Pittsburgh Public Theater Names Kyle Haden As Artistic Consultant & Adil Mansoor As Resident Director

Pittsburgh Public Theater has revealed a new chapter in its artistic leadership, welcoming acclaimed director, educator, and actor Kyle Haden as Artistic Consultant and celebrated theater-maker Adil Mansoor as Resident Director. Alongside the 2025/2026 Playwrights Collective and Actors Collective (formerly the Core Company- newly named by its members), Haden and Mansoor join a vibrant community of creators shaping the future of theater in Pittsburgh and beyond.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Kyle Haden brings a nationally recognized portfolio of artistic excellence to The Public. He currently serves as Artistic Producer of ColLABo, a production development incubator at the Carnegie Mellon University Center for New Work Development and is Associate Professor of Acting and Senior Associate Head of the School of Drama at CMU, as well as a member of Pittsburgh Public Theater's Board of Trustees.

Haden's previous roles include Artistic Director of Ashland New Plays Festival, where his leadership helped launch over a dozen new plays to national premieres, including Martyna Majok's Pulitzer Prize-winning Cost of Living.

His directing credits span the country, including world premieres such as Parental Advisory: a breakbeat play (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), The Devil is a Lie (Quantum Theatre), and Hazardous Materials (Creede Repertory Theatre). Pittsburgh audiences will recognize his work on The Chief (Pittsburgh Public Theater) and his upcoming direction of ENRON for Quantum Theatre, opening October 2025. As a performer, Haden has graced stages from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to Barrington Stage Company, where he recently won the 2024 Berkshire Theatre Critics Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

During Haden's first two months, he implemented a guest Assistant Director program with CMU, through which The Public will employ a CMU Drama student as Assistant Director for select productions in the 2025/2026 season. His position as Artistic Consultant will ensure artistic continuity, uphold the organization's standards of excellence, and support The Public's strategic, financial, and programmatic priorities during the organization's artistic leadership shift.

Adil Mansoor joins Pittsburgh Public Theater for the first time as Resident Director for the 2025/2026 season. Mansoor will work in partnership with Haden to deepen the artistic initiatives of The Public, support the development of the Actors Collective, participate in the season planning process, and facilitate gathering opportunities for artists, audiences, and community partners in support of the artistic and equity goals throughout the season.

Mansoor is a theater director centering the stories of queer folks and people of color. His performance Amm(i)gone adapts Sophocles' Antigone as an apology to and from his mother. Amm(i)gone is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creative and Development Fund Project co-commissioned by Kelly Strayhorn Theater, The Theater Offensive, and NPN. Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company produced a national tour of Amm(i)Gone, which began at their theater in Washington DC in 2024 before moving on to Long Wharf Theatre and an off-Broadway premiere at The Flea in 2025.

Mansoor has developed work with Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Theatre Workshop, The New Dramatists, The Poetry Project, Mercury Store, Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, NYU Tisch, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, PearlArts Studios, and others. Recent directing projects include Daddies by Paul Kruse (Audible), Gloria by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Hatch Arts Collective), Kentucky by Lean Nanako Winkler (Pittsburgh Playhouse), and Once Removed by Paul Kruse (Tribeca).

Mansoor is a founding member of Pittsburgh's Hatch Arts Collective and the former Artistic Director of Dreams of Hope, an LGBTQA+ youth arts organization. He has been an NYTW 2050 Directing Fellow, a Gerri Kay New Voices Fellow with Quantum Theater, and an Art of Practice Fellow and Community Leader with Sundance. He was part of the inaugural Artist Caucus gathered by Baltimore Center Stage, Long Wharf, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and Woolly Mammoth. Mansoor received his MFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon.

José Pérez IV returns to The Public as Resident Fight & Intimacy Director for the fourth consecutive season. His credits at The Public include Twelfth Night, The Hobbit, The Coffin Maker, and Noises Off. Regional credits include: POTUS (City Theatre), Seagull, A Moon for the Misbegotten (Quantum Theatre), Dracula: a feminist revenge fantasy (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (Cleveland Play House). MFA Performance Pedagogy Pitt, BFA Drama NYU.

These appointments reflect Pittsburgh Public Theater's commitment to bold storytelling, inclusive leadership, and artistic innovation rooted in community.

Introducing the 2025/2026 Playwrights Collective

Established in 2020, the Playwrights Collective elevates writers with ties to the Pittsburgh region, amplifying the city's legacy and future as a home for extraordinary new work. Members meet biweekly to share drafts, offer feedback, and build a supportive creative network.

Mora V. Harris is a prolific playwright and screenwriter whose alien comedy Space Girl has been produced over twenty times. She holds an MFA from Carnegie Mellon and serves as Pittsburgh's Regional Co-Representative for the Dramatist Guild. moravharris.com

Anya Martin is Founding Artistic Director of Hiawatha Project; Martin is a 2024 O'Neill Semi-Finalist and TYA/USA Artistic Innovation Winner. Her work has been recognized by ATHE, Madison New Works Lab, and the Austin Film Festival. AnyaMartinPlay.com HiawathaProject.org

Brian Pope currently serves as Casting & Literacy Director at Pittsburgh Public Theater. Pope's plays include Himbos, The Gift of the Mad Guys, and Paper Trail. His work reflects a deep commitment to storytelling and representation.

Kelly Trumbull is a multidisciplinary theater artist whose play Morning Reckoning was produced at the New Hazlett Theater in 2023. kellytrumbull.com

TJ Young is a Texas-born playwright and dramaturg; Young is co-representative for the Dramatists Guild - Pittsburgh region and Vice-Chair for Region 2 of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Meet the 2025/2026 Actors Collective

The Actors Collective (formerly Core Company) is a training-first program for new and emerging actors to develop the skills and experience necessary to launch their careers. Members of the Collective will train together throughout the year by attending workshops hosted by industry professionals, serve as artistic ambassadors to guest artists and the larger community, and understudy select Public productions.

Ethan Davis Butler is thrilled to become a member of The Public's Actors Collective as it returns for its second year! Recent Credits: Sebastian in Public Works Twelfth Night (The Public Theater), Constellations (Riverfront Theatre Company), and Perdita by Nathan Wagner (New Hazlett Theater).

Mary-Caitlin Cox is a Pittsburgh-based actress with her BA in theater arts from CCNY. She has been heavily involved in this wonderful city's rich theater scene since 2023. Past roles include Charlotte (Charlotte's Web, Heritage Players), Myra Arundel (Hayfever, Ben Avon Community Players), and Jane Bennet (Pride and Prejudice, Pittsburgh Savoyards). Thank you for supporting local theater artists!

Liam Gannon was born and raised in Pittsburgh. You may have seen him in Uncumber Theatrics shadow play Wee Beasties, as Doctor, or the New Works play The Bowl as Josh. He has forthcoming performances in films, Pork and Nips and How to Rob a Bank. Now he is proud to be a member of this year's Actors Collective.

Caity Skalski (kiki) is a Pittsburgh-born artist and an alumna of Elon University's BFA program. She performed on the national tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella and has appeared in a number of other local and regional productions. She recently debuted her original work with MICHIYAYA Dance, showcasing their interdisciplinary approach to art. She is deeply honored to be a part of The Public's Actors Collective.

Sarah JK Shoemaker is an actor and improviser celebrating her first year in Pittsburgh. She holds an MFA in Acting from CalArts and previously served as Associate Artistic Director at Curious Comedy in Portland, OR. Before relocating, she was a Company Member with Comedy Dance Chicago. Sarah's recent theater work includes Mundane Mysteries (Bramble Theatre), Faustus Financial (Otherworld Theatre), You Are Happy (Red Theater), and Metamorphosis (Moving Arts Collective). On screen, she has appeared in The Other Woman, Age of Stone and Sky, and Proverbs 31. If you want to keep up with her, give her a follow on Instagram: @s.jk.s

Mike Zolovich is ecstatic to be a part of the Public's Actors Collective! Having lived in Pittsburgh for the last 10 years, he's had the privilege of performing in many productions and spaces across the city, including at The Public. Mike is proud to have received much of his training in Theatre Arts from the University of Pittsburgh.

The Public's Artistic leadership team and group of resident artists, including the Playwrights Collective and Actors Collective represent the heart of Pittsburgh Public Theater's mission: to create extraordinary theatrical experiences that reflect the diversity, vitality, and imagination of our region.