By Ella Johns, Dramatic Writing Class of 2027
The School of Drama community entered winter break feeling stronger and more artistically fulfilled thanks to the success of the 23rd annual Playground Festival. As a first year student, I had no idea what to expect, but what became inherently clear as I stepped into the Purnell lobby on the first day of rehearsals, is that the building becomes electrified and the energy is contagious.
I had the opportunity to speak with the co-managers of the festival, Carly Tamborello and Marion Mongello, both class of 2026 Stage & Production Management majors, about what this week means to them and how they would define the importance of Playground. Marion described this feeling of joy when you step into the building:
“The atmosphere is loving, supportive, sleep-deprived, and oh so joyous. Because we are all in the building making art together from 9am to 1am every day for nearly a week, everyone feels seen and knows we can lean on each other.”
Marion’s description is exactly what I realized almost immediately as I became addicted to the fast paced energy and overwhelming support. Everyone is running around from rehearsal to rehearsal with binders full of new work and energy drinks in hand, with a song in their heart and a million thoughts in their head. But, surprisingly, the community comes together through this chaos and feels closer as a result. One of the most important outcomes associated with the experience is the ability to meet people you would’ve never had the opportunity to collaborate with which Carly reflected in saying:
“There is no reason that anyone you pass in the halls can’t be a potential collaborator, and the shared understanding that we’re doing these things because we love doing them creates so much joy and excitement and support.”
Playground is an opportunity to meet new friends and do things that scare you such as act in a show as a non-performance major, fight with QLab for the first time, watch your vision come to life in front of your eyes and the eyes of your peers. I agree with Carly when she explained, “Who you get to be during that week is unlike any other experience we have all year round.”
Truly, the only way to describe Playground is magical, especially as CMU steps into becoming a leading conduit for new work in the Pittsburgh community with the addition of the Center for New Works this year. We as a student body celebrate the importance of creating our own performance opportunities in an industry where we might not otherwise have the opportunity to actually see our artistic visions come to life. As Marion explained, “Playground has been the birthing place of so many beloved works and theatre groups that continue long past their time at CMU, and that is because of the supportive and uplifting environment that Playground has fostered for the last 23 years.”
One final quote from Carly that stuck with me as I reflected on how important this event is to our community is truly that “It’s called Playground because it’s a place to do exactly that: to play.” And in a time where new ideas and creating community are needed more than ever, Playground reminds us all why we started pursuing theatre in the first place: to have fun, tell a story and create art that means something. So thank you to the festival managers I had the pleasure of chatting with, as well as everyone that played a part in producing Playground this year. You are an essential part of solidifying the CMU Drama family.
The 23rd Annual Playground Festival took place December 4–6, 2025.