Michael Frayn’s uproarious comedy Noises Off takes us behind the scenes of a play where everything that can go wrong does. And then it all somehow goes hilariously even worse. But beyond the Sardines, Bunny Suits, Mai-Tai's, and what lies at the heart of this season is the importance and power of community. The connections forged with co-workers, classmates, or even the person sitting next to you in the theater can prove to be transformative. At a time when loneliness is on the rise and our connections to even our family members are filtered through algorithms, there is power in physical presence, now more than ever. Togetherness coupled with laughter leads to joy.
As a civic leader, I have dedicated my career into service. Now, as Chair of the Board of Trustees, I look forward to serving this storied institution, and more importantly serving you and our theatrical community. There is a lot of change happening in the world, but one thing that isn’t going anywhere is our commitment to producing work of the highest quality and celebrating the city of Pittsburgh and the audiences that make it all possible. It takes a village to make art like this happen, so join me this season in finding new ways to engage and share your love for live theater.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, it is my sincere pleasure to welcome you to Pittsburgh Public Theater’s 51st season. As we forge a new decade of producing excellence in Pittsburgh, it will all be with, and because of you. Thank you for bringing friends, sharing a laugh, and keeping art a priority.
Production Understudy/Dotty Otley ........................
WALI JAMAL
KAREN BAUM
Production Understudy/Lloyd Dallas ............... STEFAN LINGENFELTER
This performance runs approximately 2 hours 30 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.
LARA HAYHURST BROOKE ASHTON
Lara is thrilled to be back at PPT, where she was last seen in Company (2014). Recently in the 'Burgh: POTUS (City Theater), Who's Holiday (CLO). She has Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tour, and numerous regional credits including 15 productions of Legally Blonde. Unending thanks to this amazing team and cast of artist athletes. Love to Trey, always. For Mrs. C. @larahayhurst and larahayhurst.com for more!
MATT HENDERSON TIM ALLGOOD
Matt Henderson is thrilled to make his Pittsburgh Public Theater debut. Recent credits include The Trial (Richard E. Rauh Studio Theatre), Witch (Carnegie Stage), The Haunted Man's Christmas Carol (Cup-A-Jo Productions), Andy Warhol's Tomato (PICT), Very Berry Dead (Big Storm Performance Company), Angels in America Part I: Millennium Approaches (Elsewhere Theatre Company), and Witness for the Prosecution (Prime Stage Theatre).
WALI JAMAL SELSDON MOWBRAY
A seasoned veteran of the stage with a career spanning decades in Pittsburgh and nationally. Wali's past performances at The Public include: Two Trains Running as West, Our Town as Howie Newsome, Superior Donuts, as James, and The Little Foxes as Cal. Wali was named the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's Performer of the Year, 2018 for his performance of August Wilson's one man play, How I Learned What I Learned
JEREMY KAHN GARRY LEJEUNE
Jeremy Kahn has appeared in over 40 regional productions with American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Rep, Long Wharf Theatre, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Co., San Francisco Playhouse, San Diego Rep, Ensemble Theatre Co., TheatreWorks, Center Rep, Capital Stage and others. His screen work includes: Looking (HBO), Unleashed, The Etruscan Smile, Dirt and several releases of the video game NBA2K. B.F.A. in Acting, DePaul University. For Emily.
GWENDOLYN KELSO BELINDA BLAIR
Gwendolyn Kelso is new to Pittsburgh and The Public! This August she appeared in Quantum's Seagull (Polina). Gwen has worked all over the country, including Rep St. Louis, Saint Louis Shakespeare, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Hedgepig (NY), Naked Angels (NY), ZACH Theatre (TX) and Austin Shakespeare (TX). When not acting, Gwen teaches at CMU. gwendolynkelso.com
LINDA MUGLESTON DOTTY OTLEY
Broadway: The Music Man , My Fair Lady , Hello, Dolly! , Beautiful , On The Twentieth Century, Cinderella, Anything Goes, Young Frankenstein, Wonderful Town, Nine, Into The Woods, On The Town Regional: The Suffragette's Murder (DCPA) Souvenir (PTC) Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (The Old Globe) Sunset Boulevard (Portland Center Stage)
SAIGE SMITH POPPY NORTON-TAYLOR
Saige Smith is happy to return to the Pittsburgh Public Theater this season! Most recently, she played Dot in Sunday in the Park with George at Front Porch Theatricals. Previous credits at The Public include: Something to Live For (Production Understudy), Steel Magnolias (Annelle), A Midsummer Night's Dream in Harlem (Hermia), and Murder on the Orient Express (Greta).
ROWAN VICKERS LLOYD DALLAS
Select Theatre: Lobby Hero (Broadway, Second Stage); Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (1st National Tour); Nat Turner In Jerusalem (NYTW); The Sensuality Party (The New Group); Picnic & Come Back Little Sheba (Transport Group); The Suffragette's Murder (Denver Center); Measure For Measure (Cal Shakes); Bad Jews (Studio Theatre, DC); Two Gents (Santa Cruz Shakespeare); Macbeth (Stratford Festival, Canada). Training: Juilliard.
RICARDO VILA-ROGER FREDERICK FELLOWES
Credits include Indecent & Murder on the Orient Express here at The Public, Peribañez at Quantum Theater, Fixing King John & Oedipus and the Foul Mess in Thebes at No Name, and Bubble Boy at Arcade Comedy. He is the head of performance in the Theatre Arts Department at Pitt and proud member of Actor's Equity.
KAREN BAUM PRODUCTION UNDERSTUDY
Karen Baum is a Pittsburgh-based actor and educator. Previous PPT productions: Poppy (Noises Off), Portia (Merchant of Venice/virtual), and Amadeus. Pittsburgh credits include: PICT (Featured Artist), Pgh. Irish & Classical, City Theatre, Off the Wall, CMU, UnSeam'd Shakespeare, Squonk Opera, Bricolage, NoName Players, Playhouse REP, St. Vincent's Summer Theater. Select Regional: Public Theatre of KY, Theatre54 NYC, Southwest Shakespeare. Recent TV/Film: Parallax (2026), Archive 81, Sprung, American Rust, Cabrini and others. For my folks.
STEFAN LINGENFELTER PRODUCTION UNDERSTUDY
Stefan returns to The Public after performing in last year’s Christmas Story as the production understudy for Ralph/The Old Man. Stefan has worked with numerous local theatres including Prime Stage, His extensive credits include Prime Stage, PICT, 12 Peers Theater, Riverfront, and Split Stage.
NOV 15–DEC 7
by LAUREN GUNDERSON directed by KAJA DUNN
From the playwright of The Revolutionists and the Christmas at Pemberley series comes the world premiere of a new adaptation of a beloved classic. Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women explores the parallel lives of the author’s family and the iconic March sisters—Jo, Beth, Meg, and Amy—in a heartwarming coming of age tale of empowerment, family, resilience—and the creation of an American literary masterpiece, with Alcott herself center stage.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
MARGOT BORDELON DIRECTOR
Margot Bordelon is a New York based director who specializes in new work and comedy. OffBroadway productions: Roundabout, LCT3, Playwrights Horizons, Atlantic, Vineyard, Primary Stages, Playwrights Realm and Occasional Drawl. Regional: ACT Seattle, Actors Theatre Louisville, Alliance, American Theater Company, Arena, Denver Center, Geffen, Marin Theater, Miami New Drama, TheaterWorks Hartford, Huntington, Steppenwolf, the Wilma, and Yale Rep. www.margotbordelon.com
TIM MACKABEE SCENIC DESIGNER
Pittsburgh Public Theater: Little Shop of Horrors . Broadway: The Elephant Man , Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth . West End: The Elephant Man. Off-Broadway: Heathers: The Musical . MCC: Seared . Atlantic: Guards at the Taj, Describe The Night . Roundabout: Darling Grenadine, The Last Match. MTC: Vietgone. LCT: Luce. TV: "Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo" (HBO), "Gotham," "Smash," "The Today Show." Education: North Carolina School of the Arts, Yale School of Drama. @timmackabeedesign, timothymackabeedesign.com
IVANIA STACK COSTUME DESIGNER
Ivania Stack is making her debut with Pittsburgh Public Theater. She has designed over 300 shows regionally, including: Arena Stage, Village Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, McCarter Theatre, The Wilma Theatre, Ford's Theatre, The Kennedy Center, and Signature Theatre. Member, USA Local 829. www.ivaniastackdesign.com
MARIKA KENT LIGHTING DESIGNER
Select recent/upcoming Ulysses; Seagull (Elevator Repair Service), The Great Privation (SOHO REP); The Suffragette's Murder (Denver Center), Sweeney Todd; Clyde’s; Choir Boy; Gem of the Ocean; School Girls, or the African Mean Girls Play (Portland Center Stage), Fences (Trinity Rep), POTUS (Arena Stage), Catch as Catch Can (Playwrights Horizons). Marika teaches design at NYU’s Playwrights Horizons Theater School and is a proud member of USA Local 829. www.marikakent.com
STEWART BLACKWOOD SOUND DESIGNER
Stewart Blackwood is overjoyed to be joining Pittsburgh Public Theater for the third time for this production of Noises Off. He is a composer, sound designer, and creative coder whose work has been experienced nationally. He is an Assistant Professor of Composition and Sound Design at Carnegie Mellon University.
JOSÉ PÉREZ IV FIGHT AND INTIMACY DIRECTOR
José Pérez IV is the Resident Fight & Intimacy Director of Pittsburgh Public Theater. Select credits at The Public: Twelfth Night, The Hobbit, The Coffin Maker. Regional credits: POTUS (City Theatre), Seagull, A Moon for the Misbegotten (Quantum Theatre), Dracula: a feminist revenge fantasy (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (Cleveland Playhouse). MFA Performance Pedagogy Pitt, BFA Drama NYU.
DON WADSWORTH DIALECT COACH
Don has been the dialect/voice coach for many Public Theater productions as well as many other regional productions around the country. On Broadway he taught the Irish dialect to the full cast of the musical The Pirate Queen. He has worked on more than a dozen feature films (including HERSHEY which will come to screen in 2026.) and several TV shows. Don has the distinction of coaching six Oscar-nominated actors. Wadsworth is a Professor of Voice and Speech for Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama.
NATALIE HRATKO STAGE MANAGER
Credits: international touring + The Ailey School, Ars Nova, Ballet Idaho, Ballet Met, Baltimore Center Stage, The Cape Playhouse, Cherry Lane Theatre, Collage Dance Collective, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Theatre Workshop, NYSAF Powerhouse Theater, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Pittsburgh Public Theater, The Public Theater, Octopus Theatricals, Tulsa Ballet.
KELLY HAYWOOD ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
Kelly Haywood is excited to be back with PPT. Select productions with PPT include: A Raisin in the Sun, Dial M for Murder, Steel Magnolias, Little Shop of Horrors, The Hobbit, Noises Off, An Iliad and Tell-Tale Heart. Kelly has also done several productions with the Pittsburgh Opera, CLO and Pittsburgh Ballet.
KAYCEE SWIERC ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Kaycee Swierc (she/her) is a director pursuing her MFA in Directing at Carnegie Mellon University as a John Wells Fellow. Recently, she assisted Frozen and Dear Evan Hansen at The Muny and Jagged Little Pill on Broadway. Directing credits include Gloria at CMU. Upcoming: Hurricane Diane. kayceeswierc.com
BROADWAY HIT!
Pittsburgh Public Theater is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and operates under agreements between LORT and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The Actors and Stage Manager employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association.
The scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers in LORT theaters are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).
Local IATSE affiliations include Local No. 3, (stage technicians); The Wardrobe Union, Local 787 (costume and wardrobe personnel), and The American Federation of Musicians Local 60-471.
The Director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and The National Theatrical Labor Union.
Pittsburgh Public Theater is grateful for the generous support of the individuals and institutions that make up our Supporting Cast.
$50,000
Hilda M. Willis Foundation
CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, AND GOVERNMENT FUNDERS
The Audrey Hillman Fisher Foundation
A.D. and J.W. Wilson Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation
Anonymous
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
$20,000 – $49,999
The Benter Foundation
John Keith Maitland Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation/Community.....
$10,000 – $19,999
Roy A. Hunt Foundation
Roesch Family Foundation
Wittmer Zoerb Foundation
$5,000 – $9,999
Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball
$4,999 & UNDER
James & Louisa Rudolph Philanthropic Fund
James T. and Hetty E. Knox Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation
Rackoff - Loeb Family Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation
Irving & Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation
PLATINUM ($10,000+)
Anonymous (2)"
Barry & Ann Sullivan
David & Susan Matter
Janet & Bill Hunt
GOLD ($5,000 – $9,999)
The Hillman Foundation
Allegheny Foundation
The Shubert Foundation
Arthur J. and Betty F. Diskin Cultural Fund
Allegheny Regional Asset District
Richard King Mellon Foundation
Barry & Ann Sullivan
James M. and Lucy K. Schoonmaker Foundation
MAK Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
Binkley Charitable Fund of the Marietta Community Fdn
Carolyn & Bill Byham
The Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family Foundation
Paul & Dina Block Foundation
Bruce & Barbara Wiegand Family Foundation
Rooney Family Giving Fund
PNC Foundation
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
The Howard Heinz Endowment
RMK Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation/ Community Foundation of R. Drew and Mary S. Kistler Family Fund
INDIVIDUAL PARTNERS – DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE
Adam R Henderson and Bruce C Marshall Anonymous Anonymous
