WHAT IS PUNCH-UP?

Punch-Up! was created out of

a need for community.

It takes a village to create theatre and art, but where do we find a village? With so many “pay-to-play” opportunities, oftentimes there aren’t enough accessible resources for everyone to cultivate their craft, and find their people.

That’s where Punch-Up! comes in.

It is our mission to create accessible & affordable events to allow artists to learn from, connect with, and support each other.


Who is punch-up!?

Fresh out of Grad School, these two multi-hyphenates began to dream of a way to bring artists closer to each other than ever. Here’s a bit about them.

A headshot of Nick Navari. He is wearing a blue button down.
  • Co-Founder


    Nick Navari is a Pittsburgh-born, Manhattan-based writer, composer, producer and director of musical theatre. His first original musical, Local Singles, for which he wrote the book, music & lyrics, opened Off-Broadway at The Players Theatre for a 5-week run in January of 2025 through his residency at the theater. In 2020, he was named Pittsburgh's Community Supported Artist and was awarded a grant for the show's first full production through the National Endowment for the Arts. The show has since been produced around the country. He was commissioned by BetterSleep to write the book for their first musical Ellie’s Coffeehouse, a one-woman show performed by the Broadway legend Lea Salonga. This fall, Into Your Hands, his original one-act, one-man show, opened Off-Broadway at the AMT Theater, where he won Best Actor in a Drama. He wrote the book, music and lyrics with Isa Peña to the new musical ADMISSION, inspired by the 2019 college admission scandal. The show recorded demos and had an industry presentation at Power Station. He has also written and produced a running segment for the 2x EMMY nominated Fan Nation television series on CBS Pittsburgh, played over 150 shows at the dueling piano bar Howl at the Moon, and has directed and music directed musicals all over the Pittsburgh area. He is the former Producing Artistic Director at The Strand Theater, a professional theater in Pittsburgh, where he directed and produced their seasons of musicals, wrote original cabarets, ran their summer intensive, and oversaw solo shows from Mandy Patinkin and Ben Vereen. He received the Post-Master’s Fellowship in Writing and Production for Musical Theatre at Berklee College of Music’s Manhattan campus, BerkleeNYC, where he also obtained his master’s degree. He is a graduate of Kenyon College with degrees in Economics and Law, an Ambassador for the Pittsburgh CLO, a member of Grammy U with The Recording Academy, a staff writer for The Broadway Beat, and a proud member of The Dramatist Guild.

  • Co-Founder

    Justino is a performer/composer based in NYC. As an autistic creator, Justino is craving new ways to use his multi-hyphenate abilities to bring neurodivergence to the stage. He received his B.A. in Theater Performance at Wagner College, and his M.A. in Writing and Production for Musical Theater at Berklee NYC. His original works have been performed at Sony Hall, Green Room 42, Power Station at Berklee NYC, and more.


Programs We Offer

Musical Theatre Fight Club

Punch it Up!

Punch it Up!