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UCI New Swan Shakespeare

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Through performance, research, & teaching, we build spaces to discover and reimagine what it means to be human
🦢 Festival: @newswanshakespeare

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New Swan presents: Margaret Cavendish's "The Convent of Pleasure" | A Dramatic Reading+ | Sign up free, link in our bio!

Kirk Davis, Jr. 2027 Annual Public Shakespeare Lecture
Co-sponsored by Illuminations: The Chancellor's Arts and Culture Initiative.

Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673), Duchess of Newcastle, was a playwright, poet, philosopher, and pioneering writer of speculative fiction. In her Sociable Letters, she wrote of Shakespeare, "nay, one would think that he had been Metamorphosed from a Man to a Woman, for who could Describe Cleopatra Better than he hath done, and many other Females of his own Creating?"

In our mission to expand understanding of early drama and the literary world that Shakespeare helped build, we are thrilled to produce an enhanced dramatic reading of Cavendish's 1688 play "The Convent of Pleasure". With echoes of "Love's Labor's Lost" and "Twelfth Night", our adaptation tells the story of a group of noblewomen, led by the exuberant Lady Happy (Mikayla Conley) and her chaperone Madame Mediator (Rachael Van Wormer), who set out to establish a women’s community. But when a Princess enters their convent, only to be revealed to have been born a Prince, that community is tested as never before. Neah Lekan's adaptation, directed by Sammie Moore, is a tragicomic reimagining of Cavendish’s original, blending Shakespeare’s time and our own to tell a poignant transfeminine story.

Join us after our matinee on Saturday for a special panel with guest scholars and the artists involved in this project. Moderated by Jamie Rawn (UCI English).

WHEN
Friday, November 6th @ 7pm
Saturday, November 7th @ 2pm

WHERE
UC Irvine, the Little Theater at Humanities Hall 161

SIGN UP LINK ON OUR BIO! by @ucishakespeare

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7 days ago

We'd love to take a moment to congratulate all the New Swan artists who were nominated and those who won awards this year at the Orange Curtain Review Awards @theorangecurtainrev1 | Our 2026 production of "Romeo & Juliet" has been recognized in various categories and we couldn't be more proud of everyone's work – it truly takes a village! Swipe to see the winners and nominations...

Best Director | Rachael VanWormer, assisted by Sammie Moore, dramaturgy by Neah Lekan (@_samammie29_ & @neahlekan) & SM Team: Jo McEvoy, Sydney Uliasz & Eddie Tyler (@sometimesjordyn @sydneyuliasz @eddietyler17)

Best Young Actress | Lourdes Castillo (@lourdescastill.o)

Best Featured Actor | Wyn Moreno (@wynmoreno)

Nominated for Best Featured Actress | Alejandra Villanueva (@ale12villan)

Nominated for Best Actor | Heriberto Cruz Jr. (@hericruzjr)

Congratulations to the entire team! What a lovely summer of collaboration, growth, and community 🎭❤️

See you all next summer under the stars...

#ocarts #newswan #acting #theatre #romeo&juliet

Photos by @sarah.hentges @momentsbykiya @c.nesbit48 & Jesús López Vargas New Swan's leadership team posing playfully in front of the New Swan Theater. For a full detailed description of all production photos, please contact lopezvar@uci.edu taken in New Swan Shakespeare Festival by @ucishakespeare

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13 days ago

We would like to highlight some of the incredible work done this summer through New Swan's Acting Apprenticeship and Production Internship programs!

Shout out to the creatives behind our branding photoshoots: art director, Bell Hernandez & designer, editor, and coordinator, Fiona Farris.

Learn more...

#theatereducation #ocarts #irvine #newswan #shakespeare

As part of New Swan's Acting Apprenticeship Program, our team offers early-career artists with various perks: various acting tracks in our season, career-development workshops, shadowing opportunities, mentorship, a stipend, and a branding packet!

The branding packet consists of the following:
* Professional Headshots or Portraits
* Portfolio Building Mentorship
* A Creative Branding Photoshoot

The goal for these photoshoots is to provide visual aids for these young actors' websites and portfolios. These branding images help represent their identity as artists, their points of view, and how they chose to tell stories. Headshots can be limiting, these portraits aim to tell a broader story of who they are and who they want to be.

For our 2026 Season, two incredible artists lead the Creative Branding Photoshoots for this program. A huge shout out to Art Director, Bell Hernandez and Coordinator, Lighting Designer & Editor, Fiona Farris.

Fun fact: both Bell & Fiona were production interns in past season, who later worked professionally as creative and technical staff with the Festival!

These are some samples of their work, featuring actor Sebastián Bonorquez Cantú.

Under the mentorship of Creative Producer, Jesús López Vargas, two members of our 2026 Media Internship also participated as photographers: Echo Betancourt & Cassie Nesbit! Strengthening their skills & starting their photography portfolios.

And we were lucky, two of Swan's 2025 Media Interns also joined in the experience to continue growing their portfolios: Kiya Sakari & Sarah Hentges, who are both incredible professional photographers.

As part of these photoshoots, New Swan's Media Interns learned about "lighting for the camera" equipment, design, and techniques, as well as color theory & visual storytelling. They were able to All images described in captions... for detailed description if our visuals please contact lopezvar@uci.edu taken in New Swan Shakespeare Festival by @ucishakespeare

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16 days ago

We invite you on October 5th to our very special event: "Shakespeare in Brown Bodies: Latine Performance at New Swan"

WHEN/WHERE: Oct 5 @ 6pm, UCI Humanities Gateway 1010 • Sign up to receive more info (link in bio)

Join us for this behind-the-scenes look at how New Swan’s Latine artists navigate producing and enacting Shakespeare in contemporary Southern California. Beginning with The Merry Wives of Windsor Cove, produced by New Swan Shakespeare Festival at UC Irvine in 2026, we’ll take a broader look at the task of representing brown bodies and telling their stories through the texts of Shakespeare.

Featuring New Swan actors Alejandra Villanueva (Mistress Quickly) and Heriberto Cruz, Jr. (Doctor Cayo), this event will highlight the dedication and creativity that empower Latine voices on the New Swan stage. New Swan Production Coordinator Jesús Enrique López Vargas will invite us to consider the responsibility of telling those stories in our community and in our theater. Moderated by Prof. Kyle Grady (English). We look forward to welcoming you to this community conversation!

This is part of New Swan's 2026-27 "Shakespeare at Home" series, co-sponsored by Illuminations: The Chancellor's Arts and Culture Initiative.

#shakespeare #socal #ocarts #latinetheatre #latinxtheatre taken in New Swan Shakespeare Festival by @ucishakespeare

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18 days ago

We followed the mollusks and toured Verona in another incredible Shakespeare Weekend!! Our Co-Director Julia Lupton was joined by guest presenters Kyle Grady (Associate Professor, UCI English) and Kenneth Reinhard (Professor Emeritus, UCLA). Then, our Festival creative teams brought our audiences into the rehearsal process with their interactive acting workshops. Special Thanks to New Swan Actors Lourdes Castillo, Wyn Moreno, and Abel Garcia.

Just one week remains to catch our 2026 productions! See you at the Swan!! by @ucishakespeare

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2 months ago

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air."
– The Witches, Macbeth

Join us for our first-ever New Swan Science Faire, a collaboration with AirUCI and UCI's Office of Research. Explore the living chemistry of air, clouds, fire, and smoke in a fun-filled evening of scientific discovery, crafts, and improvised performances by New Swan actors. Free and open to all – any underaged attendees must be accompanied by adult supervision at all times. Thursday, August 27th from 4-6pm, followed by a performance of "Romeo & Juliet."

Please register so that we can better plan for your visit. Link in our bio!

Join UCI scientists — from undergraduate students to leading researchers — as they bring their cutting-edge work to life through hands-on activities, live experiments, and stunning demonstrations. Whether you're curious about the air you breathe, the clouds overhead, or the hidden chemistry of fire and smoke, there's something here to fascinate everyone. Hint: They’re all linked! Come explore, ask questions, and get inspired!

#uci #ocarts #science #airuci by @ucishakespeare

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2 months ago

Our Romeo & Juliet team got an exclusive opportunity courtesy of @uci.sca to see our playwright’s collected works in UCI’s own First Folio, printed 403 years ago.

See these words brought to life by Lourdes Castillo, Zach Trent, and our incredible company through August 29 at the New Swan Theater!

Image Descriptions:
1. Zach Trent (Romeo) and Lourdes Castillo (Juliet) with Shakespeare’s First Folio.

2. Director Rachael VanWormer and Dramaturg Neah Lekan with Shakespeare’s First Folio.

3. Zach Trent feeling the 400 year old paper of the First Folio as UCI Libraries staff look on.

4. The First Folio title page of Romeo & Juliet. by @ucishakespeare

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2 months ago

Shakespeare Weekend is here! Join us for two afternoons of community and study with Shakespeare scholars and members of New Swan's creative team.

August 22 | "Romeo & Juliet"
August 23 | "The Merry Wives of Windsor Cove"
Where: UCI Humanities Gateway 1010
Free and open to all!

Learn more about the schedule and guests for each day by visiting the link on our bio.

See you soon!
#shakespeare #newswan #uciarts #ocarts #theater by @ucishakespeare

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3 months ago

A week ago we had our most widely-attended Educators Day ever for “Romeo & Juliet.” Educators, administrators, and community members from all across SoCal gathered to celebrate the work of reaching the next generation through Shakespeare! Special thanks to LBUSD’s James Cooperider and IVC’s Danilo Caputo for their illuminating educator-led activity! If you’d like New Swan to visit your school this year, please reach out! taken in New Swan Shakespeare Festival by @ucishakespeare

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3 months ago

Thank you to everyone who attended our biggest and best Shakespeare Marathon yet! It was a delight to host our community for a full read-through & dress rehearsal of this summer’s sensational production of “Romeo & Juliet” by @ucishakespeare

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3 months ago

We are so excited to continue this tradition! New Swan invites you to this year's Educators Day: "Romeo & Juliet" on July 21. Join us for an afternoon of learning, sharing, and networking – followed by a performance at our award-winning theater!

Free and open to all Southern California teachers, educators, and teacher-curious. Find out more information and sign-up via the link on our bio.

Featuring workshops and seminars by Neah Lekan, Danilo Caputo, James Cooperider, Sheiba Kian Kaufman, Fulbright scholar Andrew Hiscock, New Swan Associate Artist and 2026 Director Rachael VanWormer, and actors Zach Trent and Lourdes Castillo (@ztrent1 / @lourdescastill.o)

#newswan #educators #teachers #socal #shakespeare taken in New Swan Shakespeare Festival by @ucishakespeare

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4 months ago

As we head into rehearsals for our summer festival, we'd like to invite you to our yearly Shakespeare Marathon: Romeo & Juliet!

Join us for this once-in-a-season opportunity to (re-)introduce yourself to one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. This one-day marathon reading of “Romeo & Juliet” will be followed by an exclusive opportunity to attend a tech rehearsal of New Swan’s production of "Romeo & Juliet". Led by Center Education Associate, and our production's dramaturg, Neah Lekan (@neahlekan) Schedule below:

2:00-4:00 pm: Acts One-Three
4:00-4:30 pm: Break, Coffee & Snacks
4:30-6:30 pm: Acts Four-Five
6:30-7:45 pm: Self-hosted dinner break
8:00 pm: Tech rehearsal at New Swan!

Location: UCI Humanities Gateway, Room 1010

Free and open to all!

Please register so that we can plan for your visit, link in our bio.

#shakespeare #ocarts #drama #newswan #literature Image of two lovers' hands reaching towards each other across a deserted night landscape, a house in the distance with a single light on. The moon shines in the horizon. by @ucishakespeare

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5 months ago