Dear TFDP Community,
Building on the excitement and momentum we've built together over the past few years, we are thrilled to announce our 2023-2024 season. Next year's lineup features two world premiere productions by our very own TFDP faculty members as well as a fresh adaptation of a classic play by another, and promises to be a season of groundbreaking performances and vital storytelling--we can't wait for you to be a part of it!
Presenting the Department of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production’s 2023-24 Season:
MAINSTAGE
AIRNESS by Chelsea Marcantel
November 2023
Airness is an exuberant comedy that follows Nina's air guitar mission to shred or be shredded. Through her journey, she learns about competition, determination, and finding the airness within. This heartwarming story is a reminder that everything we need to rock is already inside us.
MISSING Book and Lyrics by Annika Speer, Music by Connor Olney
February 2024
Whose stories get told? How are they framed? Who gets erased? A coming of age musical dramedy, Missing theatricalizes one woman’s journey as she is inundated in a racist, sexist media spincycle to examine what’s really missing.
THREE SISTERS by Anton Chekhov, in a new transadaptation by Bella Merlin, Miles Anderson, and the students of UCR
May 2024
Three sisters yearn for love, meaningful work, and the place of their dreams. When a military brigade locates in their provincial town for a few weeks, the possibilities seem endless. But at the end of the day, only we can realize our dreams. Chekhov's “comic agony” finds wistful playfulness in this new iteration by the cast and creative team.
SECOND STAGE
BLACKBOX by Rickerby Hinds
October 2023
The true story of abolitionist Henry Box Brown is transformed into an epic poem with hip hop influences and magic to highlight the spectacular nature of Brown’s journey to freedom.
SLIVER OF A FULL MOON by Mary Kathryn Nagle
March 2024
Sliver of a Full Moon is a portrayal of resilience and celebration that documents the grassroots movement that led to the historic reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”); a movement that restored the authority of Tribal Governments to prosecute non-Native abusers who assault and abuse Native people on tribal lands.
FILM FESTIVALS
SMART PHONE FILM FESTIVAL
Short films shot entirely on a smartphone by UCR students
February 2024
TFDP FILM FESTIVAL
Original short films by UCR students
April 2024
STAGED READINGS
PLAYWORKS by UCR Undergraduate and MFA Playwrights
May 2024
NEW WORKS FESTIVAL by UCR MFA Playwrights and Screenwriters
June 2024
We hope you will join us as we embark on this exciting next chapter in our Storytelling journey at UCR!
Kimberly Guerrero, Artistic Director
Ben Tusher, Production Director for the Performing Arts