Events at a Glance
We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South West Africa, From the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915
Tansill Theater
Friday, Sept. 28, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 29, 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 30, 2 p.m.
By Jackie Sibblies Drury
Directed by Jude Sandy
A group of actors gather to tell the little-known story of the first genocide of the 20th century. “We Are Proud to Present ...” takes place largely in a rehearsal room that descends from collaborative to absurd as a group of idealistic actors—three black and three white—attempt to recreate the extinction of the Herero tribe at the hands of their German colonizers. Along the way, they test the limits of empathy as their own stories, subjectivities, assumptions and prejudices catalyze their theatrical process. Eventually the full force of a horrific past crashes into the good intentions of the present, and what seemed a faraway place and time comes all too close to home.
Tickets: $15; Seniors: $6; Students: $6; Military: $6 (General Admission)
Theatre Re – “The Nature of Forgetting”
Palmer Auditorium
Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018
"Incredibly beautiful... 'The Nature of Forgetting' is an explosive, joyous celebration of remembering." - Exeunt Magazine
At the intersection of art and science, "The Nature of Forgetting" bursts with creativity, joy and heartache. Theatre Re has created a moving articulation of the countless dimensions of memory and amnesia, linking science with real-life experiences. Through movement of great physicality and compelling live music, "The Nature of Forgetting" is the story of Tom — a middle-aged father struggling in the early stages of dementia. The piece, and Tom’s memories, are a life-affirming journey into a weakened mind, where broken does not have to mean defeated; a journey of shining humanity and celebration of a life well lived. A panel discussion will immediately follow the performance.
Presented in collaboration with the Connecticut Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
Tickets: $24; Seniors: $21; Students: $12 (General Admission)
Life is a Dream / La vida es sueño by Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Tansill Theater
Friday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 10, 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 11, 2 p.m.
Edited and Translated by Stanley Appelbaum
Directed by Ginny Anderson
In collaboration with Luis Gonzalez
To protect the country from the horrors prophesied, the young Prince Segismundo is condemned for all eternity to be shut away from his country and his birthright. Banished to a secret world high in the mountains and cut off from the sun, he can only dream of a life reversed: of palaces, empires, freedom - revenge... A classic from the Spanish Golden Age, Calderón's richly poetic, epic masterpiece explores illusion, reality, fate and destiny against the backdrop of a mythical Polish kingdom.
Tickets: $15; Seniors: $6; Students: $6; Military: $6 (General Admission)
Pickup Performance Co(s). - "Radicals in Miniature"
Tansill Theater
Friday, Feb. 15, and Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019
Obie Award-winning playwright and performer Ain Gordon and percussionist Josh Quillen team up to recount and acknowledge the lives of people who lived on the fringe of society. Through personal recollection, they honor those individuals who made their mark on contemporary culture in the 1980s and 90s but who have disappeared from the historical record today. From the tax man to the cabaret legend John Sex, the stories are told with tenderness and honor. The performance stimulates us to reflect on and remember those individuals on the fringes of our own lives who impacted us greatly. A talk-back will follow each performance.
Tickets: $20; Seniors: $18; Students: $10 (General Admission)
Dee
Palmer Auditorium
Friday, March 1, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 2, 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 3, 2 p.m.
A new musical written and directed by Kenneth Prestininzi
The musical, Dee, is the story of a working-class Italian-American young woman from Detroit who wants to break free from her have-nothing life with her mother and go out and conquer the world. The world rejects her. She sets out to make it love her anyway. Her journey is performed as a concert in a surreal make-believe 1980’s America and includes encounters with the King of Idols, Claire Voyent, Brat Ambition and her one true love, Pete Pentecost.
Tickets: $18; Seniors: $8; Students: $8; Military: $8 (General Admission)
Theater Capstone Festival
Locations and times to be announced.
Thursday, April 25 through Monday, April 29
The Department of Theater ends the year with its 7th Annual Theater Capstone Festival, a collective opportunity for seniors to finish their college careers with a major creative project. We invite them to take risks, to deepen their work, to find their theatrical voices as actors, designers, directors, scholars, writers or beyond.