicenter of new work development.
The Center for New Work is funded by Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama and the Richard King Mellon Foundation with programming support from five artistic partners: City Theatre Company, Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Public Theater, and Play On Shakespeare. The Center operates out of the Victory building at 212 Ninth Street in downtown Pittsburgh through a partnership with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and utilizes venues across the city, including the Greer Cabaret, Three Stories, the Trust Arts Education Center, the Lillie Theatre, the PCLO Academy, and CMU’s Purnell Center for the Arts.
New Work Slam
The Gettysburg Test
The Punchline
With Ourselves, With Each Other
Raise the Roof: The Songbook of Andrew Lippa
Natural Shocks: The Work of Lauren Gunderson
East Carson Street
New Work Slam
The Gettysburg Test
The Punchline
With Ourselves, With Each Other
Raise the Roof: The Songbook of Andrew Lippa
Natural Shocks: The Work of Lauren Gunderson
East Carson Street
Upcoming Events
Past Events
Momentum Festival with City Theatre Company
December 13 & 14, 2025 | Lillie Theater at City Theatre
Launched in 2003, the Momentum Festival: New Plays at Different Stages is at the heart of City Theatre’s mission to lead the new play development conversation on both a national and local level. This year, in collaboration with the CMU Center for New Work, the festival returns to share four new works from both the City Theatre and CMU artistic communities.
The 2025 festival will feature a new musical set on Pittsburgh’s southside with songs by frequent Bruce Springsteen collaborator, Joe Grushecky, the return of Chris Rivas with a new solo show directed by CMU alumni Adil Mansoor, as well as two brand new plays from Carnegie Mellon’s MFA in Dramatic Writing program. Each team is a mix of professionals and students, sparking connections between artists at varying stages of development to build and fortify community across our industry, ensuring a bright artistic future for the city of Pittsburgh. Learn more and get your tickets at citytheatrecompany.org.
RAISE THE ROOF: The Songbook of Andrew Lippa
November 16, 2025 | 7PM | Greer Cabaret Theater
Join us for an unforgettable evening of music featuring Carnegie Mellon School of Drama’s Music Theater Ensemble, Class of 2027, performing the songbook of Tony & Grammy-nominated composer Andrew Lippa, who will be in attendance! Andrew Lippa wrote the music and lyrics for acclaimed musicals including “The Addams Family,” “Big Fish,” and “The Wild Party.” He also contributed additional material to the 1999 revival of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” which earned him a Grammy nomination.
Proceeds from this performance benefit the School of Drama’s Showcase & Expo Fund, which supports graduating students as they prepare to launch careers. Learn more and buy tickets at trustarts.org.
NATURAL SHOCKS: The Work of Lauren Gunderson
November 9, 2025 | 7PM | City Theatre Company | Lillie Theatre
Join us for a captivating night celebrating the work of Lauren Gunderson – America’s most produced playwright of the 2025–2026 season. Experience a dynamic selection of scenes and monologues from Gunderson’s rich catalogue, brought to life by the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama’s Acting Ensemble, Class of 2027, and directed by Ausar Stewart.
The evening is presented by the CMU Center for New Work and we’re honored to welcome Lauren Gunderson herself in attendance. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to witness the next generation of performers engaging with one of the most exciting voices in contemporary theater. Learn more and reserve your seat at citytheatrecompany.org.
In Process: WITH OURSELVES, WITH EACH OTHER
Thursday, November 13th, 7:00 PM | Three Stories | 937 Liberty Ave
Kelly Strayhorn Theater and the Center for New Work invite you to an intimate work-in-progress showing of Maree ReMalia’s forthcoming solo WITH OURSELVES, WITH EACH OTHER (WOWEO). Set in a karaoke-funeral-lounge, ReMalia welcomes audiences into an evening-length solo blending dance, text, and pop music as a way to grieve a parent who raised her and a parent she never met.
Co-directed by Adil Mansoor, this performance explores how a solo body can become a meeting place for others and how a mic becomes a lifeline. Come experience the process of developing an original work right here in Pittsburgh! Learn more and get your tickets at trustarts.org.
The Center Staff
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Founded in 1975, City Theatre is in its 51st season as Pittsburgh’s home for bold new plays. Located in the historic South Side on its four-building cultural campus, the company produces a season of regional and world premieres; its renowned Young Playwrights Festival, now in its 26th year; a season-long reading series of new works in progress; and the annual Momentum Festival. City Theatre’s mission is to provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays that engage and challenge a diverse audience. Its vision is to be the best mid-sized theater in America. Organizational core values are: Community; Collaboration; Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility; and Creativity. With an annual average operating budget of over $3.3M, City Theatre is the largest performing arts organization not located in Pittsburgh’s downtown Cultural District and is a constituent and core member of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT), Theatre Communications Group (TCG), and the National New Play Network (NNPN). Clare Drobot serves as Artistic Director alongside Managing Director James McNeel. The current full-time staff numbers 24 with over 125 additional part-time, artist, and contractor staff employed each season. City Theatre is governed by a board of 21 community volunteers (Barbara Rudiak, board president). Major support for the 2025-2026 season is provided by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, The Shubert Foundation, the Arthur J. and Betty F. Diskin Cultural Endowment Fund of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, The Heinz Endowments, and major donors supporting City Theatre’s ‘Next Act’ 50th Anniversary Campaign. Learn more at CityTheatreCompany.org.
Named after 20th century entertainment legends Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn, both natives of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) is reflective of the passion that its founders had for the arts. Today, Kelly Strayhorn Theater carries on the legacy of its founders by fostering bold and innovative artistry with a global perspective. KST celebrates diversity in voice, thought, and expression, and upholds a firm commitment to inclusion. Furthermore, KST provides a welcome space for dialogue and artistic expression for all who enter. Kelly Strayhorn Theater has a dynamic footprint in Pittsburgh, with two venues running along Penn Avenue. KST’s Alloy Studios is a cultural hub in the heart of East Liberty, and the historic Kelly Strayhorn Theater is located in the thriving business district. More than 20 years after the founding of the theater, KST continues to use its broad reach to impact the contemporary arts and the community. Learn more at kelly-strayhorn.org.
Pittsburgh CLO is a not-for-profit cultural organization dedicated to the preservation, creation and promotion of the American musical theater art form, the furnishing of arts education and providing outreach and meaningful community service opportunities in Western Pennsylvania and throughout the United States. Since 1946, the Pittsburgh CLO has been the driving force behind live musical theater in Pittsburgh and the entire Southwestern Pennsylvania region. The CLO, a not-for-profit arts organization, appreciates the support of nearly 200,000 patrons each year and produces a subscription series, educational programs, national tours, and develops and invests in new works, including 13 Broadway shows (13 Tony Awards®) like Catch Me If You Can and The Addams Family. Pittsburgh CLO’s dedication to the musical theater art form extends to include such programs as the CLO Academy, the CLO Mini Stars, the Gene Kelly Awards, the Richard Rodgers Award the National High School Musical Theater Awards, the Construction Center for the Arts and the CLO Cabaret. Pittsburgh CLO is a founding member of The National Alliance for Musical Theatre and a member of The Broadway League. Learn more at pittsburghclo.org.
The mission of Pittsburgh Public Theater is to provide artistically diverse theatrical experiences of the highest quality. Pittsburgh Public Theater also strives to serve, challenge, stimulate and entertain while operating in a fiscally responsible manner. The Public shares its resources with the community through education and engagement initiatives intended for a wide range of people with the goal of expanding and diversifying the audience while enriching the community. The broad-based efforts of many private and public individuals throughout the community contributed to the successful launch of Pittsburgh Public Theater in 1975. The Public enjoyed 24 years on the North Side before moving to its current home — the O’Reilly Theater — in the heart of the Downtown Cultural District. This new space, built by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, opened with the world premiere of August Wilson’s King Hedley II in December 1999, and since then, the Public has a proud tradition of producing and premiering new work. Learn more at ppt.org.
Since 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust®, a non-profit arts organization, has worked to make the Steel City a place where the arts can flourish. Our efforts have focused on the cultural and economic development of the Cultural District, a 14-square-block area of downtown Pittsburgh. What was once a downtrodden red light district now thrives as a vibrant center for culture, art, food, and community. Pittsburgh’s Cultural District stands as a nationwide model for how the arts can play a pivotal role in urban revitalization. Each year, millions of people visit the Cultural District to expand their horizons in our theaters, galleries, and public art environments. Patrons enjoy thousands of world-class performing arts events and visual arts exhibitions. Pittsburgh residents of all ages connect and learn with the Trust’s comprehensive education and community engagement opportunities. Local arts organizations collaborate to build a stronger cultural community through the power of partnerships. The Cultural District acts as the anchor for all of that work. The Trust’s superior venues and gallery spaces allow resident companies, community organizations, artists, and promoters to reach audiences large and small. In total, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust manages more than one million square feet of real estate in the District. Step outside those buildings to find numerous public art installations that beautify Pittsburgh’s largest arts neighborhood. Lauded as “the single greatest creative force in Pittsburgh because of its spirit of reinvention” by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the Trust strives every day to enrich the city of Pittsburgh’s vibrancy, diversity, and prosperity. Learn more at trustarts.org.
Play On Shakespeare is a non-profit company dedicated to promoting and creating contemporary modern English translations of Shakespeare’s plays. Through partnerships with artists and organizations worldwide, Play On Shakespeare delivers these translations via theatrical productions, workshops & trainings, podcasts, publications, and film. Play On Shakespeare is made possible through generous support of the Hitz Foundation. Learn more at playonshakespeare.org.
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