With spring in full bloom and the end of the semester around the corner, performances by various UB groups promise to end the school year with a bang.
From witchcraft to pop-music-infused Shakespeare, here is a list of some of the most highly-anticipated performances happening on campus in the coming weeks:
Twelfth Night — Center For the Arts
April 21-24
Directed by clinical assistant professor of theatre Danielle Rosvally, UB’s production of “Twelfth Night” seeks to bring Shakespearean theater to a modern audience via popular music.
“Twelfth Night,” an early 17th century play by Shakespeare, is a romantic comedy focusing on the twins Viola and Sebastian; in the play, Viola disguises herself as a boy, leading to a series of “zany” events.
UB’s production will focus primarily on the return of joy to a post-isolation pandemic world.
This sentiment resonates particularly well with “Twelfth Night” due to the fact that the play itself makes references to the Bubonic plague, according to the CFA website.
Tickets are $10 for students and seniors, and $20 for the general public.
Vinegar Tom — Katharine Cornell Theatre
April 29-30
Directed by Kelli Bocock-Natale, “Vinegar Tom” is a 1976 British play that focuses on the gender and power dynamics of the 17th century witch trials in England through the character of Alice, who is accused of practicing witchcraft along with her mother.
The play acts as a feminist piece of work, acting “as an allegory for women’s lives in the 20th century” by examining ways in which women who go against the status quo may be accused of “witchcraft.”
All seats for the play are $5.
Violet — CFA
May 5-8
Directed and choreographed by guest artist Terry Berliner, “Violet” is UB’s spring musical, centering around a young disfigured woman as she embarks on a journey to be healed and “right the wrongs of her past.”
The musical is based on the short story, “The Ugliest Pilgrim,” by Doris Betts, and has been performed on- and off-Broadway.
The cast and designers for this production are students in UB’s Department of Theatre and Dance.
Tickets to the musical are $10 for students and seniors and $20 for the general public.
Royal Pitches Concert — Student Union Theatre
May 7
Since 1996, the Royal Pitches have been UB’s only all-female a capella group.
The group holds a concert each semester and performs at various UB events. In the past, the group has opened for Distinguished Speakers John Legend, Hillary Clinton and former-President Barack Obama.
For this semester’s spring concert — the group’s first show following “Unplugged” on March 12 — the Pitches will be bidding farewell to five of their seniors.
Tickets to the concert are $8 for students and pre-sale and $12 at the door.
The Enchords spring concert — SU Theatre
May 13-14
The Enchords are UB’s newest and all-gender a capella group, established in 2013.
The Enchords work extensively with UB’s other a capella groups — the Royal Pitches and Buffalo Chips — and host public and private performances, educational outreach performances and performance workshops.
This January, the group released an EP, titled “Resilience,” which is available on all music streaming platforms.
The Enchords spring concert is the group’s second of the year and first of the semester.
Students who would like to attend can RSVP via UBLinked.
Kara Anderson is a senior arts editor and can be reached at kara.anderson@ubspectrum.com
Kara Anderson is a senior arts editor at The Spectrum. She is an English and Spanish double major and is pursuing a certificate in creative writing. She enjoys baking chocolate chip cookies, procrastinating with solitaire and binging reality TV on the weekends.
