Prime Stage Theatre 2025-26 Season Features Three World Premieres by Pittsburgh Playwrights
Performances begin in November.
Prime Stage Theatre will celebrate its 29th season with three world premieres commissioned from three Pittsburgh playwrights:
• Nov. 7-16, 2025 - Mr. Poe Presents An Evening of Horror, Mystery, and Imagination. Written by Lawrence C. Connolly, directed by Art DeConciliis.
• Jan. 19-Feb. 1, 2026 - Freedom House: Giving Life a Second Chance. Written by L.E. McCullough, directed by Scott Calhoon.
• May 1-10, 2026 - Speak. Written by Tammy Ryan, directed by Dana Hardy Bingham.
In Mr. Poe Presents an Evening of Horror, Mystery, and Imagination, popular sci-fi and horror fiction writer Lawrence C. Connolly recreates the dark genius of Edgar Allan Poe performing a selection of favorite tales before a live audience in the 1840s.
Freedom House: Giving Life a Second Chance by historical playwright L.E. McCullough dramatizes the 1967 creation of Freedom House Ambulance Service, America's first mobile emergency medical unit staffed by professionally-trained paramedics from Pittsburgh's Hill District.
Resident New Dramatists playwright Tammy Ryan brings to the stage Laurie Halse Anderson's acclaimed young adult novel Speak, the contemporary story of a teenage girl who uses art to find her voice and redefine her identity after the trauma of rape.
"Each of our plays this season is a world premiere from a Pittsburgh playwright," says Prime Stage Theatre artistic director Dr. Wayne Brinda. "We want audiences to see how events in our community can be brought to life on the stage with a unique local perspective."
Founded in 1996 with the mission of "bringing literature to life", Prime Stage Theatre has produced 111 plays and 20 world premieres while winning national recognition as a leader in educational theatre.
Prime Stage Theatre has also made a special commitment to promoting accessibility for special needs audiences. In 2022, Prime Stage Theatre audio describer Nathan Ruggles won a national Achievement Award in Audio Description from the American Council of the Blind.
The theatre offers student matinee performances for each play, as well as an array of teacher workshops demonstrating how theatre enhances literacy and classroom learning.
All plays, as well as Prime Stage Theatre's Monday Specials Series, are presented at New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, on Pittsburgh's Northside.
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Mean Girls Benedum Center (7/07-7/12) |
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Suffs Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (7/21-7/26) |
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Hadestown Benedum Center for the Performing Arts (10/27-11/01) |
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Rainbow Kitten Surprise Stage AE (9/23-9/23) |
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Laurel Canyon Band: a tribute to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young The Lamp Theatre (7/24-7/24) |
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Kanin Wren's Taylor Swift Experience at The Lamp Theatre The Lamp Theatre (7/11-7/11) |
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MTV Unplugged Tribute Band returns to Jergel's Rhythm Grille On July 16, 2026 Jergel's Rhythm Grille (7/16-7/16) |
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Late For The Sky: A Tribute to Jackson Browne Featuring Jake Thistle of American Idol The Lamp Theatre (7/19-7/19) |
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The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Dinner Show The Dinner Detective Pittsburgh (8/15-8/15) |
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The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Dinner Show The Dinner Detective Pittsburgh (7/18-7/18) |