There are eight shows left this year for Boston University’s School of Theatre taking place all across campus. Keep reading for details on each show.
Laure – Nov. 19-21
The play “Laure” will be showing at the Juliane Ethel Leilani Miller Studio Theatre — or Jewels 1 — in the College of Fine Arts. Admission is free, but the theatre has limited seating.
Written by CFA senior Mya Ison and directed by CFA senior Gigi Juras, the play adapted themes in Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and was a response to an Édouard Manet painting titled “Olympia.”
“The characters in this play were inspired by both the painter and the two models who are the subjects of that painting,” Juras said. “Maya [Ison] has imagined a story around those two models and specifically the Black model, Laure, who was a real person.”
Only the Black woman’s first name — Laure — and address are known, Ison said. Ison said she wanted to revisit “what history would be like if she had never been erased from the archives.”
Where Do Peaches Grow – Nov. 20
“Where Do Peaches Grow” is showing in CFA’s first floor student lounge for free. The play was written by Becca Carter Freeman, a senior in CFA, and is directed by graduate student Ludmila Cardoso De Brito.
“It started from journals and poems that I was writing and then it just turned into a play,” Freeman said. “It’s about my experience moving back to America from growing up in Seoul, South Korea.”
This show addresses the experience of “third-culture-kids,” Freeman said — children who were raised in multiple cultures and may have difficulty identifying with only one. The performance will be a staged reading, meaning not a full production.
Patterns of Wind – Dec. 2-5
“Patterns of Wind” is coming to the Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre for $20 per ticket. This play was conceived by School of Theatre guest artists Ty Defoe and Katherine Freer, and features “stories of lineage, legacy, and land,” according to the CFA Theatre’s 2021-2022 Season page.
The production is being put on as part of the Indigenous Voices in the Americas series, partly funded by the BU Arts Initiative.
Machinal – Dec. 3
“Machinal” is showing at Jewels 2 in CFA for free. The play is written by Sophie Treadwell, an American playwright from the early 1900s.
“It’s 1928 expressionistic drama, that it’s based on the story of Ruth Snyder, who was the first woman in America to be executed for murder,” director Shamus McCarty said.
The audience will watch a “non-realist” show with actors portraying machines and people, Shamus said.
“Our take on the production is very specific, involves a lot of physical theater work, a lot of interesting breath work and group-made sounds,” he said.
Incels and Other Myths – Dec. 2-12
“Incels and Other Myths” will be shown at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. It was written by Ally Sass and is directed by Erica Terpening-Romeo, both recent graduates of the MFA Playwright program at BU.
This play has been in the works for two years, but due to COVID-19, it has been pushed back until now, Terpening-Romeo said. She and Sass were able to “workshop” it during that time.
“Gradually, the play morphed into one about a mother and son, a mythology teacher and her 15-year-old son who is like, may or may not be on the verge of being radicalized by an incel community that he’s encountering through an online role-playing game,” Terpening-Romeo said.
Aurora Borealis 20: A Festival of Light and Dance – Dec. 6
“Aurora Borealis 20: A Festival of Light and Dance” is showing at the BU Dance Theatre inside the Fitness and Recreation Center. The artistic co-directors are CFA assistant professor Yo-EL Cassell and director of dance Micki Taylor-Pinney, with lighting design by graduate student Qian Chengyuan.
The show is a “vibrant exploration of the relationship between light and form with a focus on collaboration and experimentation,” according to the CFA Theatre’s 2021-2022 Season page.
“Aurora Borealis” is a collaboration between CFA and the Department of Physical Education for its 20th annual show, and will include faculty and students. There is free admission, but tickets are required.
Passage – Dec. 9-12
“Passage,” written by Christopher Chen and directed by Malika Oyetimein, is showing at Studio One. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through BU OvationTix.
Influenced by “A Passage to India” by E.M. Forster, this play takes place in fictional Country X where two characters’ friendship is challenged.
Hamlet – Dec. 10-12
Rani O’Brien, a second-year graduate student in CFA, will be directing her adaptation of “Hamlet” for free admission at the David Copeland Black Box Theatre in CFA.
“Hamlet is an age-old story that grapples with a lot of what we’re dealing with as society right now,” they said. “As I dove deeper into the play, I started seeing how the institution of femininity versus masculinity presented itself throughout the play.”
O’Brien said her adaptation focuses on the character Ophelia and how she “becomes the foil for Hamlet.” The audience should be ready for every emotion during the play, O’Brien said.
“They should expect to be taken on a ride that takes you from the terrors of grief to the heights of laughter with sword fights and ghosts all along the way,” she said, “but don’t expect to feel comfortable.”
