Perseverance the focus of Pitt Stages’ 2026-27 season

Pitt Stages, the in-house theatre company of the Department of Theatre Arts in the University of Pittsburgh Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, has announced its 2026-27 season. Comprised of compelling stories that showcase grit and inner strength, the productions will reflect a common theme of perseverance.

Curated by the Pitt Stages Season Selection Committee, led by co-chairs Kelly Trumbull and Howard Patterson, this year’s productions embrace the department’s mission to produce stories from multicultural perspectives and theatrical styles, allowing for deeper artistic and educational opportunities for the students, faculty and community collaborators involved.

The fall season will open with Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Gloria,” a play set in modern times that explores trauma and human connection. Ricardo Vila-Roger, the department’s head of performance, is set to direct the show, which will run Oct. 16-25.

Cynthia Croot, head of the MFA Performance Pedagogy Program, will direct the musical “Hundred Days” by The Bengsons and Sarah Gancher, which will run Nov. 13-20.

Additionally, two student-run one act plays will premiere Oct. 2-4 on a split bill. Undergraduates Lila Kelley and Ryder Smith will direct Ethan Coen’s “Waiting” and Anton Chekov’s “The Proposal,” translated by Julius West.

In the spring, catch a classic Franz Kafka classic, “The Metamorphosis,” adapted by David Farr and Gîsli Örn Gardarsson, put on in collaboration with University’s Czechoslovak Nationality Room. Assistant Professor Keelie Sheridan will direct the production, running Feb. 19-28, 2027.

The world premiere of “Pittsburgh-Machine,” written and directed by PhD student Guilherme Meletti Yazbek, will run Feb. 26-28, 2027.

The season will end with Jonathan Larson’s musical phenomenon, “Rent,” running April 9-18, 2027. Teaching Associate Professor Trumbull will direct and Teaching Assistant Professor Becki Toth will direct music.

The Department of Theatre Arts welcomes all students across the University regardless of major to pursue theater-related academic research and courses, including by performing or participating in Pitt Stages shows. Auditions for the 26-27 season productions will take place Aug. 26-27. Learn more on the Department of Theatre Arts site.

Photography by Tom Altany; Mariya Dempsey in Pitt Stages’ 2025 production of “Iphigenia and Other Daughters.”