Elephant's Graveyard
March 4-7, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. - Bucknall Theater
By George Brant, Directed by Meg Savilonis
Based on a true story, "Elephant's Graveyard" explores the themes of justice, morality, and fear – as well as hope.
Theater Program Productions
Past Productions
The Wolves
November 13-16, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. - Bucknall Theater
By Sarah DeLappe, Directed by Jonathan Yukich
Left quad. Right quad. Lunge. A girls indoor soccer team warms up. From the safety of their suburban stretch circle, the team navigates big questions and wages tiny battles with all the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors. A portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals.
Melancholy Play: A Chamber Musical
December 4-7, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. - Bucknall Theater
By Sarah Ruhl and Todd Almond, Directed by Meg Savilonis, Musical Direction by Dana Astmann, Choreography by Diana Harris
"Have you ever been so melancholy that you wanted to fit in the palm of your beloved’s hand?" Melancholy—a state of mind; a pensive sadness; the subject of poems, paintings, and plays for centuries—is at the heart of Sarah Ruhl and Todd Almond’s Melancholy Play: A Chamber Musical. A quirky, farcical romantic comedy, the play centers on the exquisitely melancholic Tilly, a woman whose sadness captivates those around her. Yet when she finds happiness, chaos ensues, and Tilly and her circle of paramours must find a way to work together to rescue one who has succumbed to a melancholy that is too deep.
Mr. Burns: a post-electric play
April 24-27, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. - Bucknall Theater
By Anne Washburn, Directed by Meg Savilonis
What happens when catastrophe strikes and the electrical grid collapses? How do people recover, rebuild, and endure? A comedic thriller with music in three acts spanning a total of 82 years, MR. BURNS contemplates the human response to catastrophe and explores the role storytelling and live performance play in the forging of community, the construction of history, and the survival of civilization.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
March 6-9, 2019 at 7:30 pm - Bucknall Theater
By Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield
Directed by Jonathan Yukich
Three actors. Thirty-seven plays. Ninety minutes. Three overachievers attempt to perform all of Shakespeare’s plays in an hour and a half. Fast-paced, witty, and physical, it's an evening of laughter for Shakespeare lovers and haters alike.
Cabaret
November 14-18, 2018 at 7:30 pm, 2:00 pm matinee on November 18 - Bucknall Theater
Book by Joe Masteroff, Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Based on the play I Am a Camera by John van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood
Directed by Jonathan Yukich, Choreographed by Diana Harris, Musical Direction by Matt Durland, Dramaturgy by Meg Savilonis
In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920’s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the CABARET. With the Emcee’s bawdy songs as wry commentary, CABARET explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Nazis. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken by English singer Sally Bowles.
Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally’s boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish. Musical numbers include "Willkommen," "Cabaret," "Don’t Tell Mama" and "Two Ladies."
A Chorus Line
November 15-18, 2017 at 7:30 pm, 2:00 pm matinee on November 18th - Bucknall Theater
Music by Marvin Hamlisch, Lyrics by Edward Kleban, Book by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, Directed by Jonathan Yukich, Choreographed by Diana Harris, Musical Direction by Matt Durland.
A Chorus Line is a stunning concept musical capturing the spirit and tension of a Broadway chorus audition. Exploring the inner lives and poignant ambitions of professional Broadway gypsies, the show features one powerhouse number after another. Memorable musical numbers include "What I Did for Love, "One," "I Can Do That," "At the Ballet," "The Music and the Mirror," and "I Hope I Get It."
A brilliantly complex fusion of song, dance, and compellingly authentic drama, A CHORUS LINE was instantly recognized as a classic.
An Evening of Radio Plays
December 8 & 9, 2017 at 7:30 pm - Bucknall Theater
By Samuel Beckett, the Neo-Futurists, and Harold Pinter, Directed by Steve Luber
A unique evening of plays written for the radio. Join us as we stage plays new and old, touching and absurd, for a live audience, while we broadcast live on WNHU. From Samuel Beckett to the Neo-Futurists, this will be an evening of diverse and exciting theatrical fun and experimentation.
The Trojan Women
February 28 – March 3, 2018 at 7:30 pm - Bucknall Theater
By Euripides, Directed by Steve Luber, Adapted and Translated by Ellen McLaughlin
A stark and uncompromising look at the lives of the women of Troy, left without families or homes following the Trojan War. As prisoners of war and refugees, the women are trafficked to the victors in Athens, evoking a chilling immediacy to this ancient tragedy. At its base is a classic tale of dignity, honor, and community in the face of political and emotional desolation.
Student New Works Festival 2018
April 18 – 21, 2018 at 7:30 pm - Bucknall Theater
Students advised by Jonathan Yukich
Join us for a week-long festival of original performance work entirely conceived, produced, written, designed, directed, constructed, and performed by students in the Student New Works course and of the theater program community.
The Nether
March 1-4, 2017 – Bucknall Theater
By Jennifer Haley, Directed by Jonathan Yukich
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
April 19-22, 2017 – Bucknall Theater
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser, Book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert Directed by Steve Luber, Choreography by Diana Harris
Our Town
November 16 - 19, 2016 – Bucknall Theater
By Thornton Wilder, Directed by Jonathan Yukich, Dramaturgy by Meg Savilonis
Theater for Community Impact
December 8-10, 2016 – Bucknall Theater
Devised by the students in Theater for Community Impact with Steve Luber
As You Like It
April 21-23, 2016 – Bucknall Theater
By William Shakespeare, Directed by Jessica Silsby Brater, Dramaturgy by Meg Savilonis
The Maids
March 2-5, 2016 – Bucknall Theater
By Jean Genet, Directed by Jonathan Yukich
CRISIS: A performance About Race in America 1915-2015
December 3-5, 2015 at 8pm – Bucknall Theater
Directed by Jessica Silsby Brater, Dramaturgy by Meg Savilonis; Sound Design by Simon Hutchinson
Featuring performances, playwriting, choreography, original music, and scenic design by University of New Haven students.
Psycho Beach Party
November 4-8, 2015 – Bucknall Theater
By Charles Busch, Directed by Jonathan Yukich
The School for Wives
March 26-29, 2015 – Bucknall Theater
By Jean Baptiste Poquelin de Molière, Directed by Jessica Silsby Brater, Dramaturgy by Meg Savilonis
Student New Works Festival 2015
April 29-May 2, 2015 – Bucknall Theater
Students Advised by Jonathan Yukich
The Rocky Horror Show
November 12-15, 2014 – Bucknall Theater
Book, Music & Lyrics by Richard O'Brien, Directed by Jonathan Yukich
Theater for Community Impact Public Presentations
December 4, 2014 – Bucknall Theater
Student projects advised by Jessica Brater
Shoestring Series - The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later
Spring 2014 - Bucknall Theater
By Moises Kaufman and Tectonic Theater Project, Directed by Jonathan Yukich
Spring Awakening: The Musical
Spring 2014 - Bucknall Theater
Book and Lyrics by Steven Sater, Music by Duncan Sheik (based on the play by Frank Wedekind), Directed by Rachel Anderson-Rabern, Music direction by Coralie Gallet, Dramaturgy by Meg Savilonis
Death: A Play by Woody Allen
Fall 2013 - Bucknall Theater
Directed by Jonathan Yukich
Fall 2013 - The Secret in the Wings
Bucknall Theater
By Mary Zimmerman, Directed by Rachel Anderson-Rabern, Dramaturgy by Meg Savilonis
War Story
Spring 2013 - German Club
Directed by Rachel Anderson-Rabern
Into the Woods
Spring 2013 - Bucknall Theater
By Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, Directed by by Heather Reba
Student New Works Festival
May 2-4, 2013 - Bucknall Theater
Arcadia
Fall 2012 - Bucknall Theater
By Tom Stoppard, Directed by Rachel Anderson-Rabern, Dramaturgy by Meg Savilonis
Musical Theater Cabaret
Fall 2012 - Alumni Lounge
Directed by Heather Reba
Little Shop of Horrors
Spring 2012 - Bucknall Theater
By Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, Directed by Heather Reba, Dramaturgy by Meg Savilonis
Stepping Out
Fall 2011 - Bucknall Theater
By Richard Harris, Directed by Heather Reba
Rent
Spring 2011 - Bucknall Theater
By Jonathan Larson, Directed by Bob Boles
Wilder and Wilder
Fall 2010 - Bucknall Theater
Directed by Bob Boles, Dramaturgy by Meg Savilonis
Two one-act plays by Thornton Wilder, "The Long Christmas Dinner" and "Pullman Car Hiawatha,"