Boston University School of Theatre Unveils Fall 2025 Season
A vibrant celebration of love intertwining Nigerian and Nepali cultures, BU's annual festival amplifying and celebrating new opera and theatre works, and a charming musical about transformation and self-love are all part of BU School of Theatre's fall 2025 season
Boston University School of Theatre Unveils Fall 2025 Season
A vibrant celebration of love intertwining Nigerian and Nepali cultures, BU’s annual festival amplifying and celebrating new opera and theatre works, and a charming musical about transformation and self-love are all part of BU School of Theatre’s fall 2025 season.
Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Theatre proudly presents its fall 2025 season, filled with lively and timely shows, musicals, operas, stage readings, workshops, and favorite annual festivals.
Early on in the fall, Boston’s Ufot Family Cycle comes to BU’s Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre with The Ceremony, a vibrant, heartwarming celebration of love, intertwining Nigerian and Nepali cultures, produced by CHUANG Stage in association with BU School of Theatre and Boston Playwrights’ Theatre.
BU’s annual Fringe Festival, which amplifies new or rarely produced works in opera and theatre, kicks off in October with two operas and runs through December with two plays.
Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is imagined in Dream, which will be performed at Studio ONE with a bit of a technological spin. Dream signifies the culmination of seven years of research and development among BU faculty artists and researchers of the novel design tool, Random Actor, which uses computational vision and machine learning to create and design physically interactive projections within an immersive projected media environment for the actor.
Back at Booth, the charming, whimsical, and award-winning musical, Flowers for Mrs Harris, runs prior to Thanksgiving weekend, evoking positivity, joy, and the process of blossoming into the best version of oneself.
This and more is happening this fall at BU School of Theatre. Join us at the theatre and witness our students’ talents live!
AUGUST | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER | NOVEMBER
DECEMBER | THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER
AUGUST
A NUMBER
Thursday, August 28 • 7:30pm
Saturday, September 6 • 2pm
David Copeland Blackbox Theatre
CFA 354 • College of Fine Arts, 855 Commonwealth Ave
By Caryl Churchill
Directed by Erin Scheier (CFA’27)
Led by Jasper Bartkovich (CFA’27), Luke Meisel (CFA’27), and Erin Scheier (CFA’27)
Human cloning is the subject of this beguiling hour-long psychological thriller that blends topical scientific speculation with a stunning portrait of the relationship between fathers and their sons. (Concord Theatricals)
“Q0” has been a long-standing tradition within the SOT, although it has occurred less frequently in recent years. The Q0 project is student-produced, directed, and acted. It is typically a play that has already been published (i.e., not student-written). Production elements are minimal to uplift exploration of text and bodies in space.
All tickets free, general admission at the door
SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER
THE CEREMONY
September 11 – October 5, 2025
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre • 820 Commonwealth Ave
By Mfoniso Udofia
Directed by Kevin R. Free
Produced by CHUANG Stage in association with Boston University School of Theatre and Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
Mfoniso Udofia continues her Ufot Family Cycle with a vibrant, heartwarming celebration of love, intertwining Nigerian and Nepali cultures. When Abasiama and Disciple’s only son, Ekong, asks Lumanthi Rathi to be his wife, they accept that their dream wedding might have to go on without either of their fathers present. But when Lumanti’s dad has a sudden change of heart, Ekong dares to attempt a reconciliation with his long-estranged father in order to make the ritual of their wedding ceremony truly whole.
CHUANG Stage, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, and Boston University College of Fine Arts join forces to produce this world premiere, commissioned and developed by The Huntington.
NEXT STAGE WORKSHOPS
September – October
David Copeland Blackbox Theatre
CFA 354 • College of Fine Arts, 855 Commonwealth Ave
The School of Theatre New Play Initiative presents a series of Next Stage workshops, scenes, and plays. These Next Stage pieces will be directed by our Undergraduate Directors and will flower as the next step in the fruition of these new plays by BU students.
The nature of the presentation and the work is determined by the needs of the play. Curated by Kirsten Greenidge, this “on-its-feet” workshop or play experience focuses on different areas of the writing or specific parts of a project in the process of development.
All tickets free, general admission at the door
Carnacale by Fintan Bracken
Saturday, September 13, 4pm
House Play by Janie McRae (CFA’26)
Saturday, September 13, 7pm
O True Apothecary by Yide Cai
Saturday, September 20, 4pm
Sacred Heart by Lucy Leahy (CFA’26)
Saturday, September 20, 7pm
Bad Time for Butterflies by Gabrielle Franklin
Saturday, September 27, 4pm
Birds of Prey by Eva Sheehy-Moss (CFA’26)
Saturday, September 27, 7pm
Jessica of Venice by Rachel Beth Greene
Saturday, October 4, 4pm
Heartburn by Luke Meisel (CFA’27)
Saturday, October 4, 7pm
THE ELEANORS
Part of Fringe Festival
October 10 – 12, 2025
Studio ONE • CFA 104 • College of Fine Arts, 855 Commonwealth Ave
A co-production of BU Opera Institute and BU School of Theatre
Composer and Librettist • Jodie Goble
Co-Librettist • Michael Ching
Music Director • Matthew Larson
Stage Director • Edward Sturm (CFA’24)
The Eleanors is a 90-minute chamber opera set in the final year of World War II. Newlywed nurse Maxie turns to her friends Lilian and Ramona for support when her husband Cal is captured during the Battle of the Bulge and imprisoned. Lyrical, funny, high energy, heartbreaking and heartwarming, The Eleanors is infused throughout with musical influences from swing and American Songbook.
THUMBPRINT
Part of Fringe Festival
October 24 – 26, 2025
Studio ONE • CFA 104 • College of Fine Arts, 855 Commonwealth Ave
A co-production of BU Opera Institute and BU School of Theatre
Composer • Kamala Sankaram
Librettist (from a series of interviews with Mai) • Susan Yankowitz
Music Director • Allison Voth
Stage Director • Grant Sorenson (CFA’25)
Thumbprint is inspired by the extraordinary transformation of Mukhtar Mai, a young woman whose world was shattered by an act of brutality that could have destroyed her. Instead, she discovers a weapon—her voice—and against all odds, to the astonishment of her country and herself, she seeks justice and finds it. “The worst thing in my life is also the best,” she says. “It has given my life meaning.” Her journey resonates beyond borders in its implicit belief that even in the darkest times, one person, one voice, through a single act of courage, can change life for thousands.
DREAM
October 24 – 26, 2025
“Jewels 1” Juliane Ethel Leilani Miller Studio Theatre • CFA 352 • College of Fine Arts, 855 Commonwealth Ave
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Clay Hopper
Developed by Clay Hopper, Jon Savage, and James Grady
A collaboration between BU School of Theatre, BU School of Visual Arts, and the Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences, this production is fully Shakespeare’s play and not an adaptation. It is also a culmination of seven years of research and development of a novel design tool, Random Actor, which uses computational vision and machine learning to create and design physically interactive projections within an immersive projected media environment for the actor. Additional technologies the team behinds Random Actor hopes to employ are the capturing of 3D images with LiDAR cameras and digital asset manipulation via the previsualization software, both of which were acquired with generous grants from the Shipley Foundation. These grants were written by Jorge Arroyo and Jon Savage.
Show Dates & Times
Friday, October 24 • 7:30pm
Saturday, October 25 • 2pm
Saturday, October 25 • 7:30pm
Sunday, October 26 • 2pm
All tickets free, general admission at the door
NOVEMBER
12 ANGRY JURORS
November 15 – 16, 2025
David Copeland Blackbox Theatre
CFA 354 • College of Fine Arts, 855 Commonwealth Ave
By Reginald Rose
Directed by Michael Hisamoto
A 19-year-old man has just stood trial for the fatal stabbing of his father. “He doesn’t stand a chance,” mutters the guard as the 12 jurors are taken into the bleak jury room. It looks like an open-and-shut case—until one of the jurors begins opening the others’ eyes to the facts. (Concord Theatricals).
Show Dates & Times
Saturday, November 15 • 2pm
Saturday, November 15 • 7:30pm
Sunday, November 16 • 10am
All tickets free, general admission at the door
FEFU AND HER FRIENDS
Part of Fringe Festival
November 14 – 16, 2025
Studio ONE • CFA 104 • College of Fine Arts, 855 Commonwealth Ave
Book by María Irene Fornés
Directed by Gregg Wiggans (CFA’25) and Liv King (CFA’26)
One of Off-Broadway’s best-loved plays, originally directed by the author. The audience follows the lives of eight women. For this play, María Irene Fornés received one of her nine Obie awards. (Broadway Play Publishing Inc.)
FLOWERS FOR MRS HARRIS
November 14 – 23, 2025
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre • 820 Commonwealth Ave
Based on the novel by Paul Gallico
Music and Lyrics • Richard Taylor
Book • Rachel Wagstaff
Director • Shamus (CFA’23)
Music Director • Harry Castle
For Ada Harris, day-to-day life is spent cleaning houses. But when she happens upon something that takes her breath away, she sets off on a journey that will change her life… From the cobbled streets of post-war London to the magical avenues of Paris and beyond, Ada transforms the lives of everyone she meets along the way, but can she let go of her past and finally let her own life blossom? (Concord Theatricals).
TOP GIRLS
November 22 – 23, 2025
“Jewels 1” Juliane Ethel Leilani Miller Studio Theatre • CFA 352 • College of Fine Arts, 855 Commonwealth Ave
By Caryl Churchill
Directed by Pascale Florestal
Caryl Churchill’s hilarious, groundbreaking, gritty play about the fictional “Top Girls” employment agency begins with a time-warped luncheon attended by women in legend or history offering their perspectives on maternity and ambition. (Concord Theatricals).
Show Dates & Times
Saturday, November 22 • 2pm
Saturday, November 22 • 7:30pm
Sunday, November 23 • 2pm
All tickets free, general admission at the door
DECEMBER
CALF SCRAMBLE
Part of Fringe Festival
December 4 – 7, 2025
Studio ONE • CFA 104 • College of Fine Arts, 855 Commonwealth Ave
By Libby Carr
Directed by Shalee Cole Mauleón
In a barn outside Huntsville, Texas, five Future Farmers of America raise and ruin their prize-winning calves. CALF SCRAMBLE is a raucous rodeo of girls playing God, clambering for power over their animals, their bodies, and each other. (New Play Exchange)
DIRECTORS’ PROJECT
December 6 – 10, 2025
“Jewels 1” Juliane Ethel Leilani Miller Studio Theatre • CFA 352 • College of Fine Arts, 855 Commonwealth Ave
Coordinated by Clay Hopper
Participants in Clay Hopper’s Directors’ Project class will present their work at the end of the semester (typically these students are junior BFA Theatre Arts Performance and Theatre Arts Design and Production students).
Show Dates & Times
Saturday, December 6 • 10am
Sunday, December 7 • 2pm
Sunday, December 7 • 7:30pm
Tuesday, December 9 • 7:30pm
Wednesday, December 10 • 7:30pm
All tickets free, general admission at the door
AURORA BOREALIS: A FESTIVAL OF LIGHT AND DANCE
Monday, December 8 • 7 and 9pm
Boston University Dance Theatre
Fitness & Recreation Center • 915 Commonwealth Ave
In collaboration with the BU Department of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance
Curated by Yo-EL Cassell
A classic in itself, Aurora Borealis is a vibrant exploration of the relationship between light and form with a focus on collaboration and experimentation, featuring dance and movement pieces by faculty and students and lighting design by graduate students in the School of Theatre Lighting Design Program.
All tickets free, general admission at the door
THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER
SPRINGBOARD SERIES
September – December 2025
David Copeland Blackbox Theatre
CFA 354 • College of Fine Arts, 855 Commonwealth Ave
The School of Theatre New Play Initiative presents public readings of new offerings to the world of theatre. Directed music stand/table readings of the play with a short rehearsal period. Each reading will include a short talk-back at the end with the playwright and the cast.
Mania by Emery Genga (CFA’26)
Saturday, September 13, 11am
Virgins by Ella Blumenthal (CFA’27)
Saturday, September 13, 2pm
Paper Angels by Nathaniel Ryan-Kern (CFA’27)
Saturday, September 20, 11am
Among the Greatest: A Retelling of Gilgamesh by Edward Bergham (CFA’26)
Saturday, September 20, 2pm
The Rug by Paolo Bonarriva (CFA’28)
Saturday, September 27, 2pm
The Cosmic Dilemma by Frane Cebalo (CFA’27)
Saturday, October 4, 2pm
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit by Chloe McFarlane (CFA’26) and Amanda Reynolds (CFA’26)
Tuesday, December 9, 7pm
All tickets free, general admission at the door