THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER & More Set for CU-Boulder Department of Theatre & Dance's 2016-17 Season
By: Tyler Peterson May. 02, 2016
From an all-female production of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" to a weekend Hip-Hop showcase to the classic "Rocky Horror Show" musical, the 2016-17 season at the University of Colorado's Department of Theatre & Dance promises fun, thought-provoking entertainment for audiences of all ages and tastes.
Season ticket sales begin Monday, May 2 at 10 a.m., and single tickets are available beginning Monday, August 15 at 10 a.m. Tickets are available at cupresents.org or over the phone at 303-492-8008.
The theater season opens with the popular "44 Plays for 44 Presidents," a unique examination of American history in a series of two-minute vignettes, and closes with the beloved, imaginative "Peter and the Starcatcher," a "Peter Pan" prequel with music. For a more intimate theatergoing experience, audiences can take in the raw, emotional "Fefu and Her Friends" or the magic realism of "References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot."
"The 2016-17 season is exciting for several reasons," says Theatre Department Chair Bud Coleman. "We have three professional freelance directors joining our team of faculty and student directors, and all three happen to be women: Lisa Wolpe, Emily Harrison and Hadley Kamminga-Peck. In addition, our production of 'Twelfth Night' is not only part of the Shakespeare 400 celebration on campus but will also feature an all-female cast and artistic team. From a world premiere chosen from our 2015-16 New Play Festival, to Shakespeare, to a fantastic prequel to the Peter Pan story, to the story of a transvestite from Transylvania, we have something for everyone."
The 2016-17 dance season brings in exciting guests with international reputations, including street dance specialist Teena Marie Custer and aerial dance pioneer Ana Prada, a Roser Visiting Artist. The season also promises a weekend of performances, talks and workshops about women in Hip-Hop and a wide array of student-choreographed works inspired by skateboarding, consumerism, faith and more.
"I am thrilled with the roster of people we are lining up," says CU-Boulder Director of Dance Erika Randall. "Some of the country's most renowned Hip-Hop scholars and artists will be on our campus for Women of the Cypher, sharing their wisdom with students, faculty, and community members. We have an incredible cohort of MFA students presenting works next year, and each is playing with rich physicality and thoughtful art-making in a unique way. Next year's BFAs are a bunch of creative weirdos-in the best possible way!-so Catapult will feel like a visit to the Island of Misfit Toys. And we're so excited to have Roser Guest Artist Ana Prada here. Her artfully crafted anti-gravity displays have stunned audiences, and we imagine her work for our students will do the same."
2016-17 THEATRE SEASON LINEUP
"44 Plays for 44 Presidents," by Andy Bayiates, Sean Benjamin, Genevra Gall-Bayiates, Chloe Johnston and Karen Weinberg
Directed by Emily K. Harrison
In this entertaining and thought-provoking production, the story of America unfolds in a series of two-minute vignettes each focused on a different U.S. president. Time travel through our country's dramatic ups and downs, from its idealistic beginnings to the Civil War to modern times.
Where: University Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: Sept. 23-Oct. 2, 2016
Tickets start at $20
"Distracted" by Lisa Loomer
Directed by Kristofer Buxton
This smartly crafted play fuses comedy and drama to examine the way modern society confronts mental health disorders. "Distracted" is about more than just one boy's diagnosis: it's about the social costs we pay in our preoccupied, multitasking, 21st-century world.
Where: Acting Studio, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: Oct. 12-16, 2016
Tickets are free and available one month before the performance
"The Servant of Two Masters" by Carlo Goldoni
Directed by Tamara Meneghini
Brimming with physical energy and classic farce, this 1700s comedy is a tale of love lost, found and mistaken. When the servant Truffaldino begins attending to two different masters simultaneously, he pushes physical and emotional limits to appease them and to feed his growling stomach.
Where: Loft Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: Oct. 19-23, 2016
Tickets start at $16
"Twelfth Night" by William Shakespeare
Directed by Lisa Wolpe
In the kingdom of Illyria, a shipwrecked Viola dresses in a man's clothes to find work and turns the court of Duke Orsino upside down. CU-Boulder's production, featuring an all-female cast, shines a new light on the Bard's timeless, poetic words.
Where: University Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: Nov. 4-13, 2016
Tickets start at $20
The New Play Showcase
This winter, the winner of CU-Boulder's 2016 New Play Festival debuts never-before-seen theater in the Loft. See the work of a talented playwright in the making right here on campus.
Where: Loft Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: Feb. 1-5, 2017
Tickets start at $16
"References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot" by José Rivera
Directed by Lisa Wolpe
Gabriela's life is uprooted when she moves to the middle of the desert. Her only friends are a coyote, a cat, the moon and a next-door neighbor. This gripping, fantastical play uses Dali-esque magical realism to tell the story of one woman's lofty dreams to be free.
Where: Acting Studio, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: Feb. 22-26, 2017
Tickets are free and will be available one month before the performance
"The Rocky Horror Show" by Richard O'Brien
Directed by Hadley Kamminga-Peck
When a newly engaged couple gets caught in a storm and meets the tan, muscular new creation of a mad transvestite, their world is forever changed. This classic musical is an outrageous mashup of campy science fiction, Marvel-inspired characters and rock 'n' roll tunes of every vintage.
Where: University Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: March 3-19, 2017
Tickets start at $24
"Fefu and Her Friends" by Maria Irene Fornes
This creatively staged, all-female play is a raw, realistic exploration of the challenges and struggles everyday women face. In 1935 New England, Fefu invites seven of her friends over to plan a charity presentation, but the day quickly unravels when dark secrets are revealed.
Where: Acting Studio, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: April 5-9, 2017
Tickets are free and will be available one month before the performance
"Peter and the Starcatcher" by Rick Elice
Directed by Cecilia Pang
Ever wondered what Peter Pan's childhood was like before Wendy met him in Neverland? Rick Elice's play, based on a best-selling 2006 novel, travels back to Peter's early adventures in an orphanage, aboard a weather-beaten ship holding precious cargo, and on a magical remote island.
Where: University Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: April 14-23, 2017
Tickets start at $24
2016-17 DANCE SEASON LINEUP
[UN] W.R.A.P.: Women of the Cypher
Undoing Writing, Research, and Performance
This year, (UN)W.R.A.P. brings together renowned Hip-Hop scholars, artists and enthusiasts for a critical and creative exchange on women in Hip-Hop. At the nexus is "My Good Side," a 35-minute collaboration between guest artist Teena Marie Custer and dance division director Erika Randall.
Where: Charlotte York Irey Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: Sept. 23-25, 2016
Tickets start at $16
Boneless: MFA Dance Works by Rachel Dodson and Colt Irvin
Experience richly articulate movement in a pair of dance works by two CU-Boulder MFA students. Rachel Dodson's piece twists and writhes, turning the self inside out to unearth the animal creature within. A piece by Colt Irvin uses skateboarding to explore our consumption of products, identities and food.
Where: Charlotte York Irey Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: Oct. 21-23, 2016
Tickets start at $16
Open Space
In this student-produced and CU Dance Connection-curated series, dance works span a spectrum of styles, inviting and challenging viewers with exciting experimentations.
Where: Charlotte York Irey Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: Nov. 11-13, 2016
Tickets start at $16
FRESH
A buffet of explorations, this dance event offers a sampler of graduate and undergraduate student works. Come hungry for a potential mix of Hip-Hop, jazz, contemporary and improvised offerings. Warning: may contain raw or undercooked dance.
Where: Charlotte York Irey Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: Dec. 2 & 3, 2016
This performance is free and open to the public
Catapult: BFA Dance Works by Ellen Reynerson, Emma Scholz, Gabrielle Whitcomb, and Heather Woolley
A handful of burgeoning student artists use dance to explore a rich variety of subjects, from the Renaissance's dimensional read of the female body to racially homogeneous rabbits to anxiety's impact on perception. Experience the richness and curiosity of student research through dance.
Where: Charlotte York Irey Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: Feb. 10-12, 2017
Tickets start at $16
Alter/Altar: MFA Dance Works by Gwen Ritchie and Arneshia WIlliams
On a shared evening of dance, Gwen Ritchie and Arneshia Williams challenge what we know about movement with their unique kinesthetic voices. Through improvisation and spiritual expression, both artists explore how we are affected by touch and faith, whether it be skin-deep or spirit-penetrating.
Where: Charlotte York Irey Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: March 3-5, 2017
Tickets start at $16
The Current
From transnational fusion to experimental dance theatre to Hip-Hop, experience the depth and dimension CU-Boulder's dance program with this showcase of works choreographed by faculty members and Roser Guest Artist Ana Prada, a pioneer in aerial dance.
Where: Charlotte York Irey Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: April 21-23, 2017
Tickets start at $18
FRESH
A buffet of explorations, this dance event offers a sampler of graduate and undergraduate student works. Come hungry for a potential mix of Hip-Hop, jazz, contemporary and improvised offerings. Warning: may contain raw or undercooked dance.
Where: Charlotte York Irey Theatre, University Theatre Building, University of Colorado Boulder
When: April 28 & 29, 2017
This performance is free and open to the public
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