UR Free Theatre and Dance 2022-2023 Season
The Department of Theatre and Dance has created the UR Free Theatre and Dance initiative to remove economic barriers and make theatre and dance accessible to everyone. The department is committed to the theatre as a vibrant cultural force that engages audiences in meaningful ways and addresses important issues of our time through compelling live performances.
All UR Free Theatre and Dance events are free ticketed events that offer general seating. Get your tickets to these and other outstanding shows online or at the Modlin Center Box Office!
Learn more about what to expect when you attend a performance at the Modlin Center on our Visitor Information page.
SMART PEOPLE By Lydia R. Diamond
Directed by Chuck Mike
Costume Design by Heather Hogg
Light & Sound Design by Maja E. White
Scenic Design by Jason Ammons
September 29 – October 1, 2022 | 7:30 PM
October 2, 2022 | 2:00 PM
Cousins Studio Theatre, Modlin Center for the Arts
It is the eve of Obama's first election. Four of Harvard University's brightest; a surgeon, an actress, a psychologist, and a neuro-psychiatrist, are all interested in different aspects of the brain, particularly how it responds to race. But like all smart people, they are also searching for love, success, and identity in their own lives. Lydia Diamond brings these characters together in this sharp, witty play about social and sexual politics.
"……. a sexy, serious, and very, very funny modern-day comedy of manners." ~ Variety
12th ANNUAL CELEBRATION of DANCE
October 16, 2022 | 2:00 PM
Alice Jepson Theatre, Modlin Center for the Arts
Join us for the 12th Annual Celebration of Dance @ UR!Info: The 12th Annual Celebration of Dance @ UR will feature the amazing creativity and contagious energy of student dance clubs, dance companies, and independent choreographers representing a wide range of dance styles and cultural dance forms. Come see amazing dancing by Block Crew, Ngoma African Dance Company, Bollywood Jhatkas, SpinnURs, Ritmo Latino and independent choreographers Aiko Decker, Jenna Raimond, Katherine Goldbach Ehmer, Sophia Hartman, and Paul Ochen. It will be fun!
MISS YOU LIKE HELL
November 17–19, 2022 | 7:30 PM
November 20, 2022 | 2:00 PM
Alice Jepson Theatre, Modlin Center for the Arts
This revolutionary new musical by Pulitzer Prize winner (Water By The Spoonful) and Tony Award winner (In the Heights) Quiara Alegría Hudes with music by singer-songwriter Erin McKeown exudes the joy, love, and frustration of being a family in a changing country. This personal and epic journey begins when Beatriz arrives in Philadelphia to convince her estranged 16-year-old daughter Olivia to join her on a road trip to California. Along the way, they encounter a mosaic of characters as diverse and eclectic as America itself, but the hard truth of Beatriz’s undocumented status and pending deportation to Mexico threatens to build a wall between them. The New York Times calls the musical “Powerful and complex, a fresh take on the American road story, filled with people and ideas we rarely get to see onstage.”
Co-Directed by Patricia Herrera and Dorothy Holland
Musical direction by Marlysse Rose Simmons-Argandoña, leader of globally renowned indie-salsa band Bio Ritmo. Assistant Musical direction by Laura Ann Singh, UR alum and renowned vocalist and founder of Quatro na Bossa. Choreographed by Kevin LaMarr Jones, UR alum and founder of Richmond’s Clave Unidos.
Book and Lyrics: Quiara Alegría Hudes
Music and Lyrics: Erin McKeown
Costume Design: Nia Safarr Banks
Light & Sound Design: Maja E. White
Scenic Design: Jason Ammons
Projection Design: Corrine Manderino
fast/FORWARD
UNIVERSITY DANCERS 38TH ANNUAL CONCERT
Directed by Anne Van Gelder
Costume Design by Karl Green
Light & Sound Design by Maja E. White
Scenic Design by Jason Ammons
February 24 & 25, 2023 | 7:30 PM
February 26, 2023 | 2:00 PM
Alice Jepson Theatre, Modlin Center for the Arts
University Dancers celebrates 38 years of engaging dance with our annual concert that brings to the University of Richmond the work of innovative guest choreographers Charlotte Boye-Christensen and Stephanie Martinez. Vancouver-based choreographer Charlotte Boye-Christensen’s collaborative work challenges perceptions of what defines dance, while not rejecting tradition. Ms. Boye-Christensen is the founder of NOW-ID, an interdisciplinary contemporary performance company known for its site-specific work and its commitment to inventing unique forms. Stephanie Martinez identifies as both Latina and indigenous and we are very excited to bring to campus an artist with such a unique perspective to work with our students and collaborate with our faculty. Aligning with the revised mission statement for the Department of Theatre & Dance, Ms. Martinez’s artistic aesthetic utilizes contemporary dance to educate and engage community.
The concert will also feature new works choreographed by Department of Theatre & Dance faculty Angelica Burgos, Deandra Clarke, Eric Rivera, and Anne Van Gelder. Do not miss these talented dancers performing in a variety of contemporary works.
The Rivals By Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Directed by Walter Schoen
Costume Design by Johann Stegmeir
Light & Sound Design by Maja E. White
Scenic Design by Reed West
April 13-15, 2023 | 7:30 PM
April 16, 2023 | 2:00 PM
Alice Jepson Theatre, Modlin Center for the Arts
The headstrong daughter of a wealthy family, the lovely Lydia Languish is fiercely determined to rebuff parental wishes and marry for love rather than money. Her romantic dilemma is complicated by the machinations of her aunt Mrs. Malaprop whose misapplication of the English language (“she's as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of Nile") has made her one of the most beloved comic characters of all time. An 18th century “comedy of manners,” The Rivals is Richard Sheridan’s masterpiece about the value of love and money that sparkles with theatricality, wit, exuberance and fun.
