University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre's New Play Festival Kicks Off 1/25

The University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre Arts presents The New Play Festival, an exciting program of new plays by fresh voices. All plays are written by current Pitt students or alumni. The shows run the gamut from lyrical explorations of first love and self-realization to dark representations of power and emotional struggles. 

Split between two weeks of new work, plays include, Psycho and Soma by Anna Gilchrist, Random Acts of Violence by Fred Pelzer, Bend Down My Strange Face by Moira Quigley, And This is How I Want It, and This is How It Will Be, by Ben Kaye, and One Act by Matt Russak. Directed entirely by Theatre Arts students, the Festival demonstrates the range of talent coming out of the Department of Theatre Arts. 

These productions emerged from playwriting classes run by Professor Kathleen George, author of the novels Afterimage, The Odds (a finalist for the Edgar Award), and Hideout. They were then developed through a series of readings and workshops held throughout the fall term. 

The University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Theatre Arts (founded in 1982) offers BA, MA, MFA and PhD degrees in Theatre Arts.  All faculty members are active in teaching, research, and artistic projects.  The department holds a philosophy of theatre education, the chief feature of which is the firm conviction that theory and practice, academic and creative work, and educational and professional theatre must be integrated for a successful program of theatre education.  The University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre is the department’s flagship theatre company with performance spaces in the landmark Stephen Foster Memorial and the Cathedral of Learning.  For more information about the University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre, please visit www.play.pitt.edu.