2019-20 Season

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A student reading of Hildegard, a new musical in development. Hildegard spans the latter 40 years of the life of Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th-century abbess and someday-saint who was a composer, philosopher, visionary, and pre-Reformation reformer. Written by Ethan Krupp and Davyd Reddyk, and directed by alumna Elizabeth Swanson '12; presented as part of the Theater Program's Alumni Connections New Works Series.

Princeton University students, faculty and staff are invited to this theatrical and academic exploration that will present selected moments from Lynn Nottage's masterpiece for a deeper exploration of character and relationship as a performance piece and as a way to explore the world of transitions truthfully and theatrically. Featuring senior Chamari White-Mink '20 in the lead role with stage management by senior Hannah Semmelhack '20 and directed by faculty member Shariffa Ali.. Free and open to Princeton students, faculty, and staff; no tickets required.

The Program in Theater presents Mother Courage by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Tony Kushner. A family, trapped by socio-political constraints, tries to survive the impossibility of war in this boisterous comedy filled with original songs that is considered a 20th century masterpiece of epic theater. Directed by faculty member Bob Sandberg with music composed by Vince di Mura, with additional design by Adam Honore and Noelle Quanci. Featuring Abby Spare '20 and Jaclyn Hovsmith '20, with dramaturgy by Jaclyn Hovsmith '20.

A new music theater work by senior Allison Spann '20, directed by theater alum Nico Krell '18 and with choreography by senior Jhor van der Horst '20. This unconventional musical using music composed for looping pedal explores the journey of a voice seeking to reconnect with its body following trauma.

Two women, an evangelical and a liberal, meet in college. They know what kind of people, what kind of Americans, what kind of women they want to be—until they don’t. Feminine Products surveys a world (our world) in which white feminism falls woefully short—and asks us all to consider what must take its place. This new theater piece is written by Tessa Albertson '20, directed by Marc Schorin '22 and features Katja Stroke-Adolphe '20.

Written by Alexandra Palocz ’20, "Echoes in Glass" is an interactive story cycle centered around two sisters, a child, a bargain, and a bag of salt. It takes the form of a series of original songs, poems, and fairy-tales that bring together the realms of theater, oral storytelling, and interactive experience. This show invites audiences into a world of monsters, myths, and memories, a world where stories are distilled into jars and people call upon the spirits to help bring them to life. Together, we follow a storyteller and two spirits as they delve through a collection of story-jars in an attempt to untangle and understand the past.

In this new dark comedy, theater senior E Jeremijenko-Conley explores the underbelly of Princeton culture: that is, how the competitive ethos of valorized, academic suffering physically damages students' bodies and encourages the utilization of trauma as social currency; directed by faculty member Elena Araoz.

Princeton senior Jhor van der Horst presents an original solo performance piece dedicated to histories with different people over his lifetime, traced through his current morning rituals, and grown from the cracks between his artistic practice. The work includes structured performances, at the times indicated, as well as an ongoing installation performance.

A new pop-punk musical written and choreographed by senior Marshall Dylan Schaffer using contemporary popular music and exploring relationships through music and dance to ask the question: How do we form our personal relationships and most importantly, how do we develop our relationships with ourselves? Featuring senior Katja Stroke-Adolphe '20, directed by Associate Professor of Theater Brian Eugenio Herrera, with musical direction by Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh, musical arrangements by Vince DiMura, and stage-managed by senior Milan Eldridge '20.

The Program in Theater presents Sister Mok-rahn by Eunsung Kim, translated by Dayoung Jeong, and directed by visiting artist Seonjae Kim. This critically-acclaimed play captures the stories of separated people, like the divided North and South Koreas, through the perspective of a female North Korean defector. The production features visiting costume designer Hahnji Jang and visiting sound designer Fan Zhang; set, lighting and dramaturgy by senior Jenny Kim '20; featuring senior Carol Lee '20 in the lead role; and stage management by senior Hannah Semmelhack '20.

In this re-imagined production of one of Shakespeare’s most spellbinding plays, women and non-binary actors are at the center. While Macbeth grapples with many themes and issues, from the supernatural, to violence, to power, to guilt, all at full-force and intensity, the question of gender is typically brushed aside in productions. The play, though, is deeply interested in the way in which the traditional gender binary is established and maintained; the characters must be either a man or a woman. How, then, can a production of this master work grapple with the questions of gender identity in a modern understanding of the spectrum? Helmed by director and Lecturer in Theater Elena Araoz and an entirely female-presenting and non-binary cast, this production explores the manifestations of gender and power that are already present and all-encompassing in the original text. Featuring seniors Tessa Albertson '20 and Abby Spare '20, with set design by Milan Eldridge '20.

PERFORMANCES ON MARCH 12 + 13 HAVE BEEN CANCELED. All tickets purchased for performances on March 12 & 13 will be automatically refunded by University Ticketing. The Programs in Theater and Music Theater present "A Little Night Music" by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler. In 1900's Sweden, a smorgasbord of upper class fools find their paths intertwined as the madness of desire wreaks havoc through their once-uncomplicated lives. Directed by Richard Peng '20 with sound design by Jenny Kim '20, and featuring Kateryn McReynolds '20, Calvin Rusley '20, Hannah Chomiczewski '20 and Billie Anna Runions '20.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED. You never forget the first time you see a horse: the beautiful coat of hair, the soft whinnying, the hooves that go clomp clomp. With the new play Sifrhippus: A Play About Horses, writer and director Nicholas Judt '20 wants to give the entire Princeton community a chance to experience the magic of knowing a horse. Audience members will learn about the history and evolution of these majestic beasts—and who knows, perhaps they will even have the chance to ride a real live horse! Free and open to Princeton students, faculty and staff.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED. The Program in Theater presents Les Chaises (The Chairs), a new, site-specific theater piece by Jianing Zhao '20, produced in collaboration with L'Avant-Scène, the French Theater Workshop.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED. A participatory musical written, composed, and directed by 2018-2020 Princeton Arts Fellow Cesar Alvarez. 'The Universe is a Small Hat' is a multi-player participatory musical about a space-bound utopian collective of sentient humanoid AIs who rescue a group of human refugees trying to escape earth.

The Programs in Theater and Music Theater present a virtual reading of a new musical by senior Richard Peng '20. A young woman embarks on a journey to bring her grandmother back from the dead. Along the way, she encounters a war torn city and is forced to confront a past of destruction she didn’t know was hers. The Renegade Storyteller is a new musical written, composed, and arranged by Richard Peng.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED. Directed by Rosie Arbittier ’20 and in collaboration with Best Buddies Princeton and Best Buddies NJ, the Best Buddies Collaborative Project will feature a neurodiverse performing ensemble and crew of community members with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED. Earth’s final community of English-speakers. Fifty speakers, give or take. No contact with the outside world. Few written and spoken records remain. Suffice to say, within a few generations, English will be dead as if a single soul had uttered it. While some in the community work to preserve the language, others are less keen to expend their energy and resources to keep it just barely surviving. It is only when an outsider intent on studying and learning their language arrives that the community must reckon with their language’s isolated, endangered status. As a result, further division over the matter threatens their long-standing harmony. After all, is a language truly worth saving?

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED. The Program in Theater presents Unravelings, a new play by senior Hannah Chomiczewski '20.