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By Hansol Jung
Directed by Janet Werther

Oct. 2 - 3, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 3 - 4, 2026 at 2 p.m.
UB Center for the Arts Black Box Theatre

$25 Adults
$20 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$15 Students/Children
$10 UB Students
(Ticketmaster fees apply when purchasing online.)

Robin and her brother anxiously await the arrival of Robin’s newly adopted son, a young Korean boy with an affinity for wolves and a thick, socially protective mask enacted through a puppet avatar. This is no ordinary adoption, however. Peter, the boy’s first adoptive father, is re-homing the child now that he and his unseen wife have borne a biological child. To avoid the costs and formal oversight of the family court system, this adoption is performed informally and under the table—a child relinquished and received with a few signatures. Initially mistaking Robin’s brother for a husband, Peter is appalled to meet Ash, Robin’s nonbinary partner. The realization that he has abandoned his son to a queer couple sparks a crisis of conscience for Peter, who quickly determines to reclaim custody of the boy.

Ash, meanwhile, is skeptical of the whole situation—the legal and emotional precarity of the informal adoption as well as the commitment of parenting when they’re about to debut in professional boxing (with Robin’s brother as their trainer). Every adult believes that they are doing what is “best,” each enacts harm in their turn. As the tenuous bonds of both his first and second adoptions begin to unravel, Wolf (the boy) must figure out how to survive the best intentions of those who want to care for him but don’t know how. As a domestic drama at the intersections of “realism” and emotionally heightened, surrealist memory, “Wolf Play” asks audiences to sit with the deep emotional weight of the failures of best intentions. How can we build lasting connections with one another and repair harm? How might those who have hurt us also have provided our greatest gifts for survival?

“Wolf Play” premiered at several theatres in 2019 and 2020 as part of National New Play Network's rolling world premiere initiative. Premiere theatres included Artists Rep in Portland, Oregon (March 2019), The Gift Theatre in Chicago, Illinois (July 2019) and Company One Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts (February 2020). “Wolf Play” is the 2023 recipient of the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play.

“Wolf Play” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.
www.concordtheatricals.com

Content Advisory: This production addresses mature themes, including issues of child welfare, unstable family dynamics, and emotional distress.

The UB Theatre and Dance 2026-2027 season is sponsored in part by Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating its eighth year in support of the department.

By William Shakespeare
Adapted and directed by Danielle Rosvally

Oct. 8, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 6, 2026 at 2 p.m.
UB Katharine Cornell Theatre

$25 Adults
$20 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$15 Students
$10 UB Students
(Ticketmaster fees apply when purchasing online.)

Free community performances and talks (general admission - no tickets required):

Oct. 9, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. (performance)
Irish Classical Theatre Company
625 Main St.

Oct. 29, 2026  at 6:00 p.m. (talk by Dr. Danielle Rosvally)
Buffalo Erie County Central Library  
Ring of Knowledge
1 Lafayette Square
Topic: The heritage of storytelling and the library’s collection of rare Shakespearean texts.

Nov. 7, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. (performance)
Buffalo Erie County Central Library 
Mason O. Damon Auditorium
1 Lafayette Square

In the fall of 2026, three college students in the United States are struggling. With mounting discourse and legislative action from politicians putting their identities, their communities, and their safety in jeopardy, they turn to a hobby to help themselves escape: “Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).” These three “witches” and their Dungeon Master (Hecate) use role-playing games as a way to process living in a world that is hostile to them, and to fantasize about what a better world might look like.

Shakespeare’s parable about ambition and power is brought into direct conversation with contemporary politics and the ideological fight to belong faced by Americans whose identities remain marginalized. In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth is driven mad by his lust for power and control, and mounting violence eventually leads Macbeth’s Scotland to a bloody civil war. Accordingly, “Macbeth” asks us to consider what qualities a good leader needs, how leaders can have healthy relationships to the power they wield, and the importance of protecting a nation from greed and corruption.

The Shakespeare Mobile Lab is an initiative launched by Dr. Danielle Rosvally through UB’s Department of Theatre and Dance. This touring production marks the project’s first iteration. Our fall 2026 production is a streamlined, re‑mounted version of the widely popular spring 2026 production, tailored for local touring and designed to bring our work to stages throughout the greater Buffalo community.

Content Advisory: Depictions of murder and violence, including war and infanticide.

The UB Theatre and Dance 2026-2027 season is sponsored in part by Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating its eighth year in support of the department.

Co-Directed by Kerry Ring and Michael Deeb Weaver
Choreographers: Melanie Aceto, Kurt Adametz, Ephrat Asherie, Richard Ashworth, Michael Deeb Weaver, Madeline Dembowski, Thomas Ralabate, Kerry Ring, Jenna Zavrel

Oct. 22 - 23, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 24, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.*
Oct. 25, 2026 at 2 p.m.**
UB Center for the Arts Drama Theatre

$25 Adults
$20 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$15 Students/Children
$10 UB Students
(Ticketmaster fees apply when purchasing online.)

Founded in 1974, Zodiaque Dance Company (ZDC) has been UB’s eminent pre-professional dance company for more than five decades of innovative, creative performances.

In keeping with ZDC’s mission, the fall program features a diverse array of dance styles, including modern, contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip hop. The concert is under the co-direction of faculty members Kerry Ring and Michael Deeb Weaver, who will also set works. Additional pieces will be created by UB Dance faculty Melanie Aceto, Kurt Adametz and Jenna Zavrel. The program also features choreography by accomplished alum Rich Ashworth ’07 and Bessie-nominated guest artist Ephrat Asherie.

The program is punctuated by the contributions of former UB Dance faculty member Thomas Ralabate (Immediate Past Artistic Director of ZDC and Professor Emeritus) and third-year MFA candidate Madeline Dembowski. ZDC highlights the versatility and individual artistry of our dance majors through faculty-driven creative research and collaborations with the Theatre Design/Technology program.

Special Experiences:

* Studio Night Out (Oct. 24): Dance studios—10 tickets for $100 and your studio name on the big screen!

** UB Dance Day (Oct. 25): All standard ticketing options are available plus a special $35 UB Dance Day Ticket, which includes:
·         A participatory pre-show workshop for ages 14 and up in the UB Center for the Arts Dance Studios (Rooms B82 & B82 in the basement of building).  Arrive at noon in the hallway outside of the Dance Studios (rooms B82 and B84) for check-in.
·         A dance class focusing on movement presented in the 2pm performance and observation of company warm up, plus Q&A with UB dance majors. No specific dancewear required. Come dressed to move!
·         Admission to "Zodiaque Dance Company 52^nd Season Fall Concert" 2 p.m. performance in the Drama Theatre.

• Group Sales for Studio Night Out: rjf3@buffalo.edu
• UB Dance Day Info: kring2@buffalo.edu

WARNING: This production contains haze, as well as moving, strobing, and flashing lights.

The UB Theatre and Dance 2026-2027 season is sponsored in part by Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating its eighth year in support of the department.

Directed by Sarah Bray and Ty Burgess as part of our Student Directed Series

Nov. 7, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
UB Katharine Cornell Theatre

$25 Adults
$20 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$15 Students/Children
$10 UB Students
(Ticketmaster fees apply when purchasing online.)

Theatre students Sarah Bray and Ty Burgess will host the 4th Annual Shakespeare Showcase, featuring undergraduate student performers. The informal, approximately hour-long program includes a compilation of monologues, sonnets, and scenes from across Shakespeare's works.

The UB Theatre and Dance 2026-2027 season is sponsored in part by Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating its eighth year in support of the department.

Directed by Jenna Zavrel
Choreographers: Alyvia Christensen, Erinn Cosgrove, Erin Devine, Ella Hankinson, Kendra Jones, Grace Lamanna, Mackenzie Leone, Kira Sethi

Nov. 13 - 14, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 14 - 15, 2026 at 2 p.m.
UB Center for the Arts Black Box Theatre

$25 Adults
$20 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$15 Students/Children
$10 UB Students
(Ticketmaster fees apply when purchasing online.)

Celebrating diversity in both genre and theme, Emerging Choreographers Showcase features new dance works created and performed by BA, BFA and MFA dance majors. Student choreographers receive close faculty mentorship and collaborate with student lighting designers, sound designers, costumers and technicians.

WARNING: This production contains haze, as well as moving, strobing, and flashing lights.

The UB Theatre and Dance 2026-2027 season is sponsored in part by Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating its eighth year in support of the department.

Book by Joe Tracz
Music and Lyrics by Rob Rokicki
Adapted from the book “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan
Directed by Mason Beggs
Choreography by Madeline Dembowski
Music Direction by Matt Marco

Nov. 20 - 21, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Nov.  21 - 22, 2026 at 2 p.m.
Morning Program: Nov. 20, 2026 at 10 a.m.*
UB Center for the Arts Drama Theatre

$25 Adults
$20 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$15 Students/Children
$10 UB Students
(Ticketmaster fees apply when purchasing online.)

As the half-blood son of a Greek god, Percy Jackson has newly-discovered powers he can’t control, a destiny he doesn’t want, and a mythology textbook’s worth of monsters on his trail. When Zeus’s master lightning bolt is stolen and Percy becomes the prime suspect, he must find and return the bolt to prove his innocence and prevent a war between the gods. But to succeed in his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the thief. He must travel to the Underworld and back; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and come to terms with the father who abandoned him. 

Adapted from the best-selling book “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan and featuring a thrilling original rock score, “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” is an action-packed mythical adventure “worthy of the gods” (Time Out New York).

*The general public is welcome to attend the morning program. Tickets may be purchased online or in person at the Box Office. Schools, senior centers, and other groups can purchase discounted tickets for $8 each. To reserve, please contact rjf3@buffalo.edu. Backstage tours for groups are available upon request.

“The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.
www.concordtheatricals.com

Target Audience: Appropriate for all audiences; approximate 2-hour run time.
Content Advisory: Contains fantasy action, mythological themes, and moments of peril.
WARNING: This production contains fog and haze, as well as moving, strobing, and flashing lights.

The UB Theatre and Dance 2026-2027 season is sponsored in part by Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating its eighth year in support of the department.

Directed by Madeline Dembowski
Faculty Mentor: Anne Burnidge
Choreographers: Ava Basset, Alyvia Christensen, Madeline Dembowski, Samantha Oliver, Miranda Spada

Dec. 4 - 5, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
UB Katharine Cornell Theatre

$25 Adults
$20 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees
$15 Students/Children
$10 UB Students
(Ticketmaster fees apply when purchasing online.)

The MFA Dance Showcase offers a peek into the creative process of dancemaking, featuring works in various stages of completion from current MFA Dance students. The works are often generated collaboratively with other artists, and the Showcase offers a space for choreographers to experiment and innovate movement-based performance. The concert is under the direction of MFA students, with faculty supervision by Anne Burnidge, director of dance and associate professor of dance studies. 

UB’s dance program is built upon the belief that dance is a fundamental expression of humanity with the ability to inform, transform, reflect upon, and lead local and global change in the 21st century. With close faculty mentorship and numerous opportunities to create and present work, MFA Dance students engage in advanced practical, theoretical and critical inquiry while honing their abilities as artists, dance makers, educators, writers, innovators, scholars, policy makers and leaders.

WARNING: This production contains haze, as well as moving, strobing, and flashing lights.

The UB Theatre and Dance 2026-2027 season is sponsored in part by Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating its eighth year in support of the department.