The University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television (TFTV) is excited to announce a unique and historic season of plays for the 2023/24 season. From October 2023, TFTV will invite audiences to the Tornabene Theatre and the newly renovated Marroney Theatre to watch the school’s emerging actors, designers, and technicians display their talents.
Leading the new season is the School’s new Head of Acting/Musical Theatre and new Arizona Repertory Theatre (ART) Artistic Director, Associate Professor Danny Gurwin. The renowned educator, director, and actor brings years of prominent stage and screen experience to the role. Gurwin’s Broadway credits include Little Women, Urinetown, The Full Monty, The Scarlet Pimpernel,and A Little Night Music among others, countless off-Broadway credits include Shakespeare’s R & J, Forbidden Broadway, A New Brain, The Thing About Men, and The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, while his television credits range from Law & Order to The Young and the Restless.
“What makes this performance season unique is that it marks some important milestones,” Gurwin said. “In the Spring of 2024, we reopen the renovated Marroney Theatre with a masterwork musical in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. We are also proud to present the deeply moving The Laramie Project, directed by my TFTV colleague Greg Pierotti, one of its authors and original cast members. Two other titles in this year’s line-up are currently running on Broadway. It’s truly an eclectic and exciting collection of plays, musicals, myths, comedies and classics. As ART’s new Artistic Director, I am beyond proud to share all of these notable shows with our audiences.”
ART, the public laboratory and showcase for TFTV’s professional actor training program, will present The Thanksgiving Play, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sweeney Todd, and Much Ado About Nothing. The Next Performance Collective, an initiative of the School’s Theatre Studies division, will present The Laramie Project (in collaboration with ART) and Argonautika, along with the third annual New Directions Festival. All productions will be supported by students in the BFA Design and Technical Production program.
Subscription packages for TFTV’s new theatre season are now on sale. Individual tickets will be available from August 23. More information is available at theatre.arizona.edu.
TFTV announces theatre season for 2023/24
The Laramie Project
Oct. 7 — 22, 2023, Tornabene Theatre
Directed by Greg Pierotti
by Moisés Kaufman and the Members of Tectonic Theater Project
In 1998, members of Tectonic Theater Project traveled to Laramie, Wyoming to explore the town’s response to the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay university student. The result of that exploration is this play: a story about love, hate, hope, fear, and courage in an American town. Join us for the 25th anniversary presentation of a ground-breaking theatrical experience, directed by its original co-writer and performer.
The Thanksgiving Play
Oct. 8 – 22, 2023, Tornabene Theatre
Directed by Randy Reinholz
by Larissa FastHorse
“The Thanksgiving Play” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
When a troupe of really, really well-meaning theater artists attempt to put on a culturally sensitive Thanksgiving school pageant, things get messy. A wickedly funny satire from Larissa FastHorse.
Jesus Christ Superstar
Nov. 12 – Dec. 3, 2023, Tornabene Theatre
Directed and Choreographed by Christie Kerr
Musical Direction by Jamie Reed
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber & Lyrics by Tim Rice
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of The Really Useful Group.www.concordtheatricals.com
A thrilling rock opera based on the last week of Jesus’ life, Jesus Christ Superstar has wowed audiences for over 50 years. The story, told entirely through song, explores the personal relationships and struggles between Jesus, Judas, Mary Magdalene, his disciples, his followers and the Roman Empire. The iconic 1970s rock score contains such well-known numbers as “Superstar,” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” and “Gethsemane.” A true global phenomenon, Superstar continues to touch new generations of audiences and performers.
Sweeney Todd
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – A Musical Thriller
Feb. 25 – March 17, 2024, Marroney Theatre
Directed by Danny Gurwin
Choreographed by Christie Kerr
Musical Direction by Jamie Reed
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler. From an Adaptation by Christopher Bond. Originally Directed on Broadway by Harold Prince. Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick. Originally Produced on Broadway by Richard Barr, Charles Woodward, Robert Fryer, Mary Lea Johnson, Martin Richards in Association with Dean and Judy Manos.
SWEENEY TODD is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
We reopen the Marroney Theatre with this dark, witty and Tony Award-winning tale of love, murder and revenge set against the backdrop of 19th century London.
Argonautika
March 24 – April 7, 2024, Tornabene Theatre
Directed by Tioni Collins
Written by Mary Zimmerman
Adapted from The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts. Gaius Valerius Flaccus – Translated by David R. Slavitt.
Apollonius Rhodius – Translated by Peter Green.
World premiere by the Lookingglass Theatre Company, Chicago.
Mary Zimmerman’s mesmerizing play recounts the adventures of Jason and his crew aboard the Argo on a perilous mission to cross the forbidden ocean in a quest for the Golden Fleece.
Much Ado About Nothing
April 14 – 28, 2024, Marroney Theatre
Directed by David Morden
by William Shakespeare
One of Shakespeare’s most beloved romantic comedies, Much Ado About Nothing tells the story of two very different couples fighting for love while battling matchmaking and manipulation.
New Directions Festival
MARCH 21 – 31, 2024 in the Harold Dixon Directing Studio
Note: The New Directions Festival is offered separately from the subscription season package.
Join us in the Spring for the third annual New Directions Festival. The Festival showcases 100% student-created, student-designed, and student-performed content, allowing BA students to tell their stories through voices that are uniquely their own.