TUCSON, AZ (August 6, 2021) – The School of Theatre, Film & Television (TFTV) at the University of Arizona College of Fine Arts is proud to present the return of live, in-person, public performances with the announcement of its 2021/2022 theatre season. In a move to provide performance opportunities for more theatre students, the School’s six-show season will comprise four Arizona Repertory Theatre (ART) productions and two productions presented by the Next Performance Collective, and will take place from October 2021 through May 2022.

Beloved in the local theatre landscape and regularly ranking in Onstage’s ‘National Top 30 Musical Theatre Programs,’ ART is a training program modeled after professional theatre companies and comprises students from the BFA program in Acting and Musical Theatre. A new initiative of the BA Theatre Studies division, Next Performance Collective houses outstanding student-devised theatre pieces and works by emerging playwrights. Students from the Design and Technology program will provide design and production support on all ART and Next Performance Collective productions.

“With this season we look forward to amplifying under-represented voices, and to providing students across the School with an opportunity to work on a broad range of classical, contemporary and self-devised work,” says TFTV Director Andy Belser. “The variety of productions truly means that there is something for everyone.”

The performance season will open with two ART productions: Into the Woods, one of Stephen Sondheim’s most popular and enchanting musicals, and Three Sisters, the Chekhov classic adapted by one of the leading voices in contemporary theatre, Sarah Ruhl. Next is the Next Performance Collective presentation of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Everybody – a modern riff on Everyman, one of the oldest plays in the English language. ART presents Living Dead in Denmark, a witty action-adventure/horror sequel to Shakespeare’s Hamlet written by Qui Nguyen, along with the rock-and-roll musical High Fidelity, and the season concludes with the New Directions Festival, the first in an annual festival of thrillingly unpredictable created content generated by BA Theatre students.

The School of Theatre, Film & Television is part of Arizona Arts, a division at The University of Arizona that brings together the highly-regarded academic programs of the College of Fine Arts with world-renowned offerings from Arizona Arts Live, Arizona Arts in Schools, Center for Creative Photography, and the University of Arizona Museum of Art. A centralized Box Office has been installed for all Arizona Arts entities through which TFTV will be offering all season subscriptions and tickets.

Ticket Information

Season subscriptions are on sale now. Subscriptions are available at the Arizona Arts Box Office by phone at (520) 621-3341, online at tickets.arizona.edu, or in person beginning August 17, 2021 at 1020 E. University Blvd, inside Centennial Hall on the University of Arizona campus. Beginning August 17, 2021 regular hours of operation are Tuesday – Friday from 12-6pm, Saturday 12-5pm.

Single tickets will go on sale Tuesday, September 7, 2021, and may be purchased online at tickets.arizona.edu, by phone at (520) 621-3341, or in person at the Arizona Arts Box Office.

Learn more about Arizona Repertory Theatre and Next Performance Collective at theatre.arizona.edu.

School of Theatre, Film & Television 2021-2022 Theatre Season

Into the Woods
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by James Lapine
Originally Directed on Broadway by James Lapine
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
Arizona Repertory Theatre Production
October 10 – 24, 2021 | Tornabene Theatre

James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim take everyone’s favorite storybook characters and bring them together for a timeless yet relevant piece. The Tony Award-winning book and score are both enchanting and touching. One of Sondheim’s most popular works, Into the Woods is a musically sophisticated show that allows actors to flex their dark comedy skills. Designers will especially enjoy highlighting the fantastical elements of this magical world.

INTO THE WOODS is presented through special arrangement with Musical Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

Three Sisters
by Anton Chekhov
A New Version by Sarah Ruhl
based on a literal translation by Elise Thoron with Natalya Paramonova and Kristin Johnsen-Neshati
Arizona Repertory Theatre Production
November 7 – 21, 2021 | Tornabene Theatre

Transplanted from their beloved Moscow to a provincial Russian town, three sisters—schoolteacher Olga, unhappily married Masha, idealistic Irina—yearn for the city of their childhood, where they imagine their lives will be transformed and fulfilled. Three Sisters is the portrait of a family grappling with the bittersweet distance between reality and dreams. Discover the humor and heartbreak of one of the world’s greatest plays, lyrically adapted by one of the leading voices in contemporary theatre: two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl.

“Three Sisters (Ruhl)” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

Everybody
by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Next Performance Collective Production
December 3 – 5, 2021 | Tornabene Theatre

Everybody is dying, starting now. But in the meantime, they must account for their life in a public presentation. Can Friendship or Kinship help? Maybe Beauty, Strength, or Mind? Or will these virtues abandon Everybody in their hour of need? Follow a nimble ensemble of actors, cast by lottery at each performance, through this playful allegory on the meaning of life and the mystery of death.

Living Dead in Denmark
By Qui Nguyen
Arizona Repertory Theatre Production
February 27 – March 20, 2022 | Tornabene Theatre

When the dead walk … you run! Living Dead in Denmark is an action-adventure/horror sequel to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Set five years after the events of the original, the undead have risen to power and are trying to take over the world, led by the zombie lord and true king of Denmark. Fortinbras, assembling a formidable opposition, has resurrected the corpses of some of the greatest women that Shakespeare had to offer: Lady Macbeth, Juliet, and the very angry Ophelia. A clash of the undead titans ensues! Using Hamlet as a jumping-off point, Qui Nguyen throws in martial arts, horror movies, pop songs, puppetry, and comic books in a hilarious and witty new play.

High Fidelity
Lyrics by Amanda Green Music by Tom Kitt Book by David Lindsay-Abaire
Arizona Repertory Theatre Production
April 10 – 24, 2022 | TFTV Outdoor Stage

When Brooklyn record store owner Rob finds himself unexpectedly dumped, his life takes a music-filled turn toward the introspective. Based on the popular novel by Nick Hornby, High Fidelity follows Rob as he struggles to discover how his relationship went awry, and strives to change his life in order to win back his sweetheart Laura. With memorable characters and a rock-and-roll score, this homage to music geek culture explores love, heartbreak, and the power of the perfect soundtrack.

New Directions Festival
Next Performance Collective Production
April 29 – May 1, 2022 | Tornabene Theatre

New directions, new voices. Watch an evening of short pieces devised, directed, designed, and performed entirely by students. This is the first in an annual festival of created content generated by students.

The University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television (TFTV) 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. More at tftv.arizona.edu.