As the tech crew double-checks mics, actors warm up backstage. Costumes are altered last minute, while ushers lead audience members to their seats. Finally, the stage is set and the spotlight is on. All that’s left is for the curtain to be drawn.
For The Bluff’s theater aficionados, The Beacon has the backstage scoop on the 2025-26 theater season.
The fall leg of the season began with “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” on Sept. 11-14, followed by a student-devised production under the “New Works, New Voices” program on Oct. 1-5. The fall season will end with “The Thanksgiving Play” from Nov. 12 to 16.
The first spring production, “The Revolutionists,” will run from Feb. 18 to 24. The season will conclude with “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical,” which will run for two weeks, April 8-12 and April 15-19.
Auditions for the spring productions will be held the week of Nov. 18 in Mago Hunt Theater.
How to get tickets
In an effort to support indigenous communities beyond land acknowledgements, tickets for indigenous audience members will be free throughout the season. Besides this, ticketing policies remain the same as last year with free student rush tickets starting 10 minutes before curtain calls.
Additionally, the first 50 tickets sold for each show will be priced at $5 using the code “FIRST50.” Online purchasers also can use the code “PRESALE” to get their ticket at half price. Tickets are sold at their full price of $20 at the box office.
“Hedwig and The Angry Inch” (Sept. 11-14)
The musical follows a fictional rock band fronted by the titular character of Hedwig, a transgender singer. The production will fulfill senior arts administration and theater double major Zora Richardson’s capstone project. Featuring students and alumni in the cast, the capstone project ran from Sept. 11 to 14 at the Blair Studio Theater.
Richardson strongly believes in the intersection between art and social justice, which led to her choosing the musical for her capstone.
“My philosophy is that art is a tool for social change,” Richardson said. “Art and storytelling matter, and they are the engine that drives the world to change. I think having a story that allows a trans woman to be a human being and to also have hope and resilience and make mistakes and learn from them is really beautiful.”
“New Works, New Voices, a New Devised Piece” (Oct. 1-5)
The New Works, New Voices program intends to uplift underrepresented people and stories in theater. This year, it’s something new: a devised project.
This is the program's fourth year and first iteration where the production is completely devised by the students involved, according to Emily Hogan, academic coordinator and the marketing director for performing and fine arts.
“It could be a traveling, cross-campus show, it could be an outdoor performance,” Hogan said. “[The play’s] parameters are the parameters of the imagination of the people involved.”
The assistant professor to the theater program Andy Christensen says that while auditions have concluded, the premise of the play is still undecided.
"One of the things it might include is looking at the history of the University of Portland, and seeing what stories have not been told that we can then reanimate through theater," Christensen said.
“The Thanksgiving Play” (Nov. 12-16)
The third showing of the fall semester is “The Thanksgiving Play” by Larissa FastHorse, the first Native American playwright to have a play on Broadway. The play began its life in Portland and premiered at the Artists Repertory Theater in 2018, and has since made its way to Broadway.
The comedy is about four “well-meaning” playwrights who attempt to write a politically correct play about Thanksgiving that is both accurate and appropriate for children.
A large part of this conversation is a critique of how white people handle indigeneity, according to Christensen.
“It's helping us laugh at ourselves, in some ways, and then also helping us break through some of the discomfort of meaningfully engaging in these conversations,” Christensen said.
The program has made tickets free for indigenous audiences, not just for this play but for all UP theater productions.
“The Revolutionists” (Feb. 18-24)
Setting the stage for the spring semester is “The Revolutionists” by Lauren Gunderson. The play is inspired by four women of the French Revolution: an assassin, a playwright, a former queen and a Haitian rebel.
Christensen says the play deals with themes of feminism, art, activism and terrorism, and answers the question: “What if these four women actually met?”
“They all come to this playwright, Olimp, and ask her to help write what their final words will be. It's a play that is diving into the idea of legacy, the idea of what history will do with who you are,” Christensen said.
“The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” (April 8-12 and April 15-19)
The final production of the season, “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” by Joe Tracz and Rob Rokicki, is adapted from the best-selling book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and follows the son of a Greek God. Unlike the original book, the production has a musical twist, featuring an original rock score.
One reason for choosing this production was that many students grew up reading the book, according to Christensen.
Christensen says the play is expected to be the busiest of the season, with tickets already on sale for ten dates instead of the usual five.
“What a way to close out our season, but also remind us all, when we feel like we're in the midst of insurmountable odds, that we can take on the gods,” Christensen said.
Brady McCracken is a reporter for The Beacon. He can be reached at mccracke27@up.edu
Samantha Zavala is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at zavala27@up.edu
