Pittsburgh theater is on trend with plays for 2018-19 season

Pittsburgh theater is represented from top to No. 10 — the spot held by August Wilson — in the annual list of most-produced playwrights and plays in the United States. The lists comprise mostly active writers and recent works arriving for the first time at regional theaters such as Pittsburgh Public Theater and City Theatre.

At No. 1 for the 2018-19 season is playwright Lucas Hnath, whose “A Doll’s House, Part 2” is the most-produced play of the season and coming to Pittsburgh Public Theater in March. “The Revolutionists,” which opened City Theatre’s season, is by Lauren Gunderson, who fell one spot to No. 2 on the list compiled by Diep Tran for American Theatre magazine and Theatre Communications Group. Ms. Gunderson is one of seven women among the top 10 playwrights.

Dominique Morisseau (“Pipeline”; City) is No. 3 and Lynn Nottage (”Sweat”; Public) is No. 4. At 6-7 are Kate Hamill, whose “Pride and Prejudice” opened the Public season, and Paul Vogel, whose play “Indecent” comes to the Public in April.

Another high-profile contemporary theater voice, that of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (No. 13), was represented earlier this year with the Hatch Arts Collective production of “Gloria.”

The late August Wilson and Tennessee Williams (No. 17) are alone among 20th-century classics on the list of playwrights, which excludes Shakespeare as a presumed No. 1, and also does not include annual versions of “A Christmas Carol.” Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company is making its way through Mr. Wilson’s American Century Cycle of plays for the second time, with “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” currently onstage.

The lists have been compiled since 1994 and this year were assembled from 387 season announcements.

“This year’s 11 most-produced plays include work by nine female