City Theatre & Pittsburgh CLO Present AN UNTITLED NEW PLAY FROM JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

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.

This show marks a first-time collaboration between City Theatre and Pittsburgh CLO, who both previously partnered on its early development and workshops. The CLO featured the musical as part of its SPARK Festival 2019 for new works, but its premiere - originally scheduled for April 2020 at the CLO Cabaret in the Cultural District - was delayed due to the pandemic.

"Great things happen when people come together and work towards a common goal," said Mark Fleischer, Pittsburgh CLO Executive Producer. "Pittsburgh CLO is proud to partner with City Theatre to bring this new contemporary musical to life for Pittsburgh audiences. Working individually and now in partnership, our two companies continue to place Pittsburgh at the forefront of creating new American theatre.

An Untitled New Play by Justin Timberlake follows a literary manager at a non-profit theater who wants to change the world by producing plays that matter, but her tone-deaf boss instead chooses a "pop superstar" to write the "hit" that will keep the theater from going out of business. A hilarious new musical about the battle of art versus commerce.

"I will always be honored to work with City Theatre, one of my theatrical homes and the first place I ever really saw new plays," said Playwright Matt Schatz. "In the case of An Untitled New Play by Justin Timberlake, the piece would simply not exist in its current form without the ideas, support, and guidance of the staff of City Theatre. Along the way, Pittsburgh CLO has also been crucial to developing this new musical, so it makes me doubly happy for these two great Pittsburgh institutions to team up to bring it to life!"

An Untitled New Play by Justin Timberlake is directed by City Theatre's former artistic producer and current associate artistic director at the Studio Theatre, Reginald L. Douglas. Music Direction is by Douglas Levine, Orchestrations by Rona Siddiqui, and Movement Coordination by Alex Manalo. Performers include the originally announced CLO cast: Julianne Avolio (Cry It Out, City Theatre 2020), Melessie Clark, Lara Hayhurst, and Craig Macdonald. Design and technical support will be provided by Britton Mauk (Scenic Design), Andrew David Ostrowski (Lighting Design), Dominique Fawn Hill (Costume Design), Zachary Beattie-Brown (Sound Design), Patti Kelly (Stage Manager), and Clare Drobot and Olivia O'Connor (Co-Dramaturgs).

"The production is a perfect example of collaboration in the arts community in Pittsburgh," said Co-Artistic Director Clare Drobot. "After almost three years of development in partnership with the Pittsburgh CLO, it feels wonderful to share in bringing the world premiere of An Untitled New Play By Justin Timberlake to both our audiences and especially fitting to have not one, but two dramaturgs supporting the creative team."

VACCINATIONS ARE REQUIRED for all audience members. Guests will need to be fully vaccinated with the Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccine and must show proof of vaccination at their time of entry into the Theatre with their valid ticket.

Proof of vaccination must come directly from the healthcare provider that performed the vaccination. Guests may display proof on a smartphone or present a physical copy. Digital Vaccination Passport Apps are also acceptable.

The only exceptions are:

• guests under the age of 12, who must be accompanied by an adult that meets the venue's vaccination requirements; or

• guests who need reasonable accommodations due to a medical exception or a sincerely held religious belief.

For guests who are not able to be vaccinated for one of the reasons listed above, they must provide proof one of the following instead of evidence of vaccination:

• negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 24 hours of the performance start time, or

• negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time.

Entry will be denied for guests who do not provide the documentation as required above.

All staff and patrons will also be required to wear masks that cover the mouth and nose while indoors at City Theatre.

City Theatre continues to monitor the Covid-19 pandemic and will continue to adapt its mitigation and safety policies. All staff, artists, and volunteers at City Theatre are fully vaccinated. In addition, the organization has expanded and reconfigured its public lobby to provide greater distancing, updated its HVAC systems and filtering (MERV-13), and will offer one limited capacity performance of An Untitled New Play by Justin Timberlake to allow for social distancing (Wednesday, December 15 at 7:00pm).

Visit CityTheatreCompany.org/Covid-Safety for all current Covid-19 policies.

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