UB Theatre and Dance Announces Fall 2023 Season

Join the University at Buffalo Department of Theatre and Dance for a season of dance, musicals and drama. Nationally recognized directors, choreographers and faculty work with emerging student talent to produce innovative original productions that entertain audiences and explore the human condition. The fall 2023 season consists of live performances at the UB Center for the Arts and the Katharine Cornell Theatre, both on UB’s North campus.

The UB Theatre and Dance 2023-2024 season is sponsored in part by Fox Run at Orchard Park and Erie 1 BOCES.

Over the course of 30 years, the lives of Kayleen and Doug intersect at the most bizarre intervals, leading the two childhood friends to compare scars and the physical calamities that keep drawing them together.

Rajiv Jospeh received his BA in Creative Writing from Miami University and his MFA. in Playwriting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is currently a language lecturer at NYU with the School of Art and Public Policy and the Expository Writing Program. He also served for three years in the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa.

“Rajiv Joseph is an artist of original talent.” — NY Times. “Irresistibly odd and exciting…This darkly humorous drama is Rajiv Joseph’s most satisfying work.” — NY Daily News. “This wondrous strange two-hander finds as much humor as horror in the play’s bizarre events.” — Variety.

"Gruesome Playground Injuries" is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. New York.

By Rajiv Joseph
Directed by John DellaContrada as part of our Student Directed Series

Sept. 22 - 23, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.

UB Katharine Cornell Theatre
$22 Adults | $17 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$12 Students | $7 UB Students  

Tickets to Gruesome Playground Injuries

For seven years a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs, who just happened to be there too. A tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world.

The New York Times proclaims it “A fast-paced romp. For Potterphiliacs who grew up alongside Potter and are eager to revisit that world, Puffs exudes a jovial, winking fondness for all things Harry!”

This clever and inventive play “never goes more than a minute without a laugh” (Nerdist) giving you a new look at a familiar adventure from the perspective of three potential heroes just trying to make it through a magic school that proves to be very dangerous for children. Alongside them are the Puffs, a group of well-meaning, loyal outsiders with a thing for badgers, “who are so lovable and relatable, you’ll leave the theater wishing they were in the stories all along” (Hollywood Life). Their “hilariously heartfelt!” (Metro) and epic journey takes the classic story to new places and reimagines what a boy wizard hero can be.

"Puffs" is not authorized, sanctioned, licensed or endorsed by J.K Rowling, Warner Bros. or any person or company associated with the Harry Potter books, films or play.

"Puffs" is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.

By Matt Cox
Directed by Moriah Armstrong as part of the Student Directed Series

Sept. 29 - 30, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.

UB Katharine Cornell Theatre
$22 Adults | $17 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$12 Students | $7 UB Students  

Tickets to Puffs Or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic

The 49^th fall program “Celebration Rising” includes diversified choreography in jazz, tap, African drum and dance ensemble, modern and contemporary dance works performed by current UB dance majors who are members of the pre-professional Zodiaque Dance Company.  

The show is under the co-direction of faculty members Kerry Ring and Michael Deeb Weaver. Choreographers include Ring, Deeb Weaver and dance faculty members Jenna Zavrel and Tom Ralabate. Dance faculty Chanon Judson, in collaboration with UB Music Professor George Caldwell, will restage excerpts of Urban Bush Women’s “Walking with Trane.” Urban Bush Women Co-Artistic Director Mame Diarra Speis and original cast member Stephanie Mas will also be part of the restaging team.

The concert is punctuated by the contributions of second year MFA candidate Joshua Ikechukwu and guest choreographers Autumn Eckman, former assistant artistic director, Giordano Dance Chicago and Broadway veteran Jeff Shade from Chicago and Sweet Charity.

Co-Directed by Kerry Ring and Michael Deeb Weaver
Choreography by Michael Deeb Weaver, Autumn Eckman, Joshua Ikechukwu, Chanon Judson, Thomas Ralabate, Kerry Ring, Jeff Shade and Jenna Zavrel

Oct. 20 - 21, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 21, 2023 at 2 p.m. and Oct. 22, 2023 at 2 p.m.*

UB Center for the Arts
Drama Theatre
$22 Adults | $17 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$12 Students | $7 UB Students  

Tickets to Zodiaque

*UB Dance Day is Sunday, Oct. 22. All standard ticketing options are available plus a special $32 UB Dance Day Ticket, which includes:

• A participatory pre-show workshop for ages 14 and up in the UB Center for the Arts Dance Studios (Rooms B82 and B82 in the basement of building).  Arrive at noon in the hallway outside of the Dance Studios (rooms B82 and B84) for check-in.
• A dance class focusing on movement presented in the 2 p.m. performance and observation of company warm up, plus Q&A with UB dance majors. No specific dancewear required. Come dressed to move!
• Admission to "Zodiaque Dance Company 49th Season Fall 22 Program" 2 p.m. performance in the Drama Theatre.
• Questions: Email Professor Kerry Ring at kring2@buffalo.edu

An Oct. 20, 10:30 a.m. performance for students grades K-12 and senior groups is available by reservation at 716-645-6921.

“Renascence” is a theatrical exploration of identity and artistry through the poems of Pulitzer Prize-winning Edna St. Vincent Millay, featuring music by Carmel Dean,music director for “If/Then” and “American Idiot” on Broadway, with a book by Tony nominee Dick Scanlan.

At the age of 19, Millay writes a profoundly powerful poem, “Renascence,” catapulting her to stardom and releasing her from her rural, humble beginnings into an unconventional and adventurous bohemian life. Captivating both men and women with her unapologetic sensuality and frank intellect - she becomes the “original riot grrrl” of her time.

Originally created by The Transport Group in New York City, “Renascence” follows the early years of her life and invites its performers and audience to sit in the poet’s soul to view humanity and nature as if through her window.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters will be provided for the Oct. 28, 2 p.m. public performance.

“Renascence” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.

Book by Dick Scanlan
Music by Carmel Dean
Lyrics by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Directed and choreographed by James Beaudry
Music Direction by Matt Marco

Oct. 26 – 28, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 28 - 29, 2023 at 2 p.m.

UB Center for the Arts
Black Box Theatre
$22 Adults | $17 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$12 Students | $7 UB Students  

Tickets to Renascence

Celebrating diversity in both genre and theme, Emerging Choreographers Showcase features new dance works created and performed by BA, BFA, and MFA dance majors. Student choreographers receive close faculty mentorship and collaborate with student lighting designers, sound designers, costumers, and technicians.

Directed by Anne Burnidge

Nov. 10 - 11, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 12, 2022 at 2 p.m.

UB Katharine Cornell Theatre
$22 Adults | $17 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$12 Students | $7 UB Students  

Tickets Emerging Choreographers Showcase

In Ancient Greece, Socrates is accused of corrupting the young with his practice of questioning commonly held beliefs. In Renaissance Italy, a simple miller named Menocchio runs afoul of the Inquisition when he develops his own theory of the cosmos. In Nazi Germany, the playwright Bertolt Brecht is persecuted for work that challenges authority. And in present day New England, a graduate student finds himself in the center of a power struggle over the future of the university. An irreverent epic that spans thousands of years, “Outrage” explores the power of martyrdom and of theatre, and how the revolutionary of one era becomes the tyrant of the next.

Itamar Moses is the author of the full-length plays “Outrage”, “Bach at Leipzig”, “Celebrity Row” and “The Four of Us” among others. His work has appeared Off-Broadway and elsewhere in New York and at regional theatres across the country and in Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Venezuela, Turkey and Chile. He holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU and has taught playwriting at Yale and NYU.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters will be provided for the Nov. 18, 2 p.m. public performance.

“Outrage” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.

By Itamar Moses
Directed by Mason Beggs

Nov. 16 - 18, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Nov.  18 - 19, 2023 at 2 p.m.

UB Center for the Arts
Drama Theatre
$22 Adults | $17 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$12 Students | $7 UB Students  

Tickets to Outrage

The MFA Fall Showcase offers a peek into the creative process of dancemaking, featuring works in various stages of completion from current MFA Dance students. The works are often generated collaboratively with other artists, and the Showcase offers a space for choreographers to experiment and innovate movement-based performance. The concert is under the direction of MFA students, with faculty supervision by Ariel Nereson, director of graduate dance and assistant professor of dance studies.

UB’s dance program is built upon the belief that dance is a fundamental expression of humanity with the ability to inform, transform, reflect upon and lead local and global change in the 21^st century. With close faculty mentorship and numerous opportunities to create and present work, MFA Dance students engage in advanced practical, theoretical and critical inquiry while honing their abilities as artists, dance makers, educators, writers, innovators, scholars, policy makers and leaders.

Co-Directed by Natasha McCandless and Hannah Walter
Faculty Advisor: Ariel Nereson

Dec. 1, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 2, 2023 at 2 p.m.

UB Katharine Cornell Theatre
$22 Adults | $17 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$12 Students | $7 UB Students  

Tickets to MFA Fall Dance Showcase

Set in the living room of a home, the grandfather, who is blind, waits with the father, uncle and three daughters for the arrival of a priest and a sister. The ailing mother, who is in the next room, has given birth to a child, who sleeps in an adjoining room. The family bickers amongst themselves, waiting for information and more company. After many noises, the grandfather hears two sets of footsteps upon the staircase. The maid appears, saying the door was open and she shut it. The grandfather claims he heard someone enter the room behind the maid, but the others insist she was alone. The clock strikes midnight, the baby commences screaming, and the Sister of Mercy appears, announcing the death of the mother. It becomes clear that the intruder being referred to by the old man is death itself.

Content Warning: Direction of the play is through a horror lens and is concerned with death and illness. There is no stage combat, violence, or intimacy.

By Maurice Maeterlinck
Translated by Richard Hovey
Directed by Ian Downes

Dec. 2, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 3, 2023 at 2 p.m.

UB Center for the Arts
Rehearsal Workshop
$22 Adults | $17 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$12 Students | $7 UB Students  

Tickets to Theatre Studio Ensemble: The Intruder

Tickets for Performances at the UB Center for the Arts and UB Katharine Cornell Theatre

Online purchase: ubcfa.org (select Events and Exhibitions/Calendar)

Advance tickets are also available in person at the UBCFA Ticket Office (visit website above for current hours) and day of show.

Groups of 10 or more receive $2 off per ticket. Call (716) 645-6921 for group reservations only. Tickets are not otherwise sold by phone.

Directions to Venues

Press Inquiries and Group Sales
Rob Falgiano
716-645-6921
rjf3@buffalo.edu

UB Department of Theatre and Dance

UB Center for the Arts