THE COHEN NEW WORKS FESTIVAL
The University of Texas at Austin/Department of Theatre and Dance
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April 13 –17 Sites in and around the Winship Drama Building Student Works Brought to Light
30+ shows. all new. all free.
newworksfestival.org
GUIDE F /utnewworks I @utnewworks L @utnewworks 04.13–04.17.2015
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Letter from the Producers The Cohen New Works Festival is a time machine. It travels at the speed of caffeine. It goes all day and all night, never stopping, yet somehow still managing to gently drop its patrons off at one reliable destination with every show: the future of the American Theatre. Over the course of this week you’ll see shows by playwrights whose work will someday be on Broadway; performers you’ll later come to know intimately on stages around the U.S., on television and in film. You’ll meet the work of scholars who’ll write the books and articles future students will study. You’ll be challenged and enlightened by designers and technicians who will revolutionize the live moment through artistry and technology. You’ll be confronted by new companies and collectives who will gather all the grants and accolades available. We believe all this because empirical evidence tells us that what’s been true of past festivals remains true today. You’re witnessing a preview of what the American Theatre has in store for us, warts and all. It’s not a simple task to jam this many productions into a week. It spills out into rehearsals that spread across the semester, it bends and manipulates coursework, it requires auditions, disappointments, artistic disagreements and anxiety. In its worst moments The Cohen New Works Festival is a generator producing enough FOMO to fuel a thousand texts and quick hallway chats that begin, “Should I be in this or that?” and end a few months later with the question, “Should I see this or that?” It’s an acceptable by-product when you’re creating enough energy to author work so new it warps even the present cultural moment. The Cohen New Works Festival confounds contemporary notions of how to make something interesting. It’s not a Top Chef or Project Runway-style competition, pitting artists and creators against one another for a prize with an annual expiration date; It’s a different culture all together. The Festival is fully collaborative and entirely student-curated, revealing generational values and a sincere attempt to showcase the best work with the widest array of diversity, ingenuity and discourse available from the pool of student applicants. The Cohen New Works Festival is so important to the Department of Theatre and Dance that classes are suspended and redirected into participation. It allows time 2
to focus on student work. It allows students to learn from one another. It sharpens the students’ senses and tools for dialogue and critique. It invites a broader conversation with the professional arena, bringing a remarkable array of guest artists from around the world to witness and reflect. It’s also a great pedagogical metric. Faculty can witness the impact of their teaching outside of the classroom. We frequently ask ourselves when we see a show, “Is this what I’m teaching?” Most often the answers is: some of it. Some of it is evidence that we could teach better. Some of it is evidence that we each still have something to learn from creators, using fresher, more vital methods. The Festival honors inquiry, ingenuity and entrepreneurship, so the support of Broadway Bank is remarkably appropriate. Broadway Bank’s motto, “We’re here for good,” reflects the sort of tenacity and conscientiousness all artists want to embody. We intend for each piece and each artist to shine with gratitude toward our sponsors, our guests, our fellow artists and the faculty, staff and administration that support this work.
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The Cohen New Works Festival presented by Broadway Bank is named in honor of a great professor of playwriting, David Mark Cohen, who died entirely too young. David Mark Cohen’s teaching at this university was notable for his passion for new work. He loved fresh plays, wild actors, original dance, new music, invigorating design and visionary direction. His love of new work was honored by Suzan Zeder, who created this Festival in his name. And now we, the producers and students of the Festival, are ready to add our names to theirs, and to our sponsors, as people who will stand up for creativity, innovation and who will put our shoulders to the wheel and move our world into a brighter future. In Solidarity, Lawrence Bennett, Quetta Carpenter, Rusty Cloyes, Liz Engelman, David Justin, and Kirk Lynn Producers 0.57
Tamara Carroll Assistant Producer
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About the Festival The Cohen New Works Festival presented by Broadway Bank is a week-long showcase of new work by students held every other spring on The University of Texas at Austin campus. The largest collegiate festival of its kind, The Cohen New Works Festival is completely run and organized by a committee of graduate and undergraduate students, with the support of faculty co-producers. The Festival aims to give students the means to produce their ideas, to connect audiences with thought-provoking pieces and to bring all involved an appreciation of the process of creating original work. Beginning in 2001 as a “new play festival,” The Cohen New Works Festival was created and named in honor of David Mark Cohen, former head of playwriting within The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance. During his life, Cohen was an adamant supporter of new work. After his death, Suzan Zeder, who followed Cohen as head of playwriting, formed a coalition of students, faculty and artists from the Austin community to dream up plans for a festival to honor his memory and showcase students’ new works. Like its featured projects, the Festival is constantly changing and growing. The first Festival in 2001 lasted six weeks and featured only evening extra-curricular productions. In 2003, the Department of Theatre and Dance suspended regular classes so that all students could participate in and attend performances during the then 10-day festival. Class work, discussions and reflection have been thoroughly integrated into Festival activities. The 2013 Festival first introduced The Filaments: Sparked by Suzan Zeder series affording more projects performance opportunities. Each year, the Festival grows and takes on the life of its projects. This year’s Festival will include 38 pieces, with works featuring theatre, dance, art, installations, music and film. Creating new work is a continuously ongoing process and The Cohen New Works Festival is proud to say that the people and projects involved are, in a sense, “in the works,” exploring the endless possibilities of devised and collaborative new work. Lindsay Kelly and Sara Robillard PR/Marketing Committee
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About The Filaments: Sparked by Suzan Zeder The Cohen New Works Festival presented by Broadway Bank is honored to continue a Festival tradition inaugurated in 2013: The Filaments: Sparked by Suzan Zeder. This series expands on the Reading Room from the 2011 Festival, and has since come to encompass multiple types of new work. The Filaments, which is named after the conductor in an incandescent light bulb, fosters projects that embody the “spirit of critical inquiry� by focusing on development of the new work and establishing a working model of experimentation. These projects are here to ask questions, take risks, make demonstrate just how exceptional the development process can be. Join us as we pay homage to Suzan Zeder, a constant champion of new student work, in supporting the 2015 Filaments. Projects presented as part of The Filaments 2015: Henry Bishop Life, Death, and All That Nonsense Life, Love, and What I Lost No More
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Guest Artists The guest artist component of the Festival is truly one of the most important for our students, and the mentorship they receive has a long-lasting impact on them as creators. The selected guest artist correspondents travel to The University of Texas from across the city, state, nation and world to work creatively with the students by providing constructive feedback to projects, participating in panel discussions on various aspects of the theatrical and creative world, and by interacting with the student body on an informal level through Festival networking events. Throughout the week, our students are given the unique opportunity to meet working professionals from various fields within the artistic world and make invaluable connections that last far past the end of the Festival. Lori Bales
New musical development, Associate Professor of Theatre at Millikin University in Decatur, IL.
Ken Cerniglia
Professional dramaturgy/new play development on and off Broadway. Dramaturg and Literary Manager for Disney Theatrical Group.
Mark Coniglio
Composer/media artist. Creator of Isadora and co-founder of Troika Ranch.
Madge Darlington
Director/producer. Founder and co-producing Artistic Director of Rude Mechs Theatre Collective in Austin.
Isaac Gomez
New play development/dramaturgy. Literary Manager at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago and active member of national Latino/a Theatre Commons.
Makoto Hirano
Dance/theatre/spoken word artist, and co-founder of Team Sunshine Performance Corporation in Philadelphia.
Sherry Kramer
Playwright/Professor of playwriting at Bennington College.
Dr. Tiffany Ana Lopez
Professor of Theatre at UC Riverside, scholar of Chicana/o and Latino/a drama, literature, and art, with a focus on issues of trauma and violence.
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Dr. Helen Nicholson
Professor of Drama and Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London. Applied Theatre scholar and co-editor of The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance.
Stuart Pimsler
Dance/Theatre artist, Founder and Artistic Co-Director of Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theatre Company in Minneapolis.
Todd Rosenthal
Chicago-based Tony-award winning scenic designer.
KJ Sanchez
Director/performer/playwright/producer. Founder and CEO of American Records.
Fritzie Schwentker
Soon-to-be graduate of the Kealing Middle School Magnet Program.
Dawn Stoppiello
Choreographer/dancer/integrated media. Co-founder of Troika Ranch.
Dr. Lisa Thompson
Playwright/poet/scholar. Professor in UT Austin’s Dept. of African and African Diaspora Studies.
Dr. Erin Walcon
Scholar/researcher in Applied Theatre at Exeter University, including devising with youth, dialogic theatre, social justice, and theatre in education.
Suzan Zeder
Playwright for Family Audiences. Former Head of Playwriting/Directing at UT Austin and Founder of The Cohen New Works Festival.
Salons These events are free and open to the general public
Research Driven Art The Cohen New Works Festival, woven into the pedagogical fabric of the Department of Theatre and Dance since its inception in 2001, provides robust opportunities for art and research to thrive in the same place. Join the discussion to learn more about the Festival’s embrace of research, interdisciplinary collaboration and the spirit of critical inquiry.
Featured Projects: Eye See...I Forget, Pirandello: A New Musical and RE/CONNECT When: 4/14 at 3:30pm Where: OBT
The New Face of Audience Interaction Congratulations! You have been cast in the role of an audience member! You are invited to take center stage and discuss the influence of audience participation on theatrical performances. Inspired by projects that demolish the wall dividing performers from the audience, this salon explores interactive theatre and how it shapes the audience experience.
Featured Projects: Please Open Your Mouth, Shrines to Childhood and Welcome, Home When: 4/15 at 10am Where: OBT
Art as Activism Informed by multiple projects in the Festival, this salon highlights pieces that approach relevant social topics through performance. Each piece is carefully crafted to ask how storytelling can bring light to sensitive subjects in comprehensive and ethical ways, while simultaneously engaging audiences in conversations about how these topics impact their communities.
Featured Projects: Tell ___., No More, TwentyEight When: 4/17 at 12:30pm Where: OBT
Coffee Chats Meet our Guest Artists in a casual setting Tuesday and Thursday 10-11:30am in the Winship Atrium
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The Festival Works All titles, times, locations and creative teams are subject to change. Please consult our smartphone Festival app, our website (newworksfestival.org) or signs around the information table for updates and Festival changes. Many venues have limited seating. It is suggested that you arrive at least 30 minutes prior to scheduled performance times if a ticket was not secured in advance. See the venue key on page 25 for locations and capacities.
KEY Family Friendly These events are intended for young audiences
All Ages These events are appropriate for all ages
Mature Themes/Adult Content These events are most appropriate for patrons ages 13+
Performance
Installation
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After: A Post-Gay Vaudeville (Sponsored by Faggot Dolls™) After: A Post-Gay Vaudeville (Sponsored by Faggot Dolls™) explores what it means to be a gay man in an imagined utopia with full marriage equality and zero homophobia. The piece investigates how gay men interact with one another and wrestles with gay body image and sexual type, the difficulty of creating a lasting same-sex relationship and the power and status dynamics within the gay community.
Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
William Glick and E.L. Hohn 4/14 at 12pm 4/15 at 1pm 4/16 at 10am 4/17 at 12:30pm WIN 2.180 1 hour
Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
Cara Phipps and Eva Suter 4/13 at 2pm 4/15 at 1:30pm 4/16 at 8pm 4/17 at 12:30pm WIN B.202 1 hour 30 minutes
#FaggotDolls
An Accumpulation of Glorious Knick-Knacks Follow the breadcrumbs you don’t remember leaving and sometimes you’ll get somewhere; a mosaic of ransom note letters cut from old books. Close your eyes and turn around, ready for what you’ve seen but have never seen. #KnickKnack
Apocalypse Radio Good morning, Chicagolandia. Pull up your wool socks and get comfy for an immersive, retro-future radio broadcast. Subversives, convicts and bears strictly forbidden. ***If feasible, the Agency recommends bringing your own pillow and blanket or sleeping sack. #shitwemiss
Project Leads: Katie Van Winkle and Lydia Blaisdell When: 4/13 at 3pm 4/15 at 5:30pm 4/16 at 9pm 4/17 at 10am Where: OBT* Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes *Only 60 seats available per performance
Cielito Lindo Cielito Lindo (“pretty little one”) is a bilingual play that crosses cultures, explores what it means to be independent and confident with who you are, and to stand up for what is right even when it’s the hardest thing imaginable. Featuring a cast of 15 versatile actors who sing, dance and act, it weaves an epic love story with a modern battle of self identity, Cielito Lindo is a celebration of Latino culture and a statement of the fact that love and friendship should be color blind. You can either run from who you are or learn to embrace and love yourself, no matter of your difference from others.
Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
Stephany Antoinette Cavazos and Andrea Stanfill Carrillo 4/13 at 6:30pm 4/14 at 9pm 4/15 at 4pm 4/16 at 4:30pm WIN 2.180 1 hour 30 minutes
#CielitoLindo
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Chord Chord seeks to create an environment that promotes creative play utilizing multiple forms of media. Participants will be able to manipulate light and sound via multiple “chords” throughout the performance space. The installation is an exploration of “interactivity,” and all the ways it can be applied.
Project Leads: Patrick Lord, Ryan Belock, Jared LeClaire and Matt Smith When: Ongoing Installation Where: Robolab
#UTiMChord
Clothing.Movement.Spirituality. Clothing.Movement.Spirituality. is an interdisciplinary movement spectacular showcasing three styles of martial arts and mixing them with modern dance, hip hop, traditional music, and Korean pop music. It is a three segment show based on the culture, clothing, movement and spirituality of Tai Chi style Kung Fu, Muay Thai and Tae Kwon Do. This performance will show you that the broad term “martial arts” has a wide range of nuances including history, culture, spirituality, physicality, performance, art and more.
Project Lead: Kelly Ruiz When: 4/13 at 12pm 4/15 at 1pm 4/16 at 10am 4/17 at 12pm Where: BIP Run Time: 30 minutes
#MartialArtsNWF
Emanation Emanation is a play about intimacy. Leira, a 20-something assistant librarian, discovers a damaged book while closing the library late at night. In her quest to find the culprit, she unlocks aspects of her own identity. In the spirit of David Lynch, Emanation redefines the ‘coming’ of age story. #Emanation
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Project Lead: Mahalia Dinglasan When: 4/13 at 9pm 4/14 at 8:30pm 4/15 at 8:30pm 4/17 at 7pm Where: FAL Run Time: 1 hour
Emma When You Need Her In a world where a handful of rich men control the government; where women fight to control their bodies; where immigrants escaping war and poverty are met with fear and mistrust; where handlebar mustaches rule the streets and massage therapists are leading the march for justice...well, it’s either Austin, 2014 or New York, 1914. Wherever we are we need to find the crowd-charging, hard-writing, fastdancing, freedom-fighting, polyamorous, Lithuanian-Jewish anarchofeminist firebrand inside us all. And so a ragtag band of artists and activists will join together to create Emma When You Need Her, a devised exploration of the life, loves and struggles of the one and only Emma Goldman!
Project Leads: Rudy Ramirez and Madilynn Garcia When: 4/13 at 12pm & 6pm 4/14 at 9pm 4/15 at 8:30pm Where: OBT Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
#EmmaWhenYouNeedHer
Eye See...I Forget Eye See…I Forget is an installation that will evolve each day of the Festival. Crawl inside the brain of Alzheimer’s patient and witness the disease’s seven stage effects one day at a time. Eye See…I Forget is a visual reminder of how precious memory is and how tasks and activities that are simple to most are a fading pastime for others.
Project Leads: When: Where:
Selina Rosales and Callie Hacker Ongoing Installation WIN 2.116
Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
Patricia Bennett and Alexa Capareda 4/15 at 9:30pm 4/17 at 10am WIN 2.180 30 minutes
#EyeForget
Henry Bishop Part of The Filaments series
Henry Bishop tells the story of Henry Bishop, a lonely centaur who has the body of a sheep instead of a horse. Isolated from the satyrs, centaurs and the world of men, Henry Bishop spends his days knitting, writing haikus and tending to his flock of sheep until he meets the tree nymph Sylph, who takes him on a journey to see her home tree. The story of how Henry Bishop discovers himself is told through narrative movement devised by the ensemble. #HenryBishop
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I Am My Selfie I Am My Selfie examines the cultural phenomenon of “selfie-taking” and its relationship with self-image through a fully functional photo booth. Come share your take on what self-image means to you and leave with a timeless photo of yourself at The Cohen New Works Festival!
Project Leads: When: Where:
Katy Wicker and Rocket Thrall Ongoing Installation WIN Atrium
#MySelfieNWF
Last Call with Rocket Thrall Last Call is the talk show that’s all about promoting and parodying The 2015 Cohen New Works Festival. Nightly guests will include Festival artists and our in-house band participating in interviews, sketches and games. #LastCallNWF
Project Lead: Rocket Thrall When: 4/13 at 9:30pm 4/14 at 7pm 4/15 at 9:30pm 4/16 at 9:30pm Where: LAB Run Time: 1 hour
Life, Death, and All That Nonsense Part of The Filaments series
Life, Death, and All That Nonsense is an existential drama that follows a young man who returns home without his memory to find that his family has been murdered. With the help of his childhood sweetheart, he endeavors to solve the murders and figure out who he was. Through encounters with absurdist tea drinkers and a cryptic dandy he discovers the unpleasant truth of his past.
Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
Savanna Shaffer and Frances Molina 4/14 at 4:30pm 4/16 at 4pm WIN 1.134 1 hour 30 minutes
#AllThatNonsense
Life, Love, and What I Lost Part of The Filaments series
Life, Love, and What I Lost is an original song cycle that explores the ups and downs of life as a twenty-something. Presented through a series of vignettes, this musical piece takes on these experiences one by one: the thrill of first love, the fear of the unforeseeable future, the loss of a loved one and what it means to love something and let it go. Life, Love, and What I Lost is a colorful and emotional tribute to a generation of not-quite-adults just trying to figure it all out. #LifeLoveNWF
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Project Leads: Natalie Patton and Lilly Stafford When: 4/16 at 5:30pm 4/17 at 2:30pm Where: LAB Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Mad & a Goat A two-person show about one woman who, to free herself from college debt, joins a Wyoming goat farm she inherits from her occult-leader birth parents. The woman finds her fleshy body and her capital body to be joined in holy-moly matrimony and she’s forced to reckon with both as bodies intertwined, for better or for worse.
Project Lead: Diana Lynn Small When: 4/13 at 9pm 4/15 at 2pm 4/16 at 3:30pm 4/17 at 7pm Where: OBT Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
#MadAndAGoat
Memoirdia dell’Arte In the wake of Truffaldino’s death, his daughter Beatrice delivers a heartfelt eulogy to her audience in Memoirdia dell’Arte. When the contemporary world and the imaginary Commedia dell’Arte world clash during the funeral, Beatrice will find out what it truly takes to lay Truffaldino to rest. #memoirdiadellarte
Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
Rebecca Walach and Kenny Chilton 4/13 at 2:30pm 4/14 at 8pm 4/16 at 12pm 4/17 at 2pm AHG 134 1 hour
No More Part of The Filaments series
No More is a dance theatre piece that aims to address the subject of domestic violence through the abstraction of dance, narratives utilizing speech and printed media articles and an interactive composer/musician. We are looking to push boundaries to evoke a response from the audience and to say “no more” to domestic violence.
Project Lead: Morganne Mazeika When: 4/14 at 12pm 4/16 at 1pm Where: OBT Run Time: 1 hour
#NoMoreNWF
nu.shui nu.shui is a site-specific dance piece that will take place in the Littlefield Fountain. Set to Ravel’s rich and unwavering magnum opus, Bolero, nu.shui explores the powerful relationship between women and water. Water’s clarity and forcefulness are analogous to women’s ascribed qualities of grace and vitality. Movement is inspired in part by the Chinese poem Jianjia, wherein a man pursues an elusive woman – a mirage over a pool of water.
Project Leads: Jun Shen When: 4/13 at 9pm 4/14 at 8:30pm 4/15 at 8:30pm 4/16 at 9pm Where: LFF Run Time: 30 minutes
#nushui
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Operation Istanbul An international spy adventure play about star-crossed global love. While on vacation in Istanbul, Scott, a CIA femmefatale, seduces a handsome mysterious man named Asan only to learn he is a secret agent with a Kurdish nationalist organization. Their love displeases both their employers and forces them to flee. The play follows them over the next 15 years of their life together as they search for normalcy from Pennsylvania, to Toronto, to Istanbul. Unfortunately, no matter what they do or where they go, the global war on terror always seems to catch up with them.
Project Leads: Patrick Shaw, Andrew Carson and Alexandra Bassett When: 4/13 at 8:30pm 4/14 at 5:30pm 4/16 at 8:30pm 4/17 at 5pm Where: BIP Run Time: 2 hours
#OperationIstanbul
Our Cool Leader Our Cool Leader is an audience participation event revealing the truth behind how North Korean propaganda functions. The focus is on the paradoxical character Kim Jong-un. This project includes both a bust sculpture installation and a dance performance featuring a North Korean defector. A University of Texas student organization, Liberty in North Korea, will also host an awareness campaign in connection with this piece during the week of the Festival.
Project Lead: Yongmin Lee When: 4/13 at 12:45pm 4/14 at 12:45pm 4/16 at 12:45pm 4/17 at 12:45pm Ongoing Installation 11am–3pm Where: WIN Circle Run Time: 15 minutes
#OurCoolLeader
Pirandello: A New Musical This musical explores an aspect of the famous playwright Luigi Pirandello’s, life and his relationship with his artistic muse Marta Abba. This piece is a staged reading. #PirandelloTheMusical
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Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
Joshua Streeter and Spencer Blank 4/13 at 6pm 4/14 at 2pm 4/15 at 10:30am 4/17 at 5:30pm WIN 1.134 1 hour 30 minutes
Please Open Your Mouth Please Open Your Mouth to an immersive, participatory theatrical experience of food and sex. Audience members gain entrance to a clandestine culinary orgy where a charismatic host and a cadre of servers shape a series of wildly unexpected dinner courses. #PleaseOpenYourMouth
Project Leads: Joanna Garner and Katie Van Winkle When: 4/13 at 7pm 4/14 at 9:30pm 4/17 at 7:30pm Where: LAB* Run Time: 1 hour *Only 18 seats available per performance
Purification Purification explores oppressive views of female sexuality through the story of a mother and daughter who live in a village led by the church and enclosed within a large, suffocating wall. In this world, they grapple with love, loss and the omnipresent weight the past bears on their bodies and reputations. The full-length play features beautiful stage images, poignant moments of both depth and lightness, and live, original folk music.
Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
Nicole Oglesby and Luke Linsteadt 4/13 at 3:30pm 4/14 at 5pm 4/15 at 10am 4/17 at 4pm WIN 2.180 1 hour 30 minutes
Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
Ryan Belock and Kristen Weller 4/13 at 1pm 4/15 at 2:30pm 4/16 at 12pm 4/17 at 7:30pm SAC Blackbox 1 hour
#PurificationNWF
RE/CONNECT RE/CONNECT is an interdisciplinary performance about how humans relate in a digital age. A monumental tablet swipes through layers of music, movement, wearable technology and projected media to depict stories of relationships and how we communicate. RE/CONNECT asks, “Where do we find intimacy in an increasingly connected world?� #reconnect
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Road Trip Third-year college student Hannah has been sleeping with her friend Peter for months when she finds out that she’s eight weeks pregnant. Finding that the closest abortion clinic is 750 miles away, Hannah, her roommate Bash and Hannah’s conservative childhood friend Judith embark on a road trip across the state of Texas. Examining Hannah’s relationships, both with God and her friends, the play follows the women on their tense journey as beliefs are questioned, secrets come to light and the three learn more about themselves than they ever thought possible.
Project Leads: Charlotte Rose and Kevin Poole When: 4/13 at 4pm 4/14 at 3pm 4/15 at 6pm 4/16 at 2pm Where: LAB Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
#RoadTrip2k15
Rose Made Man The new opera Rose Made Man, a coming of age story of a trans man named Gabriel, is also a coming of gender story since Gabriel was assigned female at birth, but identifies as a male. Born deaf and thus having never heard his gender clearly spoken by others, he lives in a relative bubble until age 10 when he gains his hearing and feels the full force of how his identity unsettles society. The piece will feature a cast and chorus of 20 singers with a chamber orchestra performing music by Franklin Piland (M.M. Music Composition) and a libretto by Tegan McLeod (M.F.A. Playwriting).
Project Lead: Joshua Miller When: 4/14 at 12pm 4/15 at 2:30pm 4/16 at 11am 4/17 at 10am Where: LAB Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
#RoseMadeMan
Shrines to Childhood Shrines to Childhood is a pilgrimage. This site-specific, experiential performance explores the way we as humans choose to remember and interact with our memories of childhood at different stages in our lives. Lead by a multigenerational ensemble, the audience will be encouraged to hear and share stories and reflect on how we remember and represent childhood. #ShrinesNWF
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Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
Briana Bower, Megan Nevels and Jennifer Arffmann 4/13 at 6pm 4/14 at 5pm 4/15 at 5pm 4/17 at 5:30pm Ongoing Installation WIN 1.164 1 hour 30 minutes
Silenced Silenced is a journey through six distinct vignettes that illustrate different stages in ones life. These six dances are based on interviews done with people who are not in a place or space where their story is traditionally asked or heard. #SilencedNWF
Project Lead: When: Where: Run Time:
Tawny Garcia 4/13 at 1:30pm 4/14 at 10am 4/15 at 10am 4/17 at 2pm BIP 1 hour 30 minutes
Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
Kimberly Belflower and Megan Tabaque 4/13 at 12pm 4/14 at 10am 4/16 at 8:30pm 4/17 at 2:30pm WIN 1.134 1 hour 30 minutes
Project Lead: When: Where: Run Time:
Emily Aguilar Thomas 4/13 at 12pm 4/14 at 11:30am 4/16 at 11:30am 4/17 at 11:30am WIN 1.108 1 hour
Project Lead: When: Where: Run Time:
Gia Marotta and Tamara Carroll 4/13 at 5pm 4/14 at 2:30pm 4/15 at 4pm 4/17 at 2pm WIN 1.108 1 hour 30 minutes
Teen Girl FANtasies Teen Girl FANtasies is one part music video, one part ultimate fan letter and one part virtual coming-of-age adventure. It follows six teenagers, each an empress of an online kingdom, on their quests to make their favorite band, Only Reason, understand their limitless love. The play investigates and celebrates the emotional and social exploration of adolescent girls in the virtual fan sphere. #TeenGirlNWF
Tell _____. Tell _____. is an interactive theatre performance for young audiences. Participants are invited to engage in dialogue with actor-facilitators about physical boundaries. Together, participants work to make sure that the character they meet is comfortable and safe. #TellTellTell
The Caregiving Project The Caregiving Project is an interactive solo performance. A performer leads the audience into the complicated joys and dilemmas of care that have informed her own life. Through audience interview, she invites them to investigate the private and public ways we make meaning through the giving and receiving of care, and the narratives we create to explain it to ourselves. #TheCaregivingProject
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The DJ is My Griot This piece explores the figure of the DJ as a modern-day griot, a storyteller who maintains the tradition of oral history in Western Africa. The DJ will lead the audience in an exploration of history, appropriation, Afro-American and AfroCaribbean dance traditions that inform popular culture today. This performance is a celebratory investigation of blackness through physical performance.
Project Lead: Jossina Mark When: 4/14 at 9pm 4/15 at 9pm 4/16 at 5pm Where: BIP Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
#DJGriot
The Fog Inside The Fog Inside is a site-specific Theatre for Dialogue performance located in the Counseling and Mental Health Center. Each fall, thousands of bright, ambitious students relocate to Austin to start their college careers and this transition affects everyone differently. This piece explores the grey areas of the mental health spectrum specific to undergraduates at UT Austin through the use of research, dialogue, theatrical techniques and self care.
Project Leads: Spring Snyder and Cortney McEniry When: 4/13 at 8pm 4/14 at 8pm 4/15 at 8pm 4/16 at 8pm Where: SSB Run Time: 1 hour
#FogInside
The Missing Element The Missing Element infuses chemistry with performance through the art of acting, dance, music composition, robotic lighting design, steam-punk costuming and original graphic projections. Each character in The Missing Element represents a different element on the periodic table and, by using the basic laws of chemistry, the table is brought to life and life is brought back into the elements that surround us all. As intermolecular forces interact, bonds and relationships are created and destroyed as the unequal distribution of power and wealth in this dystopian society is challenged and changed. #TheMissingElement
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Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
Danya Gorel and Maegan Wilson 4/14 at 6:30pm 4/15 at 11:30am 4/16 at 6:30pm 4/17 at 4:30pm OBT* 1 hour
*Only 80 seats available per performance
The Rainbow Connection The Rainbow Connection is a play about the importance of maintaining a bountiful amount of imagination and creativity. We follow a young man who has lost what we refer to as his “rainbow connection” or the connection to his imagination, due to a family tragedy. As he attempts to rekindle the memories of his lost loved one(s), both audience and ensemble aid him in reestablishing his “rainbow connection” through a book of stories that come to life on stage.
Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
Martin Rodriguez and Andrew Valdez 4/13 at 7:30pm 4/15 at 7pm 4/16 at 8pm 4/17 at 5:30pm* AHG 134 1 hour
*Performance on 4/17 will be a sensory friendly #RainbowConnection
performance dedicated to sensory friendly audiences.
This Emotional Closet
Project Lead: When: Where:
This Emotional Closet is an immersive installation that explores the relationships women have with their clothing and the concept of “self.” This Emotional Closet questions “Who am I and What do I wear?”
Mercedes O’Bannion Ongoing Installation WIN 2.138
#EmotionalCloset
TwentyEight TwentyEight is a play set to the music of Kanye West that centers around the citizens of the all-Black township Settlement 40. As they protest the forced removal of citizens to the Liberian Space Station by the American government, one citizen is killed every 28 hours by enforcers. This begs the question: “who will survive in America?”
Project Lead: Tyler English-Beckwith When: 4/13 at 5:30pm 4/14 at 2:30pm 4/15 at 5:30pm 4/16 at 2pm Where: BIP Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
#TwentyEightPlay
Welcome, Home Welcome, Home invites the audience into an interactive live blog where four students will re-live, confess and reconfigure the depths of their explorations in Angers, France. Within the intimacy of its own tent, this piece brings home their discoveries through a multi-sensory immersive dance experience. Find a seat wherever you are. #WelcomeHomeNWF
Project Leads: When: Where: Run Time:
Anna Ingram, Billie Secular, Kelsey Oliver and Zach Khoo 4/13 at 2pm 4/14 at 10am 4/15 at 12pm 4/16 at 1pm Ongoing Installation WIN Scene Shop 1 hour 30 minutes
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The Schedule All dates, times and locations are subject to change. Please consult our smartphone Festival app, the website or the information table for updates about Festival changes.
Opening Ceremony Taco Breakfast and Festival Kick Off! Get your Festival started right—Join us in taco-eating, coffee-drinking, and getting revved up for the week to come! Vegan and gluten free options available. Our keynote speaker will be visiting artist Makato Hirano. All welcome! When: 4/13 at 10–11:30am Where: WIN Atrium
Closing Ceremony Let’s say goodbye to another great Cohen New Works Festival in the best kind of way. Meet and mingle in the Winship Circle and walk together to the UT Tower. Lights. Music. Noise making. Fun having. Ice Creaming. Vegan and gluten free options available. All welcome! When: 4/17 at 8:30–10pm Where: WIN Circle
F. LOREN WINSHIP DRAMA BUILDING
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Monday 4/13 10–11:30am
WIN Atrium
Opening Ceremony
12pm
OBT
Emma When You Need Her
12pm
BIP
Clothing.Movement.Spirituality.
12pm
WIN 1.108
Tell _____.
12pm
WIN 1.134
Teen Girl FANtasies
1pm
SAC Blackbox
RE/CONNECT
1:30pm
BIP
Silenced
2pm
WIN B.202
An Accumpulation of Glorious Knick-Knacks
2pm
WIN Scene Shop
Welcome, Home
2:30pm
AHG 134
Memoirdia dell’Arte
3pm
OBT
Apocalypse Radio
3:30pm
WIN 2.180
Purification
4pm
LAB
Road Trip
5pm
WIN 1.108
The Caregiving Project
5:30pm
BIP
TwentyEight
6pm
OBT
Emma When You Need Her
6pm
WIN 1.134
Pirandello: A New Musical
6pm
WIN 1.164
Shrines to Childhood
6:30pm
WIN 2.180
Cielito Lindo
7pm
LAB
Please Open Your Mouth
7:30pm
AHG 134
The Rainbow Connection
8pm
SSB
The Fog Inside
8:30pm
BIP
Operation Istanbul
9pm
FAL
Emanation
9pm
OBT
Mad & a Goat
9pm
LFF
nu.shui
9:30pm
LAB
Last Call with Rocket Thrall
10am
BIP
Silenced
10am
WIN 1.134
Teen Girl FANtasies
10am
WIN Scene Shop
Welcome, Home
11:30am
WIN 1.108
Tell _____.
12pm
OBT
No More
12pm
LAB
Rose Made Man
12pm
WIN 2.180
After: A Post-Gay Vaudeville (Sponsored by Faggot Dolls™)
2pm
WIN 1.134
Pirandello: A New Musical
Tuesday 4/14
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Tuesday 4/14 continued 2:30pm
BIP
TwentyEight
2:30pm
WIN 1.108
The Caregiving Project
3pm
LAB
Road Trip
3:30pm
OBT
Research Driven Art Salon
4:30pm
WIN 1.134
Life, Death and All That Nonsense
5pm
WIN 1.164
Shrines to Childhood
5pm
WIN 2.180
Purification
5:30pm
BIP
Operation Istanbul
6:30pm
OBT
The Missing Element
7pm
LAB
Last Call with Rocket Thrall
8pm
AHG 134
Memoirdia dell’Arte
8pm
SSB
The Fog Inside
8:30pm
FAL
Emanation
8:30pm
LFF
nu.shui
9pm
OBT
Emma When You Need Her
9pm
BIP
The DJ is My Griot
9pm
WIN 2.180
Cielito Lindo
9:30pm
LAB
Please Open Your Mouth
Wednesday 4/15
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10-11:30am
WIN Atrium
Coffee Chat with Guest Artists
10am
OBT
The New Face of Audience Interaction Salon
10am
BIP
Silenced
10am
WIN 2.180
Purification
10:30am
WIN 1.134
Pirandello: A New Musical
11:30am
OBT
The Missing Element
12pm
WIN Scene Shop
Welcome, Home
1pm
BIP
Clothing.Movement.Spirituality.
1pm
WIN 2.180
After: A Post-Gay Vaudeville (Sponsored by Faggot Dolls™)
1:30pm
WIN B.202
An Accumpulation of Glorious Knick-Knacks
2pm
OBT
Mad & a Goat
2:30pm
LAB
Rose Made Man
2:30pm
SAC Blackbox
RE/CONNECT
4pm
WIN 1.108
The Caregiving Project
4pm
WIN 2.180
Cielito Lindo
5pm
WIN 1.164
Shrines to Childhood
5:30pm
OBT
Apocalypse Radio
Wednesday 4/15 continued 5:30pm
BIP
TwentyEight
6pm
LAB
Road Trip
7pm
AHG 134
The Rainbow Connection
8pm
SSB
The Fog Inside
8:30pm
OBT
Emma When You Need Her
8:30pm
LFF
nu.shui
8:30pm
FAL
Emanation
9pm
BIP
The DJ is My Griot
9:30pm
LAB
Last Call with Rocket Thrall
9:30pm
WIN 2.180
Henry Bishop
10am
BIP
Clothing.Movement.Spirituality.
10am
WIN 2.180
After: A Post-Gay Vaudeville (Sponsored by Faggot Dolls™)
11am
LAB
Rose Made Man
11:30am
WIN 1.108
Tell ______.
12pm
SAC Blackbox
RE/CONNECT
12pm
AHG 134
Memoirdia dell’Arte
12:45am
WIN Circle
Our Cool Leader
1pm
OBT
No More
1pm
WIN Scene Shop
Welcome, Home
2pm
BIP
TwentyEight
2pm
LAB
Road Trip
3:30pm
OBT
Mad & a Goat
4pm
WIN 1.134
Life, Death and All That Nonsense
4:30pm
WIN 2.180
Cielito Lindo
5pm
BIP
The DJ is My Griot
5:30pm
LAB
Life, Love and What I Lost
6:30pm
OBT
The Missing Element
8pm
WIN B.202
An Accumulation of Glorious Knick-Knacks
8pm
SSB
The Fog Inside
8pm
AHG 134
The Rainbow Connection
8:30pm
WIN 1.134
Teen Girl FANtasies
8:30pm
BIP
Operation Istanbul
9pm
OBT
Apocalypse Radio
9pm
LFF
nu.shui
9:30pm
LAB
Last Call with Rocket Thrall
Thursday 4/16
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Friday 4/17 10-11:30am
WIN Atrium
Coffee Chat with Guest Artists
10am
OBT
Apocalypse Radio
10am
LAB
Rose Made Man
10am
WIN 2.180
Henry Bishop
11:30am
WIN 1.108
Tell ______.
12pm
BIP
Clothing.Movement.Spirituality.
12:30pm
OBT
Art as Activism Salon
12:30pm
WIN B.202
An Accumpulation of Glorious Knick-Knacks
12:30pm
WIN 2.180
After: A Post-Gay Vaudeville (Sponsored by Faggot Dolls™)
12:45pm
WIN Circle
Our Cool Leader
2pm
BIP
Silenced
2pm
WIN 1.108
The Caregiving Project
2pm
AHG 134
Memoirdia dell’Arte
2:30pm
LAB
Life, Love and What I Loft
2:30pm
WIN 1.134
Teen Girl FANtasies
4pm
WIN 2.180
Purification
4:30pm
OBT
The Missing Element
5pm
BIP
Operation Istanbul
5:30pm
WIN 1.134
Pirandello: A New Musical
5:30pm
WIN 1.164
Shrines to Childhood
5:30pm
AHG 134
The Rainbow Connection
7pm
OBT
Mad & a Goat
7pm
FAL
Emanation
7:30pm
LAB
Please Open Your Mouth
7:30pm
SAC Blackbox
RE/CONNECT
8:30-10pm
WIN Circle
Closing Ceremony
Ongoing Installations (Winship Building hours: Monday–Friday 8am–11pm) Chord
Robolab
Eye See...I Forget
WIN 2.116
I Am My Selfie
WIN Atrium
Our Cool Leader
WIN Circle
Shrines to Childhood
WIN 1.164
This Emotional Closet
WIN 2.138
Welcome, Home
WIN Scene Shop
In case of inclement weather, the following performances will either be delayed, relocated, rescheduled or canceled: Our Cool Leader, Shrines to Childhood, Apocalypse Radio and nu.shui. Updates will be posted on the NWF Twitter, Facebook, website and smartphone app. 24
MAP
Student Services Building
P Metered Parking
P Metered Parking San Jacinto Garage
Anna Hiss Gym P
Winship Drama Building Lab Theatre
Fine Arts Library
Winship Circle Littlefield Fountain
Student Activity Center
Darrel K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium Manor Garage P
Venue Key and Seating Capacities WIN OBT BIP WIN Atrium WIN Scene Shop Robolab LAB SSB LFF WIN Circle AHG FAL SAC
F. Loren Winship Drama Building (300 E. 23rd St., corner of San B.202 1.108 1.134 1.164 2.116 2.138 2.180 Oscar G. Brockett Theatre (Inside WIN) B. Iden Payne Theatre Stage (Inside WIN) Winship Atrium (Inside WIN) Scene Shop (Inside WIN) Robolab WIN 2.121 (Inside WIN) Lab Theatre (Located west of WIN) Student Services Building Lobby (100 W. Dean Keeton St.) Littlefield Fountain (In front of the UT Tower on W. 21st St.) Winship Circle (Open grass area in front of WIN) Anna Hiss Gym 134 (Wichita and Dean Keeton St.) Fine Arts Library, Fifth Floor (2306 Trinity St. DFA 3.200) Student Activity Center Blackbox (2201 Speedway)
Jacinto and 23rd) 27 seats 35 seats 40 seats 25 seats 4 seats 15 seats 50 seats 244 seats 120 seats 30 seats 20 seats 150 seats 20 seats 200 seats 150 seats 100 seats 60 seats 55 seats
Parking The university requires all faculty, staff, students and visitors to pay for parking on campus. Please be aware when you come to a performance that parking has changed and new signage has been posted in regards to the changes. All parking on campus – both ADA and non-ADA requires a permit or payment of fees. Patrons are encouraged to park in university parking garages at the San Jacinto Garage and Manor Garage, both within walking distance of the theatres. In addition, there is metered parking available on Dean Keeton/26th Street. Please read parking signs carefully. 25
the festival 2015 supercrew The Executive Committee The Executive Committee is comprised of undergraduate and graduate students who are responsible for the planning and implementation of the 2015 Festival. Assistant Producer Tamara Carroll Technical Directors Victoria Solorio Kyle Winkelmann Production Manager Shelby Stark Assistant Production Manager Kenny Chilton Information Technology Manager Maegan Wilson PR/Marketing Committee Co-Chairs Sara Robillard Lindsay Kelly Guest Artist Committee Co-Chairs Joey Gomez Katherine Horak
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Engaging Research Committee Co-Chairs Dana Arismendez Madilynn Garcia Sean Tecson Events Committee Co-Chairs Danya Gorel Eva Suter Applications Committee Co-Chairs Kenny Chilton Nicole Oglesby The Executive Committee is supported and guided by a team of Faculty Co-Producers: Lawrence Bennett Quetta Carpenter Rusty Cloyes Liz Engelman David Justin Kirk Lynn
Festival Crew The Festival would not be possible without the students working behind the scenes. The Festival Crew can be seen scurrying around the building wearing black, making sure the building is in tip-top shape, the lights go up and audiences find their seats. Toni Baker Shannon Barry Kathleen Brown Janice Fabunan Baylie Figueroa Dylan Gibson Hollin Haley
Natalie Herrera Matthew Hill Hannah Holub Leslie Leal Breanna Lind Emily McIntyre McMall Montz
Rachel Nursey Emily Ochoa Danielle Ruth Aaron Schulze Michelle Smith Morgan Starr Brenna Sturdivant
Neha Sukumar Catherine Urban Alex Villarreal Joseph Weaver Britney Wilkinson Allison Wojtowecz
The Festival would like to extend a very special thanks to: ·· Dr. Brant Pope, Chair, Department of Theatre and Dance ·· Harvey Hartenstine, President, Broadway Bank’s Austin Region ·· Jean Cheever, Broadway Bank Board Member and founding member of the Department of Theatre and Dance Director’s Council ·· Dr. Douglas Dempster, Dean, College of Fine Arts ·· Faculty and Staff of the Department of Theatre and Dance ·· Suzan Zeder, Cohen New Works Festival Founding Producer ·· Dr. Charlotte Canning and the Performance Studies and Pedagogy Division ·· Susan Mickey and the Performance Production Division ·· Lyn Wiltshire and the Performance Division ·· Steven Dietz, Theatre for Youth Chair ·· Richard Isackes, Joanne Sharp Crosby Chair in Design and Technology ·· Bruce Pennycook, Director, The Center for Arts and Entertainment Technology, Butler School of Music ·· Kathy Panoff, Rachel Drkin-Drga, David Stewart, and the staff of Texas Performing Arts ·· Morgan Bathe, Graphic Designer, Texas Performing Arts ·· C.J. Wiles, Project Management id Construction Services, University of Texas at Austin ·· Eugene Sepulveda and Steven Tomlinson ·· Stuart Cohen
Director’s Council The Department of Theatre and Dance Director’s Council is a premier volunteer group designed to foster strong and collaborative connections between The University of Texas at Austin and the local community by supporting initiatives in marketing, public relations, student recruitment and development. As advocates for the department, this group of alumni, parents and fine arts supporters play a key role in continuing to build a professional theatre and dance training program serving thousands of talented Texans for generations. 2014–2015 Director’s Council Members: Carol Smith Adams Gary Farmer Francesca Brockett and JoLynn Free Jim Pedicano Debbie Oliver Barrett Bruce Pam and Edmund Jean Cheever McIlhenny Joanne and Jack Crosby Annie McKinnon Dee Dawson Miriam Relyea
Russ Sartain Nancy Scanlan Marc Seriff Laura Sheffield Karen Skolnik Leah Stolar Sharon Watkins
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The Cohen New Works Festival is presented by
The Department of Theatre and Dance is a world-class educational environment that serves as the ultimate creative incubator for the next generation of artists, thinkers and leaders in theatre and performance.
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