Theatre & Performance Media Program 2024-2025
The Ocoee Project
October 15–20, 2024
Written by Dan Donaghy with visions by Brian Day & Kristen Morgan and directed by Brian Day.
In 1920, Ocoee, Florida became the site of one of the country’s most violent massacres. That year heralded a milestone in American history with the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. This now allowed Black women to vote alongside Black men and participate in the electoral process, creating opportunities for meaningful political change through those elected to office. However, many white residents of Ocoee were resistant to allowing Black voters their newfound rights. As a result, a group of white men violently attacked the Black community of Ocoee, murdering over 50 people, chasing out the remaining Black residents, and seizing their land.
This incident was one of many instances of racial violence and intimidation aimed at suppressing the political power of Black Americans—a pattern of injustice that continues to this day.
The Ocoee Project explores this powerful story through a multi-media event featuring poetry, music, live performances, and filmed footage.
The Last American Jackrabbit
November 1, 2024
Part of our student directed series, directed by Xsyanni Jackson and written by Kane Waggoner.
Ray a brooding veteran meets Charlie on a bench. Charlie is eager and determined to join the army. He finds a mentor in Ray. Together they navigate war, love, and their domestic lives as best as they can.
Eurydice
December 5-8, 2024
written by Sarah Ruhl and directed by Tim Golebiewski
A contemporary reimagining on the classic myth of Orpheus from the point of view of his young bride. Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice takes us on a journey from the world of the living to the land of the dead. Along the way we encounter stones that speak, worms that carry letters, and an elevator that washes away both language and identity. In Ruhl’s surreal retelling, the lines blur between dreams, waking, the past and the present. Both we and our heroine are confronted with a universal question: what should we carry with us as we move forward and when should we look back? Funny, heartbreaking, dreamlike and theatrical, Eurydice is an exploration of love, loss, life, memory, and our ability to deal with change.
