Six student directors take the stage in GUPA’s fall season

The 2025 fall semester is a busy one for Gallaudet University Performing Arts (GUPA), with six student directors taking on projects that bring a mix of classic and original work to the stage.

Part of the Directing Lab course (THE 478), the free shows give students the opportunity to collaborate, experiment, and develop their own directing styles.

Antici…pation builds for The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Kicking off the spooky season, senior August Bird is directing The Rocky Horror Picture Show in celebration of the film’s 50th anniversary. Senior Tyler Furzland serves as stage manager, and Casey Johnson-Pasqua, ’18, serves as assistant stage manager. The show will run for three nights in the Elstad Annex’s Black Box from October 30 to November 1.

Since its 1975 debut, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has thrilled audiences with its iconic mixture of horror, comedy, sci-fi, and queer camp. When a newly engaged couple’s car breaks down on a stormy night, they end up in Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s strange mansion, where chaos, music, and “Time Warp” madness take over. With its eccentric characters, catchy songs, and playful audience participation, Rocky Horror still brings people together for a wild midnight experience.

As the characters tease the audience, “I see you shiver with antici…pation.”

Bird shares, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show is celebrating its 50th anniversary and still manages to capture modern audiences. The show is transformative and will bring you a wild night of outrageous fun and unapologetic self-expression like you’ve never experienced. Rocky Horror Picture Show welcomes all and invites the audience to leave their inhibitions at the door. It will be a night you will never forget.”

Most of the cast and crew are Gallaudet students, bringing their own energy and creativity to this cult classic.

Bathroom Tales spotlights deaf playwrights and student directors

The following weekend, November 6-9, GUPA will present five performances of Bathroom Tales in the Elstad Annex Black Box, each featuring a showcase of five short plays by Deaf playwrights. All five skits take place in a bathroom and range from comedic moments to heartfelt stories, offering audiences a mix of humor and emotional depth. 

Every show will include the same lineup: 

Boy Scout by Rob Roth, directed by Danyeal Davis

• A Deaf man reflects on his childhood bond with his brother and the unspoken trauma he suffered at a Boy Scout camp.

Other by Alexandria Wailes, directed by Ray Poukish

• Between late-night routines and candid conversations amid playful chaos, a mother, her daughter, and two aunts navigate identity, heritage, and the messy joy of claiming their space.

Plumb Crazy Pipe Dream by Aimee Chou, directed by Tyler Furzland

• A Deaf couple in Flint, Michigan struggles with the trauma left by the city’s water crisis as they confront loss, resilience, and hope for new life amid the 2020 pandemic.

Surprise Guest by James Caverly, ’11, directed by Courtney Bronson

• An old woman’s peaceful bedtime routine turns into total bathroom chaos when she unknowingly shares it with a human-sized bug just trying to escape.

Whacked! by Kalen Feeney, directed by Dazlyn Lopez

• After waking up “dead” in a bathtub, a woman confronts the hitman hired to kill her and the twisted truth behind her own murder.

Each production is led by student directors and performed by student or faculty actors, highlighting the boundless talent of Gallaudet’s theatre community.

Free tickets, spooky talent: don’t miss GUPA’s fall shows

Between the unhinged fun of Rocky Horror and the creativity of the student-directed short plays, GUPA’s fall season promises an exciting semester of theatre at Gallaudet.

Tickets for both The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Bathroom Tales are free! Follow @gallyperformingarts on Instagram for showtimes and updates.

Ready for your close-up? Check out the Gallaudet University Performing Arts (formerly Theatre & Dance) program.