Supporting the creation of new work is the heart of the Pittsburgh New Works Festival.  To that end, PNWF has re-invented its staged readings to make them more valuable to playwrights.  We want to build a creative laboratory that gives the producing companies the flexibility to explore the scripts in everything from seated reading to full productions.  No piece of theatre is complete with an audience, though.  To help the playwrights continue to develop their work, we are inviting YOU to give feedback and ask questions at the end of the performances, while enjoying complimentary drinks and refreshments.

Where the Wild Ones Play
by Job Ethan Christenson

New York, NY
Produced by Stage Right of Greensburg

A man delves into his past and discovers more than he can allow himself to remember. David recounts his childhood friend, Rachel, a mother figure, friend and delves into a past that brings them together.

Job Ethan Christenson has written The Theist, Mfundo, Out of the Human Town, Where The Wild Ones Play, The Living Trees, In Bed, and Therapy. Job was recently published by Indie Theatre Now. He is currently working on a play trilogy about North Dakota.

Enhancements
by Sean Lenhart

Pittsburgh, PA
Produced by Split Stage Productions

A husband and wife argue over the new addition to their family, the husband’s robotic arm. While he sees it as a medical necessity, she views it as symbolic of his trust in longterm relationships. Everything comes to a head when the husband brings in the doctor who installed the arm, exacerbating the whole situation, and leading to a unique solution.

Sean Lenhart (www.seanlenhart.com, @seanlenhart) – A graduate of Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts with a degree in Musical Theatre, Sean has been seen on stages across Pittsburgh, working with Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Savoyards, Resonance Works, Undercroft Opera, Microscopic Opera, Front Porch Theatricals, Stage 62, Food For Groundlings, South Park Theater, and Greensburg Civic Theater. Sean acted in the 2016 Pittsburgh New Works Festival.

Sean is a Professional Voice Actor, working from his home studio. He has over thirty audiobooks available on iTunes, Amazon, and Audible, as well as numerous roles in fan-made and original animations on YouTube.

Chinese Puzzle
by Kate Kasten

Iowa City, IA
Produced by Retro Red Productions

A woman sits in a friend’s kitchen. The woman is upset and tells her friend the story of what’s happened. She’s afraid she’s been banned from the Mennonite second-hand clothing store where she buys much of her wardrobe, especially her beloved “June Cleaver” dresses. After inadvertently breaking store rules on several occasions and incurring the disapproval of the retirees who volunteer there, she commits a further crime by disemboweling a down coat while trying to make it fit.

Kate Kasten is the co-author, with Sandra de Helen, of a musical satire of the Nancy Drew mystery genre, The Clue in the Old Birdbath, which has been produced by theatre companies in Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Portland. She is also the author of three novels (The De-Conversion of Kit Lamb, Ten Small Beds, and Better Days) and a book of fairy tales for adults (Wildwood: Fairy Tales and Fables Re-imagined). Her short fiction has been published in Glimmer Train, American Literary Review, Madison Review and Northwest Review.