CENTER FOR NEW WORK

September 9, 2026 | STUDIO for Creative Inquiry

John Michael is caught between timelines. While scrolling through old texts, he ricochets through childhood soulmates and queer awakenings as he tries to reconcile the grief of losing two friends to fentanyl poisoning. Developed with Sammy Zeisel and directed by Abby Pajakowski, this trauma‑clown odyssey takes audiences on a wild ride where grief and absurdity collide so hard they spark cathartic laughter. With audience participation including a live demonstration, Narcan Time Machine confronts the opioid crisis with empathy, urgency, and a wild sense of hope — distributing more than 4,250 life‑saving kits to date.

A partnership with University Health Services, the event included a talkback with creator/performer John Michael and a representative from Prevention Point Pittsburgh, moderated by a CMU Peer Health Advocate.

July 31 – August 19, 2026 | Peirce Studio, Bijou Spiegeltent at Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Tony Award-winning writer Jeff Whitty in residence to adapt his modern verse translation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for the largest performing arts festival in the world. This international co-production with Play On Shakespeare was directed by Drama Desk nominee and CMU’s head of directing, Kim Weild, and designed, built, stage managed, and performed by over 20 CMU students. In the university’s 125th anniversary year, CMU students brought their work to Scotland, the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie, effectively returning the institution’s creative work to its origins while placing emerging artists on one of the world’s most prestigious international stages.

The production received rave reviews, including five 5-star and eight 4-star reviews, and sold out multiple performances seeing over 1,300 attendees over the 13 show run. More importantly, the students lived and worked in an international city for the first time giving them “insight as to what a professional life looks like & what it would take to independently bring something to the Fringe.” Read more about the experience here.

April 30 – May 3 | Three Stories, Peirce Studio, Rauh Rehearsal Room, Harris Theater

A weekend of staged readings featuring new works in development at the Pittsburgh Public Theater & Pittsburgh CLO alongside two new plays from the CMU School of Drama community. Presented across multiple venues in downtown Pittsburgh, this 4-day new work festival featured a new play We Fly by Pittsburgh-based playwright TJ Young, a new musical Atlantic by Jonathan Larson Award winners Scott Gilmour & Claire McKenzie, and new plays by Hannah Honey Shepard and Liggera Edmonds-Allen, emerging writers from the Carnegie Mellon MFA in Dramatic Writing Program.

In its inaugural year, the festival also featured the Pittsburgh premiere of the documusical short film Happy Songs About Unhappy Things by Nikki Lynette, as well as another New Work Slam in partnership with City Theatre Company featuring the work of local writers, performed by CMU and Point Park University students.

Februay 28 – March 7, 2026 | Purnell Center for the Arts 

A closed musical workshop adapting a new British musical for both U.K. and U.S. audiences. This workshop brought students from CMU and Point Park University together for a week to perform and stage manage a new musical reading and dramaturgically aide the British writers on the current American high school experience. Presented in collaboration with producers Crossroads Live, Indigo Productions, and Tony Award winning Alchemation, the team left the process with clear edits and changes as they finalize the licensable version of the script & score.

Most recent update – Babies is receiving it’s first licensed amateur production at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London in October 2026!

December 13 & 14, 2025 | Lillie Theater at City Theatre Company

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 at citytheatrecompany.org.

November 16, 2025 | 7:00 PM | Greer Cabaret Theater

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 was not only in attendance, but accompanied the students on piano all night. Andrew Lippa has written the music and lyrics for many 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.

In addition to the cabaret performance, Andrew visited campus to teach a masterclass on dramatic writing through song and participate in an intimate Q&A with the CMU Drama community.

November 9, 2025 | 7:00 PM | Lillie Theater at City Theatre Company

A captivating night celebrating the work of Lauren Gunderson – America’s most produced playwright of the 2025–2026 season – brought to life by the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama’s Acting Ensemble, Class of 2027. Directed by Ausar Stewart, this one-night only event featured a dynamic selection of scenes and monologues from Gunderson’s rich catalogue. With Lauren Gunderson herself in attendance, audiences had the unique opportunity to witness the next generation of performers engaging with one of the most exciting voices in contemporary theater.

In addition to participating in rehearsals and the performance itself, Lauren guest lectured in the MFA in Dramatic Writing program, participated in a public Q&A event, and visited rehearsal for the City Theatre production of her play Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.

November 13, 2025 | 7:00 PM | Three Stories | 937 Liberty Ave

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. The process included a public showing as well as an interdisciplinary dance workshop called Acts of Remembrance where Maree shares and explores her creative process using movement, writing, vocalization, and sound.

WOWEO will receive its premiere at Kelly Strayhorn Theater in October 2026.