WOLF PLAY
by Hansol Jung
Directed by Sophie Wheeler '25

October 31 - November 4
Martin Andrucki Black Box Theater

A Korean boy is ushered into a new house by his adopted American father. This new house belongs to an American boxer and their wife. American father un-adopts boy by a single signature on a piece of paper. But just before he leaves the new house, ex-father discovers that the new parents, to whom he has "re-homed" his ex-son, are a lesbian couple. American ex-father spends the rest of the play trying to get the boy back. In his corner is Ryan, the boxer's coach and their wife's brother. Ryan doesn't like the new Korean boy, who is a bit weird.

Wolf Play is a messy, funny, disturbing theatrical experience grappling with a wolf, a puppet and the very prickly problem of “What is a family, and what do we need from families today? Is it very different from what humans have needed from families before?”

Poster design by Maddie Kemp '25

FALL DANCE CONCERT
Artistic Direction by Brian J. Evans

November 15 - 17
Schaeffer Theatre

The 2024 Fall Dance Concert features the performative and choreographic works of Dance Majors' Thesis projects, and includes an original work by Applied Dance Faculty Kate Marchessault. Throughout the semester, student artists engage in intensive research processes with rehearsals, showings, feedback sessions, and collaboration with student and faculty designers. This culminates in a spectacular performance, celebrating the dedication and creativity of student artists within the Bates Dance community.

Image by Carly Philpott '27, from the 2024 Marcy Plavin Spring Dance Concert

THE LIVING ROOM
Choreographed by Adelle Welch '25

December 5 - 6
Gannett Theater

The Living Room features performative and choreographic thesis work of Dance Major, Adelle Welch '25.

STORMCLUTTER

BRKFST Dance Company

January 25, 7:30pm
Schaeffer Theatre

Blazing into their 10th year as an ensemble, BRKFST continues to “show us the future of dance” (Star Tribune) with a world premiere commissioned by The Cowles Center and Northrop, set to music by company member Renée Copeland. Their unique style of breaking and storytelling shines through in their work set to Dancers, Dreamers, and Presidents by composer Daniel Bernard Roumain. With each inroad they create, BRKFST inspires us to view breaking and contemporary dance in a way that “makes you see both differently” (Minnpost).

Presented by the Bates Dance Festival and Department of Theater and Dance

OUT TO DRY

Choreographed by Lola Buczkowski '25

February 12 - 13
Immersive Media Studio

Out To Dry features performative and choreographic thesis work of Dance Major, Lola Buczkowski '25.

THE SEAGULL
by Anton Chekhov
Translation by Paul Schmidt
Directed by Joshua N. Hsu

March 6 - 10
Schaeffer Theatre

Konstantin is a young playwright struggling with his artistic identity and complicated relationship with his famous actor mother, Arkadina. Konstantin's also in love with Nina, a naive aspiring actor, who’s also infatuated with the more successful writer Trigorin, Arkadina's lover. Aspirations, family, and romantic entanglements inevitably collide, testing Konstantin and Nina’s sense of worth and purpose. Chekhov's wry classic skillfully intertwines the ordinary with the poetic, illustrating the duality of human existence: an existence where our dreams give us the drive to move forward, but our decisions haunt us at every turn. "The Seagull" is a darkly comedic exploration of unfulfilled ambitions, unrequited love, and the bittersweet nature of artistic success.

Poster design by Maddie Kemp '25

BODY AWARENESS
by Annie Baker
Directed by Emma Seitz '25

March 27 - 31
Martin Andrucki Black Box Theater

It’s Body Awareness Week on a Vermont college campus and Phyllis, the organizer, and her partner, Joyce, are hosting one of the guest artists in their home: Frank, a photographer famous for his female nude portraits. Both his presence in the home and his chosen subject instigate tension from the start. Phyllis is furious at his depictions, but Joyce is actually rather intrigued by the whole thing, even going so far as to contemplate posing for him. As Joyce and Phyllis bicker, Joyce’s adult son, who may or may not have autism spectrum disorder, struggles to express himself physically – with heartbreaking results.

Annie Baker's off-Broadway debut is a tart, funny and heartbreaking look at a contemporary family as they wrestle with issues of communication, expression and the human body.

Poster design by Maddie Kemp '25

MARCY PLAVIN SPRING DANCE CONCERT
Artistic Direction by Tristan Koepke

April 4 - 6
Schaeffer Theatre

Celebrating the legacy of Marcy Plavin, the founder of the Bates College dance program, this concert features original choreographies by nationally renowned Bates Dance Festival artists-in-residence Gesel Mason, BRKFST Dance Company, Christina Robson, and Assistant Professor Tristan Koepke. Student artists engage with the choreographers throughout the Winter semester in the Dance Repertory & Repertory Styles courses and bring their dynamic works to the stage. Each repertory artist’s diverse way of moving and creating art empowers student artists to expand their definition of dance as a powerful mode of artistic expression.

Image by Sammy Weidenthal '27, from the 2024 Marcy Plavin Spring Dance Concert