With News about CMU Drama , Point Park School of Theatre, Prime Stage, Iron City Circus Arts, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, The Cultural Trust and Stage 62
PITTSBURGH’S TOP THEATRE SCHOOLS PRESENT STUDENT CABARETS AT THE GREER THIS NOVEMBER
Two of Pittsburgh’s premier theater programs take the spotlight this month with special student cabaret performances at the Greer Cabaret Theater in the Cultural District. These events offer young performers a professional-level experience, while providing opportunities to collaborate with industry professionals in an authentic cabaret setting.
CARNEGIE MELLON DRAMA PRESENTS “RAISE THE ROOF: THE SONGBOOK OF ANDREW LIPPA”
The Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama’s Music Theater Ensemble, Class of 2027, will celebrate the work of Tony- and Grammy-nominated composer Andrew Lippa in a one-night-only performance, Raise the Roof: The Songbook of Andrew Lippa, at the Greer Cabaret on November 16.
Lippa — whose acclaimed musicals include The Addams Family, Big Fish, and The Wild Party — will be in attendance for the evening. His additional material for the 1999 Broadway revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown earned him a Grammy nomination.
Proceeds from this performance benefit the School of Drama’s Showcase & Expo Fund, which supports graduating students as they transition into professional careers.
🎟️ Tickets available at: https://trustarts.org/production/104045
POINT PARK UNIVERSITY LAUNCHES SONGWRITERS CABARET SERIES
The Point Park University School of Theatre, Film and Animation debuts a brand-new cabaret initiative with the Songwriters Cabaret Series, opening with I Will Be Me – The Songs of Kooman and Dimond on Sunday, November 23.
The production will feature the senior musical theatre class of 2026, performing the work of the Emmy-nominated songwriting duo Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond. The artists will collaborate directly with Point Park students to craft an engaging, original evening of song and storytelling.
The new series was conceived by Gary Kline, Associate Dean of the School of Theatre, Film and Animation, who previously developed the similar initiative at Carnegie Mellon University.
🎟️ Tickets and information: trustarts.org/production/104067
ANGELA C: THE MAGICIAN IN AERIAL ARCANA: A TAROT TALE
The South Side company Iron City Circus Arts presents the acrobatic performance group Iron City Aerial in Aerial Arcana: A Tarot Tale, November 6 – 9, 2025, in their South Side home. More than 20 performers will tell the contemporary tale of a young woman, overwhelmed by the chaos around her, who finds guidance along life’s journeys, as represented in the Major Arcana tarot deck.
“I think audiences will really be wowed,” said co-director Kelsey Keller. “A wide array for aerial apparatuses are being used to tell this story, from silks to handbalancing, hoops, fire, and even some new apparatuses that we invented.” Iron City Circus Arts, owned by co-directors Keller and Jenly Deiter, is located in the former Brew House, 711 S. 21st Street, South Side. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
🎟️ Tickets and details: visit ironcitycircusarts.com/events.
PRIME STAGE’S OPENING WEEKEND OF ‘POE’ & MORE
The theatricality of Edgar Allan Poe’s macabre mind is celebrated in the debut of Mr. Edgar A. Poe Presents: Tales of Mystery, Horror, and Imagination, written by Lawrence C. Connolly, directed by Art DeConciliis and presented by Prime Stage Theatre November 7 – 16, 2025 at the New Hazlett Theatre.
Writer Connolly says of his work, “[Poe’s] penchant for performance art was well known in his day. Indeed, even as his stories thrilled magazine readers, he was packing theaters and lecture halls, captivating audiences with readings of his works and pondering subjects as vast as the mysteries of the universe. And it is that side of Poe that Prime Stage and I are bringing to life.”
Sam Lander leads the cast as Poe. An opening night post-show talk on November 8 features Poe scholar Brett Rutherford discussing Poe’s doomed romance with poet Sarah Whitman.
🎟️ Tickets and details: https://primestage.com/productions/mr-edgar-a-poe-presents/
Also coming up at the New Hazlett, on November 10, Prime Stage presents Fox Chapel Area High School graduate Regina Gibson‘s one-night-only performance of her original show DIVINA: A Fantasy Cabaret, in which the spirit of opera diva Maria Callas provides sage relationship advice to a dating-fatigued New York actress. The show features accompaniment by Pittsburgh pianist Douglas Levine.
🎟️ Tickets and details: https://newhazletttheater.org/events/monday-special-presents-divina/.
PBT PRINCIPAL TOMMIE LIN KESTEN FEATURED ON THE COVER OF POINTE MAGAZINE
Pittsburgh native Tommie Lin Kesten is the first Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre artist to be recognized with a Pointe Magazine cover. Kesten joined PBT’s corps de ballet in 2018, was promoted to soloist in 2020, and in spring 2023 was named a principal artist by PBT artistic director Adam W. McKinney, following her performance as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty.
“Being on the cover of Pointe Magazine feels like something out of a dream,” said Kesten. “I’m beyond grateful—for the art form that has shaped my life, and for the chance to dance, grow, and share my heart every single day. It’s moments like this that make me stop and truly take it all in.”
Kesten trained at Ballet Academy of Pittsburgh, continued her studies at Miami City Ballet School, and attended summer intensives at the School of American Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and PBT School. This holiday season, Kesten will take on multiple roles in PBT’s production of The Nutcracker, including the Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, Marie, and Elegance.
PBT’s production of The Nutcracker at the Benedum Center from December 5 – 28, 2025.
🎟️Tickets at https://trustarts.org/production/99189/the-nutcracker
Pointe Magazine is the leading ballet publication in the United States.
PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST AND THE BROADWAY LEAGUE OFFER DISCOUNTED TICKETS TO SELECT PNC BROADWAY IN PITTSBURGH SHOWS
Broadway Bridges on the Road, an initiative from the Broadway League, is designed to expand access to Broadway touring productions for high school students across the country. This national effort offers discounted tickets to Equity productions presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and other participating Broadway League member theaters. Through partnerships with touring shows, these venues enable local high schools to attend Broadway performances at an affordable cost. The program enhances arts education, fosters cultural equity, and helps nurture a diverse new generation of theatergoers.
This season, Broadway Bridges Pittsburgh offers $10 tickets to select weeknight and matinee performances of Hell’s Kitchen and Water for Elephants to Title 1 high schools in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area (Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties). For more information and how schools can apply, visit: https://pct.formstack.com/forms/broadwaybridgesapplication
STAGE 62 BRINGS R&H OKLAHOMA! TO CARNEGIE
Stage 62 presents Rodgers & Hammerstein’s first collaboration, the ground-breaking Oklahoma!, at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie, running November 6-16, 2025.
Directed by: Rob James, the show includes music direction by Cynthia Dougherty and choreography by Hannah Feldhues. The cast includes Brian Ferris as Curly McLain, Anna Chensny as Laurey Williams, Brad Smoak as Jud Fry, Rachel Fox as Aunt Eller and Paulina Neuschwander as Ado Annie.
🎟️ Tickets available at: https://www.purplepass.com/events/334757-rodgers–hammerstein’s-oklahoma!
👉 Don’t forget—you can always explore the next two months of performances, organized by date or company, anytime at onStage Pittsburgh.
👉Did we miss your show? Send us your updates at info@onstagepittsburgh.com so we can share them in a future Call Board.
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