Volume 18, 10 | December, 2. 2019
Week 10 NEWSLETTER
Department News
Week 10 - Dec 2 - Dec 6, 2019
Elektra Sells Out. Join the Wait-list Here
Come one, come all! Step right up to see  Elektra  by Sophocles in a new music-infused translation by Timberlake Wertenbaker. Elektra finds herself in an endless circus orchestrated by her father’s murderers: her mother, The Queen, and her mother’s lover who masquerades as The New King. Elektra cannot take part in the charade of happiness and rages against the court, waiting for her exiled brother, Orestes to return and avenge their father. Through music, movement, and the female voice,  Elektra  takes us inside the toxic cycles of violence that plagued the Ancient Greeks and continue as national spectacle today.

Directed by MFA Juliana Kleist-Mendez, Elektra Previews on Dec 2 and performs Dec 4 - 7 at 7:30pm and Dec 7 at 2pm.

PC: Manuel Rotenberg

To join the wait-list, click the link below.

Save the Date: The Wagner New Play Workshop Begins Next Week
The Wagner New Play Workshop is coming up next week. Come see the readings of the MFA playwright's plays that will be produced as part of the Wagner New Play Festival in May, 2020.

Thursday, December 12th  in the Wagner Theatre in Galbraith Hall:

6:30pm: The Haunting at Camp Winona  by Mara Nelson-Greenberg
8:00pm: Watch Me by Dave Harris

Friday, Dec 13  in the Wagner Theatre in Galbraith Hall:

5pm: Blue by Ali Viterbi
7:30pm: The Sensational Sea Mink-ettes by Vivian Barnes
Be Sure to Support the Company 157 Production of How I Learned to Drive


Company 157 presents,  How I Learned to Drive , the Pulitzer Prize winning play by Paula Vogel, directed by Simon J. Martin.

The show runs December 4th & 6th @ 7:30 in GH 247. 

This story delves into the memories of Li’l Bit from the ages of eleven to eighteen as she navigates and recounts the trauma of the predatory relationship she had with her Uncle Peck. Jumping between family dinners, school hallways, photo shoots, and driving lessons, we see how a survivor of trauma continues to move forward with a history that is always pulling her back. 

For more information and to reserve tickets: 

PhD Cohort Prepares to Present Research to the Department
The UC San Diego Theatre and Dance PhD Cohort will be holding the Fall Quarter Research Symposium on Wednesday, December 11th at 2pm In the Wagner Theatre.

Be sure to mark your calendars and prepare for the finest in cutting edge theatrical research.

The Symposium will be 90 Minutes in length and will include presentations from Second-Year PhD Student Desmond Hassing, Third-Year PhD Student Kristin Leadbetter and Fifth-Year PhD Candidate Jim Short.
Happening Around Campus
Dec 4, 2019 at 6:00 pm: Nancy Lupo Guest Lecture
Installation Artist Nancy Lupo will be conducting a free of charge guest lecture in the

"Intricate networks of materials, objects, and spaces characterize Nancy Lupo’s complex installations. Her multisensorial and affective work often contains organic elements, such as quinoa, foil-covered chocolates, and fruit, and banal items, including dental floss, dog bowls, and folding chairs, in various states of rot or use. Her work addresses the ways in which we move through spaces, as if following latent scripts that punctuate and dictate the rituals and rhythms that shape our daily lives. In many cases, Lupo has installed works outside of the gallery or museum, in city parks, at the beach, on the telephone, and in other semi-private and public spaces."

For more information about this event, click the link below.

Dec 5, 2019 at 7:00 pm: [switch~] Ensemble
" A new music ensemble for the 21st Century, the [Switch~ Ensemble] is dedicated to the creation and performance of new works for chamber ensemble and multimedia. At the core of each performance is our commitment to the total integration of technology and live musicians. We strive for compelling artistry achieved through the seamless creation, production, and execution of new music. We believe that working directly with composers throughout their creative process–in a medium where the score is a departure point rather than a finish line–allows for new and thrilling musical possibilities. Our collaborative practices are optimized for needs that differ radically from the creation and rehearsal of acoustic music, allowing for continuous experimentation and refinement."

For information about registration for this free event, click the link below.

Alumni News
If you have news to share please send it to us at [email protected] and we'll post in subsequent newsletters. Photos are encouraged.
MFA Stage Management Alumna Sees Performance Aired on PBS
The Shakespeare in the Park production of Much Ado About Nothing , Alumna Kamra Jacobs (Production Stage Manager), is available to stream free, through Great Performances on the PBS Website through the link below.



Acting Program Alumnus Featured in Ashland Tidings
MFA Acting Alumnus Chris Butler was recently interviewed by Ashland Tidings about his process and his performance in The Oregon Shakespeare Festival's 2018 Production of Othello .

To read the full interview, click the link below.

Alumnus Designs Installations Made of Light in Enchanted: Forest of Light
UC San Diego Theatre and Dance Alumnus Chris Medvitz designed installations for the Descanso Gardens Production of Enchanted: Garden of Light , a mile long trail which features a series of interactive light displays.


For more information about this event, click the link below.

Have news to share?
Send it to us at [email protected] and we'll pass it along for you. Photos are encouraged.
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Sincerely, UC San Diego Theatre & Dance