The Department of Performing Arts (DPA) presents a must-see lineup of fall shows, including the world premiere of Disarming Girls, an exploration of a cappella from the AU Chamber Singers, and innovative choreography from the AU Dance Program.  

Tickets for DPA events are available now. Tickets for our spring performances sold out fast – be sure to reserve your seats now! Free for AU students with ID; $10 for alumni, staff, children, faculty, and senior citizens (55 and older); $15 general admission. Students are encouraged to reserve their free tickets in advance.

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Theatre/Musical Theatre

OVERTURE 2024. Photo: Ethan Kauffman.

OVERTURE 2025

October 3, 8 p.m.; October 4, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Katzen Arts Center, Studio Theatre
Directed by Nancy Bannon
Tickets: Free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public.
Overture tickets

Overture welcomes to the stage AU’s newest actors from the Class of 2029. This performance piece features dialogue, music, and movement that explores the passions, fears, trials, and triumphs of contemporary teens and college students. Overture is conceived and directed by faculty member Nancy Bannon and created and performed by the student company.

Zoey’s Perfect Wedding

By Matthew López
October 30-November 1
Katzen Arts Center, Studio Theatre
Directed by Carl Menninger
Tickets: Free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public
Zoey's Perfect Wedding tickets

“Love is complicated. So is the seating chart.”

Zoey’s Perfect Wedding is a fast-paced, sharply funny comedy about what happens when a dream wedding turns into a full-blown disaster. Set entirely during the reception—from awkward toasts to drunken confessions—this riotous play explores friendship, expectations, and the chaos beneath the surface of “happily ever after.” As Zoey’s big day unravels in real time, secrets spill and relationships are tested, turning her perfect wedding into a perfectly unforgettable night.

Content: Strong, graphic sexual language. Drug and alcohol use.
Originally developed and produced at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company.
Zoey’s Perfect Wedding is presented through special arrangement with TRW PLAYS 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036. www.trwplays.com

Disarming Girls

By Sarah Caroline Billings and Kallen Prosterman  
October 16-26
Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre
Directed by Jenna Place
Tickets: Free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public
Disarming Girls tickets

Disarming Girls tells the extraordinary true story of Hannie Schaft, Truus Oversteegen, and Freddie Oversteegen—three young women who became unexpected heroes of the Dutch resistance in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. As they navigate the harsh realities of 1941, their conviction and cunning challenge traditional roles and redefine what it means to fight for justice. With a powerful ensemble cast bringing wartime Europe to life, Disarming Girls is a gripping exploration of sisterhood and the quiet strength that changes history. 

Content: Violence, guns. 

Godspell

Conceived and originally directed by John-Michael Tebelak  
Music and new lyrics by Stephen Schwartz  
Originally produced on the New York Stage by Edgar Lansbury / Stuart Duncan / Joseph Beruh  
November 19-22
Katzen Arts Center, Studio Theatre
Directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer  
Choreography by Robert Bowen Smith
Music Direction by Deborah Jacobson 
Tickets: Free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public
Godspell tickets

Godspell is a rock musical retelling of the Gospel according to Matthew. First produced on Broadway in 1976, it was conceived and written by college students who had grown up during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Presenting Jesus as a radical figure who challenged authority with love and kindness, Godspell is a timeless story that reminds us of the power of community and the importance of love and kindness. The world belongs to the young and together, they can be the change that they seek. 

Godspell – 2012 Revised Version is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com  

Music

AU Symphonic Band. Photo: Ethan Kauffman

American University Symphony Orchestra Classics from the Romantic Era

November 1, 7:30 p.m.; November 2, 3 p.m. 
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
Matthew Brown, conductor
Tickets: Free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public
Romantic Era tickets

The American University Symphony Orchestra will play a variety of well-known classics from the Romantic era. The program will begin with Hector Berlioz' Hungarian March from "The Damnation of Faust," followed by Suite no. 1 excerpted from Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen." Audiences will experience the mysterious and contemplative beauty of the two movements of Franz Schubert's Symphony no. 8, the so called "Unfinished" Symphony, and "finish" (pun intended) with Finlandia by the great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.

American University Symphonic Band

November 8, 3 p.m. 
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
Matthew Brown, conductor
Tickets: Free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public
Band tickets

The American University Symphonic Band embarks on an exciting new chapter this season, exploring a vibrant range of vintage concert band works for the first time. In the decades following World War II, the repertoire for symphonic band expanded dramatically as composers embraced the medium and audiences grew. 

This semester, the ensemble breathes new life into often-overlooked gems from the 1950s to the 1980s, presenting music that deserves a fresh hearing alongside beloved pre-war classics and bold contemporary works. Thanks to a major investment in newly acquired sheet music, the AU Symphonic Band is proud to launch a series of AU premieres highlighting mid-20th-century treasures that will enrich our programming now and in the semesters ahead. 

American University Chamber SingersUnderstanding a cappella

November 8, 7:30 p.m.; November 9, 3 p.m. 
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
Daniel Abraham, director
Tickets: Free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public
Chamber Singers tickets

The meaning of a cappella has changed greatly throughout the history of Western music. Literally translated from Italian as “in the style of the chapel [church],” its meaning has blossomed to include layers of music that span Renaissance polyphony, unaccompanied music of the nineteenth century, barber shop style, and contemporary a cappella harmony groups that often add vocal percussion or beatboxing in a style that intersects pop, rock, and gospel sounds. Join us for this broad exploration of a cappella in a program that will feature not only AU Chamber Singers but AU’s a cappella groups.   

American University Jazz Orchestra and Jazz CombosFall for Jazz

November 14, 7:30 p.m.
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
Joshua Bayer, conductor
Tickets: Free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public
Jazz tickets

Join the AU Jazz Orchestra and AU Jazz Combos for an unforgettable evening of big band classics, swing, funk, bossa nova, and straight-ahead jazz! From the timeless grooves of Ellington and Basie to the bold sounds of Mingus and Goodwin, AU Jazz brings the rich traditions of jazz to life. 

American University ChorusAn Echo in my Soul

November 15, 7:30 p.m., November 16, 3 p.m.  
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
Casey Cook, conductor 
Barbara Wilkinson, pianist
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
Tickets: Free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public
Chorus tickets

"An Echo In My Soul" draws its title from the beloved Quaker anthem "How Can I Keep from Singing?" and celebrates music's power to unite us during challenging times. Through diverse musical traditions and uplifting harmonies, the performance aims to create a space where community members can come together, find solace, and rediscover hope through the transformative experience of choral music. The concert embodies the belief that music serves as a bridge connecting hearts and souls across all divides. 

Dance

Danceworks 2024. Photo: Jeff Watts

Fall Dance Concert 2025

November 14, 7:30 p.m., November 15, 2 p.m. 
Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre
Gabriel Mata, Guest Choreographer
Sarah Beth Oppenheim, Artistic Advisor, Choreographic Laboratory  
Tickets: Free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public
Fall Dance Concert tickets

A concert of new choreographic works by guest artist Gabriel Mata and selected student choreographers from the AU choreographic laboratory. Gabriel Mata is a Mexican American movement artist, choreographer, and educator and is the founder and director of the Latinx Movement Festival DC. He will craft a new work for the AU Dance Program, including some of the newest dancers on campus. The student choreographers are experienced student artists, mentored by AU faculty, who will create their first major works for the Greenberg Theatre stage. Join us as we welcome fresh choreographic voices and new student performers. 

Senior Dance Capstone 2025

November 15, 7:30 p.m. 
Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre
Erin Foreman-Murray, Artistic Director
Tickets: Free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public
Capstone tickets

Join us for capstone project performances and presentations by four graduating senior dance majors: Maddie Bussolari, Ella Forsyth, William Rokicki, and Gemma Sommer. Supported by a cast of experienced AU Dance Program dancers, each graduating senior will present the culmination of their embodied capstone research. Experience exciting new ideas, beautiful dancing, and new choreographic ideas crafted through the brave and accomplished work of these young researchers.