TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television (TFTV) will present the fifth annual New Directions Festival: Broken, a curated evening of original works created entirely by students, March 26-29, at the Tornabene Theatre on the University of Arizona campus. The event is free and open to the public.

The annual festival celebrates student innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and professional-level mentorship in new work development.

This year’s festival invites audiences to experience a thematically cohesive suite of original plays — and a song — developed around the concept of brokenness, interpreted broadly by student creators within the School’s Live and Screened Performance program.

Among the featured works are two plays by senior theatre student Josiah Santos, one commissioned specifically for the festival. Tragically, Santos and two fellow University of Arizona students lost their lives in an accident late last year. The inclusion of his work in this year’s festival stands as a tribute to his artistic voice and a celebration of his creativity, humor, and commitment to storytelling.

The festival is shaped by students in TFTV’s Advanced Topics in Dramaturgy course, who work under the mentorship of New Directions Festival Artistic Director, Professor Elaine Romero. Students issued a call for pitches, commissioned original works, curated dramaturgy, and organized the dramatic flow of the evening, mirroring the professional processes used by theatres to develop new work.

Throughout rehearsals, playwrights, directors, actors, and dramaturgs collaborate in an ongoing development process, revising texts in response to performance, feedback, and creative conversation. The workshop format gives undergraduate artists a rare opportunity to evolve and refine their original works in real time.

“New work development is some of the most advanced work we do in the theatre, and our students are acquiring the skills to build new works,” Romero said. “After this experience, our playwrights will be able to revise their works after hearing them in rehearsal. Our actors will be able to relearn lines and scenes. Our directors will rethink their choices based on changing text. Our dramaturgs will shepherd new works that speak to the present moment. Our students are gaining a flexibility and adaptability rarely seen in academic theatre.”

The curated evening features the following original works:

• Jack the People Hater
  Written by Josiah Santos. Directed by Rayce Morland.
  Explores a broken environment.
• Mirror
  Written by Josiah Santos. Directed by Rayce Morland.
  A story of fractured motherhood.
• Rebuilding
  Written by Macy Lash. Directed by Lindsey Beardsley.
  A play about a broken board game.
• Unsent
  Written by Maia Nastav. Directed by Rachel Pazos.
  A play about a broken sibling bond and a box of teenage angst.
• Woof at the Walls
  Written by Dawson Stenzel. Directed by Ryan Feeney.
  A play about a broken mind.
• Super Rich Kids
  Written by Lindsey Beardsley. Directed by Ryan Feeney.
  A play about a broken friendship.
• Something to Remember Me By
  Written by Childs Hultquist. Directed by Rachel Pazos.
  A play about a broken urn and a “sweeping” change.
• Light Through the Cracks
  Written by Brigette Rubi. Directed by Thalita DeAndrade.
  A reflection on a world that is damaged but still breathing.
• Lejos de Vos
  Written by Alivia Alexander. Directed by Thalita DeAndrade.
  A mini-musical about a broken system.

Students are also receiving hands-on guidance from faculty and theatre professionals. In addition to Romero, Arizona Theatre Company Associate Producer Matthew Wiener is mentoring the student directors during the rehearsal and development process. This project has been made possible by a grant from the College of Fine Arts Bank One Visiting Artist Professorship Awards.

Showtimes

• Thursday, March 26 at 7:30 PM
• Friday, March 27 at 7:30 PM
• Saturday, March 28 at 1:30 PM and 7:30 PM
• Sunday, March 29 at 1:30 PM

All performances take place at the Tornabene Theatre on the University of Arizona campus and are free to attend and open to the public. Seating is general admission and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

About the New Directions Festival
Now in its fifth year, the School of Theatre, Film & Television’s New Directions Festival showcases 100% student-created, student-designed, and student-performed works, highlighting the voices of emerging theatre makers. The workshop production serves as a public laboratory for new play development while providing students with hands-on experience in the collaborative process of bringing new work to the stage.