Name: Provenance
Start: 2026-07-29T19:30:00
Location: Chance Theater

Chance Theater

On the Cripe Stage… 

What does it cost to stay silent? What does it take to finally speak?

From the playwright who brought you Matinicus: The Story of Abigail Burgess comes a gripping new play about memory, resilience, and the courage to resist hate. 

Based on real events in both our past and much more recent history, The Messenger brings together the voices of four women across generations, each wrestling with prejudice, survival, and the choice to raise their voices against hate. At the heart of the play is Georgia Gabor, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor whose verbatim testimony demands that history not be forgotten. Her story resonates alongside imagined women from 1969, 1993, and 2021, all based in Pasadena, as each faces their own battles with injustice.

The Messenger

Believe it: Emily, Steph, Jackie, Mara, and even perfectly coiffed Senator Holly Charles used to be punk. In the ’90s, they unleashed all of their rage into the songs of their high school riot grrrl punk band. Now, when they reunite for a bachelorette party in their 40s, they are forced to confront just how bland, safe, and unpunk their lives have become. And yet, each of them is filled with pent-up fury: at the state of the world and at their own life choices. What is an adult meant to do with all of that angst? Told across two timelines, we follow the five friends between their present-day suburban lives and their 1990s teenage riot grrrl years. As secrets unravel, friendships are tested, and seismic life choices hang in the balance, each of the former band members reconcile with what it means to be loud in a world that taught them to shut up.

Punk AF

On the Fyda-Mar Stage… 

In the aftermath of 9/11, two teenagers in Newark, New Jersey, navigate the precarious terrain of adolescence while grappling with the looming threat of deportation. When G becomes naturalized, they devise a plan to help B stay in the country. However, as time progresses, their bond is tested by the complexities of love, identity, and the harsh realities of their circumstances.

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok crafts a poignant narrative that delves into the lives of undocumented youth, exploring themes of belonging, sacrifice, and the pursuit of a future in a society that marginalizes them. Through sharp dialogue and compelling characters, Sanctuary City offers an intimate portrayal of resilience and the human spirit’s capacity to endure.

Sanctuary City

In this memory play, Ben returns to the hot Galveston summer of his thirteenth year when a complicated and dangerous teenaged girl, Fresca, moved in with him and his mom. As he and Fresca become friends, Ben grows up and learns to appreciate the difficult greyness of life, including the sacrifices and challenges faced by his single mother who is raising him.

Saint Vegas

On the Cripe Stage… 

Jagged Little Pill reimagines Alanis Morissette’s iconic 1995 album into a contemporary musical that delves into the complexities of a seemingly perfect suburban family. Set in the affluent town of Connecticut, the story centers on Mary Jane Healy, a mother grappling with past traumas and addiction, while balancing her family as they confront issues including sexual assault, gender identity, and societal expectations. Through powerful performances and Morissette’s evocative music that defined a generation, this award winning musical weaves together themes of family, healing, and empowerment. It’s a fearless, exhilarating celebration of hope, self-discovery, and the messy beauty of being human.

Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill The Musical

Canvas. Pencil. Paint. How can one piece of art tear at the hearts of generations? Provenance is a suspenseful uplifting play about the life of a sensual, unusual portrait from its beginnings in early 1900s German society, through its theft by the Nazis and its subsequent travels around the world. The play is La Ronde-esque, with actors playing multiple roles.

Provenance

Shakespeare’s infamous “bed trick” from All’s Well That Ends Well gets a bold and frisky remix in this comic college romp. When deception and desire collide, three friends are forced to navigate the messy, hilarious, and sometimes shocking consequences of choices, crushes, and consent. From unexpected hookups to tangled friendships, The Bed Trick probes the question: what does consent really mean, and who gets to decide? Equal parts whip-smart comedy and pointed social commentary, this show takes the Bard’s mischief into the 21st century, exploring sex, ethics, and the timeless chaos of human desire with razor-sharp wit and a provocative edge.