TUCSON, Ariz. – A mythologically inspired play, two award-winning musicals, a world-premiere production of visual theatre, and the ultimate love story all feature in the 2022/23 theatre season presented by the University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television (TFTV). Starting in October 2022, TFTV will invite audiences to campus to be among the first to discover the next generation of outstanding theatre makers.

Hailed by Broadway World as “a stellar program to rival some of the nation’s most reputable institutions,” the Arizona Repertory Theatre, led by Artistic Director Hank Stratton and comprising students in the BFA Acting and Musical Theatre program, presents Legally Blonde, Polaroid Stories, Head Over Heels and Romeo & Juliet. The Next Performance Collective, a program of the School’s BA Theatre Studies division, will present the balance of the season with two original productions: Vaud and the second annual New Directions Festival. All productions are supported by students in the BFA Design and Technical Production program.

“I am excited to welcome audiences to campus for a season that blends exciting new devised work with beloved classics of love and longing, contemporary stories of resilience and triumph, and buoyant musicals that will inspire joy at a time when our community needs it the most,” said Dr. Brant Pope, the School’s new Interim Director.

Subscription packages for TFTV’s new theatre season are now on sale. Individual tickets will be available from August 23.

Talent nurtured at the nationally ranked School of Theatre, Film & Television go on to carve out notable careers in every facet of the entertainment industry. The School’s recently published Impact Report features news and achievements of dozens of alumni including Ben Crawford (playing the title role in Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera), Tamika Lawrence (Drama Desk-nominated for her role in Black No More), Vinessa Vidotto (CBS’s FBI: International), Zackry Colston (cast member at The Groundlings Theatre), and stage manager Fatimah Amill (The Devil Wears Prada, world-premiering in Chicago in July).

TFTV 2022/23 Theatre Season

Legally Blonde
OCTOBER 2 —16, 2022 in the MARRONEY THEATRE
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 • LEGALLY BLONDE is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
A light-hearted and award-winning musical based on the much-adored movie of the same name, Legally Blonde the Musical follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. Hilarious, heartwarming, and exploding with memorable songs and dynamic dances.

Polaroid Stories
OCTOBER 23 – NOVEMBER 6, 2022 in the TORNABENE THEATRE
By Naomi Iizuka
Inspired in part by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Iizuka’s Polaroid Stories takes place on an abandoned pier on the outermost edge of a city, a way-stop for dreamers, dealers and desperadoes, a no-man’s land where runaways seek camaraderie, refuge and escape. Serpentine routes from the street to the heart characterize the interactions in this spellbinding tale of young people pushed to society’s fringe. Informed, as well, by interviews with young prostitutes and street kids, Polaroid Stories conveys a whirlwind of psychic disturbance, confusion and longing. Like their mythic counterparts, these modem-day mortals are engulfed by needs that burn and consume.

Vaud
DECEMBER 1 – 4, 2022 in the TORNABENE THEATRE
Created by Wolfe Bowart
An original work of visual theatre created by Theatre Studies students in collaboration with physical theatre creator Wolfe Bowart, Vaud is inspired by the colorful world of the American Vaudeville circuit of the turn of the twentieth century and the culture that grew up around it – the costumes, the boarding houses, the travel, the stages and the rich and complex cultural diversity. Researched and developed using the University of Arizona’s American Vaudeville special collection, Vaud gives life to modern stories inspired by one of the most popular eras of American entertainment.

Romeo + Juliet
FEBRUARY 26 – MARCH 19, 2023 in the TORNABENE THEATRE
By William Shakespeare
Perhaps the most famous love story ever written, Shakespeare’s play about the romance of two teenagers from feuding families has inspired opera, ballet, and the musical theatre masterpiece West Side Story. This production will include matinee performances for high-school groups.

Head Over Heels
APRIL 9 – 23, 2023 in the TORNABENE THEATRE
Songs by The Go-Gos. Based on ‘The Arcadia’ by Sir Philip Sidney. Conceived and Original Book by Jeff Whitty. Adapted by James Magruder. Produced by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing. (www.broadwaylicensing.com)
Head Over Heels is the bold new musical comedy from the visionaries that rocked Broadway with Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Avenue Q and Spring Awakening. A hilarious, exuberant celebration of love, Head Over Heels follows the escapades of a royal family on an outrageous journey to save their beloved kingdom from extinction—only to discover the key to their realm’s survival lies within each of their own hearts.

New Directions Festival
APRIL 21 – 30, 2023 in the HAROLD DIXON STUDIO THEATRE
Join us in the Spring for the second annual New Directions Festival. The Festival showcases 100% student-created, student-designed, and student-performed content, allowing BA students to tell their stories through voices that are uniquely their own.

About the School of Theatre, Film & Television
The School of Theatre, Film & Television, a member of the Arizona Arts division at the University of Arizona, nurtures and develops outstanding artists and scholars via rigorous training and mentoring by internationally recognized faculty, high-level internship opportunities, industry-standard resources, and hands-on production experience. TFTV offers comprehensive training programs that aim to prepare students to succeed in a wide range of careers – in the industry, the arts, and higher education. Each year through Arizona Repertory Theatre productions, Next Performance Collective productions, and Film & Television screenings, students of TFTV are able to showcase their talents, tell compelling stories, and provide clear results of what happens in their classrooms and studios. TFTV’s Film & Television program regularly ranks in The Wrap’s “Top 50 Film Schools,” and the School’s Theatre programs regularly rank in Onstage’s “Top 30 College Musical Theatre Programs” and “Top 30 College Theatre Design & Tech Programs” making UA one of the country’s top institutions to study theatre, film and television.