By SHARON EBERSON

On a lovely Sunday evening in Point Breeze, Pittsburgh international Classic Theatre introduced a three-play “aspirational,” with music to provide a taste of each of the show’s international and American flavors.

Coming up in short order is First Lady, by the Turkish-French playwright Sedef Ecer and directed by Adil Mansoor, October 2-11, 2025, at Carnegie Stage. The play is described as “a satirical romp through the last vestiges of power of an imaginary Mesopotamian country, [where] Queen Ishtar lives in a bubble, oblivious to the uprising of an enslaved people.”

PICT artistic director Elizabeth Elias Huffman, who called it “one of the wildest things I’ve ever read,” will play Ishtar, “who is enjoying a holiday at her summer palace with Gazal, her beloved trans stylist.  Everyone in the palace is abandoning ship, so the Advisors decide to do a live, televised interview with the clueless and unpredictable First Lady, to assure the public that all is well in the country,” when the revolution is nearly at the palace gates.

The First Lady cast includes Dorian Elias, Milia Ayache and Treasure Treasure as Gazal.

As PICT did with the Hong Kong-set Miss Julie, there will be an event celebrating the culture represented by the writer and the play. On Sunday, musicians Moe Nasser (keyboard), Joudat Makhoul (darbuka, a percussion instrument with Egyptian and Turkish roots) and Mike Demko (duff drum) provided a spirited musical taste of First Lady’s Middle Eastern setting for attendees at the season announcement.

The second play of the season is the long-awaited The Smuggler, by Ronán Noone, which was originally scheduled for March of this year at Riley’s Pour House in Carnegie. Fire destroyed the Irish tavern, and the play will now move down Main Street to Carnegie Stage.

The Smuggler is a play in verse, with Michael Patrick Trimm signed on from the start to play the Irish bartender, among other roles. Melissa Hill Grande will direct.

Huffman pointed out that Trimm, who starred in the City Theatre co-production of King James, had stepped in to play the role of Richard Dreyfuss during the extended run of barebones productions’ The Shark is Broken. The play is about the making of the movie Jaws on Amity Island, which happens to be where The Smuggler is set.

To represent the decidedly Irish “thriller in rhyme,” L.E. McCullough played several tunes on a tin whistle. Grande also spoke about the play and performed a bit of the dialogue to tease what to expect when The Smuggler comes to Carnegie.

The third production remains “aspirational.” Bon Temps Rouler at the Shakespeare Café is a musical comedy by Huffman, with text taken from The Bard’s work and Huffman’s imagination. What started out as a play now includes 17 original compositions, representing genres including “the blues, zydeco, dixie-land, ballads and even a ‘war between the sexes’ wrap.“

The musical described as “a hilarious mashup of Shakespeare’s famous lovers and barflies thrown together during Mardi Gras in New Orleans,” was originally performed at a 2007 festival in Germany.

“We are currently in a conversation with another theater in a possible co-production of the play,” Huffman said, “and so that is in works right now.”

Three of the songs from the play were on display Sunday, courtesy of award-winning performer Ithaca Tell, who learned German to present the play there.

2025-2026 PICT SEASON

For tickets and details, visit https://www.picttheatre.org/.

• First Lady by Sedef Ecer, directed by Adil Mansoor | U.S. premiere | October 2 – 11, 2025 | Carnegie Stage.
• The Smuggler by Ronán Noone, directed by Melissa Hill Grande | March 2026 | Carnegie Stage.
• Bon Temps Rouler at the Shakespeare Café | Written and directed by Elizabeth Elias Huffman | TBA
• Fourth Annual Bards from the Burgh Reading Series | July 2026 | Carnegie Stage
• Bonus Event : Isles of Noises by TJ Young | Two-day presentation of a developmental work from the 2024 Bards from the Burgh | TBA

Categories: Our Posts, Preview, Season Listings, Show Previews

Tags: 2025-2026 season, Elizabeth Elias Huffman, PICT, Pittsburgh International Classic Theatre