The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, College Park
Located on the University of Maryland’s flagship campus in College Park, Maryland, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center combines student productions with professional companies. It features a wide variety of music, dance, lectures and plays; only the theatrical productions are listed here.
Website: http://claricesmithcenter.umd.edu/
Location: 3800 Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2635
Ticket Office: 301.405.ARTS (2787)
Main Office: 301.405.7794
Upcoming Events:
Mr. Burn: A Post-Electric Play at the Clarice, Oct 9-18
Clarice presents:
Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play
by Anne Washburn
Fri, Oct. 9, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Sat, Oct. 10, 2026 | 2:00 PM
Sat, Oct. 10, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Thu, Oct. 15, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Fri, Oct. 16, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Sun, Oct. 18, 2026 | 2:00 PM
Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
What stories survive at the end of the world? In Anne Washburn’s daring dark comedy, Mr. Burns, A Post‑Electric Play, a band of survivors transform pop culture into myth and parables and TV characters into mythic figures of the time before the collapse.
When the power goes out, what stories survive? In Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns, A Post‑Electric Play, a band of survivors huddles around a fire and retells The Simpsons episode, “Cape Feare.” As the years pass, commercial jingles become parables, pop songs turn into hymns and TV characters (like the titular Mr. Burns) transform into mythic figures of the time before the collapse. Wildly funny and unexpectedly moving, Mr. Burns is a genre-bending mash-up of theater, pop culture, opera and commedia dell’arte with “depths of feeling to match its breadth of imagination” (The New York Times). Directed by Elizabeth Dinkova (Artistic Director, Spooky Action Theater), this daring play returns to its roots after premiering at D.C.’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.
Tickets: $35 General, $10 Students. Click here.
Tags: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, Mr Burns A Post-Electric Play, Anne Washburn
Kreativity Diversity Troupe Open Mic at the Clarice, Oct 23
Kreativity Diversity Troupe Open Mic Night
Friday, October 23, 2026. 7:30PM
Thursday, December 10, 2026. 7:30PM (End of Semester Show)
Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
Join the Kreators of the Kreativity Diversity Troupe for an open mic night, full of music, dance and spoken word.
Interested in learning more about Kreativity? Email kreativity.troupe@gmail.com and like them on Facebook!
Free, no tickets required. Click here.
Tags: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, Kreativity, Variety Show, Open Mic
Experimental Performance Series at the Clarice, Nov 7
The UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies presents:
Experimental Performance Series
#1: This performance will feature original works by Milo Longenecker (2nd-year Dance MFA) and Evey Vo (2nd-year Media Design MFA).
#1: Sat, Nov. 7, 2026 | 2:00 pm
#1: Sat, Nov. 7, 2026 | 7:30 pm
#2: This performance will feature original works by TDPS students Eitan Amster and Epiphany Grant.
#2: Sat, Dec. 5, 2026 | 2:00 pm
#2: Sat, Dec. 5, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
The Experimental Performance Series is a collection of self-produced works from undergraduate and graduate students in theatre and dance, ranging from established works to brand new plays and choreography.
Tickets: Free, no tickets required. Click here.
Tags: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, Experimental Performance Series, Milo Longenecker, Evey Vo, Eitan Amster, Epiphany Grant
A Raisin in the Sun at the Clarice, Nov 13-21
Clarice presents:
A Raisin in the Sun
by Lorraine Hansberry
Fri, Nov. 13, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Sun, Nov. 15, 2026 | 2:00 PM
Wed, Nov. 18, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Thu, Nov. 19, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Sat, Nov. 21, 2026 | 2:00 PM
Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
“What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?” – Langston Hughes
The Younger family on Chicago’s South Side is holding tight to visions of a brighter future. When a life insurance check arrives, suddenly possibility comes with a price. As each family member reaches for a different dream, they must confront what a better life really means – and what America is willing to share.
Both tender and electrifying, A Raisin in the Sun celebrates Black joy, resilience and family while facing the brutal realities of segregation and discrimination. A landmark of American theater, it made history as the first Broadway play written by an African American woman (Lorraine Hansberry), the first Broadway play directed by an African American man (Lloyd Richards), and the first commercially produced Broadway drama to center Black life. TDPS Assistant Professor KenYatta Rogers (director of Stick Fly, Men on Boats, Metamorphoses and Home) directs this enduring American classic.
Tickets: $35 General, $10 Students. Click here.
Tags: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansbury
The Rape of Lucretia at the Clarice, Oct Nov 18-22
The Maryland Opera Studio presents:
The Rape of Lucretia
Benjamin Britten, composer
Ronald Duncan, librettist
J. Bradley Baker, conductor
Gregory Keng Strasser, director
Wed, Nov. 18, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Thu, Nov. 19, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Sat, Nov. 21, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Sun, Nov. 22, 2026 | 3:00 pm
Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
Maryland Opera Studio performs Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, an emotionally raw chamber opera that’s tragic plot begs us to reflect on violence, misogyny, the abuse of power and how these themes continue to haunt society.
A group of soldiers decide to test the loyalty of the wives left behind at home, unleashing a cruel and reckless chain of events that have devastating consequences. What begins as drunken bluster soon spirals into an act of irreversible violence, exposing the destructive power of pride, entitlement and unchecked authority. At the center of the tragedy is Lucretia, a woman whose integrity becomes the focus of both admiration and devastating cruelty.
Written by Britten in the aftermath of the World War II, The Rape of Lucretia reflects a society struggling to rebuild itself after immense suffering and moral collapse. Britten’s chamber opera confronts the abuse of power with unflinching boldness while searching for compassion, redemption and the possibility of renewal. Framed by male and female choruses who attempt to make sense of the tragedy, the opera asks difficult questions about violence, shame and forgiveness that still resonate today.
Tickets: $35 General, $10 Students. Click here.
Tags: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, The Rape of Lucretia, Benjamin Britten, Ronald Duncan, J. Bradley Baker, Gregory Keng Strasser
Agrupación Señor Serrano: Birdie at the Clarice, Feb 4-5
Clarice presents:
Agrupación Señor Serrano: Birdie
Thu, Feb. 4, 2027 | 8:00 pm
Fri, Feb. 5, 2027 | 8:00 pm
Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
Birdie reflects on the two realities that share the same frame: those who enjoy a life of leisure and those who must flee danger, war and economic uncertainties.
A real-life photograph: migrants lining a fence while golfers nearby enjoy a game. Birdie reflects on the two realities that share the same frame: those who enjoy a life of leisure and those who must flee danger, war and economic uncertainties. Tying together migration, golf and Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” this genre-defying production blends documentary, scale models, thousands of miniature animals and video. Experience this darkly playful blend of theater and live cinema presented by the Barcelona-founded company Agrupación Señor Serrano, acclaimed for bold and inventive productions.
Tickets: $40 General, $15 Students. Click here.
Tags: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, Agrupación Señor Serrano: Birdie
Ogemdi Ude: Major at the Clarice, Mar 5-6
Clarice presents:
Ogemdi Ude: Major
Fri, Mar. 5, 2027 | 8:00 PM
Sat, Mar. 6, 2027 | 8:00 PM
Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
MAJOR is a dance-theater project exploring the complexity of majorette dance, an electrifying Black femme dance form born alongside HBCU marching bands in the American South. With razor-sharp counts, groove, undulation and passionate showmanship, six Black femmes embrace majorette form–a fundamental relic of Black girlhood–to find their way back to bodies they thought they’d lost. Dance intertwines with a music score integrating Southern rap, horns, drumlines, and melodic R&B and soul by DMV-born musician Lambkin. The Chord Archive is showcased alongside performances, a physical and digital documentation of the creative process and personal historical accounts from former majorette dancers. A fierce investigation of physical memory, sexuality, sensuality and community, MAJOR is a nuanced love letter to the folks who taught the team how to be proudly Black and proudly femme.
Tickets: $40 General, $15 Students. Click here.
Tags: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, Ogembdi Ude, Major
A Monster Calls at the Clarice, Mar 5-11
Clarice presents:
A Monster Calls
Based on the novel by Patrick Ness
Inspired by an idea by writer Siobhan Dowd
Fri, Mar. 5, 2027 | 7:30 PM
Sat, Mar. 6, 2027 | 7:30 PM
Sun, Mar. 7, 2027 | 2:00 PM
Wed, Mar. 10, 2027 | 7:30 PM
Thu, Mar. 11, 2027 | 7:30 PM
Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
Based on the acclaimed fantasy bestseller by Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls tells the heart-wrenching story of 13-year-old Conor O’Malley and the monster who has come to his window
“Stories are wild creatures … When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?”
With a sick mother, an overbearing grandmother and recurring nightmares keeping him awake, 13-year-old Conor O’Malley has enough to deal with. Then, at seven minutes past midnight, the monster comes to his window.
The monster tells Conor three true tales from when he walked before, and Conor must tell the monster his story to confront his deepest fears. And if he doesn’t, the monster will eat him alive.
Based on the acclaimed fantasy bestseller by Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls uses innovative stagecraft to tell this heart-wrenching story of resilience, love and healing.
Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Tickets: $35 General, $10 Students. Click here.
Tags: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, Agrupación Señor Serrano, Birdie
Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta & Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi at the Clarice, Apr 9-17
The Maryland Opera Studio presents:
Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta & Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi
Iolanta
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composer
Modest Tchaikovsky, librettist
Gianni Schicci
Giacomo Puccini, composer
Giovacchino Forzano, librettist
J. Bradley Baker, conductor
Corinne Hayes, director
Fri, Apr. 9, 2027 | 7:30 pm
Sun, Apr. 11, 2027 | 3:00 pm
Wed, Apr. 14, 2027 | 7:30 pm
Sat, Apr. 17, 2027 | 7:30 pm
Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
The Maryland Opera Studio presents a double bill of one-act operas by two of history’s most influential composers, exploring the complexities of familial bonds and the human condition.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s last opera, Iolanta, tells the story of a princess who, blind from birth, has been kept hidden from the world by her father. Iolanta is not aware of her blindness; but all that changes when a mysterious knight arrives in the magical rose garden she calls home. This fairytale-esque lyric opera reflects on love and truth in a dreamy setting, and is a hidden gem of Tchaikovsky’s repertoire.
Based on the influential families from medieval Italy who were immortalized in Dante’s “Inferno,” Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi is a comic opera following the story of a family in mourning. After the passing of their rich relative, the family members are eager to see what he has bequeathed them, but when they find out he has given everything to a monastery, they are left in disarray. The family seeks help from Gianni Schicchi to change the will, but each person, including Schicchi, has their own agenda, resulting in a witty, satirical tale that pokes fun at human greed and hypocrisy.
Iolanta will be performed in Russian with English supertitles. Gianni Schicchi will be performed in Italian with English supertitles.
Tickets: $35 General, $10 Students. Click here.
Tags: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, The Rape of Lucretia, Benjamin Britten, Ronald Duncan, J. Bradley Baker, Gregory Keng Strasser
The Wolves at the Clarice, Apr 16-25
Clarice presents:
The Wolves
By Sarah DeLappe
Fri, Apr. 16, 2027 | 7:30 PM
Sat, Apr. 17, 2027 | 2:00 PM
Sat, Apr. 17, 2027 | 7:30 PM
Tue, Apr. 20, 2027 | 7:30 PM
Fri, Apr. 23, 2027 | 7:30 PM
Sun, Apr. 25, 2027 | 2:00 PM
Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
On an indoor soccer field, nine teenage girls warm up for battle: running drills, chasing scholarships and chatting nonstop. In Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves, pregame prep becomes a world of overlapping jokes, jabs, gossip, fear and fierce ambition as the team fights to win on the field and survive everything off of it.
The Washington Post says the play “illuminates with unerring accuracy the psyches of the funny, inquisitive, garrulous, anxious, profane, passionate players in a ferociously competitive…league.” Directed by Associate Professor Lisa Nathans (director of Emma, Antigone and She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms), this Pulitzer Prize winning play is a funny and heartbreaking look at a team under pressure, where triumph and defeat can either bind them together or tear them apart.
Tickets: $35 General, $10 Students. Click here.
Tags: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, Agrupación Señor Serrano, Birdie
