The Edge Performance Festival Commences Third Year Running

UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance presents, for its third year running, The Edge Performance Festival, a medley of drama, comedy, song, and dance. The festival takes place from April 25-May 5, with events held in various locations in and around Wright Hall. A complete list of dates and times is available on the Theatre and Dance website.

This year’s lineup is organized into four main events: Main Stage Dance, which includes aerial, hip-hop, and tap performances; House of 5’s; Undergraduate One-Acts and midnight sing-along screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is Rated R; all other events are rated PG-13.

Tickets are $10 per event, in advance or at the door; however, The Rocky Horror Picture Show tickets are sold exclusively at the door and on a cash-only basis. Advance tickets available through the Mondavi Center website, or call 530.754.2782.

Main Stage Dance includes eight new choreographies created by graduate and qualifying undergraduate students. Las Lloronas, choreographed by Master of Fine Arts candidate Mary Ann Brooks and performed with Maria De Los Angeles Ceja, reimagines the spooky legend of a wandering spirit calling out for the children she has drowned. In La Luna Master of Fine Arts candidate Deirdre Morris performs a lyrical aerial hoop dance; she follows with Echoes and Ghosts, a piece which explores her experiences with the arroyo water systems of the Southwest. A Formal Evening, choreographed by undergraduates Zach Heizner and Maribel Lopez, as well as recent graduate Nicole Casado, investigates sensuality and elegance. The trio also choreographed I Need, which draws from the choreographers’ experiences with abusive relationships.

Main Stage Dance also features three individual undergraduate choreographies. Ananá by Nicole Casado was created through an attempt to bring the dancers closer to themselves. Window Shopping by Zach Heizner explores the attraction of the window. Bound Melody by Maribel Lopez investigates movement in relation to a bench.

Hour of 5’s is a presentation of five-minute acts of all sorts, including scenes, monologues, music, dance and song. Kevin Chung and Cecilia Kim perform “Samulnori” drumming, a reference to their Korean heritage. Roman Alyas performs original songs of love and loss while accompanied by Josh Kim on the guitar. Alyssa Burton kicks it up a notch with her wild tap dancing performance.

Undergraduate One-Acts are three new original plays presented in the intimate Laboratory A theater. The Turquoise room, written by undergraduate Nate Kommoju and directed by Master of Fine Arts candidate Lindsay Beamish, explores a train trip to an unknown destination gone awry. Lutefisk written by undergraduate Bijan Ghiasi and directed by Kazia Hart is a dark comedy wrought with Holocaust and post-World War II references. Chair Games written by Anna Chalmers and directed by Kevin Adamski explores the pros and cons of watching TV.

The Festival would be incomplete without its sing-along screenings of the ever-beloved midnight movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The audience is encouraged to dress up and sing and dance along for the full Rocky Horror experience. Costumes are available for rental through the Department of Theatre and Dance’s Enchanted Cellar.  The Enchanted Cellar can be reached at 530.752.0740 to rent costumes in advance.