Tickets on sale September 30th!
From Shakespearean Fantasy to CIA Conspiracies CSUSB Theatre Is Back!
All Eyes Are Still on CSUSB as we launch into the 2024-25 Theatre Season
The CSUSB Department of Theatre Arts 2024-25 Season is here and promises to be an eclectic mix of classic plays and fresh, local voices as we prepare to take the leap into our new Performing Arts Center.
William Shakespeare's
A Midsummer Night's Dream
November 15 - 24, 2024
Opening November 15, 2024 is William Shakespeare’s fantastical comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Professor Kristi Papailler.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream intricately weaves together the lives of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors, and the fairy kingdom. As Duke Theseus prepares to wed Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, the lovers Hermia and Lysander flee to the woods to escape Hermia's arranged marriage to Demetrius. Pursued by Demetrius and his admirer Helena, their journey becomes entangled with the magical antics of Oberon and Titania, the feuding fairy king and queen. Puck, Oberon's mischievous servant, casts spells that lead to comic misunderstandings and romantic mix-ups. Meanwhile, a troupe of bumbling actors rehearses a play for the Duke’s wedding, adding another layer of hilarity to the night.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream will take audiences on a magical journey with 7 performances.
Performance dates and times:
November 15 at 8 p.m.
November 16 at 8 p.m.
November 17 at 2 p.m.
November 21 at 8 p.m.
November 22 at 8 p.m.
November 23 at 8 p.m.
November 24 at 2 p.m.
Mariposa / Butterfly
by Sandra Fenichel Asher and Jose Casas
December 6 - 8, 2024
For one weekend only, December 6 – 8, 2024, fresh off a tour of local elementary schools, Professor Johanna Smith and her troupe of amazing puppeteers brings us the all-ages Mariposa / Butterfly by Sandra Fenichel Asher and Jose Casas. Mariposa / Butterfly is the story of two neighbors in Texas separated by a fence, language and cultural differences. One neighbor, born in the United States, the other in Mexico seemingly fight over EVERYTHING, even, at first, the arrival of a caterpillar on their shared fence but when it metamorphosizes into a butterfly they begin to realize regardless of their differences, the beauty of nature can unite them.
Performance dates and times:
December 6 at 2:00 pm
December 6 at 4:00 pm
December 7 at 10:00 am
December 7 at 12:00 pm
December 8 at 10:00 am
December 8 at 12:00 pm
You Don’t Even Speak Spanish!
By Aaron Higareda
April 25th, 2025 - May 4th, 2025
Our final mainstage production of the season is You Don’t Even Speak Spanish! a Chicano farce by playwright and UC Riverside graduate Aaron Higareda, directed by Professor Guillermo Aviles-Rodriguez.
You Don’t Even Speak Spanish! Is the story of Jorge Ramirez, a first-generation Chicano college student as he struggles to find his voice over the cacophony of noise coming from his family, his classmates and the weight of expectations placed on his shoulders. When Jorge falls for fellow UCLA student Citlalli (Star Goddess) in his Aztec dance class, his world gets flipped upside down like a fresh pot of spaghetti. Is this new romance real? Will his family reject her... or is this some elaborate conspiracy concocted by his imagination or the American deep state?
Accompanied by traditional Aztec dance, You Don't Even Speak Spanish! storms the Ronald E. Barnes stage April 25th, 2025 - May 4th, 2025 for seven magnificent performances! Join the playwright in a talk back for this world premiere about the surveillance state in America
Performance dates and times:
April 25 at 8 p.m.
April 26 at 8 p.m.
April 27 at 2 p.m.
May 1 at 8 p.m.
May 2 at 8 p.m.
May 3 at 8 p.m.
May 4 at 2 p.m.