Experimental Performance Series at the Clarice, May 9

Experimental Performance Series at the Clarice, May 9

UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies presents:
Experimental Performance Series

#5:
Sat, May. 9, 2026 | 2:00 pm
Sat, May. 9, 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.

This performance will feature two original works:

Folds and Folds and Folds, choreographed by Abigail Ash, is a movement exploration of core concepts of existentialist philosophy. The piece is a visual representation of the emotional and social repercussions of isolation as people struggle to connect with themselves and one another. The dancers contend with the lack of inherent and universal meaning of the world and ultimately resolve to define their own essence. They embrace and nurture their individuality and their relationships with one another, all with the awareness that meaning is created, not imparted.

Sombra da Criança
Co-Writer/Directors: Heidi Lehan and Eitan Amster
Choreographer: Beatriz Moreira Leite

Sombra da Criança is an original horror-choreo play that explores Brazilian folklore and what it means to grow up as a child instilled by the fears of storytelling. This cultural love letter offers a new and often underrepresented perspective on Brazilian theatre.

Free, no tickets required. Click here.

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El Ciclón at the Clarice, Apr 30-May 1

El Ciclón at the Clarice, Apr 30-May 1

Clarice presents:
UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
El Ciclón
by Yara Travieso
music by Sam Crawford

Fri, May. 1, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Sat, May. 2, 2026 | 2:00 pm
Sat, May. 2, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Sun, May. 3, 2026 | 2:00 pm

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Cuban-Venezuelan-American playwright Yara Travieso’s new musical El Ciclón, with music from acclaimed composer, librettist and TDPS faculty member Sam Crawford, is a unique and innovative musical production combining cinema with live theater. It tells the story of a woman stranded with her car in the swampy south during a harsh storm. El Ciclón is a wild, neo-feminist saga within a 1950s B-movie psychological thriller, featuring singing, dancing and just enough alligators to keep things interesting.

Tickets: $35, Students/Youth: $15. Click here.

Opera Scene Study by the Maryland Opera Studio at the Clarice, Apr 30-May 1

Opera Scene Study by the Maryland Opera Studio at the Clarice, Apr 30-May 1

Clarice presents:
Maryland Opera Studio
Opera Scene Study

Thu, Apr. 30, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Fri, May. 1, 2026 | 7:30 pm

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

First-year Maryland Opera Studio students demonstrate their talent in this showcase featuring scenes from a wide operatic repertory. First-year Maryland Opera Studio students demonstrate their talent in this showcase featuring scenes from a wide operatic repertory. To keep the focus on beautiful, pure sounds and vivid acting, the performance is accompanied only by piano and minimal props.

Free, no tickets required. Click here.

Maryland Day and Broadway Today at the Clarice, Apr 25

Maryland Day and Broadway Today at the Clarice, Apr 25

Clarice presents:
Maryland Day
Sat, Apr. 25, 2026 | 10:00 am – all day

Broadway Today
Sat, Apr. 25, 2026 | 3:00 pm

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Explore the creativity of Terps and the local community on Maryland Day! This annual campus-wide open house features artistic and creative performances, experiences and activities at The Clarice, and across the University of Maryland campus. Bring your family and your friends for a day of fun and frolic! Click here for the full schedule.

Broadway Today is part of Maryland Day 2026, our annual campus-wide open house featuring artistic and creative performances, experiences and activities at The Clarice, and across the University of Maryland campus. Explore all Maryland Day events at The Clarice here.

Free, no tickets required. Click here.

If I Were You by the Maryland Opera Studio at the Clarice, Apr 18-26

If I Were You by the Maryland Opera Studio at the Clarice, Apr 18-26

Clarice presents:
Maryland Opera Studio
If I Were You
J. Bradley Baker, conductor
Corinne Hayes, director
Jake Heggie, composer
Gene Scheer, librettist

Sat, Apr. 18, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Wed, Apr. 22, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Fri, Apr. 24, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Sun, Apr. 26, 2026 | 3:00 pm

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Based on a novel by Julien Green, Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s If I Were You is a Faustian story that explores themes of love, power and gender roles in a modern setting. In the wake of a near-fatal car accident, the aimless young writer Fabian begins to reassess his life. After an unexpected encounter with his college crush, Fabian makes a deal with an enigmatic, shape-shifting demon, Brittomara, who gives him the power to move his soul from person to person for as long as he likes. Everything comes with a price, however: if he ever returns to his own body, his soul will be Brittomara’s to collect. On his precarious journey to win the heart of his beloved, he leaves a trail of despair and hollow shells. In the end, will he choose to live forever as someone else or die for love as himself?

Tickets: $35, Students/Youth: $15. Click here.