2023-2024 Season
A DREAM PLAY
Written by August Strindberg in a new version by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Laural Meade
Scenic and Lighting Design by Xinyuan Li
Costume Design by Aed McMillian
A young woman goes on a madcap journey to see if life is really as difficult as people make it out to be. Along the way she explores love, creativity, academia, marriage, quarantine, industrialization, spirituality - all in a kaleidoscopic landscape where characters merge into each other, locations change in an instant and a locked door becomes an obsessively recurrent image.
SLANGUAGE
Written by Universes
Directed by Will Power
Scenic and Lighting Design by Xinyuan Li
Costume Design by Aed McMillian
From the streets of 90s New York to the world, this rarely performed hip hop gem is sure to ignite, provoke, and get heads spinning for real. Originally written and presented by the legendary ensemble Universes, Slanguage is an unprecedented and complete deep dive into the explosive essence of character and language. Get on the train, and prepare to let the words, beats, and dance take you anywhere. Now “stand clear of closing doors,” and let’s go.
November 16-18 at 7:30pm and Sunday, November 19 at 2pm in Keck Theater
LEGALLY BLONDE
Music & Lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin
Book by Heather Hach
Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture
Directed by Wanlass Visiting Artist Dawn Monique Williams
Musical Direction by Désirée La Vertu
Scenic Design by Xinyuan Li
Costume Design by Aed McMillian
Lighting Design by Culley Guest Artist Christian Mejia
Choreography by Culley Guest Artist Roberta Inscho
Stage Managed by Josie Gordon
Sorority queen Elle Woods is thrown for a loop when her Ivy League-bound boyfriend unceremoniously dumps her. Never one to back down easily, Elle embarks on a rollicking journey that takes her all the way to the hallowed halls of Harvard Law School. Packed with infectious earworms, Legally Blonde is a guaranteed crowd pleaser with an empowering message of self-discovery and sisterhood.
Performs Friday-Sunday, April 19-21 & 26-28 at 7:30pm and Saturday, May 18 at 8:30pm in Keck Theater
THE RECEPTIONIST
Written by Adam Bock
Directed by Jamie Angell
Stage Managed by Queenie Ngo
The Receptionist by Adam Bock is a genial workplace comedy that morphs into something considerably more menacing. What happens in a place where you really don’t want to know what’s happening? And how much responsibility do people have who don’t want to know? The Receptionist adroitly dissects and comically examines the complicity of folks just going about their business.
Performs April 4-6 at 8:00pm and May 17 at 8:30pm in the Keck Theater Lobby
STUDENT PROJECTS
The Seven Deadly Seas
a New Musical by Sarah Sturdevant
The Seven Deadly Seas musical tells the swashbuckling love story between James and Margaret, a pirate and a princess. Their unlikely romance is threatened by Captain Dagon, the Devil’s henchman, who makes Faustian bargains and twisted promises, condemning the lives of all people involved. This original story is inspired by pirate films from the Golden Age of Hollywood and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and takes the treasured enemies to lovers trope but adds a dark twist through themes of revenge, betrayal, good vs. evil, and death.
Saturday, October 14 at 8:30
A Thing of Beauty
By Adam Szymkowicz
Directed by Maile Brucklacher
Assistant directed by Hayden Jennings
Snap Pea
Written by Wren Andres
Description: 2014. Eighth Grade. Snap Pea has a lot going on already between Band rehearsal and balancing learning the ins and outs of the lesbian punk rock music scene with Harper -- who they're pretty sure they're in love with -- and spending time with their mom, when she's here here, not working or somewhere SNAP PEA can't seem to reach. But when a death in the family occurs suddenly, Snap Pea's world is left spinning in the opposite direction and grasping for everything they think they know.
Monday, March 18 at 7:30pm in Herrick Chapel
Gothamite
Written by Zachary Goldsmith
Based on true events. Sammy wants to cure the evils of 1820s Gotham, but his controversial medley causes his life to take a tragic turn. What happens when delusion becomes reality?
Sunday, March 24, 1pm in the Keck Theater Dressing Room
How the sky meets the land in LA
Written and Devised by Jonah de Forest
Directed by Natalya Nielsen
How the sky meets the land in LA incorporates elements of documentary theater, mixed-media and spoken word to tell the story of one families’ unique relationship with the Golden West. An exploration of intergenerational memory and authorial authority, this project serves as both a family autopsy, a love letter and an excavation of self.
March 29 at 7:30pm and March 30 at 8:15pm in the Keck Theater Rehearsal Studio
Chutzpah!
Devised by Ella Raziel
Chutzpah! is a one woman recital featuring a collection of songs and monologues. Come hang out and enjoy this entertaining and humorous show about Judaism, musical theater, and growing up
March 29 at 8:15pm and March 30 at 7:30pm in the Keck Theater Rehearsal Studio
NEW WORKS FESTIVAL
Produced by Zachary Goldsmith '24, Haowen Luo '24 and Laural Meade
For more than 20 years, the Occidental New Works Festival has paired student playwrights and actors with professional guest directors and performers. Focused on writer-centric rehearsal and performance, the festival provides a real-world experience of new play development as it is practiced in major theaters around the country.
The Plays & Schedule | Playwrights | Producers
The Plays & Schedule
All performances are in Keck Theater and admission is free
Saturday, February 24, 2024
2:00pm
A Slight Disruption by Gianna Nguyen
Directed by Katherine Chou
After finding a journal of hand-copied Vietnamese folktales penned by her great-uncle, a teenage girl grapples with her confusing and sometimes surprising feelings of grief after his death. In bringing his fantastical tales to life, she finds support in her friends, both new and old, and in the adults around her.
7:00pm
Bridge Freezes Before Road by Jonah Matso
Directed by David Kahawaii
In central Maine, a tragedy brings a high school senior back to her hometown. As she struggles to make sense of what she’s lost, she journeys into real and imagined terrains, finally coming to terms with how the town she loves - and its residents - have failed her.
Sunday, February 25, 2024
2:00pm
Homecoming by Jiahui Ji
Directed by Elana Luo
Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, this comedic epic follows a young Chinese woman as she wanders from new person to new place, seeking a sense of “home.” Along a journey that takes her to China and back, she discovers how her finite and very real nature can exist in the uncertainty of a boundless in-between.
7:00pm
a double-bill
Directed by Ashley Sparks
Waiting for Godot to Leave by Ethan Remez-Cott
Be assured - any resemblance to the original classic play Waiting for Godot is entirely a coincidence. A city apartment. A couch. Evening. Two friends wait for Godot. Nothing to be done. But wait! Will a series of visitors change anything about their failed lives, or even their failed party? Guess we’ll have to… wait and see.
Aw Schmucks by Riley Polaner
On a seemingly innocent Yom Kippur, Juniper atones for her sins - while also resenting what she willingly chose to do. But the day takes an unexpected turn when two surprise visitors, a talking vegetable and a singing icon, put her through a harrowing but hilarious series of trials. Is her soul on the line or is it just a hungry hallucination?
Playwrights
Jiahui Ji '24
Hui is a current student at Occidental College, double majoring in CSLC and Theater & Performance Studies, from Beijing, China. This is their first time writing a play in English (their second language), which has unexpectedly opened up a world for them. They have found that humans write to “taste life twice,” in the most observant yet creative ways possible. In addition to playwriting, Hui has also discovered acting and directing as a channel to explore their ontological being, and means to share their experience with others.
Jonah Matso '24
Jonah Matso is a senior in the Department of Theater & Performance Studies. He has always had a passion for story-telling, and is ecstatic to have found this medium. Jonah’s favorite stories to tell do not always have a unifying theme or genre, but rather are consistently inspired by his vision of the world around him. He hopes that they strike you as true; and if they should fall short of that, at the least, they entertain you.
Gianna Nguyen '26
Gianna Nguyen is an Urban & Environmental Policy major and Interdisciplinary Writing minor currently residing in Huntington Beach, California. As a self-proclaimed fiction writer and poet, Gianna tends to explore themes of family, race and culture, gender, and queerness in their works. A Slight Disruption is one of their few fully realized plays.
Riley Polaner '26
Riley Polaner is a DWA and Theater & Performance Studies double major with a minor in Linguistics. She hails from the great state of New Jersey and wants all the New Yorkers in the audience to know that she is very, very proud. She has always wanted an opportunity to expand her writing skills and is so grateful for everything New Works has given her. She wants to thank Will, Laural, her classmates from Playwriting, and her dad who kindly originated the role of Bette Midler in the original production. She hopes you enjoy her creation and if anyone finds a mini Spiderman water bottle somewhere in the theater, please let her know.
Ethan Remez-Cott '24
Ethan Remez-Cott is a senior in the Department of Theater & Performance Studies. He is so excited to have his play performed in the New Works Festival! He spent two years studying musical theater at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee but wanted a more well-rounded education. He then transferred to Oxy, where he is much happier. He would like to thank his wonderful cast and the incredible team behind the whole festival. Nothing could be done without all y’all. Congratulations to the performers and playwrights!!
Producers
Zachary Goldsmith '24
Zachary is excited to be back producing the New Works Festival for the second time! Zach (he/him/his) is a senior Theater & Performance Studies and Urban & Environmental Policy double major from Portland, Oregon. In addition to producing the festival, Zach has written and produced his show It Could Have Been Enough in March of 2023 as well as acted in Everybody and A Dream Play here at Occidental College. Zach loves telling relevant and innovative stories and creating/supporting new work. Enjoy the festival, everybody!
Haowen Luo '24
Haowen Luo (罗浩闻), a senior double majoring in Diplomacy & World Affairs and Theater & Performance Studies, is an international theater enthusiast and creator from Qingdao, China. He has engaged in various roles in theater, including acting, producing, designing, and set building. Haowen was one of the student producers for NWF 2023 and is excited to continue in this role for NWF 2024.
Support was provided by the Edgerton Foundation, Academic Student Project Awards from Occidental College, and Omar's Cookie Jar.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Theater Production Alumni Forum and Celebration
Saturday, February 10, 2024 4 - 5:30 p.m.
in Keck Theater
Join us for the Oxy Theater Production Alumni Forum and Lineset 10 Incorporated’s 20th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, February 10, 2024, on campus at Keck Theater from 4-5:30 p.m. with a reception to follow. Lineset 10 Incorporated Scenery and Production Services was founded in 2003 by Oxy faculty, Resident Professor Brian Fitzmorris and Technical Director Aubree Cedillo. Over its 20 years, the company has provided professional opportunities for roughly 100 Oxy students and alumni. Our Production Alumni, all Lineset 10 veterans, will share their experiences as professionals in the theater and live event industry and related fields. Find out how they went from being Oxy students to gaining a foothold in this dynamic industry.
Butoh Medea
Performed, Choreographed and Conceived by Yokko
Written by SMV
Directed by Brian Rhinehart
Music by Paul Michael Henry
Additional Music and Vocals by Hiroko Komiya
Co-Choreographed by Jordan Rosin
Costume Design by Deepsikha Chatterjee
Lighting Design by Derek Van Heel
Production Speech Coaching by Dianna Cortez
Tour Technical Direction by Robin Dill
Reinterpreting Euripides' great tragedy through the use of Japanese Butoh Dance, performance artist Yokko brings the tortured spirit of Medea to life. This fusion of Eastern dance and Western drama invites the audience inside Medea’s dark and desperate struggle. Trapped in the underworld, she is forever cursed to relive her tragic journey through love, hate, and ultimate loss.