Matt Schatz News

Six women find themselves trapped on an email chain as they plan their friend's baby shower when IAMA Theatre Company presents Untitled Baby Play by Nina Braddock. Katie Lindsay directs the IAMA-developed world premiere for a five-week run that continues through June 27 at Atwater Village Theatre.

Geffen Playhouse announced the full cast for its world premiere production of A Wicked Soul in Cherry Hill, written by Matt Schatz (The Door You Never Saw Before, The Burdens) and directed by Mike Donahue (The Legend of Georgia McBride, Little Shop of Horrors).

Six women find themselves trapped on an email chain as they plan their friend's baby shower when IAMA Theatre Company presents Untitled Baby Play by Nina Braddock. Katie Lindsay directs the IAMA-developed world premiere for a five-week run, May 26 through June 27 at Atwater Village Theatre.

Mile Square Theatre has announce their final full-length production of the 2021-2022 season, Matt Schatz's THE BURDENS, directed by Kevin R. Free.

Pop culture is full of paeans to the composer or the playwright; just this past fall, Andrew Garfield starred in Tick Tick... Boom! on Netflix as the young Jonathan Larson. But outside of insider tell-alls, there's not a lot of focus on the behind the scenes creatives of the theatrical world, especially the dramaturge. As a sometimes dramaturge myself, I know the position is misunderstood if it's understood at all: the shepherd of a new work, the dramaturge assists in the creative development of a piece by advising the author and the creative staff, doing research and providing insight and input on structure, tone and other aspects of the work in progress. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that, one particular weekend, Pittsburgh was showing not one but TWO new plays about the role of the dramaturge in the theatrical process.

Today's top stories include casting for Waitress! Ciara Renee will take over the lead role of Jenna in the Broadway production, beginning November 29. Plus, further casting has been announced for the upcoming West End revival of Cabaret, the Broadway grosses report has been released for the week ending on October 31, and more!

Geffen Playhouse added three new productions to complete its 25th Anniversary Season lineup, it was announced today. Playwright Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? will make its Geffen Playhouse premiere in April 2022, featuring Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal, Neil LaBute's bash) and Zachary Quinto (Star Trek franchise, The Boys in the Band); A Wicked Soul in Cherry Hill, a new original musical from playwright and Geffen Playhouse The Writers' Room program alum Matt Schatz, will make its world premiere in June 2022; and playwright Fernanda Coppel's King Liz will makes its West Coast premiere in July 2022.

City Theatre has announced the second show of its 2021/2022 subscription season, An Untitled New Play by Justin Timberlake by Matt Schatz (The Burdens, City Theatre 2019) in a co-production with Pittsburgh CLO. 

The participants are Vivian Barnes, Lisa Sanaye Dring, Weston Gaylord, Nicholas Pilapil, Michael Shayan, and the musical-writing team of Alexandra Kalinowski, Tova Katz and Katie Lindsay.

City Theatre Company, Pittsburgh’s home for contemporary plays, has announced the details of the theatre’s 47th season of new works, taking place in-person beginning in September 2021. Reopening to audiences after 18 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, City Theatre will fully produce six plays, live and in-person.

Theatre Communications Group has announced the recipients of the first round of the 2021 Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards. The awards, totaling $1,072,000, allow 28 productions extra time for the development and rehearsal of new plays with the entire creative team, hoping to extend the life of the world premiere play after its first run.

The Geffen Playhouse has created a colorful, world premiere, CHOOSICAL MUSICAL adventure for ‘frustrated kids in quarantine’. It is off-the-charts fun!

The seventh installment of Geffen’s Stayhouse series Is THE DOOR YOU NEVER SAW BEFORE: A CHOOSICAL MUSICAL has been in previews, with opening May 22, 2021. This world premiere, written by Matt Schatz, is geared for children and the young at heart. An ‘Adventure Suitcase,’ full of puzzles and special items will be pre-mailed for the youngsters’ interaction during the Zoom of the show. Katie Lindsay directs the cast of Michael Faulkner, Shyla Lefner and Gabrielle Maiden.

Part musical, part adventure, this inventive new play is designed to take frustrated kids in quarantine on an outrageously fun journey. After entering a door they’ve never seen before, the kids are tasked with saving a faraway city from a villain known only as “The Stench.”

Pittsburgh CLO has announced the launch of an innovative theatrical collaboration project, Songs for a New Year. As a part of its New Works initiative, Pittsburgh CLO reached out to five writing teams to invite them to respond to the turning of the New Year in a commissioned song.

Winners have been announced for the 2020 BroadwayWorld Pittsburgh Awards - which were back bigger than ever, celebrating the best in local theatre of the past decade! 

The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues made us laugh out loud last night with a special series of comedic monologues to benefit Gilda's Club New York City! A top-notch team of writers and actors collaborated from afar to write, rehearse, perform and produce 18 all-new pieces in just 24 hours.

The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues will bring the humor tonight with a special series of comedic monologues to benefit Gilda's Club New York City! A top-notch team of writers and actors will collaborate from afar to write, rehearse, perform and produce 18 all-new pieces in just 24 hours.

Today, Gimlet | A Spotify Studio announced that the hit fantasy adventure podcast "The Two Princes," starring Noah Galvin (Booksmart, Dear Evan Hansen) and Ari'el Stachel (The Band's Visit) will return for its third season on Tuesday, Oct. 20. All seven episodes of the new season will be available to stream at launch.

As the audience writes back, their responses help steer the story and determine the choices the character makes