Freshworks: Mal MacKenzie
KST Presents
AURA
Friday & Saturday, October 2 – 3, 2026
7:30pm – 9:00pm (including post-show discussion)
KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $15 – $30
A mother creates an AI chatbot of the daughter she’s lost to help her mourn. But her child is very much alive, and he goes by Dustin. Now spending more time talking to a version of her child who never transitioned, the mother’s memory of the past fractures the present, leaving Dustin trying to hold the pieces together. AURA gives the divided pieces of an existence to the audience and asks: as modern technology promises us authenticity, connection, and self-expression, how do we know ourselves? How do we know the people we love?
*created without the use of AI tools
Content Disclosure: This performance contains flashing lights.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Mal Mackenzie
AND DON’T MISS…
Freshworks: lys scott
chronicles of a crazy girl
Friday & Saturday, November 6 – 8, 2026
7:30pm – 9:00pm (including post-show discussion)
KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $15 – $30
- ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Mal MacKenzie (they/them) is an emerging playwright, performer, and educator based in Pittsburgh. They received their BFA in Acting from The Pennsylvania State University. Recent roles include Sharon in 69/70 (Manalo Productions), Macbeth in Mac Beth (Vigilance Theatre Group), and Webster in Bonnets… (Penn State Centre Stage). Their play Roadkill Bambi won “Best New Queer Writing” at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and is a finalist for the Carlo Annoni International Playwriting Prize. malmackenzie.com
Audrey Wells (they/them) is excited to participate in Freshworks as Shannon in AURA. Since moving to Pittsburgh in 2021, Audrey has fallen in love with Pittsburgh’s local theater scene, playing many different roles, including Katherine Wiley in Radium Girls and Mr. Wickham in Pride & Prejudice. When not on stage, Audrey works in communications for the Allegheny County Treasurer and can often be found running or biking around town. They would like to extend their love and gratitude to their steadfast support system for always being there to support and uplift them at every step.
Claire is thrilled to be working with Freshworks for AURA. Recent local credits include Misery, Is God Is, The Sound Inside, American Buffalo, The Animal Kingdom, Unreconciled, The Shark is Broken, God of Carnage, and Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (Stage Manager, barebones productions), Die Hard N’at (SM, Bricolage), and Raisin in the Sun (ASM, Pittsburgh Public Theater). Claire is also the associate producer for The Unreconciled Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater initiative.
Em Presley (he/they) is a California-based actor whose previous credits include Damned Without Vision (Philly Fringe) and Roadkill Bambi (Edinburgh Fringe). Em Presley is also stuck at the bottom of a well!? Hurry! Get them out of there! They have a show to do!
Marissa Lily is a proud Musical Theatre graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. Her stage and screen credits include productions with City Theatre, Kelly Strayhorn Theater, New Hazlett Theater, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, Amazon Prime, and Netflix. A multifaceted creative and IATSE-certified costumer, Marissa shines both onstage and behind the scenes. Whether she’s performing, vlogging, recording music, or styling hair, makeup, and costumes, she brings creativity to everything she does. Marissa also inspires the next generation of artists by teaching dance and creative arts at K-Theater. Connect with her @itsmarissalily.
Ray K. Morgen (they/them) is a queer, disabled, transdisciplinary sound artist with a special interest in new works development. They graduated with an MFA in Sound Design from Carnegie Mellon University (2025), where their thesis focused on sound design as a non-normative embodiment practice and relational art form. Recent credits include Macbeth, Robin Hood (Island Shakespeare Festival) and upcoming work As Others Have Before, November 6–8 at the Pierce Studio in the Cultural District. IG: @morgensound
Sarah Dugan (she/they) is currently a Senior Marketing Major and Theatre Minor at Pitt. Past credits include Into the Woods (Milky White), The Wedding Singer (Rose), Cincinnati (Susan), and Mac Beth (Lady Macbeth). Sarah is so grateful for their wonderful playwright and director Mal for providing them with this opportunity and being the best ever! They would also like to thank their friends and family for their unending support and love!