Man and woman standing by flip charts while class participants look on.

UVA Acts - Book a Performance

UVA Acts programming is designed to tour to departments, schools, and professional group. We want the conversations and ideas that are generated during our performances to continue long after we leave, and this happens easily when audience members are already connected and collaborating. Follow the steps below to start the process of bringing UVA Acts to your colleagues and peers. 

What is the process for booking a performance?

  1. Read our FAQ’s below to make sure that a private performance is right for your audience and goals.
  2. We are currently accepting booking requests for Fall 2022.
  3. After submitting your form, you will hear back from us to confirm a performance date and to schedule pre-/post-meetings.
  4. We will meet at least twice to plan for your performance, including one content-focused meeting and one logistics-focused meeting. Additional meetings will be planned if necessary.
  5. Performance Hosts are responsible for booking a room, recruiting an audience, and managing all communications around the event. UVA Acts will provide marketing materials and an audience registration form.
  6. After the performance, UVA Acts will provide a follow-up report. We will meet with the Performance Host to reflect on outcomes and consider steps for continued learning.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How much does it cost?

UVA Acts is currently free for all groups of UVA faculty and instructors. If you are not booking for a UVA group, please contact us at uvaacts@virginia.edu for more information.

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How do I know which program to bring in?

Consider what you hope audience members will do differently as a result of seeing a performance. With that in mind, check out our program page and the learning goals listed for each program. Still stuck? Email us at uvaacts@virginia.edu. We’re happy to help you choose!

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What is the preferred audience size?

An ideal UVA Acts audience is 30-50 people. Performances must have a minimum of 20 registered audience members to have a private performance. If you’re concerned about meeting this minimum, we encourage groups to combine with one another to ensure a large and dynamic audience.

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Who can be in the audience?

Our programs are designed primarily for faculty, but positive dialogue often emerges from mixed groups of faculty, staff, and students. It’s best to consider the audience in light of your goals for the performance. If you’re not sure who you’d like to invite, please reach out to discuss further. 

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Can I provide food?

Food is a great way to recruit an audience! However, please don’t plan to serve food during the performance. Either serve it before or after (we prefer after), as we are unable to perform while people are eating.

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Are program times flexible? Can you make it shorter to fit into my program?

You’ll note that a range of time is offered next to each program. We are unable to make the program shorter than the advertised run time range, and we highly recommend that you plan for the maximum time range. Due to the interactive nature of the program, we are unable to guarantee an exact run time, and this time range is subject to a number of variables (including the size of the audience, how familiar they are with one another, the time of day for the performance, the set-up of the room, etc.). The time range we provide are the closest estimations possible, and it should be noted that timing is due to change during the performance depending on what comes to the surface. The strongest performances will always be the performances that give the facilitator, actors, and audience sufficient time to respond to and consider emerging ideas.

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Can UVA Acts create a performance to deal with a particular topic my department is concerned with?

It’s possible that one of our programs may already touch on this issue, and that we may be able to adjust facilitation accordingly to meet your needs. Should that not be possible, UVA Acts is open to coordinate with you to present a program crafted to address a particular topic of concern for your group. Email us at uvaacts@virginia.edu to learn about what might work best.

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Can the circumstances/characters/context of a UVA Acts program be changed to be more specific to my context (i.e., can you set this story in my school/department/discipline)?

UVA Acts is unable to change the context, characters, or stories represented in the performed aspects of our programming. However, as we plan with you to prepare for a performance, we will consider ways to tailor dialogue facilitation to the particular concerns and context of the audience.

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 Can you just do one part of a program for my group? Can I pick different scenes from different programs without the facilitation?

Our programs are developed holistically, meaning we carefully design and pilot our facilitation, interactive, and dramaturgical structures as one program. Changing any part of the program risks compromising the integrity and effectiveness of the work, so we are unable to change the program structure. 

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Can someone from my department co-facilitate the program?

Due to the interactive and improvisational nature of our work, our Artistic Director, Karen Dabney, is the only facilitator for programming at this time. However, it is possible for us to collaborate with you to support accompanying conversations or meetings facilitated by you or a colleague after or before a performance.

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