Pitt Stages plans four productions for the 2023-24 season

Ariana Starkman as River and Christopher Staley as Franz in a production of "Appropriate" by Pitt Stages in 2020.

Student actors from Pitt’s department of theatre arts will take to the stage for four productions throughout the fall and spring semesters at the Charity Randall Theater and the Henry Heymann Theater. Here’s a sneak peek at what Pitt Stages has planned for the upcoming year –– and stay tuned for behind-the-scenes reporting, interviews with the cast and crew, and other coverage from The Pitt News Culture Desk.

John Proctor is the Villain | Oct. 20-29, 2023 at the Charity Randall Theater

This play, written by Kimberly Belflower and directed by Pitt visiting lecturer Kelly Trumbull, follows students at a high school in rural Georgia as they study Arthur Miller’s 1953 play “The Crucible.” The play’s themes of justice, hysteria and social status intertwine with the scandal and drama of their teenage years. First staged in 2018, “John Proctor is the Villain” reexamines Miller’s drama amid evolving gender dynamics and norms.

Corsicana | Nov. 10-17, 2023 at the Henry Heymann Theater

Pulitzer Prize finalist Will Arbery takes us to another tale of small-town America, the story of half-siblings in Corsicana, Texas, reeling from the death of their mother. Their conversations with two friends take the audience on a journey through family, creativity and loss. Alison Mahoney, a Pitt doctoral candidate, will direct Pitt’s interpretation of the play.

Cheating Fate | Feb. 16-25, 2024 at the Henry Heymann Theater

Directed and co-written by Pitt master’s student Karim Chebli, “Cheating Fate” incorporates four short plays that take place within one building in Lebanon. Chebli and co-writer Sara Abdo craft an original play that weaves themes of corruption and inequality into personal stories amid the backdrop of Beirut, Lebanon’s capital city.

Spring Awakening | Apr. 6-14, 2024 at the Charity Randall Theater

This musical is a coming-of-age story set in 19th-century Germany. Based on the 1891 play by Frank Wedekind, it follows teenagers coping with the changes of puberty and adolescence. Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s modern reimagining of the play transforms it into an electrifying rock musical. Director and Pitt teaching assistant professor Ricardo Vila-Roger will bring it to campus.

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