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
Tickets On Sale
August 6, 2019
Tickets On Sale The 2019-20 Season has arrived! Subscription packages on sale now! Single Tickets on sale August 6,2019 The 2019-20 season is here with the inaugural issue of CONNECT, the new quarterly publication for UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts. Read about Fall exhibitions and events along with features about faculty and students. Season subscription packages are on sale now with single tickets available starting on Tuesday, August 6th. Get your favorite seats early for big shows like “Company” a musical by Stephen Sondheim, “Dance Visions 2020” the premier faculty dance concert, or UCI Opera’s “The Scarlet Letter” – shows that are all performing at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Plus so much more! LAUNCH CONNECT
Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice on Trial
October 29, 2019
Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice on Trial Directed by Eli Simon Produced by Julia Lupton Tuesday, October 29, 2019 6:00 p.m. Irvine Barclay Theatre Join UCI Law Dean L. Song Richardson and Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky as the stage becomes the courtroom in this mock trial of one of Shakespeare’s most legally fraught plays. Free admission with registration Sponsored by UCI Illuminations, UCI Shakespeare Center, UCI Law, the Dept. of English, and the Dept. of Drama with the generous support of Kirk Davis, Jr.
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. Performances Evenings: Oct. 31, Nov. 1, 2, 7, 8, 9 at 8:00 p.m. Matinee... 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 Chasteen 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... 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. Trigger warning: sexual violence Adult content / simulated sex Strobe lighting / flashes Performances Evenings: 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... 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" Performances Evening: Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Evenings... more
HOLLYWOOD and the RED SCARE: the Deportation of Hanns Eisle
February 22, 2020
HOLLYWOOD and the RED SCARE: the Deportation of Hanns Eisle A concert February 22, 2020 8 p.m. Winifred Smith Hall Austrian composer Hanns Eisler settled in the United States in 1938 after fleeing National Socialism in Germany. He found success in Hollywood, writing numerous film scores, and continued to write songs and orchestral works. In 1947, as part of the first-wave of anti-Communist “witch-hunts” in Hollywood, he was interrogated by the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) and blacklisted. Described by Republicans as “the Karl Marx of music,” Eisler left the United States in 1948 and eventually settled in East Germany, where he composed the national anthem for the GDR. This program of songs from the “Hollywood Songbook” by Hanns Eisler uses... more
21C: Tzaqik | a tale, of many
March 27, 2020 - March 29, 2020
21C: The Institute for 21st Century Creativity Tzaqik | a tale, of many - POSTPONED Directed and Produced by Jesús E. López Vargas Choreographed by Piper Bockstahler Music Composed by Dimitri Soto Thursday, March 27, 7:30pm Friday, March 28, 4:00, 8:00pm Saturday, March 29, 4:00, 8:00pm Experimental Media Performance Lab (xMPL) Inspired by the myth of the Mayan twin gods from the Popol Vuh, we present the story of a God doomed to live on the Moon, watching the miseries & tragedies of human kind. In a compassionate effort to find a cure for human sadness, he tears off his wings & falls to Earth, now walking amongst the living.
The Book of Will
April 16, 2020 - April 19, 2020
At CTSA, our priority is the health and safety of our students and community, including faculty, staff, production team, and supporters. In keeping with the decision released by UCI in response to the COVID-19 health crisis, we have decided to cancel or postponed all performances for the remainder of the Spring 2020 quarter. We are in the process of managing donations and the refunds to our ticketholders. We appreciate your patience as we work through this process. We are diligently working with our teams to reschedule any events that may be postponed to a later date. To learn more about UCI’s ongoing response to this crisis, please visit UCI’s dedicated COVID-19 website. Be safe and healthy, and remember to spread Art, not the virus! The Book of Will - CANCELED Written by... more
Wellness Wednesday: Comedy = Better Life
May 20, 2020
Wellness Wednesday, presented by the UCI Alumni Association Comedy = Better Life With Joel Veenstra, MFA '11 Wednesday, May 20, 2020 7 - 8 p.m. PDT Via Zoom Who doesn't like to laugh? Comedy brightens up our lives in so many ways, especially in uncomfortable and uncertain times. Join the Anteaters in the Arts Chapter and learn how comedy works in this way as well as some techniques that can help you enjoy your present life more with laughter. About Our Speaker Joel Veenstra is a professional stage manager, production manager, producer, and improviser. Veenstra serves as the UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts' (CTSA) Drama Department's Associate Chair of Production. In 2017, Veenstra and Theresa Robbins Dudeck launched the Global Improvisation Initiative... more
Improv Royale!
May 26, 2020
Improv Royale! Two teams enter, one team leaves Performed by the Drama 135 class Tuesday, May 26, 2020 5:00 p.m. Zoom link here. (Connect with the teams on social media) A Series of Unfortunate Zooms vs. ZOOMBOMAFOO A FREE virtual comedy experience! The show will run around 60 minutes (more or less). This event will take place on Zoom, the video and web conferencing app (free accounts available through https://zoom.us/). A Zoom link will be sent shortly before the show on Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at 5 p.m.. Please RSVP on Facebook. If you do not have a Facebook account, please email Prof. Joel Veenstra (click here) for more information. Featuring these incredible talents: on A Series of Unfortunate Zooms: Kasey Inez Cassandra Lynn... more
Radio Plays Listening Party
June 1, 2020 - June 3, 2020
Radio Plays Listening Party Led by UCI Drama professor Juliette Carrillo, and performed by UCI Drama students June 1 & 3, 2020 via Zoom What to do when you can no longer write and present plays in-person during a pandemic? UCI Drama’s Prof. Juliette Carrillo had to answer that question for her students. The decision she made created the opportunity to learn what some consider a lost art, radio plays. Experience what the students created as works-in-progress at our “Listening Party.” June 1, 2020, 12:00-2:00 p.m. via Zoom: connect with your account here (Meeting ID: 99464403328) Enjoy plays from student writers, including: Erick Medina Cassandra Bridges Karren Shamo Daniel Combs Josh Bauser Audrey Napoli Fountine Zhao Matthew... more
The Business of Show Business
June 6, 2020 - June 6, 2020
UCI Alumni and Anteaters in the Arts present The Business of Show Business with speaker Don Hill, Chair of the Department of Drama Saturday, June 6, 2020 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. PDT Via Zoom Don Hill, UCI Drama Department Chair and Professor of Stage Management, is joining the Anteaters in the Arts to present an introductory version of his vitally important course: The Business of Show Business. This virtual workshop is preceding the summer session of "Show Biz Biz" and will teach you the necessities of creating a career launch pad, the art of networking, and how to become unstoppable. About Our Speaker: Don Hill has worked in the professional theatre as a director, stage manager, production manager, producer and union negotiator in a 35 year career spanning both coasts. As... more
UCI Drama Theatre Guild Event
June 7, 2020
A UCI Drama Theatre Guild Event Music Selections from Hands on a Hardbody Sunday, Jun 7, 2020 3:00 p.m. (PDT) Via Zoom Join us for a Zoom talkback and presentation regarding the UCI Drama spring musical Hands on a Hardbody. Since the show, unfortunately, had to be canceled, the department of drama is bringing together some of the cast members and the show director Myrona DeLaney for an insightful look at this musical. In addition, the chair of the department and season producer, Don Hill, will be announcing the Drama 20-21 season at the event. We hope you can join us for an afternoon of music and education. Speakers: Don Hill, Chair, Department of Drama, Professor of Teaching, Stage Management Myrona Delaney, Associate Professor of Teaching, Head of Music... more
Summer Academies LITE – Drama
July 20, 2020 - August 5, 2020
Arts Outreach Summer Academies LITE – Drama July 20-24, 2020 August 3-5, 2020 Sessions between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. PDT The Summer Academies LITE program is a free modified version of our in-person Summer Academies in the Arts that focuses on college admissions preparation and professional development opportunities for students in a virtual learning environment. For students seriously considering pursuit of educational and/or career pathways in acting performance, students will be able to learn foundational knowledge and best practices used for college and professional audition processes in the theater and film industries. Learn More
A Midsummer Night's Zoom
August 26, 2020 - August 29, 2020
The New Swan is back -- with a Zoom performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. This special live streaming production opens in a place called Zoomland before moving to the forest of your dreams. "A Midsummer Night's Zoom" is directed by Eli Simon and features New Swan actors from our 2018 production, as well as some sparkling new New Swan talent. It has been re-envisioned for the medium of Zoom acting and live streaming. We are dividing the play into halves, with interactive discussions led by Julia Lupton following each evening's performance. All events will stream from the New Swan Shakespeare Center YouTube channel. Part I Wednesday, August 26, 6 pm PST Guest scholar: Julia Lupton, UCI Live stream Part II Thursday, August 27, 6 pm PST Guest scholar: Matthew Smith,... more
