TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona Arts proudly presents a 2023 fall semester of art, dance, music, theatre, comedy, spectacle and more to engage audiences on campus at the University of Arizona and in the community.
Arizona Arts and its units produce over 700 events each year, most of them free. The division is tasked to integrate the arts throughout the university experience; to give all students, regardless of major, access to meaningful experiences in the arts; and to ensure that the arts play an essential role in realizing the University’s mission of community engagement.
Audiences across Southern Arizona can expect a season filled with high-flying acrobatics, innovative installations, soul-stirring vocals, and mesmerizing dance, featuring …
- Emmy-winning performance collective Manual Cinema: Frankenstein
- Amal Walks Across America. Little Amal, a 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl
- The School of Theatre, Film & Television’s production of “The Laramie Project,” which will mark the 25th anniversary of the murder of Matthew Shepard
- The School of Dance celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre
- Powerhouse Parsons Dance, featuring alumni Christian Paris Blue and Megan Garcia
- And many more. See below.
EXPERIENCES
Cirque Inextremiste: EXIT
Arizona Arts Live
Sept. 9, 2023 | University of Arizona Mall
A thrilling adventure featuring tightrope walking and extreme acrobatics from Cirque Inextremiste. See a group of musicians on their quest to free themselves at all costs from an insane asylum. What ensues is a hilarious spectacle featuring escape by hot air balloon.Learn More.
Los Trompos
Arizona Arts Live
Sept. 30 – Nov. 5, 2023 | University of Arizona Mall
From the creators of Mi Casa, Your Casa 2.0, a mesmerizing and interactive art installation that will transport you to a world where color collides with motion. Los Trompos features larger-than-life, three-dimensional spinning tops in a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors and intricate designs as traditionally woven by Mexican artisans. Learn more.
Amal Walks Across America
Arizona Arts Live
Oct. 28, 2023 | Southern Arizona
Presented together with Children’s Museum Tucson, Galeria Mitotera, & Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill
Discover the power of art and compassion in a community-wide event with Amal Walks Across America. Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl, walks in Tucson as part of her 6,000-mile journey in search of family and friends. Learn more.
COMEDY
David Cross: Worst Daddy in the World Tour
Arizona Arts Live
Oct. 28, 2023 | Rialto Theatre
Presented together with the Rialto Theatre
Emmy Award winner and Grammy Award nominee David Cross brings his inventive standup comedy tour to Tucson. Cross has appeared in numerous live-action, animated, and critically acclaimed television shows, including Arrested Development, Men in Black, The Post, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Learn more.
DANCE
Jazz in AZ
School of Dance
Oct. 3-6, 2023 | Stevie Eller Dance Theatre
One Act, One Hour! A longtime favorite, Jazz in AZ features beloved works by faculty and guests. This performance is connected to the Arizona Jazz Dance Showcase that brings enthusiastic participants to campus for a weekend of dance. Learn more.
Parsons Dance
Arizona Arts Live
Nov. 5, 2023 | Centennial Hall
Known for nearly 40 years for their remarkable athleticism and stunning ensemble work, Parsons Dance brings exuberance and joy to every performance. Witness the flawless grace of this internationally renowned dance company on Homecoming weekend and welcome home University of Arizona alumni, Megan Garcia and Christian Paris Blue. Learn more.
Fall for Dance
School of Dance
Nov. 8-12, 15-19, 2023 | Stevie Eller Dance Theatre
Fall for Dance features “Diversion of Angels” by modern dance legend Martha Graham and “Serenade” by ballet’s acclaimed George Balanchine. This fall marks the 20th Anniversary of the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre; the design of which was inspired by “Serenade.” Learn more.
FLOW | Student Spotlight
School of Dance
Nov. 29 – Dec. 2, 2023 | Stevie Eller Dance Theatre
See the students “dance their learning” in an inspiring concert of student works. The dance majors at the University of Arizona are more than performers. They are talented choreographers and collaborators! Shining a spotlight on the creative voices of students. Learn more.
MUSIC
Calexico
Arizona Arts Live
Sept. 2, 2023 | University of Arizona Mall
Presented together with Arizona Athletics
Arizona Arts Live and Arizona Athletics welcome Tucson’s own globally beloved Calexico in a free tailgate performance celebrating Arizona Football’s season opener. Infectious riffs by this desert noir sensation led by Joey Burns and John Convertino, with Sergio Mendoza, Jacob Valenzuela, Rick Peron, and Brian Lopez. Learn more.
Faculty Artist Series: Philip Alejo & Jenny Lee
School of Music
Oct. 1, 2023 | Holsclaw Hall
Dr. Philip Alejo, associate professor of music, double bass, will perform with Jenny Lee, instructor of applied piano and chamber music at the School of Music. She recently earned third place in the 2022 American Prize Competition in the Performing Arts. Learn more.
Las Cafeteras: Hasta La Muerte
Arizona Arts Live
Oct. 21, 2023 | John F. Kennedy Park
Death is not the end. Music, dance, theatre, and folklore combine in this enthralling new production of Hasta La Muerte from Las Cafeteras, celebrating life and death in the spirit of the Indigenous/Mexica practice known as Day of the Dead. Learn more.
Artist Residency: Jeremy Denk
School of Music
Oct. 28, 2023 | Crowder Hall
Jeremy Denk is one of America’s foremost pianists. The New York Times wrote he is ‘a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs.’ As part of his three-day residency, Denk will perform a solo recital, centering on female composers of the 19th-21st centuries. Winner of the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and the Avery Fisher Prize. Learn more.
Musical Murals
School of Music
Oct. 30 | Downtown Tucson
Live music and visual art will again come together for a night of Musical Murals. Student chamber ensembles from the School of Music will perform along a walking route that connects the colorful walls of art in downtown Tucson. The movable feast of immersive art. Learn more.
THEATRE
The Laramie Project
School of Theatre, Film & Television
Oct. 7-22, 2023 | Tornabene Theatre
The production of “The Laramie Project” will mark the 25th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard, the university student whose murder in Laramie, Wyoming, became one of the highest profile hate crimes of its time. Directed by TFTV Assistant Professor Greg Pierotti, who is one of the play’s co-writers and an original cast member. Learn more.
The Thanksgiving Play
School of Theatre, Film & Television
Oct. 8-22, 2023 | Tornabene Theatre
When a troupe of 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. Learn more.
Manual Cinema: Frankenstein
Arizona Arts Live
Oct. 26, 2023 | Centennial Hall
Love, loss, and creation merge in unexpected ways in this visually stunning retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic Gothic tale, Frankenstein. Manual Cinema imaginatively combine shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, sound effects, and hauntingly beautiful live music, taking audiences on a twisted journey. Learn more.
Jesus Christ Superstar
School of Theatre, Film & Television
Nov. 12 – Dec. 3, 2023 | Tornabene Theatre
The timeless Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, has wowed audiences for over 50 years, featuring such well-known numbers as “Superstar,” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” and “Gethsemane.” The rock opera is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events seen through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. Learn more.
VISUAL ARTS
Desert Triangle Print Carpeta
University of Arizona Museum of Art
Through Dec. 21 | UAMA
A collaborative project from Karl “Krrrl” Whittaker featuring 30 artists living and working in Tucson, Albuquerque and El Paso on a print portfolio. The exhibition explores the following themes: gender and sexuality, spiritual icons, personal narratives, social critique, and sense of place. Learn more.
W. Eugene Smith: A Life in Pictures
Center for Creative Photography
Sept. 2, 2023 – March 2, 2024 | Baker Gallery
Considered “one of the great masters of reportage and of photographic storytelling,” CCP is presenting 45 of Smith’s photographs as an opportunity to think about what conditions promote interdisciplinary engagement. Learn more.
Para Seguir Adelante: Stories of Migration
School of Art
Sept. 14-29 | Rombach Gallery
Artists responding to the theme of migration with a community roundtable (Sept. 21) with photographer Lisa Elmaleh, Isabel Garcia(La Coalición de Derechos Humanos) and Raquel Rubio Goldsmith (Binational Migration Institute). Learn more.
Pulse: Weavings and Paintings by Marlowe Katoney
University of Arizona Museum of Art
Oct. 14, 2023 – March 23, 2024 | UAMA
First trained as a painter at the University of Arizona, Marlowe Katoney (Diné) was taught to weave by his grandmother. He uses a hybrid approach to his weaving, combining elements from painting, color theory, perspective, and composition. Learn more.
VASE Lecture Series: Vincent Valdez
School of Art
Oct. 19 | CCP Auditorium
Vincent Valdez kicks off the Visiting Artists and Scholars Endowment (VASE) series. Based in Houston and Los Angeles, Valdez is recognized for his monumental portrayal of the contemporary figure. His drawn and painted subjects remark on a universal struggle within various socio-political arenas and eras. Learn more.