The Punchline

If we only had a year to live, what would change in us? The Punchline, a new solo piece from playwright and performer Christopher Rivas (The Real James Bond... Was Dominican) , urges us to build an altar to our current life and the moments that touch and change us, while we're still alive. Through humor, story and ceremony, The Punchline reminds us to live in the present and celebrate it as sacred—because nothing can last forever. World Premiere at City Theatre in Pittsburgh in May 2027 About the Artists About the Artists Christopher Rivas is an acclaimed author, actor and playwright whose work spans theater, literature and film, focusing on identity, history and untold narratives. His book Brown Enough has received national recognition, becoming required reading in classrooms and curricula across the country and solidifying its place as an essential exploration of belonging and race in America. His children's book, You're a Good Swimmer, tells the story of conception without gendered terms and is inclusive of all family dynamics. As the founder of the Brown Literacy Movement, he has led national campaigns to bring culturally relevant literature into classrooms and communities of color to combat poor literacy among youth. He is currently the Artist-in-Residence for ASU Gammage. And his solo play, The Real James Bond… Was Dominican, was optioned into a 10-episode documentary-style investigation: RUBIROSA. On television, Chris is known for his role on Call Me Kat, opposite Mayim Bialik. He also hosts the podcast, Brown Enough, which explores his book's parallel themes through interview-style episodes. With an expansive body of work and momentum across publishing, film and theater, Rivas is at the forefront of powerful, intersectional storytelling that redefines representation. His creative activism continues to challenge dominant narratives, increasing access to belonging, and redefining what public service can look like for bodies of culture. Adil Mansoor is a Pittsburgh-based director and educator centering queer communities and people of color. He has developed new work with NYTW, The O'Neill Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Public Theater, Playwrights' Center and Mercury Store, among others. Recent directing credits include Daddies by Paul Kruse (Audible) , Almost Equal To by Jonas Hassen Khemiri (Pittsburgh Playhouse) and First Lady by Sedef Ecer (Pittsburgh International Theatre Company) . Next year, he will direct the world premieres of Christopher Rivas' Punchline (City Theatre) and DJ Hill's Horsegirl and Cowdaddy (Wilma Theater and Soho Rep) . His solo performance Amm(i) gone, an investigation of Antigone, queerness and Islam co-created with his mother, was produced Off-Broadway by PlayCo, The Flea, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and Kelly Strayhorn Theater, and continues to tour nationally. The piece is a National Performance Network Project co-commissioned by Kelly Strayhorn Theater, The Theater Offensive and NPN. Mansoor is the founding Artistic Director of Pittsburgh's Hatch Arts Collective and the former Artistic Director of Dreams of Hope, an LGBTQ+ youth arts organization. He was a Sundance Art of Practice Fellow, a Gerri Kay New Voices Fellow with Quantum Theatre and the 2024 Emerging Artist Carol R. Brown Award recipient. He is a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop and currently serves as Resident Director at Pittsburgh Public Theater. He holds an MFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University.