USD Department of Theatre Announces Productions for 2024-2025 Season
The season opens with "The Wolves" by Sarah DeLappe, featuring an all-female cast. This Pulitzer Prize finalist explores the lives of nine teenage girls on a soccer team, diving into themes of friendship, identity and the challenges of growing up. Performances are scheduled for Sept. 27-29 and Oct. 3-6.
"Every Brilliant Thing" by Duncan MacMillan and Jonny Donahoe will be performed in the Arena Theatre from Oct. 24-27. Striking a perfect balance between portraying life’s struggles and celebrating its small miracles, this one-person play explores life's challenges and joys through the eyes of a child creating a list of things worth living for to support his chronically depressed mother.
Next, "The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical" by Joe Tracz and Rob Rokicki, based on Rick Riordan's best-selling book, will take the stage. This whirlwind adventure follows Percy Jackson, a misfit middle schooler with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as he embarks on a quest to find Zeus’s missing lightning bolt. Performances will be held Nov. 22-24 and Dec. 5-8.
In February 2025, the department will present Stephen Sondheim's "Company," a musical that follows Bobby as he navigates his relationships with married friends and temporary lovers, confronting the complexities of adult life. This production is full of laughs, sighs and maybe even some tears. “Company” runs from Feb. 20-23, 2025.
The Ron L. Moyer One Act Plays, a staple of the USD Theatre season, will be presented in the Arena Theatre March 21-23. These plays are chosen, directed and sometimes written by USD students, providing a platform for emerging talent.
A comedic adaptation of a classic spy thriller, "The 39 Steps," adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan and the 1939 Alfred Hitchcock film, will be performed April 10-13, 2025. This play combines elements of comedy, adventure and intrigue as it follows Richard Hannay's unexpected involvement in a spy conspiracy.
The season continues with the 2025 Spring Dance Showcase, directed by new dance professor Katie Gutmann. This showcase, featuring choreography by USD students, will take place May 2-4, 2025.
For theatre enthusiasts, the department offers the First Nighters Program, which includes season tickets to the four mainstage Knutson Theatre shows, exclusive access to prime seating, and opening night gatherings with drinks, hors d'oeuvres and presentations from the show’s director. First Nighter donations support scholarships for USD students. For more information, contact Department of Theatre Chair Rai Genna, Ph.D., at Raimondo.Genna@usd.edu.
Tickets for the 2024-2025 season go on sale Sept. 1 and can be purchased through the USD Theatre website.
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