art is water, seeds are change. is a series of experimental short films that combine spoken word, music, dance and design to explore ways that the performing arts transform the world around us. Created by interdisciplinary artist and multimedia designer Alexandra Kelly Colburn M. F. A. design ’18, this dynamic 20-minute loop of mini films journeys through themes of discovery, joy, harmony and multiculturalism.
"We’re Breathing: A Queer Open Mic" continues a longstanding tradition in queer communities of coming out, calling in and confronting power by sharing our lived experiences. Honoring National Coming Out Day, we pay homage to all acts of courage and queer brilliance. This virtual open mic event serves as a space to celebrate authenticity in any form. Join us for a night of community and performance and a special appearance by our featured artist Alicia Ortiz.
The livestream of this socially distanced performance will be available for you to watch from home. Please do not come to the building. This performance is not open to a public in-person audience.
J.S. Bach, known as the great master, wrote more than 200 cantatas, and UMD Choral Activities aims to sing them all in this series of short performances led by conductors in the graduate program. Conducted by Jonathan King, this performance will feature the first part of Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis (I had much grief), BWV 21.
Responsive Wild
Choreography by Krissy Harris
Responsive Wild considers and questions notions of womanhood and femininity. Inspired by family history, rock and roll, and physics concepts, Harris investigates these ideas through highly physical, bold and expansive movement. The work is in conversation with feminist theories and reveals a complex interrelationship of the inside/outside body and its potential for energetic expression.
Ghost Bride
Choreography by Rose Xinran Qi
The Fearless New Play Festival is a four-day celebration of new scripts in development that address urgent issues of today. The festival kicks off on November 19 with a panel discussion with local theater professionals. After two weeks of rehearsals, we present a speech by a nationally renowned keynote playwright and a staged reading of their work on March 20, and staged readings of new short plays by current TDPS students and alumni on March 21 and 22.
Selected plays for the 2020 Fearless New Play Festival
This event will be archived for future viewing.
Two dance companies present intimate short films followed by a live virtual Q&A moderated by Associate Professor of American Studies La Marr Jurelle Bruce, an interdisciplinary humanities scholar, critical theorist and Afromanticist.
In this Arts Citizenship Talk (ACTnow) Brazilian singer and activist Xênia França, visual artist Chanel Compton and medium, conjurer and crafty millennial Juju Bae (@alittlejujupodcast) have a not-to-be-missed conversation! Together, the three will explore the role of African spirituality in their daily lives, artistry and struggle to create a more just global society. The conversation from this event will be included in an upcoming episode of Juju’s podcast “A Little Juju.”
