By Miguel Gastelum
Fresno State University Theatre is pleased to announce the 2023/24 Mainstage Season featuring the annual Contemporary Dance Ensemble Concert, four Fresno premieres and a fully staged musical. The season offers diverse works, from seasoned playwrights to young, up-and-coming playwrights.
Sept. 29-Oct. 7 | “American Son” by Christopher Demos-Brown | Directed by Thomas-Whit Ellis
An estranged bi-racial couple must confront their feelings about race and bias after their son is detained by the local police following a traffic stop incident. Their disparate histories and backgrounds inform their assumptions as they try to discover what happened to their son. A Fresno Premiere!
Oct. 27-Nov. 4 | “At the Wedding” by Bryna Turner | Directed by Kathleen McKinley
In this raucous and bittersweet comedy, a woman named Carlo guides the audience through her ex-girlfriend’s wedding to a man and talks to several friends and family members about love, life and how to cope with both. A Fresno Premiere!
Dec. 1-9 | “Seminar” by Theresa Rebeck | Directed by Brad Myers
In Seminar, a provocative comedy from Pulitzer Prize nominee Theresa Rebeck, four aspiring young novelists sign up for private writing classes with Leonard, an international literary figure. Under his recklessly brilliant and unorthodox instruction, some thrive, and others flounder, alliances are made and broken, sex is used as a weapon, and hearts are unmoored. The wordplay is not the only thing that turns vicious as innocence collides with experience in this biting Broadway comedy. A Fresno Premiere!
Feb. 9-17 | “Contemporary Dance Ensemble” | Artistic Director, Kenneth Balint
This annual contemporary dance concert highlights contemporary classics, creative innovation and collaborations between students and faculty.
March 15-23 | “Sanctuary City” by Martyna Majok | Directed by Gina Sandi-Diaz
In post-9/11 Newark, NJ, two teenagers brought to America as children become each other’s sanctuary from harsh circumstances. When G becomes naturalized, she and B hatch a plan to marry so that he may legally remain in the country and pursue the future he imagines for his life. But as time hurtles on and complications mount, the young friends find that this act challenges and fractures the closest relationship either has ever had. A Fresno Premiere!
May 3-11 | “Spring Awakening” Music by Duncan Sheik, Book and Lyrics by Steven Sater | Directed by J. Daniel Herring
The winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, told by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater through what Entertainment Weekly called “the most gorgeous Broadway score this decade.” Spring Awakening explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood with a poignancy and passion that is illuminating and unforgettable. The landmark musical is an electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality and rock and roll that is exhilarating audiences across the nation like no other musical in years.
University Theatre Mainstage tickets have yet to be made available for purchase. Please visit fresnostate.edu/theatrearts to stay updated on when ticket sales go live.
The College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State 