Drama News

UCI Giving Day on April 28 to Support the Claire Trevor School of the Arts

Support scholarships, creative research and professional pathways for UCI Arts students The University of California, Irvine will mark its 10th annual Giving Day on Tuesday, April 28, with a campuswide call to support the programs that shape the university’s future. At the Claire Trevor School...

UCI Arts Awards the 2025–26 Research & Innovation Grants

Creative Research in the Arts Now in its fifth year, the UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts (UCI Arts) Department of Research and Innovation continues to prioritize projects that feature cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary collaborations with potential for external recognition...

The Artists’ Laboratory

In the Experimental Media Performance Lab, technology blends with art to offer immersive, boundary-pushing experiences for audiences  By Christine Byrd In William Fastenow’s, Ph.D. ’25 capstone recital, Art of the Unheard, audiences walked on elevated paths with pairs of speakers above...

Q&A: UC Irvine student in South Coast Rep play

UC Irvine second-year M.F.A. acting student Esther Pielstick makes her South Coast Repertory debut as the understudy for Honey in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” running through March 21.

Colt McGuire Engineers Stories

Medici Circle Scholar Colt McGuire and his internship at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival By Gamy Cortes  Until his senior year of high school, Colt McGuire believed that spending his days coding was his only calling. After gaining experience in scenic construction and acting, however, he...

Returning to the Claire Trevor Theatre

After completing his graduate training during the pandemic, Evan Lugo, M.F.A ’22 returns to UC Irvine to perform in Noises Off On Friday, March 6, 2026, the UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts Department of Drama presents Noises Off, Michael Frayn’s iconic backstage farce known for its...

The Art of Opportunity

Through two paid internship programs, the office of Access & Engagement uses the arts as a catalyst for  developing creative career pathways for students  Simon Harrison ’17 was 8 years old when he discovered his passion for dance.  He credits his involvement with the...

Timing is Everything

Director Eli Simon brings Noises Off to UC Irvine with precision, pedagogy, and perfectly timed chaos This spring, the UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts Department of Drama presents Noises Off, Michael Frayn’s legendary backstage farce, widely regarded as one of the most technically...

Michael Frayn’s Noises Off Brings Classic Farce to UC Irvine

Comedy and chaos take center stage at the UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts Irvine, Calif., Feb. 11, 2026 — The Department of Drama presents Noises Off, Michael Frayn’s uproarious backstage comedy, widely regarded as one of the funniest farces ever written. Directed by Eli Simon, the...

Anteaters in the Arts

Alumni keep arts & culture vibrant in O.C. By Christine Byrd From innovative community theaters to world-class concert venues, Orange County is home to a vibrant arts community — powered, in no small part, by UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts (UCI Arts) alumni. ...

UCI Drama Alumnus Alan Mingo Jr. Returns to Campus During The Wiz run at Segerstrom

Broadway and touring veteran speaks with music theatre students about craft, financial sustainability and professional practice While performing as The Wizard in The Wiz at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, UCI Drama alumnus Alan Mingo Jr., a Broadway and national touring performer whose credits...

The Mutable Archive Brings Arts Research into Dialogue with Medical Humanities

Organized by Associate Dean of Research and Innovation Jesse Colin Jackson and  Director for the Center of Medical Humanities, Dr. Kelli Sharp, the Feb. 12–13 xMPL program features Patricia Olynyk and Adam Hogan in a two-day expanded cinema event UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts...

UCI Drama Alumni Chris Renfro ’14 and Justine Rafael ’21 Join Center Theatre Group’s Here Lies Love at the Mark Taper Forum

Center Theatre Group’s Here Lies Love brings an all-Filipino cast to Los Angeles, featuring UC Irvine drama alumni Two alumni from UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts Department of Drama have been cast in Center Theatre Group’s upcoming production of Here Lies Love at the Mark Taper Forum...

The Next Stage

A UC Irvine & South Coast Repertory collaboration ushers in a new era of O.C. theater  By Christine Byrd South Coast Repertory (SCR) and the Claire Trevor School of the Arts are opening a new act in their longstanding relationship. With support from the Nicholas Endowment, they...

Kurt Sanchez Kanazawa Confronts Injustice Through Performance

Medici Circle Scholar Kurt Sanchez Kanazawa and L’OPERA! By Gamy Cortes “Anytime you put pen to paper, whether you want to acknowledge it or not, you are political,” said Kurt Sanchez Kanazawa, M.F.A. student in UC Irvine’s Department of Drama. Funding Creativity Founded in 2004, the...

UCI Arts 2025 Year in Review

Reflecting back on a year of exceptional milestones  The past year marked a significant moment for the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, coinciding with UC Irvine’s 60th anniversary and the continued celebration of the 25th anniversary of the naming of the school. Together, these milestones...

South Coast Repertory and UCI Arts Launch Pilot Program for Emerging Artists

The Next Stage places UC Irvine Drama students into South Coast Repertory's professional environment, providing real-world Experience, mentorship and more ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Dec. 9, 2025 — Bridging the gap between the classroom and the stage, UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts...