Performances

YOGA PLAY
By Dipika Guha
Directed by Rose Schwietz Malla
Oct. 17, 18, 22, 24, 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 23 at 10 a.m.
Oct. 25 at 2 p.m.
The Curtain Theater
Yoga Play tickets

Stressed-out yoga apparel CEO Joan is one bad decision away from a PR-nightmare of career-ending proportions. Her activewear giant Jojomon™ has recently been charged with fat shaming, exploitative labor practices, and cultural appropriation. To temper a furious customer base, Joan and her team hire yoga master extraordinaire Guruji to inject some much needed authenticity into the brand — which may be the worst (or best?) decision of their careers. Yoga Play plunges audiences into the corporate antics of the ultra-uninformed, sparking curiosity about what it really means to be authentic.

Content Advisory: Racially and culturally sensitive themes and coarse language. Recommended for ages 13 and up

“Yoga Play” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

NEXT TO NORMAL
Music by Tom Kitt 
Book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey 
Directed by Kyle Boatwright
Nov. 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 19 at 10 a.m.
Nov. 22 at 2 p.m.
The Rand Theater 
Next to Normal tickets

How do you hold onto reality amidst a whirlwind? Diana’s ordinary home-maker life of managing family dynamics and school lunches quickly disintegrates amid the twin challenges of bipolar disorder and grief. Meanwhile, her family members do their best to keep up under the strain of their own individual struggles. Next to Normal, a Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, looks at the ripple effects of mental illness, stress, grief, secrets, and tremendous love — all set to a driving rock score.

Content advisory: Depictions and discussion of mental illness, self-harm, suicide, death, medical trauma, delusional episodes, and drug use. Recommended for ages 13 and up.

Next to Normal is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

THE INTERROBANGERS
By M Sloth Levine
Directed by Cordelia Dwyer
March 6, 7, 11, 12, 13 at 7:30 p.m.
March 7 at 2 p.m.
March 10 at 10 a.m.
The Curtain Theater
​​​​​​​The Interrobangers tickets

A gang of teenage friends who band together to solve a mystery and confront the supernatural — what’s not to love about that winning formula? Foggy Bluffs is a spooky place where you can see floating red eyes and weird shadows in the woods. The Interrobangers decide to figure out what’s going on and find much more than a spooky mystery. This queer take on the Scooby gang explores friendship, identity, and how to heal from the hurts of the past.

Content advisory: Depictions of substance abuse, swearing, and brief references to child abuse, abduction, and trauma. Recommended for ages 13 and up

RHINOCEROS
By Eugene Ionesco
Translated by Derek Prouse
Directed by Rose Schwietz Malla
May 1, 2, 7, 8 at 7:30 p.m.
May 2 & 9 at 2 p.m.
May 6 at 10 a.m.
The Rand Theater 
​​​​​​​Rhinoceros tickets

Daily life in a small French village is unexpectedly interrupted when a rhinoceros barrels through, trampling pets and crushing the social order. As the villagers spout off about the pachyderm's number of horns and racial origin, one beast becomes two, two become ten, and soon everyone succumbs to the allure of rhinoceritis: animal energy, brute force, and mindlessness. In this absurd satire of the human condition, will kind-hearted Daisy and slovenly Berenger remain steadfast in their commitment to humanist values – or succumb to the animal inside?

Content advisory: Coarse language and adult themes. Recommended for ages 13 and up

“Rhinoceros” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

Fringe Fest ‘26

Celebrating five years of Fringe Fest! Our wonderful student-produced festival is a tradition at this point, but the work you’ll get to see is anything but.

Past festivals have brought productions and projects that span genres and push the boundaries of theater, all conceived and created by the students in our department. We won’t know yet what they’ll create this year, but we hope you join us at the end of our spring semester to find out!

All events are in the Curtain Theater
Free, some may require advanced reservations

Staged Reading Series
Featuring 3 new works written and produced by students

May 3

• 2 p.m. — Tony's by Meena Cunniffe
  Beer, baseball, and a whole lotta God. What else does it take to take down evil? Start Fringe off with a bang! Tony’s, an original play, will have two staged readings on May 3rd at 2pm and May 9th at 8pm in 413. 

  Content warning: Swearing, violence, brief mentions of homophobia, harassment, some derogatory language. 
  Tickets
• 5 p.m. — Growing Sideways by Megan LaCroix
  What are you supposed to do when you no longer recognize the person your brother has become? How're you supposed to handle the fallout when that line you’ve so carefully maintained between home and school spirals into something you can’t control? Come experience this new staged reading centering an unraveling family in the throes of mental illness, teenage hood and untold truths. Follow Colby as she navigates growing up, growing apart and, perhaps, eventually, growing close once more. 
• 8 p.m. — The Seance of Emily Dickinson by Alison Reding

May 9

• 2 p.m. — Growing Sideways by Megan LaCroix
  What are you supposed to do when you no longer recognize the person your brother has become? How're you supposed to handle the fallout when that line you’ve so carefully maintained between home and school spirals into something you can’t control? Come experience this new staged reading centering an unraveling family in the throes of mental illness, teenage hood and untold truths. Follow Colby as she navigates growing up, growing apart and, perhaps, eventually, growing close once more. 
• 5 p.m. — The Seance of Emily Dickinson by Allison Reding

• 8 p.m. — Tony's by Meena Cunniffe
  Beer, baseball, and a whole lotta God. What else does it take to take down evil? Start Fringe off with a bang! Tony’s, an original play, will have two staged readings on May 3rd at 2pm and May 9th at 8pm in 413. 

  Content warning: Swearing, violence, brief mentions of homophobia, harassment, some derogatory language. 
  Tickets

Life Is a Cabaret
Produced and directed by Phoebe F. Cook Ludwig
May 10 at 7:30 p.m., May 11 at 2 p.m.
What good is sitting alone in your room, come hear the music play! Come to the cabaret, where this May 10th and 11th the Curtain Theater will become a lively joint with music and dance as our cast explores the meaning of musical theater music in a new light. This project is meant to de-stigmatize musical theater repertoire and remind theater-goers why they fell in love with the art to begin with. We seek to extract relatability and emotional meaning from this genre of music, and experiment with how they function outside of the world of the play. This piece is devised in collaboration with the cast, with the script being mainly led by the project lead, to help create an appropriate atmosphere for all of these songs to exist in one setting. As we converse and sing about love, fear, yearn, angst, and so much more - allow your ears and eyes to be dazzled by the magic that lies in the power of musical theater. It’s a show you won’t want to miss!

Swiss Army
Written and produced by Antigone Brandel-Iuliano
May 11 at 7:30 p.m., May 12 at 2 p.m.
In high school, May suffered a huge (and hugely embarrassing) public breakdown. Ada watched it all happen. Now, years later, they're back together again, feeling out the cracks in their friendship. As they talk about memories, accompanied by the monsters who have haunted their nightmares, they discover that the line between them is more porous than they thought. 

Postcards in the Mailbox of a House on a Dead-End Street
Written and produced by Lena Tutter
May 12 at 7:30 p.m., May 13 at 2 p.m.
There's this loneliness within you. It's been there for a long time. One day you open your mailbox, and what's that? A postcard? You're not expecting a postcard. But what's written on it might just change everything.

Cut Time
Written and produced by Eliza Epstein
May 14 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Middle school sleepovers. Family dinners. Endless amounts of scotch tape. As Past Liza scrambles to write to her high school self within a strict 30 minute timeline, her future unravels like clockwork in this new one-act play.

Free, reservations may be required for some events.

Tickets and pricing for season events:
$17 general admission
$5 for students, seniors, and Card to Culture patrons
Season and group discounts available

Tickets for all events EXCEPT Fringe Fest ’26 are sold through the UMass Fine Arts Center Box Office (413-545-2511 or fac.umass.edu)

UMass Theater follows UMass Amherst cancellation policies; please visit our website for details regarding donation, refund, or ticket exchange in case of cancellation.