Come celebrate this festival of premiere original play readings, staged adaptations, and the final products of TAPS Bachelor’s theses, representing the culmination of four years theatrical training in the College. All pieces are both student-written and student-directed. You can attend just one show, or purchase a Festival Pass to attend all events!

Jump to each section using the following links:

Thursday, April 12
Friday, April 13
Saturday, April 14

Friday, April 20
Saturday, April 21
Sunday, April 22

Read the Festival Bios

 

7PM | Logan 501

A Model Korean
by Kenjiro Lee
Directed by Katie Bevil
Performed by Lucia Geng, Yoon Jeong, and Natalia Rodriguez
Three students in a project group attempting to learn various topics about Korean culture uncover some uncomfortable truths about themselves and their heritage.

9PM | Logan 501

Mango and the B
by Arthur Forcione
Directed by Maxine Frendel
A French-American family drama about two siblings—LUKE and MARGO—coming home for the holidays to their toxic parents ANNE-MARIE and JULES. When the maid VIRGINIA uncovers LUKE’s twisted fetish for his mentally ill sister, familial tensions that have been bubbling for years come to a head and push the children into adulthood.

7PM | Logan 501

Going Up
by Hanna Kime
Directed by Ruthie Dworin
To avoid answering a phone call that will confirm her sister’s death, Amy, 24, spends an afternoon lying to strangers she meets on a hotel elevator. But then, just as someone catches onto her act, the power goes out, and the two are stuck together until it comes back on.

La Maja Desnuda
by Emily Lynch
Directed by Jess Robinson
Two best friends spend their afternoon in a nursing home discussing puzzles, the elderly, and nothing else! Everything is fine between them!

With Friends Like These
by Omar Almkki 
directed by Lynn Chong
These are the first three scenes of a full-length play about three friends whose lives change, some for the better, some for the worse, when one of their sisters comes to live with them due to her parents being away.

 

7PM | Logan 501
The First Day
by Felix Lecocq
Directed by Lynn Chong
The First Day is a horror-comedy play that follows the conversation between two employees in the storeroom at the back of a Chicago café. One employee is naively disappointed by their first day working a customer service job. The other employee is jaded and sarcastic. Both employees must use their skills and experience to prepare for the zombie apocalypse.

Quack! 
by Teis Jayaswal
Directed by Maxine Frendel
An absurdist comedy set in a small town where a mammoth-sized rubber duck suddenly appears. A man dies and a baffled, “patriotic” sheriff starts investigating. Following the events are Peter, an arrogant banker, Eve, a compassionate teacher, and Anthea, a mystic stranger. As the play unfolds, bodies disappear, unyielding atheists find God, and grimy motels get five-star ratings.

Property Damage
by Abigail Henkin
Directed by Jess Robinson
Georgiana is a brilliant teen hacker living in a matrix-like simulation. Everyone knows that this world isn’t real; in fact, there is an entire population of simulated AIs who live and function identically to “real” people. Georgiana is now on trial for erasing these sims, of whom her boyfriend (who she regularly recodes) is the only surviving member.

9PM | Logan 501

Admisssion
by Laurence Warner
After becoming the first in his broken family to graduate from university, small-town Jamie is flown out to Hillcrest Manor, the desert estate of an Omani businessman, with a single task in hand: to get his son into Cambridge. *Showcase of work-in-progress screenplay.

Up the Riverbank
by Jacques Manjarrez
directed by Ruthie Dworkin
Having long since abandoned her tedious sub-urban living, an alcoholic woman reminisces on her time as an mother and wife.

CitrusFruit
by Emma Gardner
directed by Katie Bevil
In this sitcom-y short play, three roommates circuitously discuss their love lives, the meaning of various foods, and ultimately how to remove the rats from their apartment. Protagonist Mel is determined to use her relationships as creative fodder, much to the frustration of her roommates Katie and Sonya who are each trying to understand themselves in the city of L.A.

7:30PM | Theater West

"Cuentos De Sobrevivencia"
Christian Castro (B.A. Project)
Un ciclo de obras contando las historias de sobrevivientes. Sobrevivientes que son queer, y que existen dentro de un contexto latinoamericano. La obra es una forma de resistencia, contra barreras, odio y, la idea que no merecemos amor. Con amor y esperanza podemos cambiar este mundo que quiere atenuar nuestra luz. Todos podemos volar.

 Performed by :

Staff

7PM | Logan 701
"Beyond It Is Another Dimension"
Margaret Lazarovitz (B.A. Project)
This project explores the intersection of man and machine--what happens when thoughts and senses are computer controlled? The script of a beloved sci-fi television show is run through a Markov chain to create a new, unique script that removes the element of narrative but retains the rich, familiar imagery of life on Earth. All lighting cues are triggered by keywords algorithmically selected from this new script, which the actors will recite in real time as this script is generated.
Performed by Eren Ahn, Paris Bezanis, Emma Shapiro.
Special Thanks to Andrew Meyers and Connor Ciesil for their technical guidance, Avi Sheehan for their lighting expertise and Annie Dorsen for her mentorship in algorithmic theatre.

9PM | Logan 501
"The Next Steps"
Chris Chen (B.A. Project)
As Richie and Sam begin to prepare for the next stages of their lives, cultural and personal differences prevent them from seeing eye to eye. An examination of the relationship many first and second generation Asian Americans have with the fine arts.
Performed by Chris Chen (Richie) and Alex Rodriguez (Sam).

"The Door and The Window"
Maggie Strahan  (B.A. Project)
The Door and The Window presents two poems, presented bilingually in English and American Sign Language, and explores the metaphors of communication barriers in deaf and hearing cultures.
Performed by Hope Gundlah, Sabrina Sternberg

"Behind Closed Doors: True Stories of Mental Illness"
Brandon McCallister (B.A. Project)
This play retells the stories of interviews conducted with students around campus about their experiences with mental health and illness. These individuals stories and experiences are retold through this performance.
Performed by Sophie Hoyt, Natalie Pasquinelli, Christine Yan, and Jacob Goodman
Stage Manager - Michelle Noyes

7PM | Logan 501
"The Coffee House: A Farce"
Tempest Wisdom (B.A. Project)
Rumors spread almost as fast as cash changes hands in this morally and literally bankrupt Commedia dell'Arte adaptation of Carlo Goldoni's 1750 play La Bottega del Caffè.
Performed by: 

Scenic design by Ethan Schondorf
Special thanks to Ada Palmer and Hannah Zinky!

9PM | Logan 501
"Nothing Gets Shared At Pool Parties"
Megan Philippi  (B.A. Project)
Why do we tell stories from our lives differently in different moments? Why do we change details or leave things out? Nothing Gets Shared At Pool Parties is a devised exploration of the stories we don't quite tell and what it means to try to share more of ourselves.
Performed by Emily Rodriguez, Katie Bevil, and Ruthie Dworin.
 

"Thresholds of Revelation"
Emma Maltby (B.A. Project)
The hysterical woman is no stranger to Twentieth Century American Drama. With this piece we are exploring how the hysterical woman breaks free from the structures of domesticity and enters the world of the political at the end of the Cold War.
Performed by Margaret Glazier, and Jacob Goodman.

2PM | Logan 501
"Madness"
Avi Sheehan  (B.A. Project)
This performance integrates Maghribi Arabic and English interpretations of a poem by Malika al-Asimi, "The Rabid Poem" or al-Qasida al-Mas’ura. It is intentionally in multiple languages to explore the ways that we understand and interpret both language and movement.
Performed by Avi Sheehan, Maggie Strahan

4PM | Logan 501
"So Many Seagulls"
Grace Bolander (B.A. Project)
A compilation of text from different characters in Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, this solo performance is an exploration of love, hate, and every seagull in between. Performer Grace Bolander will jump from character to character, challenging her versatility as a performer and inviting the audience to see the famously volatile relationships in Chekhov's classic text in a new light.
Performed by Grace Bolander
Directed by Julia Santha

4PM | Logan 701
"How to Be a Man 101"
Josh Hart (B.A. Project)
How to Be a Man 101 is about the struggles of a young trans man to conform to the expectations put on him by media and the misconceptions that society holds about trans people.
Performed by:


 

Kenjiro Lee (Writer, A Model Korean) is a second year Political Science major. He has previously performed with UT in Peter and the Starcatcher (Alf). He is heavily involved in the performance group Iris as a board member and has worked on The Bartender Scene (Writer, Performer), Story Time (Writer, Director, Performer in "Peach Boy"), and For Colored Girls (Sound Designer). Kenjiro would like to thank the KSO for initially commissioning this script and Katie Bevil for helping bring it to life after peer-reviewing it during the writing process.

Katie Bevil (Director, A Model Korean, Citrus Fruit) is a second-year TAPS and French double-major. UT credits include Iphigenia and Other Daughters (Chrysothemis), She Kills Monsters (assistant set), As You Like It (Orlando), and Eurydice (Orpheus). Katie also serves on the 2018 UT Committee.

Arthur Forcione (Writer, Mango and the B) is a third year Economics and TAPS major. He is a first time writer from New York City. 

Maxine Frendel (Director, Mango and the B, Quack!) is a student in the college.

Hanna Kime (Writer, Going Up) is a fourth year English major concentrating in Creative Writing. Her full-length play, Put to Bed, has been read twice with Sideshow Theater Company at Victory Gardens. She is currently working as the Literary Intern at First Floor Theater Company, and has in the past worked in New Work Development with The House Theatre of Chicago. She has written and directed for New Work Week for the last two years, and is excited to take part again.

Ruthie Dworin (Director, Going Up, Up the Riverbank) is a first year who is thinking about majoring in Linguistics and TAPS. She has previously worked on Julius Caesar with the Classical Entertainment Society (Assistant Director) and Eurydice with University Theater (Little Stone). She is currently working on Animals Out of Paper (Assistant Director).

Emily Lynch (Writer, La Maja Desnuda) is a second year studying English and Political Science. She has recently worked on Much Ado About Nothing (Props Designer), Matt and Ben (Matt), and As You Like It (Director). She also serves as treasurer of UT Committee. 

Jess Robinson (Director, La Maja Desnuda, Property Damage) is a second year Public Policy and Political Science major. She has previously worked on Antigonick (SM), Julius Caesar (SM), Geography of a Horse Dreamer (ASM), and the Merchant of Venice (ASM). 

Omar Almakki (Writer, With Friends Like These) is a first year TAPS and Biology major, who has previously worked on Theater[24] fall quarter (Writer), Love's Labour's Lost: The Musical (Dumaine) with UT, and Cinderella (Father) with University Ballet. He is excited to be working on his first New Work Week and hopes for the opportunity to do more over the next few years in the College.

Lynn Chong (Director, With Friends Like These) is a first year planning to major in Anthropology and TAPS. She has previously worked on Exquisite Pressure: The Misanthrope (Eliante), Love's Labour's Lost (Katherine), and Peter and the Starcatcher (Prop Designer). She is also a current member of the UT Committee. 

Laurence Warner (Admission) moved to Chicago on a Fulbright Scholarship from London, where a year spent pursuing acting was funded by a day-job as a private tutor. The long Tube journeys between plush residencies spent reading Philip Marlowe mysteries may have provided the spark to this story, which he hopes to develop as a screenplay. For more on Laurence's creative work: lpwarner.com

Jacques Manjarrez (Writer, Up the Riverbank) is a first year Physics and Cinema and Media Studies major. He has previously worked as a writer for Fire Escape Films (Johnny Entropy, They Tell Me I'm a Painter), Maroon TV (Jeruchicago), and STAGE labs (Bend, Fold, Break). He is very excited to showcase his work with UT and does not usually write in the third person. 

Emma Gardner (Writer, Citrus Fruit) is a fourth year English and Political Science major. She has done Theater[24] a coupla times but other than that enjoys enjoying the hard work of others in the UChi theatre scene. Her proudest role to date is the one she's currently playing. 

Felix Lecocq (Writer, The First Day) is a second year English Language/Literature major. He has previously worked on Love's Labour's Lost (Sound Designer), Mr. Burns, a post-electric play (Assistant Sound Designer), and Iphigenia and Other
Daughters (Orestes). He is also a curator for Theater[24] and is co-president of The Underground Collective.

Teis Jayaswal (Writer, Quack!) is a first year Cinema and Media Studies major. This is his first experience with University Theater. Previously, he has written for the New Works Festival at his high school, acted in both school and community theater productions, and also directed several one-acts. Teis also loves improv and stand-up comedy and is well-known at home among his peers for his own comedy venue called Comedy Copper which he runs out of his dilapidated garage. He is excited to be getting back into theater and performance arts after taking a break to settle into college. 

Abigail Henkin (Writer, Property Damage) is a first year TAPS major. She has previously worked on The Rope (actor) and Theater[24] (Writer). 

Christian Castro Romero (Cuentos De Sobrevivencia) is a student in the college.

Margaret Lazarovits (Beyond It Is Another Dimension) is a fourth year Physics major and Theatre and Performance Studies minor. Previous University Theatre credits include God of Carnage (Annette), West Side Story (Consuela), Miss Julie (Asst. Director) and Macbeth (Asst. Director). She also is a founding and current company member of On the Verge, a summer theatre repertory company featuring female, minority and LGBTQ+ narratives. On the Verge credits include Caylee's First Big Show!!! (Director, Stage Manager) and Footprints at Laetoli (Asst. Director, Stage Manager).

Chris Chen is a student in the college.

Tempest Wisdom (The Coffee House: A Farce) is a fourth year in the college.

Cori Mayer (Pathological Object) is a student in the college.

Maggie Strahan (The Door and the Window) is a student in the college.

Brandon McCallister (Behind Closed Doors: True Stories of Mental Illness) is a student in the college.

Megan Philippi is a student in the college.

Avi Sheehan (Madness) is a student in the college.

Emma Maltby is a student in the college.

Grace Bolander is a student in the college.

Josh Hart is a student in the college.