Friends of Theatre & Drama: Member Portal
Welcome, Friends
Please Join us for a Time Passes: 8 Short Plays by Samuel Beckett Pre-Show Talk with Associate Professor of English Jen Buckley
October 4, 2026, 1:00 pm
Studio 2, Walgreen Drama Center
Buckley has been reading, viewing, studying, and teaching Beckett’s writing for the page, stage, radio, television, and film for over a decade. A chapter of her current book project is devoted to Beckett’s speechless plays, including Act Without Words II and Quad, both of which will be performed in Time Passes.
This conversation will place the short plays of Time Passes in the context of Samuel Beckett’s life and career. We will discuss the personal, literary, and theatrical developments that shaped Beckett’s writing and directorial work. We will consider how the formal, philosophical, and political preoccupations that first appear in Waiting for Godot — written in the immediate aftermath of World War II — also manifest in these later pieces, which cut drama to the bone even more deeply than that famous play.
The 2026-27 Theatre & Drama Performance Season
Time Passes: 8 Short Plays by Samuel Beckett
October 1–4 / October 8–11, 2026
Arthur Miller Theatre
Ticketed Production
Directed by Malcolm Tulip
The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls, by Meg Miroshnik
October 16–17, 2026
Newman Studio
BFA Directing Thesis
Directed by Naomi Parr
Crumbs from the Table of Joy, by Lynn Nottage
October 8–10, 2026
Newman Studio
Faculty-Led Studio Production
Directed by Tiffany Trent
Othello, by William Shakespeare
November 13–14, 2026
Newman Studio
BFA Directing Thesis
Directed by Jeffrey Wagner
Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, by Moíses Kaufman
November 19–22, 2026
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
Ticketed Production
Directed by Halena Kays
BFA Theatre Design & Production Portfolio Exhibition: Opening Reception
January 29, 2027
The Duderstadt Center Gallery
Registration required for the Opening Reception
Please join us for the opening reception of the annual portfolio review of Design and Production students. Take a peek behind the scenes of the plays, musicals, operas, and dance concerts at the University of Michigan. Explore the work of undergraduate stage managers, designers, and technicians. The gallery will be remain open for two weeks following the reception, and the public is welcome at any time.
McNeal, by Ayad Akhtar
February 25–28, 2027
Power Center
Ticketed Production
Directed by Geoff Packard
Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches, by Tony Kushner
February 26–27, 2027
Newman Studio
BFA Directing Thesis
Directed by Gonzalo Delgado
Murakami by the Sea
April 8–11 / April 15–18, 2027
Arthur Miller Theatre
Ticketed Production
Devised & directed by Tzveta Kassabova
Senior Tribute Night
May 6, 2027
Arthur Miller Theatre and Lobby, Walgreen Drama Center
Registration Required
5:00pm – 6:15pm
Senior Tribute Open House Reception in the Walgreen Lobby
Celebrate the Class of 2026 and mingle with the Theatre & Drama faculty, staff, and students! Light refreshments will be served.
6:30pm – 7:15pm
BFA Acting Showcase in the Arthur Miller Theatre
Join us for the Ann Arbor performance of the BFA Acting Class of 2026 Senior Showcase, following their New York and Los Angeles showings for industry professionals!
Membership Benefits
All donors to the Department of Theatre & Drama are recognized as Friends of Theatre & Drama.
Friends of Theatre & Drama enjoy many benefits, including:
- Priority ticket purchasing for SMTD productions
- Invitations to performance events like Senior Tribute Night
- Recognition in main stage production programs
- Email newsletters with the latest updates from the Department of Theatre & Drama
To confirm that your membership is current, please contact [email protected].
Priority Ticket Information
As a member of the Friends of Theatre & Drama, you receive priority access to performance tickets before they are available to the general public.
You will receive a special code via email that enables this access. Learn how to redeem a promo code.
Philanthropic Impact
Your donations directly enrich the educational experiences and opportunities available to musical theatre students by offering critical scholarship support, which assists in attracting top talent to the program, and binging in guest directors, agents, playwrights, and other industry insiders to work with students.
Friends of Theatre & Drama Fund, 364139
Supports critical scholarships and programming for students like residencies, showcases, and networking and community-building events.
Acting and Directing Professionalization Fund, 357876
Supports career development opportunities for acting and directing students, enabling the department to bring in directors, casting agents, and other professionals to campus to meet with students
Design and Production Professionalization Fund, 329336
Supports career development opportunities for design and production students by funding travel expenses to industry conferences and bringing professionals in the field to campus.
Alumni Notes
Connect With Us
SMTD Office of Advancement
Phone: 734-647-2035
2005 Baits Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2075
The University of Michigan has 501(c)(3) non-profit tax exempt status. Our federal tax ID number is 38-6006309.
- Ericka Bigelow, Chief Advancement Officer
- Megan Anderson Cook, Major Gifts Officer Intermediate
- Kimberly Baumgartner, Director of Development, Marching & Athletic Bands
- Tamara Rosinski, Development and Alumni Engagement Coordinator, Marching & Athletic Bands
- Alison Bur, Development Generalist
- Gretchen Pleuss, Manager of Annual Giving Programs
- Jessica Woodman, Assistant Director of Development, Stewardship