At the beginning of every semester, the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club (HRDC), Harvard’s primary undergraduate theater organization, announces the productions that will take the stage across Harvard’s theaters. This semester, the HRDC has announced an exciting mix of original student work and established productions that students can audition for, staff, or mark in their calendars as an entertaining break from classwork.
The HRDC productions for Spring 2025 are as follows:
The Loeb Proscenium
The Loeb Proscenium, the 550-person theater shared with the American Repertory Theater and the largest of the spaces available to the HRDC, will see two exciting large-scale productions this semester: the first a fresh take on Jesus Christ Superstar, the iconic 1971 musical, and the second Eastbound 2025, this semester’s highly anticipated Asian American Dance Troupe (AADT) spring show.
Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by Hannah Alexis ’27 and presented by Black Community and Student Theater (BlackC.A.S.T), is in residence at the Loeb Proscenium from March 24 to April 13. The musical, written by Tim Rice and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, debuted in 1971. The show is a rock opera that tracks the final week of Jesus’s life as told from the perspective of Judas Iscariot. This production is significant as it is the first time in recent years that BlackC.A.S.T, the undergraduate theatre organization dedicated to promoting and creating theater-making opportunities for Black artists, has put a production on the Proscenium. Alexis plans to take a fresh approach to Superstar, reimagining it in the context of the social justice movements of the ’60s and ’70s to explore the savior-like pedestalization of activists.
The Asian American Dance Troupe (AADT) returns to the Proscenium this semester after an extremely successful, sold-out run of shows on Loeb’s mainstage in spring 2024 and an equally successful production in Lowell Lecture Hall in fall 2024. AADT is composed of hundreds of dancers and a dedicated team of choreographers and board members who come together to put on a high-energy show that celebrates Asian culture through various forms of dance. This semester’s AADT production, Eastbound 2025, will be in residence at the Loeb Proscenium from April 14 to April 27.
The Loeb Experimental Theater
A compelling mix of original student works and lesser-known plays and musicals are slated to take place in the Loeb Experimental Theater (the Loeb Ex), the HRDC’s smaller black-box theater. First up is Gruesome Playground Injuries, a 2011 play by Rajiv Joseph that tracks an unconventional love story that begins when two people meet in their elementary school nurse’s office. Directed by Texaco Texeira-Ramos ’26 and in residence from Feb. 17 to Feb. 23, the play will certainly pack a poignant, emotional punch.
Immediately after Gruesome Playground Injuries is be cozy, a play both written and directed by Zach Halberstam ’25 with a residency from Feb. 24 to March 9. The play follows Emily, a struggling B-movie actress living with her troubled boyfriend and quirky brother, as she grapples with reality and control on a transformative film shoot in an exploration of entrapment, obsession, and the blurred lines between fiction and life. Halberstam is no stranger to the Ex, having previously co-directed Constellations in the spring of 2024, and it will be exciting to see him bring his original work to the space.
Following be cozy is Songs For A New World from March 10 to March 30, directed and co-choreographed by Jessica Hung ’25 alongside co-choreographer Abby Zachary ’25. Songs for A New World is described as “neither musical play nor revue, it is closer to a theatrical song cycle, a very theatrical song cycle” and will feature four singers performing thematically connected yet temporally disparate songs alongside a company of contemporary dancers. The production is slightly more experimental than some others in the Ex this semester and is certain to be highly enthralling.
Next in the Ex is mind’s eye, this semester’s production by the Harvard-Radcliffe Modern Dance Company (HRMDC). HRMDC has a strong track record of putting visually stimulating and highly unique dance shows up in the Ex, and they are set to continue this with another strong production, which is in residence from March 31 to April 6.
Slated next in the Ex is SKETCH! (a sketch comedy show). SKETCH!, directed by Sophie Garrigus ’25, will feature various comedic vignettes written by Talon Flodman ’25, Kendall Brady ’27, Kathleen Benson ’26, Aidan Kohn-Murphy ’26, Amann Mahajan ’28, Clara Shapiro ’27, and Mack Webb ’25. In residence from April 7 to April 13, SKETCH! will go on at the perfect time to serve as a humorous break for laughing away the pain of impending exams.
Another dance show, Cadence by the Harvard Undergraduate Contemporary Collective (HCC), will follow SKETCH! in the Ex. HCC also has a history of putting up thematically complex and technically refined dance shows in the Ex, and this show is sure to continue that legacy by being a unique, not-to-be-missed dance event. Cadence will be in residence in the Ex from April 14 to April 20.
The final, highly-anticipated show of the season to be performed in the Ex is The Old Man and the Old Moon, in residence from April 21 to May 4. The Old Man and the Old Moon is a heart-warming “play with music” written by PigPen Theatre Co. that follows the Old Man in charge of filling the moon with light. The Old Man is thrust on a sea-faring adventure to find his wife after she is drawn away by a mysterious melody. Directed by Ria Cuellar-Koh ’26, music directed by Kiesse Nanor ’26 and George Roggie ’26, and choreographed by Adrienne Chan ’25, the show will undoubtedly provide an uplifting end to the semester.
The Agassiz Theater
The third primary theater space occupied by the HRDC is the Agassiz Theater, and it too has an exciting lineup of shows in store this semester. The first, currently in residence with shows from Jan. 29 through Feb. 2, is Harvard College Opera’s Cendrillon, a classic rendition of “Cinderella” set to music by Jules Massenet and a libretto by Henri Cain. Cendrillon, directed by Eliza Zangerl ’26 is a fun, operatic take on a fairytale classic that could serve as a great way to unwind from the first week of classes.
Next in the Agassiz is Ghungroo 2025: Rooted, the latest installment of the annual favorite presented by the South Asian Student Association (SASA), the Harvard Undergraduate Nepali Student Association (HUNSA), the Pakistani Students Association (PSA), and the Bengali Association of Students at Harvard College (BASHA). Ghungroo is the largest student-run production on campus, centering on South Asian and diaspora culture. It will feature a variety of dances, music, spoken word, skits, and more. The organization announced that this year’s theme, Rooted, will explore “the surface of our ancestral tree, unearth stories, and navigate the tangled roots that connect us all.” The production, like its predecessors, is sure to be an unmissable cultural celebration.
Following this is Arcadia, a 1993 play by Tom Stoppard, to be directed by Ben Arthurs ’27 and in residence from March 3 to March 30. The play is considered one of Stoppard’s greatest and has been both canonized and revered. Arcadia is a sophisticated comedy, exploring polemic themes of loss, order and disorder, certainty and uncertainty, and the passage of time. The play will likely be well-received by Harvard audiences, and will also be an exciting challenge to actors looking to work with nuanced, funny source material.
After Arcadia will be this year’s First-Year Musical: Starville. The First-Year Musical, often referred to as the “froshical,” is an annual musical completely written, produced, directed, and performed by Harvard first-years. The only requirement to be involved in the show is to be a first-year student. The First-Year Musical is a fun, wholly unique romp every year that provides first-year students with the opportunity to get involved in theater alongside their peers. With big shoes to fill after the Class of 2025’s froshical 7 Sacrilege Street, the Class of 2026’s Post Mortem, and the Class of 2027’s The Kids are Alright, this year’s Starville is an eagerly anticipated production, promising fresh creativity, energy, and talent as the Class of 2028 takes the stage to showcase their original work in what has become a beloved Harvard tradition. Starville will be in residence in the Agassiz from March 31 to April 13.
The last production in the Agassiz is a beloved classic: The Addams Family. With lyrics and music by Andrew Lippa and based on a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, the musical opened on Broadway in 2010. This semester’s production will be directed by Riley Jackson ’27 and Mia Schenenga ’27 and will be in residence from April 21 to May 4. With iconic, fun source material, this musical will be a great study break during finals and a delightful end to the HRDC’s spring 2025 season.
Further information about these productions can be found on the HRDC’s website.
Kayla Reifel ’26 (kaylareifel@college.harvard.edu) is attempting to plan her semester around seeing every single one of these shows.