About The New Works Festival

The University Co-op Presents the Cohen New Works Festival is a celebration of new work created by UT students that culminates in a week-long showcase every other April held throughout campus. It is not just an event, but a celebration of a continuously ongoing process-the creation of new work.

Footprints: A Musical Eco-Tale

Inaugurated in 2001 as a new play festival, The University Co-op Presents the Cohen New Works Festival was created and named in honor of David Mark Cohen, former head of playwriting within The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance. Cohen was killed in a car crash on December 23, 1997, but during his life, he was an adamant supporter of new work. Today, The New Works Festival has evolved to include not just plays, but all mediums of student-generated new work. It is the largest festival of its kind, being run and organized entirely by a committee of graduate and undergraduate students, with the support of faculty co-producers. 2009 will mark the fifth New Works Festival in 10 years.

Our Mission

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The University Co-op presents the Cohen New Works Festival is a celebration of new work created by UT students that culminates in a week-long showcase every other April held throughout campus. It exists as an incubator for innovative and original forms of theatre, dance, music, film, design, visual art and architecture. It provides a nurturing environment and practical resources for the creation, development, production and discussion of new and interdisciplinary work by students, faculty, guest artists and scholars who come together in the spirit of collaboration and critical inquiry.

Our Vision

Embraced and invigorated by the energy of a university setting, the Festival provides a safe place for artists to take risks, a bridge between potential and the profession, and a forum for a national conversation on the value and future of the arts in society.

Three Core Values

The following values support our mission and our overall vision. They inform our practice and guide all aspects of decision-making and implementation.

Empowerment and Responsibility

Our goal is to create an environment in which each individual is empowered to take responsibility for his or her own artistic, entrepreneurial and intellectual development with the support of mentors who care.

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Access

Our goal is to provide access to the production resources and guidance necessary to realize individual creative visions and to encourage collaborative connections with guest artists and scholars on a national level.

Integration

Our goal is that the Festival will serve as a positive and productive force within the cultural ecosystem of the Department of Theatre and Dance, the College of Fine Arts, the University of Texas and ultimately within the arts themselves to further the development of new works and new artists.

Definitions

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New: (adj)
Recently made, created or invented: Innovative in its ways of exploring form and content, development and discovery of skills and abilities, opportunity to try on unaccustomed roles in the production process.
Works:
(n) Product of original compositions: Plays, dances, films, installations, solo and site specific performance, etc.
(v) Process of making something happen or causing a specific result: Including all stages of planning, implementation and reflection.
Festival: (n)
A period of celebration, often one of cultural significance:An ongoing activity that comes together in a series of performances, readings, workshops, panel discussions, and other related events, but extends in influence and importance well beyond the period of its duration.

The Festival is Now!

m = May contain Mature Language and/or content

Top ↑101 Ways to…   m
created and directed by Halena Kays. written and performed by Jenny Connell, Tim Longo, Carra Martinez, Steve Moulds and Sarah Myers
101 Ways to… is a high energy, physical theater extravaganza using the dicey world of women’s fashion magazines as its inspiration. An extraordinary ensemble of performer/writers, designers and an award-winning director come together to create a pop-culture circus of a show. Are we better in bed thanks to Cosmo? Do we feel like voyeuristic consumers reinforcing the ever-present male gaze? What are the 10 things men are REALLY thinking? Only one way to find out: LIVE ON STAGE.
Top ↑Autopilot   m
created by Anna Fugate and Ashley Hayes
Autopilot chronicles four relationships facing the same problem: “The course of true love never did run smooth”.
Top ↑Chest Scale
designed by Sarah Lankenau, assistant designer Sarah Thornell, curated by Jenna Penick, documentarian Michael Howell
Look back through over one hundred and fifty years of pattern drafting for tailored menswear in this hanging installation. See why period vest drafts don’t work when drafted for our modern actors’ body. Viewable from the second floor hallway above the Winship Atrium. Open during all regular building hours.
Top ↑Dream Sequence
text: improvised by performers
performance: conceived and directed by Fadi Skeiker
Dream Sequence is a performance created based on the dreams of the cast. We did not have a text to start with, and the process of creating the piece was fully improvisational. Be prepared to ride with us in a fantastic journey that will transfer you to the ultimate remote places of our imaginations where everything is possible!
Top ↑Fernando and the Killer Queen   m
written by Kyle John Schmidt, directed by Elizabeth C. Lay, stage managed by Peyton Smith
In a bloody fantasyland wracked by revolution, a Queen struggles to keep her government (and maintain her sense of pageantry). Audience Advisory: this play contains sexual situations, strong language, violence, songs, dances, drag, and tight tight tight green tights.
Top ↑Foodstuff   m
written by Meghan Kennedy, directed by Erin Meyer and Noel Gaulin, dramaturg Kirk Lynn
Foodstuff explores the idea of identity through a ritual we all take part in every day: eating. How do our relationships with food inform who we are? Does what we choose to eat, and how we eat it, distinguish and illuminate us as individuals? The audience will witness a wide array of colors, sounds, smells, emotions and attitudes as they watch a five-course meal unfold.
Top ↑Footprints: A Musical Eco-Tale
book by Lindsay Genshaft, music and lyrics by Jennifer Hartmann with Lindsay Genshaft, designed by Ariana Schwartz and Natalie Maynard, orchestrations, musical direction and arrangements by Lyn Koenning
This staged reading of a musical for young audiences follows the story of a young girl named Sophie and her quest to save a forest. Along her journey, Sophie meets some ancient beings and draws on her connection with nature to communicate with them and work towards mutual understanding. This project also incorporates the principles of eco-theatre and sustainable theatre practice.
Top ↑Funky Snowman
written by Wendy Bable, directed by Brian C. Fahey, choreographed by Molly Searcy, original music by Michael Bowman
A play/ballet for young audiences (and for the young at heart!) On her way to ballet class, little Fritzie brings a groovalicious snowman to life. When Fritzie is asked to leave class because she can’t get anything right, Funky Snowman helps her discover her own unique groove.
Top ↑Fusion
created by Nathan Brittain, Zachary Dixon and Yonatan Mendelsberg, stage managed by Beth McCurdy, video work done by Cesar Obregon, acting by J-M Specht
Fusion is a project that uses technology to design and create an integrated multimedia art-work. This project will demonstrate the diverse ways technology can be used in productions and will showcase how these forms can be integrated into one cohesive performance piece.
Top ↑Harvest Mandala
conceived by the Living Colors Class, School of Architecture
In the fall of 2008, a group of UT students came together to promote the harvest in its most aesthetic form. The First Annual Harvest Mandala and Food Drive brought together diverse student groups and individuals on campus for a community-based performance. A mandala of wholeness and balance was created that serves as a testament that together we can help lift the spirits of those who are marginalized and neglected by society.
Top ↑Look, Listen, Look Again!
concept idea by J. Elissa Marshall and presented by Dance Action
Seven photographers chose their most meaningful or provocative photo. Seven musicians composed music inspired by that photograph. Seven choreographers created works inspired from the musical composition. The objective is to see if the end result is a reflection of the original art.
Top ↑Looking At Dance: A Journey through the Blanton
created by Mary A. Chase, Charlotte Grifin and Julie Nathanielsz
Looking At Dance: A Journey through the Blanton showcases divergent perspectives in dance and choreography. Mary Chase examines self-portraiture in Herstory , Charlotte Grifin captures the frenetic energy of Barefoot Negotiations on film, and Julie Nathanielsz directs a structured improvisation for The Meeting Point . Presented throughout the museum, the dances traverse an ever-growing definition of art, performance, and audience experience.
Top ↑Made from Scratch   m
written and directed by Avital Bisk
The story follows the transformation of an innocent, playful relationship between two elementary school girls, Talia and Rachel, into a naïvely abusive friendship. Using their relationship and the effect of a lack of parental involvement in investigating the situation, the play explores the full responsibility of a parent and digs deep into the minds of young children.
Top ↑On these four matters we cannot agree…
conceived by Diana Mino; co-created by Diana Mino, Matthew Bunker, Jordan Loveland and Zachary Dixon
On these four matters we cannot agree… is a duet for male dancer and upright bass played by a female. Conceived as a suite of four dances, it immediately turns the physicality and initial gender associations of both dancing and playing the bass on their heads and explores this discourse through music, movement and, hopefully, a little intrigue.
Top ↑Phoenix Unforgiven   m
written by Martin Zimmerman, directed by Kelly Howe
Amanda has just succeeded her father, Lucas, as the principal of the school he started in the wake of their country’s civil war. Lucas started the New Hope School when Amanda was just an infant to provide an education and home for the orphans of the civil war, but also to cope with the murder of his wife– Amanda’s mother–at the hands of the military. But as the events that follow Lucas’ retirement lead Amanda to delve deeper and deeper into her family’s history, what she finds will cause her to question who she is, and the value of the school to which she has dedicated her life.
Top ↑Poof!! In Movement
created and directed by Lindsey Bailey, choreographed by Janna Rock
The idea behind Poof!! In Movement is to create a colorful performance piece using a combination of dancers and in-animate soft sculptural objects. Creating bulbous, whimsical characters out of fabric, Bailey collaborates with a variety of undergraduate junior and senior students to combine performance, costume, and installation. With the help of the dancers, the fabric sculpture pieces will perform a dance sequence, moving in and out of the space. The dancers will be disguised as sculptural pieces, via costuming. Poof!! In Movement will evoke humor and whimsy through a unique process and collaboration of media.
Top ↑Problem Box   m
written by Steve Moulds
Bill is being held prisoner. He doesn’t know why, nor does he know who’s doing the imprisoning. He’s in a dynamic, problem solving environment with no respect for his boundaries: the Problem Box. Will he defeat the Box, or will the Box beat him? A staged reading of a brand-new play by Steve Moulds.
Top ↑Resabios de Amargura or That Bitter Cabaret
solo-performance by Beliza Torres Narváez
This campy mixture of song, comedy, and social critique follows the story of a Puerto Rican diva that loves her country, but feels attracted to the “outside”. She leaves for the more promising and glamorous U.S., but things don’t turn out quite as planned. Will she stay? Will she go back home? Is there a home to go back to?
Top ↑RTF Films
RTF Filmmakers
A selection of short ilms from some of the most exciting film-makers of tomorrow from the Department of Radio-Television-Film at The University of Texas at Austin.
Top ↑So/La Spaces: Bodies Journey into Rhythm
created and performed by Angela Ahlgren & Meg Brooker
So/La Spaces explores the intersections between light, sound, and female bodies in motion. It features two pieces, Angela Ahlgren’s taiko drum solo Hitori Janai (Not Alone) and Meg Brooker’s Noyes Rhythm choreography Not Adam’s Rib. Both pieces developed collaboratively with designers, including watercolor artist Linda DeHart. Workshops offered in both techniques.
Top ↑The 100 Dresses Project
coordinated and curated by Heather Koslov and Ruthie Fisher
The 100 Dresses Project is a community outreach project inspired by the children’s book The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes. The project includes an interactive workshop for young women and an art installation showcasing designs by women working and creating in Austin, Texas. The project celebrates the unique creative power that resides within the women of our community.
Top ↑The 7   m
created & directed La Tasha Stephens
The 7 is an original, autobiographical work about the life of an inner city African-American woman. This woman’s journey from childhood to adulthood is revealed in a style reminiscent of a Choreopoem by way of the 7 train in New York City.
Top ↑The Edge of Peace
written by Suzan Zeder and directed by Wendy Bable
The Edge of Peace is the third play in a trilogy that began with Zeder’s award-winning, play Mother Hicks. Set in 1945 in the final desperate months of World War II, this play explores the impact on a family and community when a local boy is declared MIA overseas and his younger brother refuses to believe what seems inevitable. This staged reading features Seattle actor Billy Seago as the Deaf postman, Tuc. In the visual poetry of American Sign Language, Tuc takes us on a journey of hope through a landscape of loss.
Top ↑The Mariner   m
written by Esme Lejeune and directed by Glen Hall
Characters and events inspired by “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” by The Decemberists. Everyday objects collide and combine to form this darkly imaginative world where two sea-faring enemies must strive to escape from inside the belly of a giant whale. As the men battle with impending death, a glimmer of hope appears on the horizon–escalating the mental warfare to a shocking conclusion.
Top ↑The Nomadic Dream Project
created by Alison Heryer, Sonja Rainey, Emma Lawrence and The Nomadic Dream Collective.
An outdoor spectacle performance exploring the strange landscape between waking worlds and fathomed dreams. Stories told in movement, sound and image. A symphony for the senses. Join us for this experience and bring to life an unexpected world of nighttime folly.
Top ↑The Poet and the Philosopher
designed and created by Jennifer Madison
The Poet and the Philosopher uses costume and movement to tell the story of two people’s fight to discover their hero.
Top ↑The Psyche Project   m
Marie Brown
Fast, funny and irreverent, The Psyche Project is an ensemble-generated retelling of the myth of Eros (Cupid) and Psyche, two star-crossed lovers who married in secret, ticked off the Goddess of Love, and went to hell and back to keep their marriage together. Come see what happens when Greek Myth goes modern, hell is a mall, and Eros upgrades from arrows to a semi-automatic.
Top ↑The Roaming Bassoonist
written and directed by Ilana Marks;set designed by Lizzie Bracken
Claude aspires to be the next in a long line of esteemed roaming musicians. When he approaches Sir Vincent, the greatest serenader of all time, he learns that sometimes even master minstrels require the help of an ensemble. This work is an exploration in new media that combines stop-motion animation and performance to bring the virtual beyond the screen, into the theatre.
Top ↑The Shape of White
concept by Yvonne Boudreaux, Chih-Feng Chen and Andee Scott in collaboration with Clare Croft, Yonatan Mendelsberg, Natalie Maynard, Becca Miller, Ariana Schwartz, and Lih-Hwa Yu.
The Shape of White is a multi-media, site-specific dance performance which explores the concept of deterioration through repetition to create a visual and physical metaphor for the experience of loss. Aerial dance and video projections fill the space in order to transform the everyday site into a performance space.
Top ↑The Tides of Aberdeen
written by Erin Phillips, guest directed by Sarah Benson
The Tides of Aberdeen follows the story of Jake and Abigail, two best friends who embark on breaking the world record for holding their breath under water. Presented in a workshop format in order to investigate and lovingly interrogate the play, we are working to further the script’s development toward a production ready draft.
Top ↑What Started Here Changed the World   m
created by Neil Ames, Trang Bui, Jessica Evans, Kelsey Hayenga, Andrew Hlinsky, Priscilla Hill, and Matt Wasson
This collaborative piece examines violence in schools, particularly school shootings. The audience experiences the two worlds running concurrently: that of a few characters in an isolated setting during the crisis, and the world community linked by technology.
Top ↑Writing a Letter to Fidel
created by Amanda Cayo
Cuba keeps popping up in the news and in politics, but still little is known about the people and the essence of the country we are not allowed to visit. Writing a Letter to Fidel is a collection of oral history interviews that explores the experiences and feelings of those who either left Cuba or had family leave Cuba to start anew in the United States.