UC Berkeley Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies

10/22/2026

Meet the cast of UNDER LIGHT.

Through movement, dialogue, and a shifting game of chess, UNDER LIGHT explores visibility, control, and agency—asking who gets to be seen, who gets to make the move, and what happens when the rules begin to shift.

Join us for performances on October 29–30 at Zellerbach Hall, Room Z170!

RSVP at tdps.link/underlight (or link in bio)

UNDER LIGHT
A Dance Theater Work by Naomi Qianxun Lyu

Showtimes:

Thurs, October 29th at 7:00pm
Thurs, October 29th at 8:30pm
Fri, October 30th at 7:00pm
Fri, October 30th at 8:30pm
ABOUT TDPS WORKSHOPS:

Workshops are designed as “capstone experiences” for advanced students in the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS). As performance laboratories, workshops provide opportunities for student directors, choreographers, writers, and performers to develop ideas and put them into practice. Performances focus on engaging language and staging with minimal technical/design elements.

10/19/2026

“The Trojan war is over. Orestes and Electra have killed their mother. The city wants them dead. Just when it seems like they have nowhere to turn, their best friend comes up with a plan...” ⚔️🏛️🎭

ORESTES: AN ANTIC TRAGEDY, from the play by Euripides
Transadapted by Anne Washburn
Directed by Susannah Martin

📍 Zellerbach Playhouse
📅 November 19–22, 2026
🎟️ $10–$20

Showtimes:
• Thursday, Nov 19 @ 8 PM
• Friday, Nov 20 @ 8 PM (includes post-show audience talkback)
• Saturday, Nov 21 @ 2 PM & 8 PM
• Sunday, Nov 22 @ 2 PM

🎟️ Space is limited! Grab your tickets now at tickets.berkeley.edu or through the link in our bio!

This transadaptation by Anne Washburn brings Euripides’ ORESTES into the 21st century. Euripides wrote from a place of experimentation and innovation, infusing the classic tragedy with irony, skepticism toward the gods, and a vehement anti-war stance. Just as urgent today as it was then, ORESTES asks us to confront the weight of history and what it means to live within enduring cycles of violence in our contemporary world.

Artwork by Giancarlos Campos

10/16/2026

How institutions attribute visibility ✨💡🌟 
 
UNDER LIGHT examines how systems construct visibility and shape action, asking what it means to move within structures that determine who is seen, positioned, or valued. Drawing on the logic of chess, the piece frames performers as both agents and instruments, appearing to act while being shaped by a larger system. It asks what it means to be visible when movement is already scripted, and what kind of agency is possible within conditions one does not control.

UNDER LIGHT
A Dance Theater Work by Naomi Qianxun Lyu

Workshop performance presented by TDPS

⏱️ Showtimes:
Thurs, October 29th at 7:00pm
Thurs, October 29th at 8:30pm
Fri, October 30th at 7:00pm
Fri, October 30th at 8:30pm

📍Zellerbach Hall, Room 170

🎟️ Free & Open to the Public
RSVP at tdps.link/underlight (or link in bio!)

ABOUT TDPS WORKSHOPS:
Workshops are designed as “capstone experiences” for advanced students in the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS). As performance laboratories, workshops provide opportunities for student directors, choreographers, writers, and performers to develop ideas and put them into practice. Performances focus on engaging language and staging with minimal technical/design elements.

Artwork by Hannah Rosenquist

10/13/2026

Auditions for Berkeley Dance Project are on November 4th, 2026!

Berkeley Dance Project: What Moves Between Us will consist of two dance works:

TWO DOORS, choreography by SanSan Kwan
Inspired by an incident of anti-Asian violence in New York City, TWO DOORS explores the aftermath of violence, anti-Asian racism, and the ways we reclaim agency through vulnerability and connection.

CYCLE, choreography by Lisa Wymore
Inspired by Georgina Kleege’s book, More Than Meets the Eye, CYCLE uses language and sound as equal partners with movement. Audio description becomes part of the choreography, inviting audiences to experience dance beyond sight.

All are welcome to audition!
Go to the TDPS callboard (link in bio) for sign-ups and more details. And be sure to check out information for auditions for MELANCHOLY PLAY on October 19th & 26th.

CYCLE (2020), photographed by Ben Dillon
TWO DOORS (2024), photographed by Robbie Sweeny

10/01/2026

An unfiltered look at student life on and off campus 😭😭

World Premiere! This brand-new play, collaboratively authored by Berkeley students in the spring of 2026, brings us a slice-of-life look into the lives of Gen Z on and off campus. Inspired by real-life conversations and the subreddit Am I The As***le?, each vignette—from the raunchy to the heartfelt—creates surprising opportunities for self-reflection. A bit too close to home, comedic, and at times absurd, THE WHOLE SHEBANG tackles messy and challenging topics through multiple perspectives, offering an unfiltered experience and a mirror to our times.



THE WHOLE SHEBANG: CHRONICLES OF VERY SERIOUS STUDENTS

Directed by Timmia DeRoy

Created with students in the Spring 2026 Theater 114 Class

Workshop performance presented by TDPS



⏱️ Showtimes:

Tues, Oct 13th – Fri, Oct 16th @ 8pm

Sat, Oct 17th @ 2pm & 8pm

Sun, Oct 18th @ 2pm



📍 Durham Studio Theater

🎟️ Tickets are FREE with RSVP at https://tdps.link/tws (or link in bio!)

🎨 Graphic by Hannah Rosenquist



Content Warning: This show discusses topics of political, sexual and personal tension. Explicit and profane language is occasionally used.

Photo description: An illustration of the UC Berkeley campus with the Campanile in the background. In the foreground, colorful interconnected speech bubbles show silhouettes of people in various life moments, such as studying in a classroom, running, typing on a computer, embracing, experiencing distress, and arguing.

08/28/2026

Auditions for Fall Choreography are next Thursday, September 3rd!

Go to the TDPS callboard (link in bio) for sign-ups and more details.

Choreographers are looking for dancers who have a range of movement skills, from highly technical to experimental, explorative, and improvisational. Most pieces will be Solos and Duets.

Dancers of all racial, ethnic, gender, sexuality, and dis/ability identities are encouraged to audition. All bodies and neuro-abilities are welcome.

Fall Choreography Showcase is a culmination of work completed in Theater 146A. 12 choreographers create new choreographic pieces (solos and duets) in class and work with student lighting and costume designers to stage the pieces at the end of the term. Student dancers audition on Thursday, September 3 and rehearsals begin in class on Thursday, September 10th. Dancers cast in the choreographic works are expected to attend every Thursday class during the semester, and 1 hour of extra rehearsal outside of class. The final showcase is an exciting and popular staged event that has been a hallmark of the department for over fifty years!

Photo by Robbie Sweeny
Choreographer: Randee Paufve
Dancer: Tindra Olsson-Hoffman in Sisters, Berkeley Dance Project 2026

Photo description: A dancer raises their fist upwards. They are wearing a white top and red pants. They are surrounded by the text: fall choreography auditions.

08/27/2026

08/17/2026

Audition sign-ups for Fall 2026 classes and productions are now LIVE on the TDPS Callboard! Sign-ups for student workshops & Eco-Performance Lab will open by this Thursday (August 20th).

Visit the Callboard for full details on classes, audition requirements, and next steps.

📸 Photo by Jay Yamada
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Director: Patrick Russell
Actor: Daynna Rosales as Puck

Photo description: An actor reaches out downstage towards the audience; they are wearing a top hat and sunglasses. Text reads: Fall 2026 Auditions

08/12/2026

Have questions about what awaits you in the dance world after graduation? TDPS’s dance faculty is pleased to host the first session of a series of workshops and conversations designed to prepare dance majors/minors for their dance life after UC Berkeley. During this conversation, panelists will share their experiences, resources and answer students’ questions about local and national opportunities. Panelists include representatives from local dance organizations, TDPS alumni, and some TDPS dance faculty. We invite attendees to pose their questions in advance.

Please RSVP at the link in our bio!

Photo description: Six people in motion, dancing on a stage behind text: In Performance and Beyond: Pathways to a Career in Dance, Tuesday, August 25th, 2026, 11am - 12:30pm, Panel on Zoom.

06/11/2026

Still looking for a summer class? ☀️📚

TDPS has spots available in Summer Sessions C & D!

📱 Theater 118: Performance, Television, and Social Media
🗣️ Theater 5: Public Speaking & Presentation Skills
🎭 Theater 10: Fundamentals of Acting I
💃 Theater 105: Movement for Actors

Whether you’re looking to build confidence speaking in front of an audience, strengthen your acting skills, explore performance in television and social media, or develop your physical expressiveness as a performer, there’s a TDPS course for you this summer.

✨ Theater 10 does not require an audition during the summer session.
✨ Theater 105 will only be offered this summer and will not be offered during the academic year.

Learn more and at the link in our bio or visit tdps.berkeley.edu/summer.