Archive Overview
Lorca in A Green Dress
Streaming Online November 19-22, 2020
By Nilo Cruz • Directed by Christine Menzies
Opening Night: Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 6pm
(Talkback via Zoom to follow)
Lorca in A Green Dress, by Pulitzer Prize winning Cuban-American playwright, Nilo Cruz, is an exploration of the life and alluring circumstances surrounding Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca's 1936 death.
Register to view the FREE streamed performances here!
_________________________________________________________________________
Uncle Vanya
Streaming Online November 23-25, 2020
By Anton Chekhov • Translated by Paul Schmidt
Directed by Larry Biederman
Opening Night: Monday, November 23, 2020 at 6pm
(Talkback via Zoom to follow)
Chekhov’s classic circus of neurotic characters, petty resentments, misdirected love, and self-created hardship reflects the isolation and divisive perceptions of our times. An aspiring academic, Vanya, disillusioned by his failure to find love and success, questions his devotion to an aging professor, and makes a last chance effort at happiness. Can no one in this rural 19th century Russian estate get what they want, or is everyone destined to settle?
Register to view the FREE streamed performances here!
_________________________________________________________________________
Virtually "Pippin"
Streaming Online December 4-6, 2020
Book by Roger O. Hirson • Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz • Directed by Garry D. Lennon • Co-Directed by Brian Tran
Opening Night: Friday, December 4, 2020 at 6pm
(Talkback via Zoom to follow)
Pippin is the story of a young man in search of his purpose. Through his journey, Pippin is led down multiple paths where he discovers that glory, fame and happiness come at a cost.
Register to view the FREE streamed performances here!
OUR LADY OF 121st STREET
Friday - Sunday | Sept 20 - 22, 2019
Wednesday - Sunday | Sept 25 - 29, 2019
Location: Little Theatre in Nordhoff Hall
Written by Stephen Adly Guirgis • Directed by Guillermo Aviles-Rodriguez
The Ortiz Funeral Room is in big trouble: The body of Sister Rose has gone missing! Left with no body to mourn, a group of New York City’s most emotionally dysfunctional souls are forced to square off with each other by facing their past and old wounds in this dark comedy.
_________________________________________________________________________
Rhinoceros
Friday - Sunday | October 4 - 6, 2019
Wednesday - Sunday | October 9 - 13, 2019
Location: Experimental Theatre in The Soraya
Written by Eugene Ionesco • Translated by Derek Prouse • Directed by Larry Biederman
A small French town is plagued by one roaring citizen who transfigures into a rhinoceros and proceeds to trample on the social order. Theoretical conversations swarm, and Berenger, a boozing young man, is the only sane citizen unable to change his form and identity.
_________________________________________________________________________
Orpheus in the Underworld
Thursday - Sunday | Oct 31 - Nov 3, 2019
Location: Campus Theatre in Nordhoff Hall
Comic opera by Jacques Offenbach • Directed by Maurice Godin • Conducted by Mercedes Juan Musotto
A comedic spin on the legend of Orpheus that will take you from Earth to Olympus to the best party of all in the Underworld!
_________________________________________________________________________
The Tenth Muse
Friday - Sunday | November 15- 17, 2019
Wednesday - Sunday | November 20 - 24, 2019
Location: The Experimental Theatre at The Soraya
Written by Tanya Saracho • Directed by Claudia de Vasco
The setting is a lively 18th- century convent in colonial Mexico. Young nuns and servants uncover a hidden play written by Sor Juana, a Catholic nun turned poet and feminist. Each night, behind Mother Superior’s back, the group of women act out Sor Juana’s presumptuous work and through their own complex bond of sisterhood.
_________________________________________________________________________
The Tempest
Friday - Sunday | March 6 - 8, 2020
Wednesday | March 11, 2020
Location: Little Theatre in Nordhoff Hall
By William Shakespeare • Directed by Christine Menzie
The Tempest is a magical storm filled with acts of betrayal, power struggles and a plot of revenge.
_________________________________________________________________________
Pippin ALL PERFORMANCES CANCELLED
Friday, April 3, 2020 - 7:30pm to Saturday, April 11, 2020 - 7:30pm
Location: Campus Theatre in Nordhoff Hall
Book by Roger O. Hirson • Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz • Directed by Garry D. Lennon • Choreographed by Erin Cholakian
Originally produced on the Broadway stage by Stuart Ostrow • Originally directed on the Broadway stage by Bob Fosse • 2013 Broadway revival directed by Diane Paulus • Theo Ending Originally Conceived In 1998 by Mitch Sebastian
Pippin, the Tony Award winning musical by four-time Grammy winner and composer of Wicked and Godspell, Stephen Schwartz, is the story of a young man in search of his purpose. Through his journey, Pippin is led down multiple paths where he discovers that glory, fame and happiness come at a cost.
_________________________________________________________________________
Lysistrata ALL PERFORMANCES CANCELLED
Friday, April 17, 2020 - 7:30pm to Sunday, April 26, 2020 - 2:00pm
Location: Experimental Theatre in The Soraya
By Aristophanes • Translated by Sarah Ruden • Directed by Students of Advanced Directing • Artistic Direction by Larry Biederman • Movement Direction by J’aime Morrison
Lust, power, and loyalty test both genders in this strident trip into Ancient Greece, proving some battles never change — war or love, which will prevail? Features mature content.
Night & Day
Friday - Sunday | September 21-23
Wednesday - Sunday | September 26-30
Location: Experimental Theatre at The Soraya
It’s a soiree at the end of the world. Guests leisurely waltz to the tune of nostalgia as the sun begins to dip closer to the horizon. Darkness settles in. And then: eruption. This performance touches on humanity’s curse to a cycle of life and beauty that flourishes in soil of death and chaos.
_________________________________________________________________________
The Mad Dog Blues
Friday - Sunday | October 5-7
Wednesday - Sunday | October 10-14
Location: Campus Theatre Stage in Nordhoff Hall.
A trip is a trip is a trip. And in this trip, hard-rocker Kosmo and his paranoid drug-dealing sidekick, Yahoodi, embark on a peculiar journey that leads them to encounter several pop culture icons and mythical figures, including Marlene Dietrich, Mae West, and Jesse James. Whimsical events turn their initial search for gold into a musical expedition of self-discovery, purpose, meaning, (and treasure).
_________________________________________________________________________
Living Out
Friday - Sunday | October 26-28
Wednesday - Sunday | October 31- November 4
Location: Little Theatre in Nordhoff Hall
An illegal Salvadoran nanny and her Anglo lawyer boss, both women are hard-working mothers with similar goals and aspirations, so what makes them so different? Could it be that one is rich and the other is poor? Or is it that one is American and the other is an immigrant? An entertaining and thought-provoking comedy ripped from today’s headlines.
_________________________________________________________________________
Serse
Thursday - Sunday | November 15-18
Location: Campus Theatre in Nordhoff Hall
King Serse, his beloved Romilda and Serse's brother, Arsamene are caught in a love triangle in this comical and tragic, Baroque opera set in 18th century Persia.
_________________________________________________________________________
Gem of the Ocean
Friday - Sunday | February 22-24, 2019
Wednesday - Sunday | February 27 & 28, March 1-3, 2019
Location: The Experimental Theatre at The Soraya
Written by August Wilson • Directed by Christine Menzies
285-year-old former slave, Aunt Ester, sends Citizen on a spiritual voyage aboard the legendary slave ship known as Gem of the Ocean. Through his journey, Citizen begins to comprehend the story of his ancestors and the truth about his crime and the man he wronged.
_________________________________________________________________________
Night Light
Saturday - Sunday | March 9 & 10, 2019
Saturday - Sunday | March 16 & 17, 2019
Location: TH159 at The Soraya
Written by John Lazarus • Directed by Jennifer Harvey
Every child has a fear of something. Ten-year-old Victor fears Farley... Farley fears math... and Victor's little sister; Tara, fears an ugly monster hiding in her drawers. This delightful and entertaining piece teaches us that in order for fears to be overcome, they must first be understood.
_________________________________________________________________________
Legally Blonde
Friday - Sunday | April 5 - 7, 2019
Wednesday - Sunday | April 10 - 14, 2019
Location: Campus Theatre in Nordhoff Hall
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin • Book by Heather Hach • Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture • Directed by Garry Lennon • Choreographed by Erin Cholakian
Sorority star Elle Woods finds her life turned upside down when her picture-perfect boyfriend dumps her for someone more “serious.” Determined to win him back, she puts on her pink heels, hits the books and sets out to go where no other Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law School! Along the way, Elle must prove that staying true to yourself never goes out of style.
_________________________________________________________________________
A Streetcar Named Desire
Friday - Sunday | April 26 - 28, 2019
Wednesday - Sunday | May 1-5, 2019
Location: Experimental Theatre at The Soraya
Written by Tennessee Williams • Directed by Students of Advanced Directing Artistic Direction by Prof. Larry Biederman
A fragile Blanche moves to New Orleans to live in a dingy apartment with her sister Stella and unforgiving brother-in-law, Stanley. Stanley is cruel and unpredictable, moving from vicious to composed in an instant. Temperaments clash, sparks fly, and they all begin a complicated, sadistic dance where the only possible outcome is pain.
Scorched
Friday - Sunday | September 22-24
Wednesday - Sunday | September 28-30 & October 1
* Wednesday performance has a post show Q&A with the director and the cast
Location: Experimental Theatre at VPAC
Twins Janine and Simon journey to their mother’s war-torn homeland in the Middle East, hoping to solve the mystery of their origins.
_________________________________________________________________________
Gaslight
Friday - Sunday | October 6-8
Wednesday - Sunday | October 11-15
Venue: Little Theatre in Nordhoff Hall
Bella suffers from mysterious illness, and seems to be going insane. Her husband, the suave Mr. Manningham, tries to help her, but is there more behind his actions?
_________________________________________________________________________
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Thursday - Sunday | October 26 - 29
Location: Great Hall, Valley Performing Arts Center/The Soraya
The Merry Wives of Windsor is an opera in three acts by Otto Nicolai to a German libretto by Salomon Hermann Mosenthal based on the play The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare.
A co-production of the Department of Theatre and the Department of Music
_________________________________________________________________________
Edges
Friday - Sunday | November 17-19
Wednesday - Sunday | November 29-30 & December 1-3
Venue: The Experimental Theatre at VPAC
From From the composers of La La Land and Dear Evan Hansen, a contemporary song-cycle about young adults at the metaphorical edge of their lives.
_________________________________________________________________________
The Stinky Cheese Man
Friday - Sunday | February 23 - 25
Friday - Sunday | March 2 - 4
Venue: The Experimental Theatre at VPAC
A musical by Kent Stephens
Classic fairy tales get turned upside down in this musical comedy based on John Scieszka’s book of the same name. Twists and turns abound for Jack who struggles with the Giant as well as a bread-loving Red Hen. Come hear the story of Cinderumpelstiltkins, The Other Frog Prince as well as the smelly gooey title character, the Stinky Cheese Man and more!
_________________________________________________________________________
The African Company presents Richard III
Friday - Sunday | March 9 - 11
Wednesday - Sunday | March 14 - 18
Venue: The Little Theatre in Nordhoff Hall
A play by Carlyle Brown • Directed by Christine Menzies
In 1821, forty years before Lincoln ended slavery, and fifty years before African Americans earned the right to vote, the first black theatrical group in the country , the African Company of New York, staged plays in a downtown Manhattan theatre for both black and white audiences. Their competition is an uptown Broadway impresario who is producing Richard III at the same time as the African Company and wants them shut down. A historical event that continues to resonate today.
_________________________________________________________________________
When At Last We Arrived
Wednesday - Sunday | April 18 - 22
Venue: CSUN West Art Gallery
A performance installation by J'aime Morrison & Efron Delgadillo, Jr.
Arrival. Distant, treacherous, elusive - what would you endure in order to arrive at your destination? What if you never made it? When at Last We Arrived performs the movements between departure and arrival: the journeys undertaken by refugees all over the world as they uproot from their homes in search of a new life. In this immersive performance installation, video projections, dance and song evoke the essence of what it means to risk everything in order to arrive...
_________________________________________________________________________
Evita
Friday - Sunday | April 27 - 29
Wednesday - Sunday | May 3 - 6
Venue: The Campus Theatre in Nordhoff Hall
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber • Lyrics by Tim Rice
Directed by Garry D. Lennon • Music Direction by David Aks
The musical EVITA charts the young and ambitious Eva Peron’s meteoric rise to sainthood in 1934-1952 Argentina. This Tony-award winning musical traces Eva’s start in a small town to her career as an actress and then the wife of her military turn president husband, Juan Peron. The score contains Latin, jazz and pop rhythms plus Weber’s musical masterpieces including “Don’t Cry for me Argentina”, “Buenos Aires” and “Another Suitcase in Another Hall.”
Assassins
Friday - Sunday | September 23 - 25
Wednesday - Sunday | September 28 - October 2
Location: The Little Theatre in Nordhoff Hall
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim • Book by John Weidman • Directed by Trevor Biship • Musical direction by Philip Matthew Park
Assassins (successful and failed) from different historical periods meet to explore their twisted view of the American dream.
_________________________________________________________________________
Fabulation or, the Re-Education of Undine
Friday - Sunday | October 7 - 9
Wednesday - Sunday | October 12 - 16
Location: The Experimental Theatre at Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)
A social satire about an ambitious African-American woman who faces the challenge of transforming her setbacks into small victories.
_________________________________________________________________________
Hansel and Gretel (Opera)
Thursday - Sunday | November 3-6
Location: The Campus Theatre in Nordhoff Hall
By Engelbert Humperdink • Libretto by Adelheid Wette • Stage Direction by Maurice Godin • Musical Director & Conductor John Roscigno
The fairytale opera based on the Brothers Grimm classic.