City Theatre Will Continue its 45th Season with CRY IT OUT by Molly Smith Metzler

City Theatre will continue its 45th season with a new play about new parents, Cry It Out by Molly Smith Metzler.

"I wrote Cry it Out because I had to," said playwright Molly Smith Metzler. "I was cracked-open by the experience of having a child and felt like I was going to die of loneliness if I didn't write about it. But also, I wrote it because I felt that there should be a true portrayal of maternity leave on stage, written by a woman. Maternity leave is the single most overwhelming and hilarious and terrifying and joyous and shockingly traumatic period of many new moms' lives; there is a criminally short maternity leave policy in this country and not only are you physically healing during that time, you are on the receiving end of massive judgement about your professional identity."

Ms. Metzler's play Elemeno Pea was performed at City Theatre during the 2014-2015 season. City Theatre's Artistic Director Marc Masterson commissioned Metzler to write Cry It Out while he was in tenure at Actors Theatre of Louisville.

"I can't believe my good future, that I get to return to City Theatre in his hands," said Metzler of Masterson. "I'm proud and thrilled and grateful. I can't wait to share this play with the awesome people of Pittsburgh."

Downstairs is directed by Kim Weild and will run on the City Theatre Main Stage, February 29 - March 22, 2020. Tickets are on sale now.

City is continuing Pick-Your-Price-Previews for the 2019-2020 Season, in an effort to better serve the community and to reduce economic barriers to entry, tickets start at just $5 (plus fees) to all performances February 29 - March 5. See details at CityTheatreCompany.org. This offer may not be combined with discounts.

Cry It Out is directed by Kim Weild. The cast includes Julianne Avolio (Young Playwrights Festival), Sarah Goeke, Rebecca Hirota, and Tim McGeever (Previously at City: A Funny Thing..., Hand to God, Time Stands Still). The production team includes Anne Mundell (scenic design), Cindy Limauro (lighting design), Robert CT Steele (costume design), Sarah Pickett (sound design), and Patti Kelly is Production Stage Manager.

Molly Smith Metzler is the author of Cry it Out, Elemeno Pea, The May Queen, Carve, Close Up Space and Training Wisteria. Her regional credits include: Northlight Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, South Coast Repertory, Boston Playwrights' Theatre, The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, Chautauqua Theater Company, City Theatre, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Geva Theatre Center, Mixed Blood Theatre Company and more. In New York City: Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC). Metzler's awards include the Lecomte du Nouy Prize from Lincoln Center, the Harold and Mimi Steinberg National Student Playwriting Award from The Kennedy Center, the Association for Theatre in Higher Education's David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award, the Mark Twain Prize for Comic Playwriting and a finalist nod for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. She is a proud alumna of the Ars Nova Play Group, the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group at Primary Stages and the Cherry Lane Mentor Project. In television, Metzler has written for Casual (Hulu), Orange Is the New Black (Netflix), Codes of Conduct (HBO), and is currently a writer/producer on Shameless (Showtime). She is also a screenwriter, currently adapting Ali Benjamin's award-winning novel The Thing About Jellyfish into a film for OddLot Entertainment with Made Up Stories and Pacific Standard (Reese Witherspoon's company). Metzler was educated at the State University of New York at Geneseo, Boston University, New York University's Tisch School for the Arts and the Juilliard School. She lives in Los Angeles and Kingston, N.Y.

CRY IT OUT PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

February 29 - March 22, 2020

Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. and/or 7:00 p.m.

Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m.

Saturdays at 1:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and/or 9:00 p.m.

Sundays at 2:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m.

For a complete listing of show times, please visit CityTheatreCompany.org or call 412-431-2489.

PRESS & OPENING NIGHT

Friday, March 6, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Pick-Your-Price-Previews Performances Feb. 29 - March 5, 2020
Tickets starting at just $5, plus fees; purchase tickets in advance at CityTheatreCompany.org, by calling 412-431-2489, or in-person at the box office. Subject to availability.

Greenroom: Art & Afterparty Friday, March 13 at 8:00 p.m.
Join the cast and artistic team for a party in the Gordon Lounge following the performance. Complimentary house wine, Penn Brewery beer, and light snacks will be provided. Tickets are just $30 for the evening with promocode GREENROOM. Hosted by community partner NextPittsburgh.

Pay-What-You-Want Saturday, March 14 at 1:00 p.m.
Incremental pricing available online. A block of tickets is reserved for audience members to name their own price at this performance. Call the box office to check on availability.

ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES:

ASL Interpretation Tuesday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Open Caption & Audio Description Sunday, March 22 at 2:00 p.m.

BOX OFFICE INFORMATION:

412.431.CITY (2489) or CityTheatreCompany.org Tickets start at $29

DISCOUNTS:

Under 30: Reserve $15 tickets in advance for performances except Opening Night and Saturdays at 5:30 p.m by calling the box office. Rush tickets may be available at those performances. Must present ID.
Seniors age 62 and older: $24 rush tickets may be purchased at the box office beginning two hours before curtain, based on availability.
Groups of ten or more: Contact Joel Ambrose at 412.431.4400 x286.

WHERE:

1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 (South Side)
Port Authority bus routes: 48, 51, 54, 81, 83

PARKING:

Patron parking is available in the newly renovated and repaved lot across from the City Theatre entrances for $9, subject to availability.