¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE
2025-2026 SEASON
I Am not your perfect Mexican Daughter
Written By Isaac Gómez
Based on the book by Erika L. Sánchez
Directed by Adriana Domínguez
Synopsis: Julia Reyes isn’t your perfect Mexican daughter she’s a brave, sharp Chicago teen torn between her immigrant parents’ expectations and her dream to write. After her sister’s tragic death, Julia’s world unravels as she faces grief, mental health struggles, and the pressure of tradition. Navigating high school and poverty, she turns to her journal to share her truth and survive, it reminds us our dreams are real—and they matter. Raw and powerful, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter challenges us to speak up, seek help, and keep going—even when it feels impossible.
MATURE CONTENT
Wise Family Theater
7:30 PM Performances
October 24*, 25, 30 & November 1, 2025
2:00 PM Performances
October 26 & November 2, 2025
*Discount Performance - All Tickets $10
Purchase Tickets for I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
“I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.
CAts
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Based on ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’ by T.S. Eliot
Directed by Jaime Barba
Synopsis: CATS is set amongst a larger-than-life junkyard playground and is alive with purr-fect felines including Rum Tum Tugger, Mr. Mistoffelees, Macavity, Jennyanydots, Old Deuteronomy, Skimbleshanks and Grizabella. The Jellicle Cats come out to play on one special night of the year – the night of the Jellicle Ball. One by one, they tell their stories for the amusement of Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, who must choose one of the Cats to ascend to The Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.
The Dinner Theatre:
Dinner Performances (6:30 P.M.)
November 14, 15, 20*, 21, 22, 28, 29 2025
Matinee Dinner Performance (1:00 P.M.)
November 16*, 2025 (Meal Served)
Non-Dinner Evening Performances (7:30 P.M.)
November 19**, 26**, 2025
Non-Dinner Matinee Performances (2:00 P.M.)
November 23**, 30**, 2025
**(No Meal Served / General Admission Seating)
*Discount Dinner Performance
Tickets on Sale Dates
¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Students/Faculty/Staff/Alumni and Groups 20+ - October 6, 2025
General Public - October 7, 2025
The River bride
Written by Marisela Treviño Orta
Directed by Samantha Michelle Nava
Synopsis: Set in a Brazilian fishing village along the Amazon, The River Bride unfolds like a haunting fairytale—two sisters, Helena and Belmira, who struggle to be true to each other and themselves, are thrown when a mysterious man is drawn from the water’s depths, pulling them into a dance of risk, hope, and long-held secrets. Exploring themes of regret, missed opportunities, and love, The River Bride offers no promises - it demands a silent surrender, a leap into the unseen, where trust may falter. But what if the ever-changing current hides more than it reveals? What is left behind?
June Sadowski Kruszewski Studio Theatre
7:30 PM Performances
December 3*, 4, 5 & 6, 2025
2:00 PM Performances
December 6* & 7, 2025
*Discount Performance - All Tickets $10
Purchase Tickets for The River Bride
“The River Bride” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.
Slow emergences: moving through crises, dance as opportunity
Artistic Director Melissa Melpignano
Synopsis: What does it mean to take time in an era of relentless acceleration? Slow Emergences centers dance, performance, and embodied practices to rediscover what speed and global crises so often destroy. In place of the reactive emergency mindset that demands rapid but often detrimental solutions, we explore emerging methods grounded in care and sustained attention. Through performances, actions, panels, and community gatherings, we offer spaces of collective reflection and radical imagination. Together, we ask how healthcare, climate, social welfare, and pedagogy might be reimagined to support long-term livability and communal transformation—for the well-being of many, not just the few.
Wise Family Theatre
7:30 PM Performances
February 19*, 20, 21, 2025
2:00 PM Performance
February 22, 2025
*Discount Performance - All Tickets $10
Tickets on Sale Date: January 27, 2026
rent
Books, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
Synopsis: Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice, and living for today. Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson’s Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves, and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical. This is theatre at its best – exuberant, passionate and joyous.
The Dinner Theatre
Dinner Performances (6:30 P.M.)
March 27, 28 & April 2*, 3, 4, 9*, 10, 11, 2026
Matinee Dinner Performance (1:00 P.M.)
March 29*, 2026 (Meal Served)
Non-Dinner Evening Performances (7:30 P.M.)
April 1**, 8**, 2026
Non-Dinner Matinee Performances (2:00 P.M.)
April 5**, 12**, 2026
**(No Meal Served / General Admission Seating)
*Discount Dinner Performance
Tickets on Sale Dates
¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Students/Faculty/Staff/Alumni and Groups 20+ - October 6, 2025
General Public - October 7, 2025
orlando
Written by Sarah Ruhl
Adapted from the novel by Virginia Woolf
Directed by Jay Stratton
Synopsis: Orlando is no ordinary noble. Dashing, bold, and full of restless charm, they sweeps through centuries—seducing queens, chasing adventure, and defying every rule society dares to impose. But under a moonlit sky, a mysterious encounter changes everything. Orlando falls into an enchanted sleep... and awakens transformed. Sarah Ruhl’s dreamlike adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s classic novel is a journey through time and identity. Dancing across five centuries, Orlando is the fantastical tale of someone who refuses to be bound by societal norms. Who are we, really—when time, gender, and expectation no longer define us?
Wise Family Theatre
7:30 Performances
April 17*, 18, 24 & 25, 2026
2:00 PM Performances
April 19 & 26, 2026
*Discount Performance - All Tickets $10
Tickets on Sale Date: January 27, 2026
“Orlando (Ruhl)” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
The summer production to be performed at The Dinner Theatre will be announced at a later date.
¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ DEPARTMENT THEATRE AND DANCE BOX OFFICE
SECOND FLOOR, FOX FINE ARTS
Please call our number for any questions!
(915) 747-5118
Representatives from the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Ticket Center will open the box office one hour prior to curtain.
NO REFUNDS OR EXCHANGES
15 minutes after curtain, tickets will no longer be sold.
Tickets are only valid on the printed date.
Tickets may also be purchased at the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Ticket Center (915-747-5234) OR
(convenience charges do apply)
TICKET PRICES for Wise Family Theatre and June Sadowski Kruszewski Studio theatres:
Adults: $18;
¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Faculty/Staff, Seniors: $15
Military, Groups (10+), Alumni (with card), Non-¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Students: $15;
¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Students (with a valid ID), Children (ages 4-12): $12
SEATING:
PATRONS ARRIVING LATE WILL BE SEATED AT THE HOUSE MANAGER’S DISCRETION IN THE WISE FAMILY THEATRE
PLEASE REFER TO YOUR TICKET FOR LATE SEATING POLICY IN THE JUNE SADOWSKI KRUSZEWSKI STUDIO THEATRE (formerly known as the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ STUDIO THEATRE). IF THERE IS LATE SEATING, YOU WILL BE SEATED AT THE HOUSE MANAGER'S DISCRETION
THE CENTER SECTION (SECTION C) IN THE WISE FAMILY THEATER IS RESERVED SEATING
THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL COST TO SIT IN THE CENTER
ALL SEATS IN THE JUNE SADOWSKI KRUSZEWSKI STUDIO THEATRE ARE GENERAL ADMISSION
ADDITIONAL POLICIES:
PROGRAMS WILL ONLY BE GIVEN UPON ENTRANCE TO THE THEATER
FOOD & BEVERAGES ARE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE THE THEATER
VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHY ARE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE THE THEATER
Above: Map of Wise Family Theatre
GETTING TO OUR SPACES
The Google Map above guides you to the Wise Family Theatre (second floor), the Box Office (second floor) and the June Sadowski Kruszewski Studio Theatre (first floor) as all are located within the Fox Fine Arts Center on campus.
Free parking is available in the Sun Bowl Garage for all of our theatrical events, beginning one hour before show time.
Link for Google Map above:
The videos above will guide you to the Wise Family Theatre, the June Sadowski Kruszewski Studio Theatre, and to our box office.