Tim Tai

With witty humor, culturally relevant themes and committed casts, the Yale Dramatic Association returns this fall hoping to capture its audience’s hearts and imagination. 

The Dramat is the largest and oldest undergraduate theater organization at Yale. Every fall, the Dramat produces an experimental and mainstage show. This year, the productions spotlight themes ranging from social inequalities to the female identity through musical theater and poetic storytelling. 

This season’s lineup includes “Exclamation Point & An Act Without Words” and “Urinetown,” distinct but complementary pieces of work.

“Both of our upcoming shows are looking to celebrate and support our community,” Dramat President Elizabeth Stanish ’27 said. “We’re really excited about bringing different people around campus into the Dramat community for these shows!” 

Written and directed by Soleil Piverger ’27, “Exclamation Point & An Act Without Words” centers on a runaway girl who aims to discover her identity amidst isolation and family displacement. Inspired by Bruce Nauman’s 1969 film, “Lip Sync,” and Samuel Beckett’s mime play, “Act Without Words I,” the play explores concepts of female autonomy and the connection between body and language. 

One unique feature of the production is inclusion of Fluxus performance scores, which are open instructions that let performers act spontaneously. The room for interpretation leaves the floor open for audience members to interact with the piece and experience theater outside its traditional realm. 

While promoted as this season’s experimental show, Piverger hopes to push against the label “experimental.” 

“I personally don’t really believe in calling something experimental because I think everything is experimental,” Piverger said. As a testament to her artistic journey, Piverger hopes to bring a fresh perspective to the Dramat while also aiming to encourage cross-collaboration within different communities at Yale. 

Piverger’s play will take place at the Iseman Theater, and will feature artists from both the School of Art and the School of Drama. The production runs from Oct. 9 to 11. 

Produced by Dhruv Bhalla ’27, Urinetown is also set to present this fall. 

Set in a grotesque dystopian society, Urinetown is a musical that illustrates a world where citizens must pay to use urinals because of a significant water shortage.

After multiple rounds of feedback and input, the Dramat selected Urinetown as their fall musical. According to Bhalla, the production team hopes to entice viewers with its thought-provoking themes, such as environmentalism and social irresponsibility, while keeping them laughing in their seats.

“Urinetown has been proposed several times, and we are very excited to finally bring this farcical satire back to the Yale stage at a time when its themes feel increasingly relevant,” Bhalla said. 

In recent times of protest and party division, Urinetown will leave viewers questioning individuality and uniformity while delivering sharp political commentary. The production will run Nov. 19 to 22. 

The Yale Dramat was founded in 1901.