Lighting Designer

**New Directions: A Showcase of Student Choreography**

**Dates & Times:**
- Thursday, June 6 at 7:30 PM
- Friday, June 7 at 7:30 PM
- Saturday, June 8 at 7:30 PM

**Location:** Mandell Weiss Forum Theatre, UC San Diego

**About the Show:**
New Directions is a vibrant showcase featuring the innovative work of student choreographers at UC San Diego. This event is a celebration of dance, bringing together dance makers and movers from across all areas, extending beyond the department to engage the wider campus community. The showcase aims to support the next generation of embodied storytellers and movement makers, providing a platform for students to explore themes of lineage, community resilience, empowerment, liberation, and peace through their creative works.

This year's concert boasts an impressive lineup of student choreographers, including Elizabeth You, Gage Stixrude-Bertelloni, Italy Clark, Fabricio Apuy Novella, Saryah Colbert, Yali Alsberg, Mira Mitre, Vrisika Chauhan, Yvente Situ, Lauren Lee, and Sage Kowalkowski. Each choreographer brings their unique vision to the stage, asking poignant questions and inviting the audience into their explorations of movement and meaning.

**Content Warning:** Please note that the performances may include flashing/strobe lighting and depictions of firearms.

**Tickets:** Available for purchase for each performance night. Join us for an evening of compelling dance works that promise to inspire and provoke thought.

**Creatives/Designers:**
- Director: Ana María Álvarez
- Choreographers: Elizabeth You, Gage Stixrude-Bertelloni, Italy Clark, Fabricio Apuy Novella, Saryah Colbert, Yali Alsberg, Mira Mitre, Yvente Situ, Lauren Lee, Vrisika Chauhan, Sage Kowalkowski
- Lighting Designers: Vida Huang, Taylor Olson, Stephaney Knapp, Melody Vilitchai
- EDI Advocate: Aysan Celik
- Production Manager: Laura Manning
- And many more talented individuals behind the scenes.

**Director's Note:** Ana María Álvarez shares her vision for New Directions, emphasizing the power of art making as a radical act of imagination and sharing. She invites the audience to witness the courage of student artists as they navigate the complexities of their worlds through dance, exploring personal and collective narratives of liberation and transformation.

**Special Appreciation:** A heartfelt thanks to Margaret Marshall for her continued support of the New Directions Productions and our student dance makers.

Join us at the Mandell Weiss Forum Theatre for New Directions, an evening that promises not just performances, but a journey into the heart of dance as a form of expression, storytelling, and community building.

EPSG:4326

New Directions

University of California San Diego

"Dead Girl's Quinceañera" is a captivating theatrical performance scheduled to run from May 6th to May 18th at the Theodore and Adele Shank Theatre. This dark comedy, penned by the talented Phanésia Pharel and directed by Lamar Perry, delves into the complexities of being 15, especially when faced with the disappearance of a best friend. The narrative follows Maria and her friends as they embark on a desperate quest to uncover the truth behind her vanishing, exploring themes of secrets, female friendship, and crime-solving. The play poses profound questions about coming of age in a troubled world and the lengths one must go to survive.

Content Warning: Please note that the play addresses sensitive topics, including themes and dialogue related to childhood sexual assault.

The cast features Kat Peña as Salma, Gabriela D'Amico as Este, Colby Muhammad as Phoebe, and Gabriella Marie Johnson in the role of Maria, with a talented team of understudies and a creative team dedicated to bringing this story to life.

Tickets for the performance on Saturday, May 18th, at both 10:30 AM and 7:30 PM are currently sold out, with a waitlist available for those still hoping to attend.

About the Playwright: Phanésia Pharel is a Haitian-American playwright with a rich background and a member of the Obie award-winning EST/Youngblood group. Her work has been recognized and developed by prestigious institutions and has earned numerous accolades.

About the Director: Lamar Perry is a Queer Black director, producer, and educator with a wealth of experience in the theatre industry, including recent directing credits and contributions to the development of new works.

"Dead Girl's Quinceañera" promises to be a thought-provoking and entertaining experience, exploring significant themes through the lens of a dark comedy.

Dead Girl's Quinceañera

**Event Title:** The Half-Sibling Play

**Playwright:** Agyeiwaa Asante

**Director:** Ludmila de Brito, MFA 2

**Dates:** April 29 - May 17

**Location:** Theodore and Adele Shank Theatre, UC San Diego

**About the Show:**
"The Half-Sibling Play" is a poignant exploration of family, grief, and identity, penned by the talented Ghanaian-American theatre artist, Agyeiwaa Asante. The narrative unfolds as half-siblings Kweku and Amoaa, who have grown up in separate households and have never been close, are brought together by the unexpected death of their father. Their journey from Brooklyn to Ghana to pay their respects and claim their birthright becomes a deep dive into the complexities of sibling relationships, the absence of a parent, and the quest for belonging. This play is a heartfelt examination of what it means to come home, to connect with family, and to confront the past.

**Content Warning:** The play includes themes of Blood and Self-Harm.

**Director's Note:** Ludmila de Brito describes the play as a "love letter" to those navigating the turbulent waters of grief and the quest for love and acceptance. It's a narrative that acknowledges the messy, non-linear process of healing and the power of finding those who understand our deepest pains and struggles.

**Cast Highlights:**
- Amoaa: Ruva Chigwedere
- Kweku: Nate B. Smith
- Understudies include Cyera Ellis (U/S Amoaa) and Halin Moss (U/S Kweku).

**Creative Team:**
The production boasts a talented creative team, including Assistant Directors Halin Moss and Karla Leon, Dramaturg Jazmine Logan, Scenic Designer Tzu Yu Su, Costume Designer Ting Xiong, Lighting Designer Vida Huang, Sound Designer Harper Justus, and many more dedicated artists.

**Tickets:** The performance on Friday, May 17 at 7:30PM is sold out, indicating the high demand and anticipation for this production. A waitlist is available for this date.

**About the Playwright:** Agyeiwaa Asante is a third-year MFA student with a rich background in exploring the black diaspora and intraracial/cultural dynamics through her work. Her accolades include the Kennedy Center’s Page-to-Stage Festival 2017, the Watermelon One-Act Festival- Best Production 2019, and the Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation’s Ollie Award for emerging playwrights in 2020.

**About the Director:** Ludmila de Brito, a Brazilian director of Indigenous descent, is known for her passion for politically urgent and transcendent storytelling. Her previous work includes directing in Brazil and India, and she is a Lin Manuel Miranda Family Fellow.

This event promises to be a powerful and moving experience, exploring deep themes of family, loss, and identity through the lens of two siblings' journey to reconnect with their roots and each other.

Vida Huang

Lighting Designer

Events

Past events

6 - 8 Jun, 2024

New Directions · University of California, San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance

May 18, 2024

Dead Girl's Quinceañera · University of California, San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance

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