The organization also announced Dec. 7 that it has snagged the rights to produce one of the very first regional productions of Martin McDonagh's recent Broadway and London sensation, The Pillowman, and will present the play as the opener to its 2006 season, in May 2006.

Also on the slate are "three classic Irish comedies, a pair of exciting Pittsburgh premieres, and a special centenary celebration of one of the greatest writers of our time."

Stuart Carden will direct The Pillowman, "McDonagh's nightmarish and unflinching examination of the nature and purpose of art."

The season includes The School for Scandal, Richard Brinsley Sheridan's delightful skewering of the 18th-century aristocracy, directed by PICT artistic director Andrew S. Paul; David Mamet's Boston Marriage, a Pittsburgh premiere, directed by Jeffrey Cordell; a celebration of the centenary of Samuel Beckett with Beckett-Fest, featuring performances and readings of all 19 of his stage plays, including a new production of Endgame starring Simon Bradbury (Chaplin) and Larry John Meyers, directed by Polish director Tadeusz Bradecki in his American debut; and Dion Boucicault's comedic melodrama The Shaughraun (The Vagabond), "the hilarious tale of a man and his dog, and their quest to reunite a distressed damsel with her true love." For that last play, Andrew S. Paul "directs a cast of 22 actors, canines and musicians in this spectacular Holiday treat."

For more information, visit www.picttheatre.org. *

Lori Monnier joins PICT from the LORT Arizona Theatre Company, where she serves as associate managing director as part of the two-year New Generations: Mentoring the Leaders of Tomorrow grant which is funded by Theatre Communications Group, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The program gives early-career theatre professionals positions at theatres nationwide, where they are mentored by established professionals in the field. Working with managing director Jessica L. Andrews as a part of the theatre’s senior staff, she actively participated in community and board relations there as well as marketing and development efforts and the development and implementation of long-term strategic plans. Prior to moving to Tucson, she spent three years as general manager of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. She holds a M.F.A. degree in theatre management from the Yale School of Drama, where she served as an associate managing director of Yale Repertory Theatre and managing director of the Summer Cabaret. She has also worked at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and at the National Endowment for the Arts. Previously, she worked as a stage manager in the Washington, D.C. area, working for five seasons at The Shakespeare Theatre in D.C., as well as stints with Arena Stage and Signature Theatre. Monnier is married to scenic designer Fred Kinney.