The UCSB Department of Theater and Dance Presents 2016-2017 Season

The Department of Theater and Dance at UC Santa Barbara is pleased to announce another exciting year of new work from our talented faculty, students, and guest artists. The new eclectic theater season is framed by two classic masterpieces and filled with some of the most exciting new work being created across the country. The dance line-up includes our highly acclaimed resident professional Dance Company Santa Barbara Dance Theater as well as two annual dance concerts featuring original choreography from the advanced UCSB dance students in addition to choreography from faculty members.

The season begins in September with the award-wining NAKED SHAKES collective's performance. After last season's epic saga The Death of Kings, NAKED SHAKES now turns to one of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies and crowd pleasers, Much Ado About Nothing. Directed by Irwin Appel, this timeless story of two of literature's all- time greatest lovers, Beatrice and Benedick, features some of the wittiest banter in all of Shakespeare. The Department is eager to present this story of love and devotion in the most intimate venue, the Studio Theater, for a truly "up close and personal" experience

Following Much Ado About Nothing is this year's LAUNCH PAD production, Bernhard, written by Lynn Rosen and directed by Anne Torsiglieri. Bernhard is set during wartime-when up is down, love is death, and spit-takes are suddenly a lot less funny. As young Bernhard searches for his estranged mother during such a time, he tries to keep the promise to his grandmother to "not die." But could he do more than survive? Could he actually live? Loosely inspired by the harrowing life of Austrian author Thomas Bernhard as well as today's headlines, Bernhard is about survival and the paths we choose to travel in life. Our own past, present, and futures intertwine in this timeless yet timely dark

This year's Fall Dance Concert welcomes you back from the Thanksgiving holiday and features Pupil Suite choreographed by Gallim Dance Artistic Director and Guggenheim Fellow Andrea Miller. Hailed as a true original, Miller dives deep into each new work exploring universal struggles of love, spirituality, and the tensions between the individual and collective experience. New York Magazine writes, "Her viscerally physical movement wrings every inch of life from her dancers-and you'll be holding your breath, too." To round out the concert, senior BFA dance students present new works in collaboration with student lighting and costume designers and the UCSB Dance Company performs a selection from their 2016-17 repertory. Kicking off Winter Quarter, the university's highly acclaimed dynamic resident professional Dance Company Santa Barbara Dance Theater performs. The company celebrated its 40 th anniversary season last year with exciting premieres by choreographers Emily Schoen (NYC), Joshua Beamish (London), Edgar Zendejas (Montreal), Alice Condodina, Jerry Pearson and artistic director Christopher Pilafian.

The 2016-17 season introduces fresh new works by guest artists and collaborators from around the country. Following Santa Barbara Dance Theater, Irwin Appel directs Lydia by Octavio Solis in the Performing Arts Theater. Solis's beautiful drama unfolds in 1970's El Paso, Texas during the Vietnam War when the arrival of a mysterious outsider, Lydia, brings family secrets to light. The play examines what happens when everybody's secrets are wrenchingly revealed as the conflict boils to the surface. This poetic and highly imaginative play about loss, forbidden love, the pain of memory and identity, and unfulfilled hopes and dreams challenges audiences to consider if life could ever be the same once everyone's secrets are exposed.

Winter quarter rounds out with the theatrical hit from New York City, Mr. Burns, a post- electric play. Directed by Tom Whitaker, the play assesses consequences of cataclysm and cost of infrastructure failing, society crumbling, and nation rebuilding. Anne Washburn's imaginative dark comedy propels us forward nearly a century, following a new civilization stumbling into its future. A tribute to live theater, and the resilience of Bart Simpson through the ages, Mr. Burns is a fascinating and theatrical exploration of how the pop culture of one era might evolve into the mythology of another. This bold play is a tribute to the human need for storytelling and art-making in traumatic times.

Celebrating the Spring Quarter, the Department stages the Spring Dance Concert. The concert features lively new works by senior BFA students in collaboration with student lighting and costume designers. Faculty member Christina McCarthy presents a striking new piece, and our UCSB Dance Company performs two original works before embarking on their two-week European tour.

Next for the season, for the very first time, the department presents, New Works Lab. This lab provides a year of developmental support for students as they incubate new original works on a page to a three-dimensional theater and test them for the first time in front of a live audience. This year's inaugural lab showcases new plays by undergraduates Miriam Dance and Andalusia Kear, and devised works by grad students Haddy Kreie and Tristan Newcomb.

Closing out the season is The Caucasian Chalk Circle, by Bertolt Brecht directed by Simon Williams. Widely considered to be Brecht's most engaging and humane play, The Caucasian Chalk Circle tells the story of Grusha who sacrifices her happiness and dignity for the sake of an abandoned child she takes as her own. Containing one of the most memorable trials ever staged, this thriller and controversial political polemic is a great classic of the modern theater that you don't want to miss.

Tickets for the 2016-2017 season are now on sale online at the UCSB Theater and Dance website, www.theaterdance.ucsb.edu and at the Associated Students Ticket Office by the UCSB University Center. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone (805) 893 - 2064. Ticket office hours are from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Ticket prices for all events are $17.00 for general admission and $13.00 for all students, seniors, children and UCSB faculty.

The Department of Theater and Dance is also pleased to announce that season subscriptions are available for sale. The Theater Series (6 theater performances) and Dance Series (3 dance productions) will be available for a 20% discount off the general admission price. Alternatively, patrons may select their own subscription by choosing any five events for a discount of 10% off the general admission price. Subject to availability. Some restrictions apply.

Visit the Theater/Dance website for more details: www.theaterdance.ucsb.edu.

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