Pitt State Theatre is dedicated to educating and inspiring theatre makers. The university theatre presents both mainstage and student-directed productions each year at the Dotty and Bill Miller Theater in the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts and at the PSU Studio Theatre in Grubbs Hall. Participation, collaboration, and service are integral components of the program.
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (April 22-25, 2021)
By Christopher Durang | Directed by Megan Westhoff
Adult siblings Vanya and Sonia live in their family home and spend their days bickering and complaining about their lives when unexpectedly, their movie star sister, Masha, arrives with her much younger boyfriend. Hilarity ensues in this winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play when the already strained sibling relationships are further complicated by a cleaning lady who predicts the future, a star-struck neighbor, and a disastrous costume party.
The Wolves (February 25-28, 2021)
By Sarah DeLappe | Directed by Gil Cooper
This finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Drama provides a quick, hilarious, and unflinching look at nine female “warriors” of a girls’ indoor soccer team as they navigate the large struggles of a modern world amid smaller battles of personal identity and relationships. A critic’s pick of the New York Times, who says every scene emanates, “the scary, exhilarating brightness of raw adolescence.”
The Windshield and the Bug (December 3-6, 2020)
Conceived and Directed by Cynthia Allan | Original Material by Advanced Performance Ensemble
There comes a time in all our lives when we figure out not everything can go our way. Join us for this improvisation about the lifelong learning curve that is part of every human experience. What could possibly go wrong?
The Bacchae (October 22-25, 2020)
By Euripides | Directed by Linden Little
One of Euripides’ later Greek tragedies, The Bacchae centers on the story of the spurned god Dionysus returning home to Thebes seeking revenge against the new King Pentheus. Conceived as a staged reading in a rock ‘n’ roll style, this reimagining envisions the god Dionysus as a pop star begging for the adoration of his hometown. See this modern twist on a historic tale where deadly consequences can’t be escaped.
Silent Sky (February 27-March 1, 2020)
By Lauren Gunderson | Directed by Megan Westhoff
This fascinating play is based on the true story of Henrietta Leavitt, who worked at Harvard Observatory as one of the female “computers” who mapped and measured the stars. Even with little recognition, she had a profound influence on the field of astronomy. Join us for this funny, radiant, and joyful ride through the dream world of Leavitt as she changed our perception of the cosmos forever. Highly accessible as well as “mind-expanding and heart expanding” theatre.
A Doll's House (October 24-27, 2019)
By Henrik Ibsen | Translated by Nicolas Rudall | Directed by Joey Pogue
It is argued that when Henrik Ibsen had his character, Nora, slam the door on a conventional marriage she opened the door to modern drama. With a hard focus on marriage, societal norms, and long-held secrets, A Doll's House speaks to all audiences, whether in 1879 or 2019. This compelling drama continues to be one of the most produced modern dramas of all time.
The House of Blue Leaves (April 25-28, 2019)
By John Guare | Directed by Linden Little
A no-talent songwriter, his depressed wife, and a visit from the Pope lie at the center of this absurdist farce set in the mid-1960’s. The play reflects a gracefully skewed vision of lives obsessed with celebrity. A painfully funny anarchic comedy of the time that rings true today.
The Revenge of the Space Pandas or Binky Rudich and the Two-Speed Clock (February 21-24, 2019)
By David Mamet | Directed by Megan Westhoff
This comedy has been a staple of the Chicago theatre scene for years. Often described as the funniest and most entertaining children’s play written, the story centers on Binky, his friend Viv, and a sheep named Bob as they confront the Giant Space Pandas. The humor appeals to audiences of all ages. Bring the family and join us for this wild comedy.
Cabaret (October 18-21, 2018)
By Joe Masteroff | Directed by Cynthia Allan
One of the most popular, yet dark, American musicals. In a 1920’s Berlin nightclub, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience. With his bawdy songs as commentary, Cabaret explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich.
Gruesome Playground Injuries (April 26-29, 2018)
By Rajiv Joseph | Directed by Cynthia Allan
Over the course of 30 years we track the intersected lives of Kayleen and Doug as they compare the calamities that keep drawing them together. A sweet, quirky and irresistible piece by one of America’s freshest new voices.
Noises Off (February 22-25, 2018)
By Michael Frayn | Directed by Gil Cooper
One of the funniest farces ever, Noises Off presents a cast of second rate touring actors rehearsing a flop called Nothing’s On. A manic menagerie of slamming doors, onstage-offstage intrigue, and red herrings. Chaotic glory!
bobrauschenbergamerica (October 19-22, 2017)
By Charles L. Mee | Directed by Linden Little
A contemporary collage filled with joy and chicken jokes. This off-kilter work explores American themes within a pop art frame. America as art…and watermelon, baseball, checkers, and ineffable beauty.
bobrauschenbergamerica Program (PDF)
Grave Matters (April 27-30, 2017)
By Cynthia Allan with the Adv. Perf. Ensemble/Directed by Cynthia Allan
Good grief... It's a play about death! Come spend some time at Restful Acres Cemetery where we meet both likely and unlikely characters in this original and structured improvisation about... the end.
Other Desert Cities (February 23-26, 2017)
By Jon Robin Baitz | Directed by Joey Pogue
When Brooke Wyeth returns home announcing a planned memoir that exposes a tragic family event, she draws a line in the sand. Alternately cruel and compassionate, with a contemporary political sheen, join the Wyeth family as Baitz keeps our sympathies shifting from one character to another. Sharp, witty, and messy, just like most families. For mature audiences.
Other Desert Cities program (PDF)
Frankenstein (October 27-30, 2016)
By Victor Gialanella | Directed by Gil Cooper
A classic tale of horror and suspense in a play that blends brooding terror and sudden shock in the ill-fated experiments of young Dr. Frankenstein. Just who is the monster? Perfect timing for the holiday season.
Frankenstein program (PDF)
Behind the scenes videos Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
The Shape of Things (April 21-24, 2016)
By Neil LaBute | Directed by Caitie Almond
Adam and Evelyn, two students at a small midwestern college, meet at the campus art museum. What happens next is a cautionary tale about the nature of love, art, and manipulation.
The Shape of Things program (PDF)
The Merry Wives of Windsor (Feb. 25-28, 2016)
By William Shakespeare | Directed by Gill Cooper
A raucous comedy that follows the fumbling adventures of Sir John Falstaff as he attempts to woo two married women at the same time!! Outrageous and hilarious.
The Merry Wives of Windsor program (PDF)
Behind the scenes video
Charlotte's Web (Oct. 22-25, 2015)
Adapted by Joseph Robinette | Based on the book by E.B. White/Directed by Megan Westhoff
Join Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider in this beloved tale about friendship, loyalty, and determination that will enchant the entire family.
Eurydice (February 26 - 28 and March 1, 2015)
By Sarah Ruhl
In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story. Critics have called it “rhapsodically beautiful…a luminous retelling of the Orpheus myth.”
You Can't Take it With You (October 23 - 25, 2014)
By Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
A wild look at the eccentric Sycamore clan, complete with fireworks, a printing press, a ballet dancer and a Grand Duchess. The play celebrates those who live life to the fullest without worrying about the system, and that includes the tax system, too! The play, written in 1936, has been a popular American comedy since the day it opened and delights audiences everywhere.
You Can't Take it With You program (PDF)
Dead Man's Cell Phone (April 24 - 27, 2014)
By Sarah Ruhl / Directed by Cynthia Allan
An incessantly ringing cell phone and a dead man with a LOT of loose ends… So begins Ruhl’s comedy about the odyssey of a woman forced to confront assumptions about morality and our need to connect in a technologically obsessed world. For Mature Audiences.
Dead Man's Cell Phone program (PDF)
An Enemy of the People (February 27 - March 2, 2014)
By Henrik Ibsen | Adapted by Arthur Miller | Directed by Joey Pogue
One man’s honesty in the face of environmental danger causes him to be
persecuted and ridiculed even by his closest allies when his town’s tourism
economy is threatened. Catch this powerful drama – as relevant today, perhaps more so, as when it premiered in 1883.
An Enemy of the People program (PDF)