A tangled web of love, ambition, and jealousy erupts within a family of artists, as unspoken resentments and fractured dreams tear them apart, leading to emotional betrayals and heartbreaking consequences. Noted as the Russian family drama that brought fame to the Moscow Art Theatre and featured Stanislavski as both an actor and its director!
A wealthy African American family’s vacation at their Martha’s Vineyard estate unravels as long-buried secrets, racial tensions, and personal conflicts come to light, forcing them to confront the complexities of their relationships and identities. The original Broadway production featured incidental music by Alicia Keys (who also served as one of the show’s producers), and a star-studded, Tony-nominated cast!
BFA Acting Sophomore Company 51 Debut! Directed by Gregory Perri, this is a poignant and humorous play about the interconnected lives of a small-town community.
Directed by Elmore James (esteemed alum of the first Purchase Acting Company 1!)
The Senior BFA Acting Company 49 and the BFA Theatre Design/Technology program present one of Shakespeare’s most enduring comedies – adventure, shipwreck, romance, and reconciliation.
Venue: The PAC-Performing Arts Center, Rep Theatre D
Running Time: approximately 2 hours +15 minutes, including intermission
Ticketed Event - Buy your tickets online to avoid walk-up and phone service charges. Purchase tickets through the PAC Box Office - link: The Tempest PAC Box Office
Devised works emerging from an elective course. A collaboration between students, faculty and staff from the following programs: Playwriting/Screenwriting and BFA Acting, with Stage Management support from BFA Theatre Design/Technology
The classic comedy about a small-time scammer who finds himself being wined, dined, and bribed by the officials of a rural town who think he’s been sent by the government to spy on them. A zany new production of the 2008 adaptation, self-produced by Acting Company 50, directed by comedy and clown master-teacher Virginia Scott!
Fall Festival of Contemporary Drama
Yerma and Things I Know To Be True
CMFT Performance Studio (CMFT 2043)
Acting Company 49 and the Theatre Design/Technology program present two brilliant works by master playwrights in intimate new productions.
Yerma
Adapted from Federico García Lorca by Pam Gems Directed by Alexandru Mihail
Orlando begins life as a young man in the court of Queen Elizabeth. Across four centuries of adventure, he winds up a 20th-century woman trying to make the most of her existence. A theatrical, fantastical trip through space, time, and gender.
This performance also includes The Color of Night, an adaptation of letters between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West by Rachel Dickstein.
Pride and Prejudice
Adapted from Jane Austen by James Maxwell Directed by James Dean Palmer
See the classic romantic comedy in a vivacious theatrical adaptation! Featuring the work of Acting Company 50 and the Theatre Design/Technology program.
Click on the date/time below to reserve seats to the performance!
The Performing Arts Center’s Repertory Theater (Theatre D)
Written by Frank Wedekind Translated by Jonathan Franzen Directed by Jack Tamburri
The Expressionist tragicomedy about a class of 14-year-olds whose parents never told them anything about sex, and the disasters that ensue. A new production featuring the work of Acting Company 49.
Click on the date/time below to reserve seats to the performance!
These are dark times. And dark times call for dark strangers to come into your life and solve all your problems so that you’re super-grateful and you love them forever and never leave them.
Stress Exorcist is a new interactive ritual by artist-in-residence Mary McCool. Please join us for an informal work-in-progress showing.
No reservations required. Please be on time!
Theatre & Performance Presents: Attilio Rigotti
Tues, 9/27 @ 2:30pm on Zoom
All are welcome to join Professor Jeana Scotti’s Theatre & Performance Junior Seminar class to meet multidisciplinary Chilean performance artist Attilio Rigotti, who will discuss his work in digital media and performance.
A working-class community in Northern England under Thatcher navigates family, friendship, and romance within desperate economic conditions. Road has been a star-making vehicle for powerful young actors since its 1986 debut, and this production by Acting Company 48 will continue the tradition.
Road is presented in an intimate studio space, and seating will be extremely limited. Road contains strong language, depictions of alcohol and drug use, depictions of violence including sexual violence, partial nudity, discussion of eating disorders, and depictions of death.
Acting Company 46 Showcase Screening - Alumni Weekend
Join us for a special in-person Alumni Weekend screening of last year’s Showcase.
Alchemy of the Extraordinary: An Evening with David Glass
Durst Humanities Theater Thursday, October 13 @ 6-8pm
International theatre artist David Glass comes to Purchase for a week to meet our students and share his practice. This evening’s event, open to the entire community, will introduce participants to his “Alchemy of the Extraordinary.” Glass’s work bridges his teachers: Lecoq, Grotowski, Boal, Alfreds, and Aley. He intends to bring his progressive and creative approaches to a new generation of mavericks and creative change-makers.
FornésFest
October 15 through November 5
The Conservatory is partnering with the Playwriting & Screenwriting program to present a festival celebrating playwright and teacher María Irene Fornés!
See productions of her plays, screen a documentary, attend a rehearsal, take a writing workshop, and meet a couple dozen artists — including Purchase students and faculty — who have been changed by their encounters with one of the most influential writers of her generation.
Fall Repertory of Modern Drama
Acting Company 47 and the Theatre Design/Technology program present two brilliant late-20th-century works by master playwrights.
Serious Money by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Steven Sapp
CMFT Performance Studio (CMFT2043) 10/15-22/22
Churchill’s 1987 Olivier and Obie Awards-winner follows murderous London stockbrokers through the highs and crashes of the deregulated marketplace.
Serious Money
is partially supported by a gift from Robert Wiener.
In an unnamed Latin American country Lieutenant Orlando resolves to rise in the military ranks by any means necessary. Despite their poverty and the violence of Orlando’s regime, his wife Leticia, servant Olimpia, and victim Nena strive to maintain their hope that the world can be better. Using tools of both Epic Theatre and Absurdism, Fornés’s 1985 masterpiece is still a forceful examination of how hope survives amid brutality.
The Conduct of Life is part of FornésFest, produced by the Playwriting & Screenwriting program and the Conservatory of Theatre Arts. See the festival’s website for a full calendar of programs celebrating the work of one of America’s greatest playwrights and most influential writing teachers.
Theatre Arts faculty will perform an open rehearsal process culminating in a reading of Fornés’s fascinating short play about a brilliant but destitute woman trying to change her circumstances through education, and the men who profit from her labor.
Mud is part of FornésFest, produced by the Playwriting & Screenwriting program and the Conservatory of Theatre Arts this fall. See the festival’s website for a full calendar of programs celebrating the work of one of America’s greatest playwrights and most influential writing teachers.
No reservations necessary to attend the rehearsals or reading.
Theatre & Performance Presents: Engaging With Community, Engaging With Ourselves
Hosted by Assistant Professor Andrew Saito’s Intro to Applied Theatre class
CMFT Performance Studio (CMFT2043) Thursday, 10/20 @ 10:30am
Guest artist Steve Sapp – director of Serious Money at Purchase College and co-founder of acclaimed theatre ensemble UNIVERSES – will discuss his career in politically- and community-engaged theatre, and lead participants in a workshop based on his own creation process. The workshop will including exercises focused on writing into ourselves as a way to forge connections with others. All are welcome!
Theatre & Performance Presents: Works In Response
CMFT Performance Studio (CMFT2043) Weds, 10/26 @ 12pm
Join Professor Michi Barall’s Women+ In Performance class, as they perform short plays inspired by exercises and prompts created by María Irene Fornés, and transmitted to us by her students.
Works In Response is part of FornésFest, produced by the Playwriting & Screenwriting program and the Conservatory of Theatre Arts this fall. See the festival’s website for a full calendar of programs celebrating the work of one of America’s greatest playwrights and most influential writing teachers.
A reading of Enter the Night by María Irene Fornés
Directed by Chelsea Muller
CMFT Performance Studio (CMFT2043) Fri, 10/28 @ 7pm
Theatre & Performance students will perform a reading of the 1990 Pulitzer Prize finalist. What of the Night? spans 1938 to the present day, and follows the lives of multiple generations of Americans trying to break out of cycles of poverty and abuse.
Enter the Night is part of FornésFest, produced by the Playwriting & Screenwriting program and the Conservatory of Theatre Arts this fall. See the festival’s website for a full calendar of programs celebrating the work of one of America’s greatest playwrights and most influential writing teachers.
Fefu and Her Friends is one of the most celebrated plays by the prolific Cuban-American experimentalist María Irene Fornés. Written in 1977, the play broke ground by focusing exclusively on relationships among women rather than centering oppressive or dependent relationships with men.
In 1935, the titular Fefu and her friends prepare and rehearse for a fundraising event. The play’s playful plot is peppered with stark interjections of individual psychic struggle, and radically departs from traditional dramatic structure. A landmark in 20th-century feminist writing, Fefu is also an important early example of immersive theatre.
Fefu and Her Friends is part of FornésFest, produced by the Playwriting & Screenwriting program and the Conservatory of Theatre Arts this fall. See the festival’s website for a full calendar of programs celebrating the work of one of America’s greatest playwrights and most influential writing teachers.
by María Irene Fornés Directed by Milan Castro Dramaturgy by Ash Visker Sound Design by Emily Webb Scenic Concepts by Quinland Thompson Featuring Siobhan Kiernan & Megan Siepak
CMFT Screening Room (CMFT0065) Weds, 11/2 @ 12pm
A screening of the senior project in Theatre & Performance produced by members of the class of 2021, followed by a conversation with the alumni who created it.
Springtime is part of FornésFest, produced by the Playwriting & Screenwriting program and the Conservatory of Theatre Arts this fall. See the festival’s website for a full calendar of programs celebrating the work of one of America’s greatest playwrights and most influential writing teachers.
Tennessee Williams’s classic about two outsiders finding connection under the judgmental eyes of their oppressive Southern town is the full-scale debut of Acting Company 48, and features the work of the Theatre Design/Technology program.
Orpheus Descending is partially supported by a gift from Robert Wiener.
No reservations will be necessary to attend performances of Orpheus Descending. Please arrive in the upper lobby of the Performing Arts Center at least 15 minutes before the listed showtime.
Content Notice: Orpheus Descending is intended for mature audiences. This production contains the use of racial slurs, the appearance of racist regalia, and staged acts of racial violence. It also includes simulated gunshots, partial nudity, and the use of flashing lights.
All are welcome to join Professor Jeana Scotti’s Theatre & Performance Junior Seminar class to meet professional Intimacy Director (and Purchase alum) Lauren DeLeon, who will discuss the emerging discourse of intimacy direction in theatre and film production, and the new career paths developing as a result.
Purchase Performance Lab: A Festival of Senior Projects
Bold, experimental, and moving works produced as capstone projects by students in Theatre & Performance.
CMFT Performance Studio Program (CMFT2043)
11/16 - 19/22
What If If Only by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Edie Gregg
In times of loss and grief, the future can seem daunting, overwhelming, and unwelcome. This short play is a reminder that the Present is here for us, and the Future is not something to fear.
Written by Mauricio Gonzalez Directed by Chelsea Muller Featuring Nicole Castillo, Michael Friary, Mauricio Gonzalez, Karissa Leonardo, Joann Maxwell, & Lillian Perez
A morality play in a secluded office space: Addison, your average 9 to 5 worker, is constantly interrupted by their coworkers. Little does Addison know that these “coworkers” have been possessed by the cardinal sins of man, and have far more nefarious intentions than Addison realizes.
Written by Taylor Maxim Directed by Jenna Karnatski Featuring Haylin Davis
After being denied a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin, a nurse arriving home from a late-night shift begins to spiral. At 5:30am her girlfriend must unpack how a breakfast sandwich could cause such a commotion.
Directed by Nahiem Paris Featuring Kay Carrington & Sydney Lynch
A dramatic comedy about an abused housewife who never thought she’d escape from her husband. She unexpectedly gets her chance when her husband spontaneously combusts into ash.
The Following Senior Project Is Scheduled For One Fall!
Written by and featuring Bradley Rabinowitz Directed by Claire Giegerich
Two friends, a professional wrestler and an MMA fighter, reconnect after not seeing each other for a long time. They have a conversation worthy of a main event, and soon discover they have a lot more in common than meets the eye. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you might even tear your quad. So please, come layeth the smacketh down at Purchase!
A play about a tortured king set on burning all the knowledge of the old world. After civil war, M seized his chance to rule and is determined to burn away memory of all he has lost — but someone close to him has been hiding pieces of the past.
Created by Jahnae Pitter Written by Qasim Sonson with Jahnae Pitter Directed by Eryn Harris Featuring Eryn Harris, Jahnae Pitter, & Qasim Sonson
A story about a girl who experiences struggles of homelessness and trying to fit in. She uses her love for performing as a way to persevere through the tough times.
The universally-beloved romantic comedy gets a fresh take in a production that celebrates the potency of language to enthrall the ear. Featuring Acting Company 47 and the work of the Theatre Design/Technology program.
CMFT Performance Theater (CMFT0061) Friday, February 3, 12:00 - 1:30pm
Join the students of Professor Michi Barall’s Theatre & Asia course for a workshop in the techniques of jingju (Chinese Opera) movement and theatricality by master choreographer Jamie Guan.
All are welcome. There are 15 reserved spots for participants, and open seating for observers.
She Kills Monsters
by Qui Nguyen Directed by Mack Gomes and Noel Holmgren Featuring Brisa Nunes and Alice Palmer
CMFT Performance Studio (CMFT2043) Feb 2 - 4, 2023
This 20-sided comedy follows Agnes Evans through her sister’s postmortem Dungeons and Dragons module as the fantasy world of New Landia clashes with everyday Athens, Ohio. She Kills Monsters is sharp, bright, and touching. In New Landia, Family is Critical.
Content Notice: She Kills Monsters contains discussions of grief and death, defamatory language, flashing lights, and mention of sexual assault.
A capstone project produced by seniors in Theatre & Performance.
Theatre & Performance and Literature Present: Adaptation with Ellen McLaughlin
Humanities 2052 Thursday, February 16, 2:30 - 4:00pm
Please join the Adapting Virginia Woolf class led by Professors Rachel Dickstein and Tony Domestico in a conversation with playwright Ellen McLaughlin about the art of adaptation. All are welcome! No reservations necessary. This is an in-person-only event; there will be no digital distribution of its content.
The conversation will specifically focus on the work Septimus and Clarissa, a movement theatre piece based on Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway written by McLaughlin and co-created with Dickstein over a period of three years. Familiarity with McLaughlin’s script and a video of the performance is recommended, but not required. These materials are available for anyone who plans to attend the Q&A by contacting Professor Dickstein at rachel.dickstein@purchase.edu.
This event is co-sponsored by the School of Humanities and the Theatre & Performance program.
Theatre & Performance Presents: Noh with Mayo Miwa
Humanities Theater Friday, March 3, 10:30 - 11:50am
Professor Michi Barall and the students of Theatre & Asia invite you to a workshop in the Noh movement and performance technique, taught by contemporary Noh artist Mayo Miwa.
All are welcome to participate or observe. Participants should be prepared to move. This is an in-person event.
Theatre & Performance Presents: The Art of Translation
Sunday, March 5 @ 5pm
Professor Michi Barall, director of The Attic, will host a panel of artists who are all engaged in the task of translating text between languages. The panelists will specifically discuss issues in translation for theatrical production, and for publication.
Featuring: Claire Conceison, Professor of Chinese Culture and of Theatre Arts at MIT Carlie Hoffman, Lecturer in Creative Writing at Purchase Leon Ingulsrud, translator of The Attic Andrea Thome, Assistant Professor of Theatre & Performance at Purchase
This one-hour panel discussion will be conducted on Zoom. It will not be recorded. Advance registration is not required. All are welcome!
Theatre & Performance Presents: Theatre and Healing
CMFT Performance Theater (CMFT0061) Thurs, March 9 @ 6pm
Join drama therapist Krista Hoeppner Leahy and Denika Desert, LMSW from the Purchase Counseling and Behavioral Health Services office for a pre-show conversation about how theatre, as a form of embodied imaginative play, works as a mode of recovery from trauma, and helps us to connect with ourselves and others. Come for the just the conversation, or stay for the performance of The Attic at 7:30! Cookies and cocoa will be served.
No advance reservation required to attend this event.
Yaneura, or The Attic
by Yoji Sakate translated by Leon Ingulsrud and Keiko Tsuneda Directed by Michi Barall
CMFT Performance Studio (CMFT2043)
Sat, March 4 - Sat, March 11
Are you tired of being perceived? Do you want to shut out the world? Have a space just for you, all to yourself? Be careful what you wish for in Sakate’s dreamscape exploring the hikikomori phenomenon, featuring the work of students in the Theatre & Performance program in collaboration with the Theatre Design/Technology program.
CMFT Performance Theater (CMFT0061) Sat, March 11 - Thurs, March 16, 2023
Acting Company 48 and the Theatre Design/Technology program present two poetic works about family dynamics, one contemporary and one classical, in dialogue across the centuries.
Friday, March 17 @ 9:15-11:45am Humanities Theater
Please join Professor Michi Barall’s Theatre and Asia class for a special workshop on principles and exercises from the Suzuki Acting Method, led by Leon Ingulsrud of the SITI Company.
Developed by internationally acclaimed director Tadashi Suzuki and the Suzuki Company of Toga, the Suzuki Method’s principle concern is with restoring the wholeness of the human body to the theatrical context, and uncovering the actor’s innate expressive abilities. A rigorous physical discipline drawn from such diverse influences as ballet, traditional Japanese and Greek theater, and martial arts, the training seeks to heighten the actor’s emotional and physical power and commitment to each moment on the stage. Attention is on the lower body and a vocabulary of footwork, sharpening the actor’s breath control and concentration. The Suzuki Method is taught throughout Asia and across the US at schools like Juilliard and Columbia University, as well as in Britain at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
All are welcome; registration is open to additional participants. Participation will require physical activity.
Join Professor Andrew Saito’s Documentary Theatre class for a Zoom workshop with theatre artist Christina Bixland of Ping Chong + Company. Bixland will specifically discuss the techniques used to create Ping Chong’s production Beyond Sacred.
All are welcome, and no advance registrations are necessary.
Music and lyrics by Adam Gwon Directed by Chelsea Muller Stage Management by Marli Worden Featuring Kayla Stallone and Izzy Hamboussi
CMFT Performance Studio (CMFT2043) Thurs, March 30 - Sat, April 1
Ordinary Days tells the story of four individuals who are struggling with identity, feeling stagnant, and trying to find the beauty in the simplicity of everyday life.
Purchase Performance Lab: A Festival of Senior Projects
April 12 - 15, 2023
Bold, experimental, and moving works produced as capstone projects by students in Theatre & Performance.
Humanities Theater Program
This program contains a site-specific piece; audiences will meet in the Humanities Lobby at the posted curtain time, and will travel together to the performance site.
Fri, April 14 @ 6:30
Sat, April 15 @ 3:30
Rambling Gary Roger’s Performance Jamboree Written and Directed by Oliver Copeland & Raquel Willard
Rambling Gary Roger’s Medicine Show is a spectacle as acclaimed as it is obscure! Featuring ornery proprietors, 1890s pop music, slimy business dealings, sermonizing tetrapods, and so much more! See it before it is run out of town!
A Tribute to Tagore Written by and Featuring Ahona Dias Directed by Lizette Padua Choreography by Priya Dias
A solo performance piece dedicated to Rabindranath Tagore, the first non-European to win a Nobel prize. A glimpse into the beauty and wonders of South Asian culture. Consisting of Tagore’s dance piece “Ekla Cholo Re” from Gitanjali & the story of Chitra, A Tribute to Tagore highlights the creative accomplishments found within South-Asian culture and the endless possibilities it can bring to American theatre.
Drifting Written by Rachel D. Williams Directed by Kailee-Jade Berrios
Stranded in a rowboat and left delirious from hunger and thirst, a sailor awaits death to end his suffering. In a last attempt at survival, three familiar-faced apparitions appear to change fate. These ghosts must convince him to continue living.
Forever Evolving Conceived by and Featuring Tim Daly Directed by Isabel Shanahan & Ayeraye Hargett
Troy is a young black queer man moving through his forever-evolving life. He’s learning new things every day as he uses all his creative outlets and deals with the daily struggles that come along with the intersectionality of his identity, whether it’s the color of his skin to the femininity that exudes through his personality. We will follow and see how Troy deals with the new journey he’s taking from leaving Brooklyn to graduating and going to purchase college. The struggles of a black gay feminine man in a white-dominated school will test his grit. Troy will be forced to question what is it to be a black man as society’s norms are thrown at him every day. Will racism, homophobia, or his own internal demons be his breaking point?
A Change of A Lifetime By Jada Vick Directed by Zenzele Daniels
The story of a young girl, Mia, whose life turns upside down when she finds out her mother passes away. The play shows how Mia goes through an emotional rollercoaster in her grieving stages. With the help of her dad, family, and her own strong self-Mia reveals how much resilience it takes to grieve a parental loss. This play is based on the true story of the playwright. It’s a story that is monumental to Jada and loved ones. Her artistic is aim to move my audience emotionally and help them learn about another person’s experience.
The Attempted Acknowledgment of My Death Written by and Featuring Kes Evans-Townsend
A horror fantasy play about what it feels like for someone who ends up lost in the idea of someone they love in order to avoid processing something difficult. The play takes place in an unknown post-apocalyptic landscape overrun with vegetation and populated by otherworldly creatures.
My Head is Spinning & Let It Rain Presented by Our Truth Collective Written by Anya Febus-Fernandez Directed by Leandra Torres Creative Direction by Karissa Leonardo
My Head is Spinning/ Let It Rain incorporates theatre, dance, and music to tell the many truths and stories of people experiencing issues with mental health. Specifically focusing on the often unnoticed, hidden, or misunderstood aspects of mental health.
by William Shakespeare Directed by Grace Castle Dramaturgy by Tess Walsh Stage Management by Carly Friedman Featuring Emily Dziak
Outdoor Site-Specific Location (Audience members will meet in front of the Music Building at the posted curtain time)
With new script cuts and devised work by the crew and cast, this As You Like It tells a story of queer rebellion and climate rehabilitation through the lens of young lovers and the patriarchal forces that clash with them. Set in a nondescript modernish era in a region not known to us, the story unfolds in both a polluted, over-commercialized court and a utopian forest community, as exile creates belonging and disguise leads to self-discovery.
Join Professor Michi Barall’s Theatre & Asia class for a workshop in Filipino indigenous dance drama forms led by Kinding Sindaw!
Kinding Sindaw is a NYC-based nonprofit dance-theatre company founded in 1992, and composed of indigenous tradition-bearers, Filipino-American artists, and educators from all backgrounds.
The workshop will cover an introduction to Meranao, Taosug, and Pangalay movement, and choreography from the dance of emotions Kaeg Manisan.
This workshop will take place in the Performance Theater (CMFT 0061), and will last 2 hours.
The debut of Acting Company 48, produced by the company for an on-campus audience. Wilder’s unflinching examination of inner life is just as present now as it has ever been.
Plays In Performance: A Senior Project Reading SeriesMay 12-14 Durst Humanities Theater
Performing Arts Center, Upper Lobby Tuesday, May 10, 4:00 - 8:00pm
The Design/Tech class of 2022 will present their portfolios of design and production work to the campus community and industry professionals. All are welcome to drop in at any time during the event.
The Most Beautiful Suicide by Karlo-Filomena YaoCMFT Performance Studio May 5-7, 2022
An evening of spoken-word-as-pop-performance, produced as a capstone project in Theatre & Performance.
Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1Directed by Petronia Paley
Theatre & Performance Presents: Ushuaia Blue, A Conversation with Caridad Svich
Fri, May 6 @ 9am Live on Zoom
Please join Professor Andrew Saito’s Theatre & the Climate Crisis class to speak with playwright Caridad Svich about her new play, Ushuaia Blue:
Jordan is a marine biologist. Sara works in bio-acoustics and film. They have been traveling to do research in Antarctica for some time now. On a recent trip, Sara connects with Pepa, who is native to Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southernmost tip of the world. This connection begins to affect how she sees the world and how she begins to hear the music of the ice. As Jordan and Sara’s relationship as a couple becomes more fragile, Sara suffers an accident. In the land of spirit dreaming, suffering and awakening, lessons are learned about life and climate change. A love story set against the backdrop of climate science, this play was inspired by interviews conducted by the playwright with polar marine biologist James McClintock (author of non-fiction book LOST ANTARCTICA).
Theatre & Performance Presents: Native Made — a conversation with Opalanietet
CMFT Performance Theater Wednesday, May 4 @ 12pm
Join us for a performance and Q&A about Native American performance practice.
Ryan Victor Pierce or Opalanietet is a member of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape tribal nation of New Jersey. Upon graduating from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Opalanietet has performed in workshops and productions at such renown New York theatrical institutions as New Dramatists, LaMaMa E.T.C. and New York City Opera at Lincoln Center. In November of 2020, Opalanietet made history by giving the first-ever Lenape Land Acknowledgement at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC.In 2012, Opalanietet founded Eagle Project, a theater company dedicated to exploring the American identity through the performing arts and our Native American heritage, http://www.eagleprojectarts.org. Through his leadership, Eagle Project has collaborated with and performed at the Public Theater, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and Ashtar Theater in Palestine. In April of 2020, Eagle Project collaborated with the American Indian Community House of New York City and First Nations Theatre Guild to create Native Theatre Thursdays, a virtual reading series of new Native work.Opalanietet is currently studying for his doctorate in Theatre & Performances Studies at the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center. He is scheduled to have an audio play he wrote, titled “West Side Quest,” to debut later this spring/summer at Playwrights Horizons.
Marisol by José RiveraDirected by Mari Featuring Kimberly Hernández & Seth Thompson Costume Design by Kimberly Hernández
CMFT Performance Studio April 28-30, 2022
The 1993 Obie-winner, produced as a capstone project in Theatre & Performance. Marisol is an absurdist play that follows Marisol Perez through her journey navigating an apocalyptic version of her home, the Bronx, as she’s confronted with experiences that reveal to her some of her deepest fears about the world and herself.
Paul Tazewell has been designing costumes for Broadway, television, movies, dance, and opera for over thirty years! He is most well-known for his work with Lin-Manuel Miranda on the Broadway hit Hamilton.Paul got his start on Broadway designing the groundbreaking musical ‘Bring in Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk, directed by George C. Wolfe. Other Broadway credits include In the Heights; Ain’t Too Proud; The Color Purple; Dr. Zhivago; Memphis; Caroline, or Change; Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam; Revival work includes Side Show; A Streetcar Named Desire; Jesus Christ Superstar; Guys and Dolls; A Raisin in the Sun and On the Town.In 2021 Paul designed Fire Shut Up in My Bones, the Met’s first opera written by a Black composer.Paul’s work on screen includes: Harriet, Stephen Spielberg’s West Side Story, and Hamilton (on Disney+). You may have also seen some of his TV work: The Wiz Live! On NBC, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks starring Oprah Winfrey.In 2016, he received an Emmy Award for NBC’s The Wiz! Live, as well as a Tony Award for Hamilton. Other notable honors include two Lucille Lortel Awards, four Helen Hayes Awards, a CDGA Award, a Princess Grace Foundation Fellowship, and The Princess Grace Statue Award.Paul holds an MFA from New York University and a BFA from North Carolina School of the Arts. He has been privileged instructing students as a guest artist at both New York University and North Carolina School of the Arts. From 2003-2006, he held a faculty position at Carnegie Mellon University.
Theatre & Performance presents: Ryan O’Connell and Jessica Hecht
Monday, April 25 @ 6:30pm Fully remote, live on Zoom
Please join Professor Michi Barall and the Theatres of Dis/ability class in a public talk by creator/performers Ryan O’Connell and Jessica Hecht about their Emmy-nominated Netflix show Special.Special is a semi-autobiographical sitcom based on O’Connell’s memoir, I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, which chronicles his life as a gay man with cerebral palsy. The show has been heralded as groundbreaking in its depiction of the intersections between sexuality and disability. Both actors were nominated for Emmys for their performances in the show.
Love Thyselves
by Ayeraye Hargett
Saturday, April 23 @ 7:30pm Durst Humanities Theater
Theatre Arts and Film present: Workshop in Intimacy Direction with Lauren DeLeon
Thursday, April 21 @ 12:30pm PAC Concert Hall
Are you interested in learning more about the developing field of Intimacy Direction and Intimacy Coordination in the professional theatre and film fields? Join Theatre & Performance alumna Lauren DeLeon for an interactive workshop introducing Purchase students to concepts in this field.
Directed by Virginia ScottThe classic play in a new production directed by master clown teacher Virginia Scott. If life is a joke, what’s the punchline?
We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915
A Purchase College tradition! This concert is a Black History Month celebration featuring the Soul Voices Choir led by Pete Malinverni performing classics of Black American vocal music, and Acting Company 47 performing spoken-word works on themes of Black joy and resistance. All are welcome!
Kicking off a new lecture series about equity and inclusion in the professional performance fields, Douglas Lyons will discuss navigating his career from Broadway actor to Broadway playwright. This public conversation is open to the entire campus community. The talk will be hosted by Nathaniel Entz, Amani Kojo, Brandalyn Fulton, and Maggie Surovell from the Acting program, and is co-sponsored by the Multicultural Center.
Alden Deforming To Life
A film by Daniel Kuriakose
Featuring Isabel Biagiotti & Jackson Stenborg
Friday-Sunday, February 11-13, 2022
CMFT Screening RoomA capstone project for students in the Theatre & Performance program.
Old Administration BuildingActing Company 47 produces an immersive, site-specific performance in an unexpected location on campus, in collaboration with students in New Media, Theatre & Performance, and the Conservatory of Dance.
Theatre & Performance Presents: a reading of Golondrinas
Monday, December 13 at 10:30am
Neuberger Museum & remotely on Zoom
Please join us for a reading of GOLONDRINAS by innovative Mexican playwright Gabriela Román, in a brand-new English translation by the students of Professor Andrea Thome’s Modern Hispanic Theatre. The reading will take place in person in the Neuberger Museum gallery, in dialogue with the exhibit “The Rise of a Social Consciousness in the Arts of Mexico since the Revolution.”In GOLONDRINAS, three children migrate in search of their families and a better tomorrow. They cross a whole country on dangerous paths that force them to create a fantastical world, an Odyssey of their own, in order to make their perilous journey bearable. Three lives converge on a shared road of survival, friendship and loyalty.The reading itself lasts about 45 minutes, and will be followed by a short Q+A with the playwright. If you are attending in person, please RSVP directly to andrea.thome@purchase.edu so you can be added to the list. You can also join the event remotely through the link below.
Translated by: Michel Chahade, Royce De Jesus, Leslieann Flores, Mauricio Gonzalez, Jaheim Menzie, Briani Questelles, Randy Santana Hidalgo, Dilia Urbaez, and Rossy Veras.
Gabriela Román is a playwright, director, actor and translator who lives in México City. Her texts have been presented and published in New York, Iowa City, México, Spain and Argentina. Her work has received multiple awards, including the “Independiente de Joven Dramaturgia por Escorzo,” and her play Cósmica was a finalist for the International ASSITEJ-Spain prize and her play Iridiscentes for México’s Mancebo del Castillo National Young Playwriting prize. She has received FONCA’s (National Fund for the Arts and Culture) fellowship grant for Young Creators twice, and has been invited to artistic residencies in New York (at The Lark), Argentina, and Canada. Her play Quetzalli has been translated into Portuguese, and her play Cósmica was translated into English through The Lark’s México-U.S. Playwright Exchange.
Frame(D)
Written & Directed by Leah Bickley
Production Stage Management & Assistant Direction by Paola Solis-Ramirez
Dramaturgy by Ryan LeViness
Featuring Brielle Nostro & Ryan LeViness
12/2-4, 2021
Durst Humanities Theater
An original capstone project created and produced by seniors in Theatre & Performance.
PAC Abbott Kaplan Repertory TheaterActing Company 46 performs in a new adaptation of the classic, created for their voices in collaboration with Theatre Design/Technology.
Theatre & Performance Presents: a Son Jarocho songwriting workshop with Sinhué Padilla-Isunza
Monday, November 22 at 10:30am
Presented fully remotely on Zoom
Please join us to observe a Son Jarocho verse-writing workshop with master musician Sinuhé Padilla-Isunza, hosted by Professor Andrea Thome’s Modern Hispanic Theatre course!
An expert practitioner and teacher of Son Jarocho music from Southeastern Mexico, Sinuhé will give a musical demonstration of Son Jarocho’s history in bringing together indigenous, Spanish, Roma, and African influences since the time of the Spanish colony, and how it lives on today in communities across Mexico and the U.S.
Then he and Prof. Thome will lead students through a playful, interactive writing workshop in which students in the room will generate material from their own stories and shape it into verses – and which Sinuhé will accompany with music!
The Black Creatives Collective
November 18-20, 2021
CMFT Performance Studio
Hunter X Hollingsworth & Friends: Who Tells Your Story?
Created by and featuring Fatou Diouf, Dematria Mugeni, Ayeraye Hargett, Aicha Barry, Anna Fofana, Jewel Victor, Kailee-Jade Berrios, Jiejer Patrick, and Alyssa Stanley
A double-bill of original capstone projects created and produced by seniors in Theatre & Performance.
Theatre & Performance Presents: Asian American Performers Action CoalitionTuesday, November 16 at 11:00am Presented fully remotely on ZoomA special discussion hosted by Visiting Assistant Professor Michi Barall’s Asian American Theatre and Performance course!The class will be joined by Pun Bandhu and Nandita Shenoy, steering committee members of AAPAC – The Asian American Performers Action Coalition.AAPAC publishes The VISIBILITY REPORT which has tracked representation of BIPOC artists on NYC stages. In 2020 AAPAC won an OBIE for their diversity advocacy work. All members of the community are welcome to join the discussion. If you are interested in EDI advocacy, please join us! (Pun and Nandita are also accomplished actors, writers and producers!)
How I Learned To Drive
Written by Paula Vogel Directed by Mari Featuring Shelby Kline, Caroline Loftus, and Mikayla Schaefer
November 11-13, 2021 CMFT Performance Theater
The Pulitzer Prize-winning play, produced as a capstone project by seniors in Theatre & Performance.
Theatre & Performance Presents: The Body As the Instrument of Creation
Monday, November 1 at 9am Presented fully remotely on Zoom
An interactive workshop hosted by Assistant Professor Andrew Saito’s Intro to Theatre & Performance course!Performance artist and activist Violeta Luna will invite participants to activate the relationships among theatre, performance art, and community engagement.We highly recommended reviewing Violeta Luna’s work in advance.The workshop will last about 60 minutes.
Babette’s Feast
Conceived and developed by Abigail Killeen, written by Rose Courtney, adapted from the short story by Isak Dinesen Directed by A. Dean Irby
October 23-30, 2021 PAC Abbott Kaplan Repertory Theater
Acting Company 47 in their first full-scale production at Purchase College, in collaboration with Theatre Design/Technology.
Playwriting/Screenwriting Presents: A Conversation With MJ Kaufman
Thursday, October 14 at 8:30pm
A live post-performance discussion with playwright MJ Kaufman, director Sarah Hughes, and Playwriting/Screenwriting co-Chair Peggy Stafford after the performance of A Walrus In the Body of A Crocodile on Thurs, 10/14.
Theatre & Performance Presents: Butoh Dance Workshop with Iu-Hui Chua
Thursday, October 14 at 6:00pm Presented fully remotely on Zoom
An interactive movement workshop hosted by Assistant Professor Andrew Saito’s Intro to Theatre & Performance course!Choreographer and theatre-maker Iu-Hui Chua will introduce participants to the history and techniques of Butoh, a dance-theatre form originating in postwar Japan.The workshop will last about 75 minutes.
Fall Festival of Contemporary Drama
October 2-9, 2021 CMFT Performance Studio
Acting Company 46 kicks off the season with a repertory of bold 21st-century plays, including a Pulitzer Prize-winner, in collaboration with Theatre Design/Technology.
EverybodyWritten by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Directed by Christopher McCann
Saturday, September 18 at 5:30pm Presented fully remotely on Zoom
A special live reading and artist talkback hosted by Visiting Assistant Professor Michi Barall’s Asian American Theatre and Performance course!Joel de la Fuente (Man in the High Castle) performs an extended excerpt from the award-winning solo show by Jeanne Sakata. The performance will be followed by a Q&A with the artists.
An unsung American hero, Gordon Hirabayashi fought passionately for the Constitution against an unexpected adversary: his own country. During World War II he refused to report to a relocation camp with thousands of families of Japanese descent, launching a 50-year journey from college to courtroom, and eventually to a Presidential Medal of Freedom. An inspiring true story of conscience amidst conflict, Hold These Truths is a one-man portrait of American character at its best.
