Solo piece written and performed by Christopher Rivas, directed by Adil Mansoor, that turns the room into a space to explore mortality and celebrate the present.
Christopher Rivas brings his new solo piece, The Punchline, to The Lillie Theatre from May 1 through May 30, 2027. Rivas wrote and performs the show himself, and it's directed by Adil Mansoor. It's a solo theatrical piece, so it's just him on stage for the whole run.
The Punchline was developed during the 2025 Momentum Festival, and it's billed as uniquely interactive. The show leans on the intimacy of The Lillie Theatre to invite the audience to imagine they have one collective last hour to spend together—a device that turns the room into a space to explore mortality. Through humor, story, and ceremony, it urges people to build an altar to their current life and to the moments that touch and change us while we're still alive, and to celebrate the present as sacred.
The production closes City Theatre's 2026/2027 subscription season, Our Next Act, which is the company's 52nd season overall and its 35th on the South Side. Artistic Director Clare Drobot framed the season as an exploration of the ties that bind us, the complexities of family, and the legacies we leave behind, so The Punchline fits right into that conversation about what we leave behind and how we spend our time.
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It runs from May 1 through May 30 at The Lillie Theatre in Pittsburgh, part of City Theatre's South Side home. If you're planning to go, keep in mind it's a month-long run, so you've got plenty of dates to choose from.
