The Connecticut Repertory Theatre, the University of Connecticut’s professional theatre managed by the Department of Dramatic Arts, will be celebrating their 75th anniversary. This season, they will be producing four shows and a festival of original student works.
Megan Monaghan Rivas, the artist director of the CRT and head of the Department of Dramatic Arts, talked about what the CRT has in store for the 75th anniversary season in an interview, saying that the pieces have “really distinct profiles” and describing the season as “a banquet.”
The first show they’ll be putting on this season is “The Moors” by Jen Silverman. Rivas talked about the piece, saying it’s “a deep, deep dark comedy about a family of sisters who live in the wildest countryside in England… and making that an advantage instead of a disadvantage. Out in the middle of nowhere no one takes [them] seriously, no one is paying attention to [them], that means [they] can actually pull off some fairly outlandish stuff.” This show will be directed by Kristen Palmer and will have its performances from Oct. 10 to Oct. 20.
The show closing out the fall semester will be “The Old Man and the Old Moon” by the PigPen Theater Company. This piece tells the story of “the old man whose job it is to catch the light that’s slowly leaking out of the moon and pour it back in, so the moon never goes dark,” according to Rivas. Rivas also talked about this production’s heavy use of puppets.
“[UConn] has the only puppet arts degree granting program in the world that gives a master’s degree in this discipline,” said Rivas. “We also have an undergraduate [program] including a BFA and a minor, so we have this exceptional artistic presence here at UConn, so this season we really wanted to embrace and include and celebrate that. ‘The Old Man and the Old Moon’ is a project that enables us to do that. It’s a puppet-forward, music-forward… offering.” “The Old Man and the Old Moon” will be directed by Matt Sorensen and will perform from Nov.14 to Nov. 23.
After students return from winter break, they will be able to attend the 2nd Annual Jerry Rojo Festival of Original Student Works, an event that will showcase entirely original material written by students, which will be happening between Jan. 30 and Feb. 2. Rivas talked about what led the CRT to create this festival.
“We started producing this festival last year because the students were already doing a lot of original playwrighting,” said Rivas. “They were creating and choreographing movement pieces, the puppet art students were creating original puppet projects, and they didn’t really have a house to live in. So, we built them a house to hold and celebrate all of the original student works in one place for a shared audience.”
[UConn] has the only puppet arts degree granting program in the world that gives a master’s degree in this discipline
Megan Monaghan Rivas, Artist Director of the CRT and Head of the Department of Dramatic Arts
Two more full productions will wrap up the spring semester. First, the CRT will put on a production of “Pocatello” by Samuel D. Hunter. This play takes place in an “Olive Garden-type restaurant” which is “about to be closed,” according to Rivas.
Rivas described the play further, saying “the manager has not told the staff that they’re going to be closed in a couple of weeks… It’s the heartbreak of having your whole way of life change due to forces beyond your control.”
Paul Mullins, a frequent director of CRT productions, will be directing this piece, which will be performing from March 27 to April 6.
Lastly, the CRT will have performances of William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” Described on the CRT’s website as a “joyful 16th century rom-com, replete with intrigue, hijinks, mistaken identity, and a conniving ne’er-do-well,” this show will close the CRT’s 75th anniversary and their 2024-2025 season.