UB Theatre and Dance

09/28/2026

As part of THD’s Friday Forum Guest Dance Artists program, Allison Orr will provide a guest master class on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Allison Orr is a choreographer celebrated for turning everyday labor into compelling dance. Based in Austin, Texas, she draws on her background in anthropology and social work to craft what she calls “ethnographic choreography”. Working with communities including campus facilities staff, city wastewater personnel, professional baseball players, Venetian gondoliers and others, Orr transforms the movement of work into large-scale civic performances.

Over the last two decades, Orr’s visionary work has been commissioned by festivals and institutions including Fusebox, Kyoto Art Center and the National Endowment for the Arts.
In 2001, she founded Forklift Danceworks, where she serves as artistic director. Her landmark work, "The Trash Project," a dance created with City of Austin sanitation workers and their trucks, earned acclaim for highlighting the artistry of labor and the importance of essential work. Orr was named a United States Artists Fellow in Dance in 2018, a recognition of her bold, community-centered approach to performance.

In 2023, she released her book titled "Dance Works: Stories of Creative Collaboration". Part memoir and part guide, Orr reflects on her decades-long work creating performances with municipal employees such as firefighters, power line workers and maintenance teams, and how community-based art projects can serve as essential tools to address civic issues. Orr’s work continues to challenge conventional notions of dance and performance, while offering collaborating community members and audiences an opportunity to acknowledge the humanity, skill and artistry in the work that sustains us all.

University at Buffalo University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences

09/25/2026

MEET THE CAST OF “WOLF PLAY”

“Wolf Play” opens our fall 2026 season with 4 shows: OCT 2 – 4, 2026.
Tickets are $10-$25, plus fees: https://www.ticketmaster.com/search?q=Wolf+Play+Black+Box+Theatre

The story takes place both in the present, where the character of Jeenu is a young adult, and within his memory as a 6-year-old boy. In the same spirit, the cast and creative team of “Wolf Play” welcomes you into our theatrical world as both our current and childhood selves. See you soon!

• Thanks also to creative team members Thomas E***l, Phoenix Hall and Ashtyn Rozenberg (not pictured) for their collaborative contributions and artistry!

Season sponsor: Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating 8 years in support of our students.

University at Buffalo University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo Fox Run at Orchard Park

09/24/2026

UB DANCE DAY with Zodiaque Dance Company is Sun. OCT. 25, 2026. All standard ticketing options are available plus a special $35 UB Dance Day Ticket, which includes:

• A participatory pre-show workshop for ages 14 and up in the UB Center for the Arts Dance Studios (Rooms B82 & B82 in the basement of building). Arrive at noon in the hallway outside of the Dance Studios (rooms B82 and B84) for check-in.
• A dance class focusing on movement presented in the 2pm performance and observation of company warm up, plus Q&A with UB dance majors. No specific dancewear required. Come dressed to move!
• Admission to Zodiaque Dance Company 52st Season Fall Concert 2 p.m. performance in the Drama Theatre.
• Questions: Email Professor Kerry Ring: [email protected]
• Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.com/zodiaque-dance-tickets/artist/836688

Zodiaque Dance Company 52nd Season Fall Concert
Co-Directed by Kerry Ring and Michael Deeb Weaver
Choreographers: Melanie Aceto, Kurt Adametz, Ephrat Asherie, Richard Ashworth, Michael Deeb Weaver, Madeline Dembowski, Thomas Ralabate, Kerry Ring, Jenna Zavrel
Oct. 22 - 23, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 24, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.*
Oct. 25, 2026 at 2 p.m.**
UB Center for the Arts Drama Theatre

The UB Theatre and Dance 2026-2027 season is sponsored in part by Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating its eighth year in support of the department.

University at Buffalo University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo Fox Run at Orchard Park

09/23/2026

🟥 ZODIAQUE DANCE COMPANY: Studio Night Out for WNY Dance Studios!🪩
🟧 Sat. OCTOBER 24, 2026 at 7:30pm
🟨 UB Center for the Arts Drama Theatre

Local dance studios: Purchase 10 tickets for only $100, and your studio name will appear on the big screen prior to the performance.

💃🏽 Ticket reservations: [email protected] 🕺🏽
🟩Reserved seats also available to the public, from $10–$25 (plus fees): ubcfa.org

🟦 For more than 50 years, Zodiaque Dance Company (ZDC), UB’s premier pre-professional dance ensemble, has showcased innovative and inspiring performances that highlight the talent and versatility of UB Dance students. This season’s program features an exciting mix of modern, contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip hop works under the co-direction of faculty members Kerry Ring and Michael Deeb Weaver, with additional choreography by UB Dance faculty Melanie Aceto, Kurt Adametz, Jenna Zavrel, distinguished alumnus Rich Ashworth ’07, and Bessie Award-nominated guest artist Ephrat Asherie. The concert also includes contributions from Professor Emeritus Thomas Ralabate and third-year MFA candidate Madeline Dembowski, reflecting ZDC’s ongoing commitment to artistic excellence, creative research, and collaborative innovation with UB’s Theatre Design/Technology program.

🟪 The Zodiaque Dance Company 52nd Season Fall Concert is produced by UB Theatre and Dance and sponsored by Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating eight years of support for our students.

🤸🏽‍♂️ University at Buffalo University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo

09/22/2026

🏰Mobile Shakespeare Lab presents “Macbeth” - beginning next week!

⚔️A bold new adaptation of Shakespeare's classic, directed by Danielle Rosvally. Set against the backdrop of contemporary America, three college students escape into Dungeons & Dragons as they grapple with power, identity, belonging, and survival.

👑Oct. 8, 2026 | 7:30 PM
👑Dec. 6, 2026 | 2:00 PM
🗡️UB Katharine Cornell Theatre
Tickets $10-$25: ubcfa.org

🪶FREE Community Events (No Ticket Required):
• Oct. 9 | 7:30 PM | Irish Classical Theatre Company
• Oct. 29 | 6:00 PM | Buffalo Central Library Talk with Danielle Rosvally
• Nov. 7 | 1:00 PM | Buffalo Central Library Performance

💀Content advisory: Violence, war, murder, and infanticide.

✒️Season sponsor: Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating 8 years in support of our students.

University at Buffalo University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences Fox Run at Orchard Park

09/22/2026

If you are interested in experimental theatre & performance, Greek mythology, poetry, and/or collaborative creation, you will not want to miss this table reading of Polaroid Stories by Quest Zeidler! This reading is also an opportunity to connect with Zeidler about the TSE production of Polaroid Stories that he’s directing in collaboration with student artists next semester. Hope to see you there!

DATE: THIS Friday 9/25
TIME: 9:45-11:15am
LOCATION: CFA B83, The Rehearsal Workshop

Note: Friday’s event is the first of two BTW events this semester focusing on the creative research of our PhD students and offering undergraduate students (and others) an opportunity to connect with graduate student scholar/artists through their practice-as-research projects. 😊

09/22/2026

“Wolf Play” Interview with Dramaturg Troy Coleman

“Wolf Play” by Hansol Jung kicks off our fall 2026 production season and runs for a single week at UB, from October 2 – 4, 2026. Tickets are $10-$25, plus fees: https://www.ticketmaster.com/search?q=into+the+woods+ub+center+for+the+arts

Read the interview: https://tinyurl.com/bdhhp87d

"Wolf Play" follows Jeenu, a young Korean boy whose life is upended when his adoptive father, Peter, places him with Robin and her spouse, Ash, only to later reconsider and seek a larger role in Jeenu's life. Portrayed by a puppet and accompanied by Wolf, a narrator and alter ego who voices his inner thoughts, Jeenu becomes the center of a complex struggle over love, identity, belonging, and parental responsibility as Ash develops a deep bond with him, blending humor, theatrical imagination, and emotional depth.

Theatre & Performance PhD candidate Troy Coleman (he/they) is the dramaturg for the play and has focused much of his research on representations of villainy and theories of masculinity. With degrees from the University of Colorado Boulder (MA) and Colorado State University (BFA), he integrates his scholarly insight with practical performance experience as a stage and screen union actor (AEA & SAG-AFTRA).

Excerpt:

Q: For people who are unfamiliar with “Wolf Play,” how would you introduce it?

A: “Wolf Play” is a beautiful play by Hansol Jung. It is a memory play that tells the story of an adopted Korean boy, Jeenu, who is grappling with being shuffled from one adoptive home to a new one, contending with adults that try their best but make mistakes. Jeenu struggles to make sense of his shifting world through a puppet and fascination with wolves. The play invites us to think about who our family is, who is in our pack, who do we choose? It is messy and funny and heartbreaking and lovely.

University at Buffalo University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo

09/17/2026

“Wolf Play” Interview with Cast Member Anderson Maziero

“Wolf Play” by Hansol Jung kicks off our fall 2026 production season and runs for a single week at UB, from October 2 – 4, 2026. Tickets are $10-$25, plus fees: https://www.ticketmaster.com/search?q=into+the+woods+ub+center+for+the+arts
Read the interview: https://tinyurl.com/r7twxrrp

"Wolf Play" by Hansol Jung follows Jeenu, a young Korean boy whose life is disrupted when his adoptive father, Peter, places him with Robin and her spouse, Ash. As Peter begins to question that decision and seeks to reassert his role in Jeenu's life, tensions emerge among the adults over love, responsibility, and parental rights.

A distinctive theatrical element of the play is that Jeenu is portrayed by a puppet, with Wolf serving as his narrator, protector, and alter ego, giving voice to his inner thoughts and emotions. As Ash forms a deep bond with Jeenu, the story explores identity, belonging, and the complexities of family through a blend of humor, heightened theatricality, and emotional depth.

Anderson Maziero, a freshman Music Theatre student from Bethpage, Long Island, is thrilled to be playing the role of Wolf/Jeenu in Wolf Play, his first college theatrical production. Passionate about all areas of the performing arts, both physical and theatrical, he is grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such a talented cast and crew.

Excerpt:
Q: What misconceptions might audiences have about Jeenu/Wolf?

A: Two misconceptions I have been asked to clarify a lot are that Jeenu is not an actual wolf, and the character Jeenu is not literally carrying a puppet wherever he goes. The name Wolf was chosen by Jeenu himself, identifying him with wild wolves who are adaptable, cunning and brave, all things which Jeenu admires but struggles to attain as himself.

Jeenu is also not a ventriloquist. The presence of both the puppet and me, the puppeteer, gives the audience a dual visual representation of how adults often see Jeenu: as a small boy pretending to be a wolf (the puppet) and as who he truly is on the inside, a kind and capable person who simply needs a guise to hide behind in order to be himself (the puppeteer).

University at Buffalo University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo

09/16/2026

⚡️ “THE LIGHTNING THIEF: The Percy Jackson Musical,” including live orchestra⚡️
📢 Get your tickets early - only $10 - $25 (plus fees): https://www.ubcfa.org/events-exhibitions/theatre/the-lightning-thief.html
🔴Nov. 20 - 21, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
🟠Nov. 21 - 22, 2026 at 2 p.m.
🟡Morning Program: Nov. 20, 2026 at 10 a.m.*
UB Center for the Arts Drama Theatre

🟢*The morning program is at full capacity. Schools wishing to be added to the waiting list should write to: [email protected].
School groups of 10 or more are eligible for a special group rate for the other public performances.
General group rates also available via: [email protected]

🔵As the half-blood son of a Greek god, Percy Jackson has newly-discovered powers he can’t control, a destiny he doesn’t want, and a mythology textbook’s worth of monsters on his trail. When Zeus’s master lightning bolt is stolen and Percy becomes the prime suspect, he must find and return the bolt to prove his innocence and prevent a war between the gods. But to succeed in his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the thief. He must travel to the Underworld and back; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and come to terms with the father who abandoned him.

🟣The UB Theatre and Dance 2026-2027 season is sponsored in part by Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating its eighth year in support of the department.

Book by Joe Tracz | Music and Lyrics by Rob Rokicki | Adapted from the book “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan | Directed by Mason Beggs | Choreography by Madeline Dembowski | Music Direction by Matt Marco

University at Buffalo University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo Fox Run at Orchard Park

Looking for tickets for 'lightning thief ub center for the arts'? Search at Ticketmaster.com, the number one source for concerts, sports, arts, theater, theatre, broadway shows, family event tickets on online.

09/15/2026

🟥🟧🟨 ZODIAQUE DANCE COMPANY 52nd Season Fall Concert
Oct. 22 - 23, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 24, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.*
Oct. 25, 2026 at 2 p.m.**
UB Center for the Arts Drama Theatre
Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.com/zodiaque-dance-tickets/artist/836688

Co-Directed by Kerry Ring and Michael Deeb Weaver
Choreographers: Melanie Aceto, Kurt Adametz, Ephrat Asherie, Richard Ashworth, Michael Deeb Weaver, Madeline Dembowski, Thomas Ralabate, Kerry Ring, Jenna Zavrel
$25 Adults | $20 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$15 Students/Children | $10 UB Students
(Ticketmaster fees apply when purchasing online.)

🟩🟦🟪 Founded in 1974, Zodiaque Dance Company (ZDC) has been UB’s eminent pre-professional dance company for more than five decades of innovative, creative performances.

Special Experiences:
* Studio Night Out (Oct. 24): Dance studios—10 tickets for $100 and your studio name on the big screen!
** UB Dance Day (Oct. 25): All standard ticketing options are available plus a special $35 UB Dance Day Ticket, which includes:
• A participatory pre-show workshop for ages 14 and up in the UB Center for the Arts Dance Studios (Rooms B82 & B82 in the basement of building). Arrive at noon in the hallway outside of the Dance Studios (rooms B82 and B84) for check-in.
• A dance class focusing on movement presented in the 2pm performance and observation of company warm up, plus Q&A with UB dance majors. No specific dancewear required. Come dressed to move!
• Admission to "Zodiaque Dance Company 52nd Season Fall Concert" 2 p.m. performance in the Drama Theatre.

• Group Sales for Studio Night Out: [email protected]
• UB Dance Day Info: [email protected]

The UB Theatre and Dance 2026-2027 season is sponsored in part by Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating its eighth year in support of the department. 🟥🟧🟨

University at Buffalo University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo Fox Run at Orchard Park