2023-2024 Season 

Murder Ballad
Book and lyrics by Julie Jordan 
Music and Lyrics by Juliana Nash 

A Downtown and Off-Broadway sensation, Murder Ballad was the must-see theatre experience of 2013. Conceived by Jonathan Larson Award winner and two-time Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist, Julia Jordan, with book and lyrics by Jordan and music and lyrics by indie rock singer/songwriter, Juliana Nash, Murder Ballad is a steamy and fun thriller with a razor's edge. Murder Ballad is the dramatic story of a love triangle gone wrong, centering on Sara, an uptown girl who seems to have it all, but whose downtown past lingers enticingly and dangerously in front of her. 

Electra
Written by Sophocles 
Translated by Anne Carson  

Electra recounts the murders of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus by Clytemnestra's son Orestes, to avenge their murder of his father Agamemnon, commander of the Greeks at Troy, upon his return home. Sophocles' version is presented from the viewpoint of Electra, Orestes' sister, who laments her father, bears witness to her mother's crime, and for years endures her mother's scorn. Despite her overwhelming passion for just revenge, Electra admits that her own actions are shameful. When Orestes arrives at last, her mood shifts from grief to joy, as Orestes carries out the bloody vengeance. 
 
Sophocles presents this story as a savage though necessary act of vengeance, vividly depicting Electra's grief, anger, and exultation. This translation equals the original in ferocity of expression, and leaves intact the inarticulate cries of suffering and joy that fill the play. 

Chroma: A Dance Concert
Produced by Jill Nee

This fall, join the dance program in its presentation of Chroma, a compilation of choreographed works by University of Memphis dance faculty and guest artists. Chroma is an evening of dance that turns an intensified lens on the varying colors of life and every season we encounter. A season can be the finite four that our years tirelessly pour through, or it can be the varying stages of a human life as one continues to age. Every concentrated hue is pinpointed on a specific time, place, or feeling - deeply diving into the ups and downs of the human condition.

Silent Sky 
by Lauren Gunderson 

When Henrietta Leavitt begins work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn’t allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women “computers,” charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who calculates projects in “girl hours” and has no time for the women’s probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. Social progress, like scientific progress, can be hard to see when one is trapped among earthly complications; Henrietta Leavitt and her female peers believe in both, and their dedication changed the way we understand both the heavens and Earth. 

Emerge: A Dance Concert
Produced by Michael Medcalf

Emerge is our annual student dance concert that showcases new works by student choreographers.

Into the Woods
Book by James Lapine, Music, and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim  

James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim take everyone's favorite storybook characters and bring them together for a timeless, yet relevant, piece... and a rare modern classic. The Tony Award-winning book and score are both enchanting and touching. 

The story follows a Baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King's Festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. When the Baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a Witch's curse, the two set off on a journey to break the curse. Everyone's wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results. 

One of Sondheim's most popular works, Into the Woods is a musically sophisticated show with the opportunity to feature actors adept at dark comedy. Designers will especially enjoy highlighting the fantastical elements of this magical word.