The UA School of Theatre, Television & Film will present seven student-produced plays in its annual New Directions Festival, running through April 13 at the Tornabene Theatre on campus.

Rayce Morland, a sophomore at the University of Arizona, wears multiple hats at this year’s festival as both the director of “Barefoot in the Park with George Washington” and the playwright behind “Collapse.” 

For Morland, the festival is an opportunity to experiment with unique storytelling approaches and create something audiences have never seen before.

“ ‘Barefoot’ is a really unique piece that can only be experienced through the festival,” Morland said. “It’s set in a historical period, but a lot of the quotes in the play come directly from modern figures like Andrew Tate, Donald Trump and Elon Musk. It’s been fascinating to meld those two worlds and explore how feminism and social justice have evolved over literal centuries.”

As the playwright of “Collapse,” Morland takes a different approach, bringing high fantasy and superhero elements to the stage. The play presents audiences with a moral dilemma: should they spare or eliminate a super-destructive weapon in the form of a little girl named Armageddon? The audience’s vote determines the ending, making each performance a singular experience. 

“I like writing about superheroes and high fantasy,” Morland says. “Being able to put that into New Directions Festival has been really significant for me.”

The collaborative nature of the festival, where students both learn and teach one another, is part of what the student artists believe makes it such a powerful experience. 

“We’re all learning together,” Morland says. “Using each other as a resource has made these productions soar and become something greater than they could ever be in any other setting.”

The festival also provides a platform for actors to explore complex characters and themes. 

Justine Wilken, a senior performing in three productions, is taking on roles that range from historical figures to superheroes.

One of Wilken’s performances is as Hero in “Hero by Choice or Heart.”

“She’s sort of the main character who’s in love with both of her best friends, so it’s about making choices and discovering bisexuality,” Wilken said. “I love being involved in queer works because I feel it’s a cool thing to represent myself, and I would have loved to see something like that growing up.”

She also takes on the role of Martha Washington in “Barefoot in the Park with George Washington” and Armageddon in “Collapse.”  

The festival’s student-driven nature is what sets it apart, offering students full creative control over their work. 

Ivanna Guzman, a junior at the university, is taking a step back from acting and is directing her first play, “Love and Libraries.”

“At first, I was a little nervous as to what that dynamic would be like, but it ended up making us very close and brought another level of trust to the process because we have so much history together from the past,” she said. 

Junior Emma Nutting is acting in “Collapse” and “Can We Talk,” which has given her a chance to explore new aspects of her craft.

“I was most drawn to my role as Motherboard in ‘Collapse’ because she’s someone very similar to me,” Nutting says. “She walks the line between emotional and intelligent, which is something I’ve struggled with — figuring out how to rationalize emotion.”

Nutting joined “Can We Talk” late in the process after another actor dropped out, meaning she had to shape her character entirely on her own. 

The 2025 festival marks an exciting shift as it moves from the 60-seat Harold Dixon Theatre to the 300-seat Tornabene Theatre, allowing for a more immersive experience for both performers and the audience.

“There’s a deep connection between the audience and the actors, and that’s what makes live theatre so special,” Nutting said. “I want the audience to experience that human connection, not just between me and them as actor and audience, but between the characters on stage as well.”

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 5-6; 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 6; 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 11, and Saturday, April 12, which also has a 1:30 p.m. matinee; and 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 13, at Tornabene Theatre, 1025 N. Olive Road on the University of Arizona campus. Tickets are $5, free for college and high school students, through tickets.arizona.edu.

 A post-show discussion will follow Friday’s performance. 

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism