Spring into the MFA Program Season

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By Claire L. Wong

For the next two weekends, the MFA class of 2021 springs back to turn of the 19th century Germany with Spring Awakening: The Play, directed by Christine Adaire. “The main crux of the show relies on a culture where people struggle to communicate,” says MFA Program actor Allen Darby, who plays Moritz. “Spring Awakening asks us questions about tricky concepts that we have done our best to answer, but leave open for the audience to ponder after the show.”


The class of 2020 kicked off the MFA Program season with Derek Walcott’s Ti Jean and His Brothers, directed by Dawn Monique Williams. Catch the same actors this winter in A.C.T.’s seasonal favorite A Christmas Carol, which runs November 29–December 24. The third-years are onstage again February 20–29 for Passage by Christopher Chen, an Obie Award–winning Bay Area playwright. “It’s a fantastical examination of colonialism and xenophobia,” says Associate Producer Ken Savage, “and it’s in conversation with Testmatch. Passage looks at what our relationship is to race and class and what patriotic lines mean.”

The first-years take on two plays, The Moors and In Love and Warcraft, alongside the second-years in Rough Magic, all playing May 6–10. “Stylistically, Rough Magic falls between Rocky Horror and Poor Yella Rednecks,” says Savage. “It’s in conversation with those two A.C.T. mainstage shows that have surreal, comic book elements.”

A crucial part of the second-years’ citizen artist training is the performance of Romeo and Juliet for the Will on Wheels Tour March 9–13 and 15–20. Mobile and adaptive, Will on Wheels is designed for classroom performances to engage the community in Shakespeare and the arts. To learn how to sign up your school for the Will on Wheels Tour, email education@act-sf.org.

Tickets are limited for Spring Awakening: The Play. Click here to get yours!

*Please note: Spring Awakening: The Play explores both the awakening and repression of sexuality, and what happens when these two things come in conflict. It contains loud noises, strong language, and mature content, including sexual content, violence, and self-harm. If you would like additional information about the content of this play, please ask a member of our audience services staff.

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