Momentum Festival Will Return at City Theatre

City Theatre Company, Pittsburgh's home for contemporary plays, and Carnegie Mellon University's Center for New Work has announced a continued expansion of their partnership around the theatre's long-running Momentum Festival, a new play reading festival dedicated to championing bold theatrical works in development. Presented on City Theatre's South Side campus, Momentum invites audiences into the creative process through a week of staged readings, artist conversations, and community-centered events that showcase plays at different stages of creation.

The festival continues City Theatre's longstanding commitment to developing and producing new work while offering Pittsburgh audiences an early look at the stories, voices, and ideas shaping the future of the American theatre. The Center for New Work connects the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama with local and national partners to develop new plays, musicals, and boundary-breaking performances and make Pittsburgh a destination for new live theatrical development. The festival features professional actors and directors working alongside students, followed by opportunities for audience reaction and dialogue with the artists.

“Momentum has always been about giving playwrights room to test new ideas,” said Clare Drobot, Artistic Director of City Theatre. “This year, we're building on our partnership with CMU's Center for New Work by expanding the professional and academic integration and supporting five projects in development, alongside a New Works Slam. Together we are strengthening the creative ecosystem that makes Pittsburgh such an exciting place for new plays.”

This year's lineup includes two MFA Thesis Projects: Swallowing Beyonce by Ayibatari Owei, directed by Marco Rivera, and The Boy Who Hid Amongst The Stars and the Girl Who Looked Up by Emma Y. Lai, directed by Lauren Katz. In addition, there will be three City Theatre projects, including (this smoky city) our sunlite's grove by a.k. payne, directed by Monteze Freeland; The Break by Michael Kooman and Chris Dimond, directed by Daina Michelle Griffith with Music Direction by Rick Edinger; and Rift by Gabriel Jason Dean, directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh. The festival also includes the return of the New Work Slam, an evening of “open mic” short excerpts of plays in progress by local writers.

“The development of new work depends on having the time, space, and community to take creative risks,” said Brannon Bowers, Co-Artistic Director of the Center for New Work. “Through Momentum, students and professional artists work side by side to bring bold ideas to life, inviting audiences into the process while maintaining room for discovery, experimentation, and dialogue. Pittsburgh has an important role to play in the development of new American theatre, and festivals like this make that possible."

Festival Details

What: Momentum Festival: New Plays at Different Stages
Where: City Theatre, 1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203
When: December 6 – 12, 2026
Tickets: Admission to Momentum is free. Tickets can be reserved beginning on November 30th through City Theatre's website.

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