Performances for 2019-2020
Drama at UCIrvine announces the 2019-2020 Season:
Women & Co.
A Centennial Celebration of Women’s Right to Vote
Passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19 th amendment granted American women the right to vote. Achieving this was a milestone in a long and arduous struggle, but it certainly wasn’t the end of the fight for equality.
This season, the Department of Drama pays tribute to women artists and their voices. Aside from our opening production of Company, all five remaining productions are written by a woman. Four out of the six mainstage shows this season will be directed by women. The majority of drama graduate students and doctoral students are women. And the majority of all drama undergraduate students in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts are women.
Yes, it is the year of the woman! Please come and join us in experiencing, exploring and celebrating our many diverse female artists.
Sincerely,
Don Hill
Season Producer
Reading Frankenstein
October 31, 2019 - November 9, 2019
Reading Frankenstein Co-created by Annie Loui, Antoinette LaFarge and Jim Fallon Directed by Annie Loui Visual Direction by Antoinette LaFarge In collaboration with neurobiologist Jim Fallon October 31 – November 9, 2019 Experimental Media Performance Lab (xMPL) An intermedia performance about a 21st century artificial life scientist named Mary Shelley, who discovers that one of her experiments is running amok in her laboratory at the same time as the novel “Frankenstein” is haunting her imagination. Given the autonomy of A.I. and the accelerating scientific possibilities of CRISPR, Reading Frankenstein presents questions about ethics and evolution in an era of genetic possibility. PerformancesEvenings: Oct. 31, Nov. 1, 2, 7, 8, 9 at 8:00 p.m. Matinee: Nov. 9 at 2:00 p.m. Free... more
Company: the musical, by Stephen Sondheim
November 17, 2019 - November 23, 2019
Company Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by George Furth Music Direction by Lex Leigh Choreography by Allison Eversoll Directed by Eli Simon November 17 - 23, 2019 Irvine Barclay Theatre "Company" is a Tony Award-winning 1970 musical comedy featuring a soaring score by Stephen Sondheim. It tells the story of Robert, a confirmed bachelor who, on the night of his 35th birthday, contemplates his unmarried state. Throughout a series of dinners, drinks—and even a wedding—his friends explain the pros and cons of taking on a spouse. Robert is forced to question his bachelorhood during a hilarious array of interactions. Director Eli Simon examines how the “Me Decade” launched a generation of young women and men looking for love, sometimes in all the wrong places.... more
Hoodoo Love
December 5, 2019 - December 8, 2019
Hoodoo Love Written by Katori Hall Directed by Tamiko Washington December 5 - 8, 2019 Little Theatre Danger and desires suffuse this haunting tale of a woman struggling for control in her relationships with men in her life. Set in 1930s Memphis, "Hoodoo Love" tells the story of Toulou, an aspiring blues singer who is driven to seek the power of hexes and hoodoo to bind one man to her and to escape another who is far too close. PerformancesEvenings: Dec. 5, 6, 7 at 8:00 p.m. Evening: Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. Matinees: Dec. 7*, 8 at 2:00 p.m. *Ticketholders: Please join us for a post-performance TalkBack with the creative team and cast after the Saturday, December 7th matinee. Tickets General admission: $18 Seniors, Groups 10+, UCI Faculty... more
The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood
February 5, 2020 - February 9, 2020
The Penelopiad Written by Margaret Atwood Directed by Sara Rodriguez February 5 - 9, 2020 Claire Trevor Theatre Margaret Atwood retells Homer’s classic "The Odyssey" from Penelope’s perspective. As Odysseus is indefinitely gone to fight in the infamous Trojan Wars, his wife patiently waits for him in the company of her loyal maids while raising a child and cleverly avoiding suitors knocking at her door. "The Penelopiad" takes the audience on an epic journey from Penelope’s birth in Sparta, to her arranged marriage to Odysseus, her journey to Ithaca, her relationship with Helen, the birth of her son, and her survival. All this os told posthumously by Penelope herself. From the author of "The Handmaid's Tale" PerformancesEvening: Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Evenings: Feb. 6, 7, 8 at 8:00 p... more
Living Out
March 7, 2020 - March 15, 2020
Living Out Written by Lisa Loomer Director, TBA March 7 - 15, 2020 Robert Cohen Theatre Lisa Loomer’s comic drama about immigration and working mothers could not be more timely. Ana and Nancy make the same choice to leave their children in care of others. Both do so for their families, but Ana is an undocumented Salvadoran, while Nancy is a high-powered attorney. The contrast makes for a play that is both funny and tragic as we witness the terror of the undocumented and the devastating effects of inequality in our society. PerformancesEvenings: Mar. 7, 12, 13, 14 at 8:00 p.m. Evening: Mar. 11 at 7:30 p.m. Matinees: Mar. 8*, 14, 15 at 2:00 p.m. *Ticketholders: Please join us for a post-performance TalkBack with the creative team and cast, after the matinee on Sunday, March 8th.... more
The Book of Will
April 16, 2020 - April 19, 2020
The Book of Will Written by Lauren Gunderson Directed by Joshua Max Feder April 16 - 19, 2020 Claire Trevor Theatre Just three years after William Shakespeare’s death, botched and pirated versions of his plays are appearing all over London. His friends and company members can see just one solution: printing an official version of all his plays in a single folio edition in order to preserve them and ensure their future. Though the task seems impossible, their love for their friend, and for the transcendent wit and wonder of his plays, inspires them to persevere. PerformancesEvenings: Apr. 16, 17, 18 at 8:00 p.m. Matinees: Apr. 18*, 19 at 2:00 p.m. *Ticketholders: Please join us for a post-performance TalkBack with the creative team and cast, after the matinee on Saturday, April... more
Hands on a Hardbody
June 4, 2020 - June 7, 2020
Hands on a Hardbody Music by Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green Lyrics by Amanda Green Book by Doug Wright Music Direction by Leslie Wickham Choreography by Andrew Palermo Directed by Myrona DeLaney June 4 - 7, 2020 Claire Trevor Theatre In this hard-fought contest, only one winner can drive away with the American Dream. For 10 gritty contestants, a new lease on life is so close they can touch it. Under a scorching sun for days on end, armed with nothing but hope, humor, and ambition, they'll fight to keep at least one hand on a brand-new truck in order to win it. It's an absurd marketing gimmick at first glance, but the contest proves to be much more. Performances Evenings: Jun. 4, 5, 6 at 8:00 p.m. Evening: Jun. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Matinees: Jun. 6*,... more
