City Theatre Announces Digital Spring Season

City Theatre has announced its virtual spring season.

Like almost all performing arts organizations, City Theatre was forced to halt live performances on March 12, 2020 due to the Covid-19 national crisis. Its modified 46th season began in September with a reimagined line-up of shows, including the creation of a live, outdoor drive-in theatrical experience at Hazelwood Green.

Over the course of seven weeks, City Theatre presented 11 local organizations and groups, as well as Manual Cinema's Frankenstein. The 2020-21 season has continued this winter with virtual content and productions, including Claws Out: A Holiday Drag Musical, F**k7thGrade by Jill Sobule & Liza Birkenmeier, and the 21st Young Playwrights Festival. City Theatre is now announcing four additional virtual productions to round out its season.

"As we reach the one-year mark of Covid-19 and still unable to invite audiences into our theaters on Bingham Street, we're bringing our next exciting chapter of digital offerings to them," said Managing Director James McNeel. "Marc and the artistic staff have curated a collection of original content featuring local artists as well as partnerships with peers from around the country. While nothing can replace the feeling of live performance, this is the safe and responsible approach to help ensure the pandemic is soon behind us."

"We continue to find new ways to meet our mission, invest in artists, and provide opportunities to nourish hungry audiences," said Artistic Director Marc Masterson. "With this spring season, I am excited to share a mix of digital content that features both local voices as well as collaborators from City Theatre's history, such as Lauren Gunderson and my dear friends at Siti Company."

The spring season will begin with Round House Theatre/Marin Theatre Company's production of The Catastrophist by Lauren Gunderson (The Revolutionists, City Theatre 2018). This world premiere theatrical experience is a time-jumping tale based on the life and work of virologist Nathan Wolf. The Catastrophist will be available to stream from March 15-April 4, 2021.

In the 2000/2001 season, City Theatre presented the world premiere of ROOM in collaboration with Siti Company. Twenty years later, in a time of introspection and isolation, the film adaptation comes to Pittsburgh. The stage version of Room was adapted by Jocelyn Clark and directed by the internationally-renowned theater artist Anne Bogart. A one-woman play about the room to move, the room to breathe, and the room to imagine, the show is based on the writings of Virginia Woolf and will be available to stream starting April 19.

In May, City Theatre and Point Park University's Pittsburgh Playhouse will partner to produce Homegrown Stories 2. This second iteration of the theaters' collaboration challenges another five local playwrights, with connections to Point Park University, to create 10-minute plays responding to the current moment. The resulting plays will be performed digitally on Tuesday, May 25th at 7:00pm in partnership