UNCSA announces 2022-23 performance season

From renowned guest artists to professional-level student productions, UNCSA offers a wealth of low-cost cultural events for the Triad and beyond.

UNCSA announces a wide-ranging 2022-23 performance season that includes dance, drama, music, opera and film, created and performed by talented students and world-class faculty, distinguished alumni, and celebrated guest artists.

The new season features a star-studded Guest Artist Series from the School of Music, interdisciplinary collaborations across the arts schools — leveraging the unique merging of five arts disciplines on one campus — as well as collaborations with local cultural organizations and performing arts groups.

Alongside in-person performances, Live from Watson Hall returns with free livestreams of the new Music Guest Artist Series, in addition to other select faculty and student music performances. Film screenings will also be offered online for a limited time. UNCSA offers several free events and low-cost regular tickets, providing a unique opportunity for area residents and visitors to experience renowned professional artists alongside professional-caliber student work, in The City of Arts and Innovation.

The 2022-23 season again offers a diverse array of artistic voices, from traditional to underrepresented, exposing students and audiences to a broad spectrum of compelling works from across the cultural landscape.

“Performance is at the heart of what we do at UNCSA, and each season seems to top the one before,” said Chancellor Brian Cole. “It is a testament to our remarkable deans and faculty that we are able to provide such a wealth of high-quality events each year, which mirror the evolving arts and entertainment industry. Our performance season provides both critical learning opportunities for our talented students and a wonderful benefit for community members.”

Tickets are available now at uncsa.edu/performances or by calling the box office at 336-721-1945. Tickets to most events are $20. Non-UNCSA student tickets are $15 with valid ID (UNCSA students, faculty and staff receive complimentary tickets to most performances). Film screenings and student recitals — among other events — are free of charge. Selected events are priced individually as noted. Patrons can purchase an Arts Card to get easy access to multiple events with a discount over single non-student ticket prices.

Select a school to see their season highlights: 

School of Dance

School of Design & Production

School of Drama

School of Filmmaking

School of Music

School of Music

Guest Artist Series

The School of Music will present the Guest Artist Series, offering world-class music, today’s prominent artists, and genre-bending experiences. The series will feature renowned musicians performing a wide range of repertoire — from the Grammy-nominated Sandbox Percussion in an audio and video collaboration, to acclaimed soprano Latonia Moore, star of the opera world’s major stages, to New York Philharmonic principal clarinetist Anthony McGill, with the acclaimed Pacifica Quartet. Star soloists Jennifer Frautschi, Clive Greensmith, Kim Kashkashian and Peter Wiley will highlight the return of the Chrysalis Institute’s Chamber Music Festival.

Sandbox Percussion
Thursday, Sept. 8, at 7:30 p.m.
Freedman Theatre

Guest ensemble Sandbox Percussion will perform “Seven Pillars,” a boldly genre-defying audio and video collaboration for percussion quartet, by critically acclaimed composer Andy Akiho. Called “a lush, brooding celebration of noise” by The New York Times, the recording of the work was nominated for a Grammy Award for best classical composition and best chamber music performance. “Seven Pillars” consists of seven ensemble movements and one solo movement for each member of Sandbox, developed through multiple extended residencies at Avaloch Farm Music Institute. Akiho and Sandbox expanded the collaborative circle by commissioning 11 video artists to create original films for “Seven Pillars” — one film for each movement of the work. These collaborative videos encompass the worlds of dance, animation, experimental narrative film, time-lapse, and more. The instrumentation includes traditional instruments such as vibraphone, glockenspiel and marimba, with some found percussion sounds like glass bottles and metal pipes. 

Latonia Moore
Saturday, Sept. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Watson Hall (also livestreamed)

Internationally acclaimed soprano Latonia Moore, recently seen as Billie in “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” and as Serena in “Porgy & Bess” at the Metropolitan Opera, will present a recital featuring the music of Verdi, Rachmaninoff, Katherine Davis, Roger Quilter and Strauss with faculty-artist Allison Gagnon at the piano. The recital is part of Moore’s residency with the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute during the 2022-23 season, which also includes public and private master classes.

Praised as “richly talented” by The New York Times, soprano Latonia Moore has performed in opera houses throughout the world including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera Covent Garden, Opernhaus Zürich, Teatro Colón, English National Opera, Washington National Opera, Dallas Opera, and many more.

Reynolda Quartet
Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 7:30 p.m. – Watson Hall (also livestreamed)
Sunday, April 2, at 3 p.m. – Reynolda House and Museum

The Reynolda Quartet returns for two concerts during the 2022-23 season. In September, world-renowned musicians and UNCSA Music faculty-artists Ida Bieler and Janet Orenstein, violins; and Brooks Whitehouse, cello are joined by violist Scott Rawls, professor of viola and chamber music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and UNCSA bassist Paul Sharpe for a performance of Dvořák’s lively String Quintet No. 2 in G major, in Watson Hall. Repertoire for the April program will be announced at a later date. The Reynolda Quartet was founded in 2019 as a partnership between two of Winston-Salem’s premier cultural organizations, Reynolda House Museum of American Art and UNCSA.

UNCSA Chamber Music Festival
Tuesday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 14, and Saturday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m.
Watson Hall (also livestreamed)

UNCSA presents the return of its Chamber Music Festival from the graduate Chrysalis Chamber Music Institute of the School of Music, with four concerts in the fall and spring. The Chamber Music Festival, which launched last season under the artistic direction of UNCSA faculty members Ida Bieler and Dmitri Vorobiev, offers invaluable opportunities for students to perform alongside faculty and renowned artists of today, and an intimate and rewarding experience for audiences.

The first fall concert will feature School of Music faculty-artists collaborating with students in works by Franck, Bach, Beethoven and more, while the second fall concert will feature two-time Grammy nominee and Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient Jennifer Frautschi, violin, and former member of the Tokyo String Quartet, Clive Greensmith, cello, joined by students and faculty-artists in works by Mozart, Dvořák and Schumann. The first spring concert will feature faculty and students performing Mendelssohn and Dvořák as well as a work by High School composition alumnus Tyson Davis, “Abstractions” for woodwind quintet. The second spring concert will feature Grammy Award-winning violist Kim Kashkashian and cellist Peter Wiley, former member of the Guarneri String Quartet and Beaux Arts Trio, in works by Mozart, Mahler and Brahms.

UNCSA Baroque Ensemble with Sam Nemec
Sunday, Nov. 20, at 3 p.m.
Watson Hall (also livestreamed)

Guest oboist Sam Nemec of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performs alongside faculty and students in an evening of exquisite Baroque music, highlighted by Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. Also performing are Ida Bieler and Kevin Lawrence, violins; Jaren Atherholt, oboe; Tadeu Coelho, flute; Dmitri Shteinberg, piano; and student soloists. Nemec, who joined the Atlanta Symphony as second oboe in 2012, is a graduate of Juilliard and the Curtis Institute. 

Julian Lage Trio
Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Watson Hall (also livestreamed)

Julian Lage, one of the most talented guitarists of his generation, performs a mix of original compositions and jazz standards with his trio, featuring bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King. He has been described as “one of the most accomplished and prominent guitarists in modern jazz and improvised music,” as well as a “complete virtuoso who plays, composes, and improvises with unfailing taste.”

Pacifica Quartet with Anthony McGill
Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Watson Hall (also livestreamed)

The Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet is joined by New York Philharmonic principal clarinetist Anthony McGill in a program of music by Brahms and Prokofiev, plus new music. Known for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often daring repertory choices, the Pacifica Quartet has won chamber music’s top competitions, including the 1998 Naumburg Chamber Music Award, and has been honored with Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award and the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. The Pacifica received its second Grammy Award for best chamber music performance for “Contemporary Voices” in 2020. 

Hailed for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (New York Times), clarinetist Anthony McGill enjoys a dynamic international solo and chamber music career and is principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic — the first African-American principal player in the organization's history. He is the recipient of the 2020 Avery Fisher Prize, one of classical music’s most significant awards. McGill appears as a soloist with top orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, and the Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras. He performed alongside Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gabriela Montero at the inauguration of President Barack Obama, premiering a piece by John Williams. In 2020, McGill’s #TakeTwoKnees campaign protesting the death of George Floyd and historic racial injustice went viral.

Warp Trio
Saturday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m.
Watson Hall (also livestreamed)

The electrifying Warp Trio performs original compositions in a cross-genre chamber music experience. Featuring UNCSA alumnus and North Carolina native Mikael Darmanie and a combination of Juilliard-trained members juxtaposed with others steeped in rock and jazz styles, the one-of-a-kind Warp Trio performs in concert halls and rock venues around the world. Warp Trio comprises Josh Henderson (violin/viola), Ju-Young Lee (cello), Rick Martinez (percussion) and Darmanie (piano/keyboard).

Student and Faculty Highlights

The 2022-23 season in the School of Music also features several concerts with the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra led by distinguished guest conductors, including UNCSA alumnus and resident guest conductor Robert Franz leading a range of works from Florence Price to Beethoven; a performance of Handel’s oratorio “Jephtha” in collaboration with the Cantata Singers and soloists from the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute, conducted by James Allbritten; and Guillermo Figueroa conducting and performing Ernesto Cordero’s Violin Concerto and Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique.” The season also features a special guest appearance by former Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic Phillip Smith performing with the faculty ensemble Watson Brass; a celebration of longtime director of the UNCSA jazz program, Ronald Rudkin, who retires at the end of this academic year, with several concerts by the Jazz Ensemble as well as concert in which he performs Artie Shaw’s Concerto for Clarinet; performances by talented faculty-artists including ensembles such as the Black Mountain Trio and a special holiday concert from Low & Lower; a partnership with the Hispanic League for a free concert led by alumnus Felipe Tristán (P.A.C. Music ’10) in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month; a collaboration with the Piedmont Wind Symphony celebrating the work of Omar Thomas; and a special Valentine’s Day concert. Repertoire to be performed will include a range of composers throughout history and working today, including Black, Latinx and women composers, many of whom have been historically underrepresented in classical music.

“We are thrilled to present an exciting lineup of today’s leading  artists as part of our Guest Artist Series, as well as a broad range of repertoire across all of our faculty and student performances,” said Dean Saxton Rose of the School of Music. “Audiences have much to choose from, with fully staged operas, symphony orchestra concerts, a chamber music festival, jazz, and so much more.”

A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute

The A.J Fletcher Opera Institute — UNCSA’s graduate and post-graduate opera training program — presents two fully staged operas in the 2022-23 season, providing unparalleled performance opportunities for talented Fellows in the program and offering audiences access to the opera stars of tomorrow. The productions are designed and built by students in the School of Design & Production, with full orchestral accompaniment by students in the School of Music.  

“Orlando Paladino” by Joseph Haydn
Opens Friday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m.
Stevens Center

An opera in three acts, “Orlando Paladino” (1782) was Joseph Haydn’s most successful work in the genre. A heroic comedy based on Ariosto’s epic poem, “Orlando Furioso,” “Orlando Paladino'' sees Angelica, queen of Cathay, and her lover, Medoro, flee to a remote castle to get away from Orlando, paladin of France, who is madly in love with Angelica. “Orlando Paladino” is the rare opera in which the mad, lovelorn lead is a male — and hilarity ensues. James Allbritten, musical director of the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute, conducts, and artistic director Steven LaCosse will direct. Performances are Friday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m.; and Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 7:30 p.m.

“The Rivals” by Kirke Mechem,
Opens Wednesday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m.
Agnes de Mille Theatre

“In spirit, ‘The Rivals’ harks to Rossini and Donizetti; in sound, it weds Puccini’s generous lyricism to the dancing meters of Bernstein’s ‘Candide,’” wrote The New York Times of this opera, praising it for its “buoyant melodies, supple harmonies and perky rhythms.” Kirke Mechem’s “The Rivals” is a bright and witty comedy full of love, mistaken identities, duels, and misunderstandings in the household of Mrs. Malaprop. In Mechem’s libretto, based on an 18th-century comedy by Sheridan, the action moves from the English town of Bath to Newport, Rhode Island, at the beginning of the 20th century. James Allbritten conducts; a guest director will be announced at a later date. Performances are Wednesday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, April 23, at 2 p.m.

School of Dance

Fall Dance
Opens Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m.
Agnes de Mille Theatre

A showcase for contemporary dance, Fall Dance will feature the premieres of all-new choreographic works for students in the contemporary program in the School of Dance at UNCSA, created by a faculty-artist and two guest artists, including an alumnus. “The Bloom of Youth” (working title) by Associate Dean Brenda Daniels will celebrate the beauty, freshness and vivacity of youth. Set to W.A. Mozart’s Piano Sonata in F major, K. 280, the three-part musical structure will delineate the sections of the dance: “Hothouse,” “Buds,” and “In Full Flower.” A student from the School of Music will perform the sonata live onstage. Award-winning, Chicago-based choreographer Mariana Oliveira will bring her distinctive voice to set “Dreamland,” a comedy-drama influenced by the surrealism movement that portrays the journey of a character blooming and discovering the beauty and the adversities of life. The work is set to songs from the 1930s and ’40s by Xavier Cugat, Rudy Vallée, Charlie Chaplin and Tommy Dorsey. Alumnus Anthony Lee Bryant (H.S. Dance ’03), a cast member of the national tour of “Wicked,” will return to set a new piece on students influenced by the concept of entropy: the degradation of matter and energy in the universe. Performances are Thursday, Sept. 27-Saturday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 1 at 2 p.m.

“The Nutcracker” 
Opens Friday, Dec. 9
Stevens Center

UNCSA’s beloved annual presentation of “The Nutcracker” returns to the Stevens Center this December. This year’s production will welcome back the favorite comedic character Mother Ginger as well as the boisterous opening party scene, and will feature more dancers than ever before, providing an opportunity for every ballet track dancer in the School of Dance to appear in the production. “The Nutcracker” will feature School of Dance faculty member Ilya Kozadayev’s choreography and Tchaikovsky’s timeless score, performed by the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra led by acclaimed guest conductor Jiannan Cheng. Performances are Dec. 9, 14-16 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 10 and 17 at noon and 5 p.m.; and Dec. 11 and 18 at 2 p.m.

Winter Dance
Opens Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m.
Stevens Center

Winter Dance features an array of works of vastly different styles, by Claudia Schreier, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Shen Wei and George Balanchine. The program includes “First Impulse” by Claudia Schreier, Atlanta Ballet’s resident choreographer and multiple award-winner, a dynamic and rhythmic neoclassical work set to the music of Eino Tamberg. Of its premiere, Pointe magazine wrote, “Schreier’s movement feels like architecture in motion, making all kinds of steps, even bourrées, seem wondrous and new… the future of ballet is well and alive.” Also on the program is Chinese American choreographer and director Shen Wei’s “Re-Triptych,” a meditation on his travel in three parts, with “Re-III” drawing upon images of rural communities along the Silk Road and his “impressions of a radically transformed Beijing” that he encountered while choreographing the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Kate Jewett (B.F.A. Dance ’05), a member of Shen Wei Dance Arts since 2005, where she is rehearsal director and director of education and outreach, will stage the work. The program also includes a work by Darrell Grand Moultrie, whose work is rich with hybrid contemporary, secular and classical modalities, and Balanchine’s seminal “Serenade.” Performances are Feb. 23-25 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 26, at 2 p.m.

Spring Dance
Opens Thursday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m.
Stevens Center

Spring Dance will highlight the strengths of both ballet and contemporary students with works that explore diverse ends of the respective disciplines. The program is highlighted by the first staging of iconic modern choreographer Merce Cunningham’s “Travelogue” since the work’s premiere in 1977 by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Contemporary students will perform the work, which is set to avant-garde composer John Cage’s “Telephones and Birds,” featuring recordings of telephone announcements and bird songs. The program also includes “Shostakovich Suite,” choreographed in 2013 for the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s professional training program by Endalyn T. Outlaw (née Taylor), dean of Dance, and set to Dimitri Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite. Dean Outlaw will restage the work for the dance students; tutus will be designed and created by Jenna Anderson (B.F.A. Design & Production ’22), who was recently featured in Pointe magazine for her custom tutu for The Royal Ballet principal dancer, Yasmine Naghdi. Spring Dance will also include the richly nuanced work of Helen Simoneau, a UNCSA alumna and artistic director of Helen Simoneau Danse. A Guggenheim Fellow, Simoneau was named “a choreographer-on-the-rise” with a style that is both “athletic and smooth” by Dance Magazine. Her new piece will explore her interest in power dynamics and soft power — the introvert's strength — alongside her signature large-scale virtuosic and physical movement vocabulary. Performances are April 20-22 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 23 at 2 p.m.

“The School of Dance once again brings today’s most talented choreographers to work with our incredible students, offering audiences a wide range of experiences,” said Dean Outlaw. “Our season is rich with both contemporary works as well as classical ballet, and everything in between. And our beloved “Nutcracker,” choreographed by faculty member Ilya Kozadayev, will return with all of the bells and whistles our audiences love!”

School of Drama

“Roe” by Lisa Loomer
Opens Thursday, Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m.
Patrons Theater

The UNCSA School of Drama joins theater companies around the country in staging Lisa Loomer’s 2016 play “Roe,” which has become particularly relevant following the recent Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade. The play follows the intimate details of the lives of lawyer Sarah Weddington and plaintiff Norma McCorvey, aka Jane Roe, in the years leading up to and following the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in 1973. Yet, “‘Roe’ is not a screed for or against abortion,” writes the Mail Tribune of Oregon. “Rather, Loomer’s main theme is the process by which everyday people get swept up in the big currents of history… .” “Roe” reflects the polarization that remains in America while illuminating the passion each side has for its cause, turning from shocking to humorous to poignant. “This play is intended to allow people to sit in the gray areas of life,” said guest artist and director Acadia Barrengos (B.F.A. Drama ’22). Performances are Sept. 29 & 30 and Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m.; and Oct. 2 at 2 p.m.

“Amadeus” by Peter Shaffer
Opens Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m.
Catawba Theatre

The schools of Drama, Design & Production, and Music collaborate to bring the fictional rivalry between composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri to life. The music will be performed live by an ensemble of approximately 20 School of Music students, directed by music faculty member Mark Norman. Salieri is enraptured by Mozart’s music and talents but cannot believe that such gifts reside in a vulgar young man. The poisoning power of rumor and gossip enables Salieri to destroy Mozart’s career slowly. First performed in 1979, the play won a Tony Award for best play in 1981. A 1984 film adaptation won best picture and starred UNCSA alumnus Tom Hulce as Amadeus. The musical play will be directed by Drama faculty member Quin Gordon. Performances are Oct. 27-29 at 7:30 p.m.; and Oct. 30 at 2 p.m.

“Sweeney Todd,” music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler
Opens Thursday, Nov. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Freedman Theatre

UNCSA School of Drama presents its annual musical with the fan favorite, Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd,” directed by alum Lo Feliciani Ojeda (B.F.A. Drama ’20) with music direction by Dion McClain-Freeny. With music and lyrics by Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler, “Sweeney Todd” opened on Broadway in 1979, winning the Tony Award for best musical, and has since had numerous revivals, as well as a 2007 movie adaptation by Tim Burton. With its macabre, dark humor, “Sweeney Todd” is generally considered Sondheim’s masterpiece. A melodic and theatrically bold work, this iteration of “Sweeney Todd” will use a mixture of 19th-century and contemporary settings, drawing inspiration from the play’s British origins but embracing its identity as a “musical thriller.” “This is a play about obsession, and the lengths we take to get what we want. Everyone gets their revenge, some way or another, in this play,” said Ojeda. “It also demonstrates how systems of class and oppression can and do have dangerous effects on contemporary society if they are not addressed. It is also a bloody good thriller!” Performances are Nov. 10-12 & 17-19 at 7:30 p.m.; and Nov. 13 at 2 p.m.

“If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be A Muhfucka” by Tori Sampson
Opens Thursday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m.
Patrons Theatre

Four 17-year-old girls grapple with societal definitions of beauty for the Black female body in Tori Sampson’s professional playwriting debut from 2019, which combines West African folklore with contemporary American culture. Kaya, Massassi, Adama and Akim live in the fictional village of Affreakah-Amirrorkah, where they jockey for rank based on beauty standards designed to defeat them. This hybrid comedy, musical and fantasy, brimming with music and dance, will feature a live band on stage, a chorus that moves about the theater, and mimes dressed in purple and gold robes. “Beauty, like race or gender, is a societal construct. There are real and dangerous consequences for young women and especially for young women of color who internalize a value system that places beauty as the highest form of human worth,” said new Drama faculty member Claire Fort, who will direct. Performances are Feb. 16-18 at 7:30 p.m.; and Feb. 19 at 2 p.m.

“Dangerous Corner” by J.B. Priestley,
Opens Thursday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m.
Catawba Theatre

“Dangerous Corner” is one of the three “time plays” by British author, dramatist and broadcaster J.B. Priestly. In each of them, a different concept of time is explored, and the effect of that concept on the characters' lives plays a critical factor in the story. Set in a small village outside of London in 1932, “Dangerous Corner” takes us to the country retreat of Robert and Freda Caplan, who are entertaining guests at a dinner party for executives of a trans-Atlantic publishing company. A chance remark by one of the guests ignites a series of devastating revelations, revealing a tangle of clandestine relationships and dark secrets. The work is student Caroline Cearley’s fourth-year directing thesis. Performances are March 23-25 & 30-31 and April 1 at 7:30 p.m., and March 26 at 2 p.m.

“Mother Courage and Her Children” by Bertolt Brecht
Opens Thursday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m.
Freedman Theatre

Considered by many to be one of the greatest plays of the 20th century, “Mother Courage and Her Children” is a boisterous comedy filled with original songs set against the backdrop of the Thirty Years War. The action follows the fate of the indomitable Mother Courage as she follows one luckless army after another across a war-torn world in her canteen wagon. Written in a little over a month in response to the invasion of Poland by the German armies of Adolf Hitler in 1939, “Mother Courage” is one of nine plays Brecht wrote in resistance to the rise of Fascism and Nazism. “Mother Courage and Her Children” still resonates today as the world continues to grapple with these forces and the moral implications of war. Drama faculty member Carl Forsman directs. Performances are March 30 & 31, April 1 & 7-9 at 7:30 p.m.; and April 2 at 2 p.m.

“The 2022-23 season for Drama spans the landscape of modern theater, including important work that reflects our fractured world and critical issues facing it today,” said Dean Scott Zigler of the School of Drama. “It is our job to give our students work that not only builds their repertory, but also challenges them to make a difference in society. In addition to utilizing our gifted faculty and student directors, this year we are pleased to welcome two recent alumni to direct: Lo Ojeda and Acadia Barrengos. We are also enlarging our collaborative scope from the School of Design & Production to the School of Music, allowing us to present such works as “Amadeus.”

School of Filmmaking

Panorama
Friday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m.
Gold Theatre

The School of Filmmaking at UNCSA presents its latest works in a collection of short films made by student filmmakers that illustrate the variety and depth of their talents.

Episodic Series
Thursday, May 4, at 7 p.m.
Main Theatre (also livestreamed for a limited time) 

The School of Filmmaking delves into the world of episodic production with its new Anthology Production Lab, mirroring industry trends that have seen an explosion of serial content on streamers like Netflix, Amazon and more. Get a peek at the newly created work with the debut screening of an all-new episodic series created by third-year student filmmakers.

Graduate and Senior films
Friday, May 5, at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Main Theatre (also livestreamed for a limited time)

The School of Filmmaking presents its first-ever screening of films created by students of its graduate programs in the 2022-23 school year, followed by its annual screening of undergraduate thesis films created by student crews who follow industry standards to create a professional-level film production. These films are the culmination of the students’ four years of study and the official start of their professional careers. UNCSA funds all thesis films, providing equipment and a cash budget for each project, and many are shot on location throughout Winston-Salem.

“It is our job to prepare students not only for the industry of today, but for the future,” said Dean Deborah LaVine of the School of Filmmaking. “Our new Anthology Production Lab will be a complement to our longtime focus on narrative feature filmmaking – and a treat for our audiences of cinephiles!”

School of Design & Production

20th Annual Photona
Friday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 p.m.
Freedman Theatre (also livestreamed) 

In addition to providing all of the design, technical and production support for performances and productions in Dance, Drama, Filmmaking and the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute, the School of Design and Production (D&P) also presents its 20th annual “Photona,” the wildly popular themed multimedia show of lighting, projection and sound displayed with state-of-the-art equipment on loan from the leading lighting companies in the industry. Audience members engage with this mesmerizing show through Q&A sessions with each student designer. At the night's end, the audience votes for its favorite show.

“Each year I am in awe of the amount of creativity, hard work and dedication from our student designers and technicians that goes into mounting the entire UNCSA performance season,” said D&P Dean Michael J. Kelley. “To be able to produce fully staged operas, plays, musicals and more — all before you graduate — is the kind of hands-on experience that helps our students achieve a 98% placement rate in the industry upon graduation. I know our audiences are consistently amazed by the production quality throughout the season.”

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