Past Events

Points of Intersection showcases the genre-bending versatility and technical prowess of the Department of Theatre and Dance’s resident dance company, Dance Repertory Theatre. These stunning new works have been created by guest artists from across the country and abroad, alongside the work of current M.F.A. in Dance candidates and the annual Haruka Weiser Memorial Commission. Points of Intersection will also feature the work of award-winning dance artist Claudia Lavista, artistic co-director of Delfos Danza Contemporanea.

IGGY and OÑIO are two middle school boys who have a hard time fitting in with nearly anyone around them – peers at school, family at home and even each other. But, one night OÑIO decides to take IGGY on an intergalactic adventure into outer-spayce to figure out if they can actually become friends after constantly ignoring each other at school. Traversing through planets with friendly aliens, stardust meteor showers and even a lunar encounter, the boys start to see each other for who they really are and, in the process, see themselves too.

When Cake and Broccoli are unexpectedly rejected, they must learn to be good so the humans will eat them. But will these unlikely buds find the answer before they face the unmentionable fate of being thrown in the trash? Or is the meaning of “good” more elusive than it first appears? By complicating harmful narratives classifying food as “good” or “bad,” this play for ages 6 and up prompts us to reflect on the meaning of worthiness and the value of food in our lives.

UTNT (UT New Theatre) presents newly developed works from playwrights of Texas Theatre and Dance and Michener Center for Writers. Now celebrating its 17th season, this showcase exists as an incubator for new work, with many plays continuing on to be professionally produced across the country.

They’ve got a plan. Leo and Lizzy Martinez want to be the smartest kids in the world! The children of hardworking immigrants, big brother Leo has convinced his little sis that being smart is the key to helping their family escape a tough, uncertain reality. The first step in the plan—Leo will win the local TV kids’ quiz show. But when their parents refuse to let him join the quiz team, Lizzy learns there’s something deeper driving Leo—something that makes life that much more challenging and unpredictable for her brother and her family. The Smartest Girl in the World takes a look at the bonds of family and the key to facing life’s challenges together.

Dance Repertory Theatre returns in Fall For Dance, offering a celebration of movement and innovative choreography. Featuring works by faculty, guest artists and undergraduate choreographers, Fall For Dance presents a showcase of new and engaging work that speaks to our shared experience and illuminates the ways in which we connect with one another.

In this hilarious and outlandish story, the lives of six teenagers from a Canadian chamber choir are cut short in a freak accident aboard a roller coaster. When they awake in limbo, a mechanical fortune teller invites each to tell a story to win a prize like no other — the chance to return to life. A funny, moving look at what makes a life well-lived!

The Cohen New Works Festival is a biennial celebration of new, bold, risk-taking, future-thinking, cutting-edge, no-holds-barred, adjective-filled, original performance! The festival welcomes and encourages artists from any discipline to join us in a week-long celebration of student-led performance.

Dance Repertory Theatre returns this spring in EMERGE, presenting new work from professional and student choreographers. Exploring themes of emergence, EMERGE seeks to reflect on history in order to imagine a way forward, elevating the inventiveness and interconnectivity of moving art forms. Each piece has been developed in a residency-style incubator, allowing for immersion with a single choreographer in a depth of research where the future of dance is given space to emerge. EMERGE will also feature the return of the Haruka Weiser Commission. 

Harold follows a college improv team that is disqualified from a national competition because of foul play. When a new member joins the team, she offers an unconventional opportunity to compete. As the team rehearses, they struggle to agree on the same base reality. Harold is a play about long-form improv, consent, saying yes-and, and the thorny complications of saying no.