Carnegie Mellon School of Drama

Tonight, School of Drama alumni and executive producers John Wells and Michael Hissrich premiere their newest medical drama, "The Pitt," set right here in Pittsburgh!

John Wells - the namesake of the School of Drama's directing program - has remained a source of mentorship and support for our directing students and alumni, and he and his team were kind enough to welcome our students on set when they shot here on location last fall.

Read more about their experience, and check out "The Pitt" tonight on Max!

The Pitt: John Wells Brings the Drama Back to Pittsburgh - CMU Drama CMU Drama alum John Wells gives current students a behind-the-scenes look at his newest project, "The Pitt."

The School of Drama honors the life and artistic contributions of alumnus and former Head of School Mel Shapiro, who died December 23, 2024 at the age of 89.

Mr. Shapiro earned his BFA and MFA from Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama in 1961. He launched his impressive directing career at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, and went on to direct at the country’s leading regional theaters, including Arena Stage in Washington D.C., the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Hartford Stage in Connecticut, and Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles.

In 1972, Mr. Shapiro won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for his musical adaptation of “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” co-written with John Guare and Galt MacDermot. Mr. Shapiro was also nominated as Best Director for the production, which won the Tony for Best Musical that year.

He returned to CMU as head of the School of Drama in 1980, where he mentored generations of future artists.

While we mourn his loss, we also celebrate the impact he made on our school and the theater world at large. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all those whose lives he touched.

Read more about Mel Shapiro's life and work at the links below.

https://playbill.com/article/tony-winning-director-mel-shapiro-has-died-at-89

https://onstagepittsburgh.com/2024/12/27/rip-mel-shapiro-tony-award-winning-former-head-of-carnegie-school-of-drama/

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Tony-Award-Winner-Mel-Shapiro-Dies-At-Age-89-20241226

Congratulations to School of Drama alum Isabel Pask, whose film “Goodnight” has been accepted into the Sundance Film Festival!

The creative team is full of Tartan talent, including:
producers Iris Beaumier and John Way
producer/editor Brenna Power
production designer Henry Blazer
costume designer Nix Lopinto
creative producers Daryl Bright Clay, Jack Dentinger, and Eric Wiegand
starring: Dagmara Dominczyk and Michelle Veintimilla

Learn more: https://festival.sundance.org/program/film/675659eefefa327e36018b2e

The School of Drama is proud to partner with City Theatre on its holiday feast of a production - "The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley" by Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon.

The talented School of Drama faculty, alumni, and current students bringing this production to life are:

Kyle Haden - Director
Anne Mundell - Scenic & Projection Design
Carrie Anne Huneycutt - Costume Design
Xuewei (Eva) Hu - Lighting Design
Lindsay Barr - Dramaturg
Rachel D'Amboise - Production Manager
Anna Bakun as Cassie (through Dec. 8)
Juan Rivera Lebron as Mr. Darcy
Alex Sheffield as Lydia Wickham
Evan Vines as Brian

With support from the CMU Drama Costume Studio.

Catch it now through December 22!
https://citytheatre.culturaldistrict.org/production/94447/the-wickhams-christmas-at-pemberley

[Press photos by Kristi Jan Hoover; Scenic drop photo courtesy Anne Mundell]

Playground week is here! Don't know what Playground is? Read this piece by Dramatic Writing MFA candidate Liggera Edmonds-Allen, then come party in Purnell this Thursday through Saturday!

PLAYGROUND: A Festival of Independent Student Work - CMU Drama By Liggera Edmonds-Allen It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Playground time, of course! PLAYGROUND: A Festival of Independent Student Work is one of my favorite things we do at the School of Drama. For a week, classes are cancelled, and students sprint around Purnell like headless chickens ...

Applications are now open for ColLABo 2025!

ColLABo is a production development incubator, housed on Carnegie Mellon University’s campus, where theater makers from multiple disciplines come together to wrestle with production-related challenges on a project they intend to have produced. ColLABo is designed to be a director-centered and design-led process, giving creative teams valuable time, space, and resources to explore their projects and problem-solve before they dive into the production pressure cooker.

The dates for ColLABo 2025 are May 26–June 9, 2025.

Applications will be accepted through January 31, 2025.

Find more information and download the application here:
https://drama.cmu.edu/about/collabo/

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[Pictured: From ColLABo 2024, The Bellwether Project's workshop of "Dr. Rees Ziti's Pageant for a Better World" - photo by Louis Stein]

Today is Giving CMU Day – a day when our generous alumni and friends come together to make a true difference for the School, and in the lives of our students and faculty.

Support on this day means so much to us, not just financially, but in the way our community comes together to express continued belief in the work being done here.

We are asking you to join this group by making a gift to the School of Drama Actors’ Showcase and Creators’ Expo. At the culmination of their training here at CMU, Showcase and Expo provide a unique and significant opportunity for our students to launch their careers.

Your contribution to this vital fund goes directly to support our graduating students as they travel to New York City and Los Angeles to meet and present their work to industry professionals this spring.

THANK YOU for your generosity, and Happy Holidays!

Donate: https://www.givecampus.com/schools/CarnegieMellonUniversity/giving-cmu-day-2024/pages/college-of-fine-arts/school_of_drama

Sunday Night! See these wildly talented singers perform the songbook of Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award- winning composer Tom Kitt, who will be there as our special guest!

A few tickets remain for the Greer Theater.
Plenty of room in the Lounge for the in-person livestream OR virtual streaming available.

https://drama.cmu.edu/event/light-the-songbook-of-tom-kitt/

Join us! And follow our Instagram stories today for a look behind the scenes as Matty, one of the performers, takes us through a day of preparing for the show!

📷: & (Louis Stein and Dave Rubin)

Nothing screams Halloween like fake blood! And we have the experts...

Bloody Brilliant: Pre-College Students Learn with Carnegie Mellon Prop Department Carnegie Mellon University's Pre-College program teaches production techniques including sound, projections, costumes and props — and how to make fake blood.

Happy Opening Night to our company of "Gloria" by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed by MFA Directing candidate Kaycee Swierc!

Performances:
Oct. 23 @ 8pm
Oct. 24 @ 8pm
Oct. 25 @ 4pm
Oct. 26 @ 2pm

Tickets are free and available to reserve beginning at 12pm the day before each performance.

More information: https://drama.cmu.edu/event/gloria/

Megan Hilty is back on Broadway and we are !

Join us for an unforgettable evening of song, featuring Carnegie Mellon School of Drama’s Junior Music Theater Ensemble performing the songbook of Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winning composer Tom Kitt. We are honored to have Mr. Kitt join us for this special event, and we may even be so lucky as to hear a song or two from him!

Sunday, November 3 @ 7PM
Greer Cabaret Theater

This performance serves as a fundraiser to support the School of Drama’s Showcase & Expo fund, which sends each year’s graduating class to New York City and Los Angeles to launch their careers. Your support is so meaningful as they take their first steps into the industry.

Tickets are going fast! Hope to see you there.
https://drama.cmu.edu/event/light-the-songbook-of-tom-kitt/

The School of Drama is hiring! Do you know someone who might be right to join our team? Please help spread the word.

-Assistant Professor of Scenic Design (Tenure-Track)
-Assistant or Associate Professor of Directing (Tenure-Track)
-CFA Facilities & Operations Manager (Staff Position)

Learn More: https://drama.cmu.edu/about/employment/