Dance Nation by Clare Barron at UCSB
**Events may have been canceled or postponed. Please contact the venue to confirm the event.
Date & Time
Wed, May 21 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Thu, May 22 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Fri, May 23 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Wed, May 28 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Thu, May 29 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Fri, May 30 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Sat, May 31 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Address (map)
Located in the HSSB Building
Venue (website)
Performing Arts Theater, UCSB
UCSB Department of Theater and Dance Presents Clare Barron’s Dance Nation
Directed by Pesha Rudnick
The Department of Theater and Dance at UC Santa Barbara proudly presents Dance Nation by Pulitzer Prize finalist Clare Barron, a fiercely funny and deeply moving play that captures the raw ambition and emotional complexity of adolescence. Directed by Pesha Rudnick, the production will run May 22-May 31 at UCSB’s Performing Arts Theater.
Winner of the Relentless Award and a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Dance Nation follows a troupe of 13-year-old competitive dancers as they prepare for a national championship. As they push their bodies and psyches to the limit, the girls (and one boy) grapple with questions of identity, desire, and power—laying bare the messiness and magnificence of growing up.
Director Pesha Rudnick and Choreographer Christina McCarthy bring their signature sensitivity and bold vision to the piece, highlighting the emotional intensity and unapologetic drive of young people, particularly in high-pressure environments like competitive dance. Prepare for a wild night of theater.
“Dance Nation dares to take young people seriously—to honor their ambition, their contradictions, their hunger,” said Rudnick. “There is nothing cute or coy about wanting to win, despite the fact that often others will punish you for wanting to be the best. This play gives voice to the power, rage, vulnerability, and complexity of adolescence in a way that’s rarely seen on stage.”
With an ensemble of UCSB’s finest student performers and a design team committed to capturing the kinetic energy and emotional landscape of the play, Dance Nation is a visceral theatrical experience that speaks to anyone who has ever fought to find their voice—or feared the cost of being heard.
Performance Details:
May 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 at 7:30pm and May 31 at 2pm. 90 minutes, no intermission
UCSB Performing Arts Theater located in the HSSB Building
Dance Nation by Clare Barron includes explicit language and adult themes. Appropriate for ages 15 + Tickets available online or at the Performing Arts Box Office at UCSB.
For press inquiries, interviews, or more information, please contact:
Christina McCarthy, Director of Performance ucsbbeena@ucsb.edu or (805) 886-9447 or Pesha Rudnick pesha@ucsb.edu
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