“Polaroid Stories,” A Theatre Studio Ensemble Production

“Polaroid Stories,” A Theatre Studio Ensemble Production

By Naomi Iizuka

Directed by Quest Sky Zeidler

Apr. 16 - 17, 2027 at 7:30 p.m.

Apr. 17, 2027 at 2 p.m.

$25 Adults | $20 Seniors/Veterans/UB Employees 

$15 Students/Children | $10 UB Students 

“Polaroid Stories” brings tales of Greek mythology into the dark and dizzying streets of an urban wasteland. In an underworld of shady alleys and chain link fences, a pantheon of vagrant youths do what they can to survive. Though these street kids have been left to rot in the shadows, their lives play out on a mythic scale. The lost souls of “Polaroid Stories” struggle with themselves, each other, and a world which has cast them aside. When you have nothing left to lose, death seems less like a threat and more like a metamorphosis.

This production embraces the fuzzy ambiguities of Naomi Iizuka’s retelling of Ovid’s tales of love and loss. Far from Mount Olympus, “Polaroid Stories” plays out in the liminal spaces of the city: a concrete no-man’s land, an asphalt nowhere. Language here floats between poetry and slang, spoken by street rats with the names of Greek heroes and deities. It is a play world defined by juxtaposition and impossibility, where blood blooms into flowers and a beautiful boy can shatter into a million pieces. By merging the abject with the divine, “Polaroid Stories” asks us to reconsider which stories we dignify and which we disregard.

“Polaroid Stories” is presented by arrangement with Dramatic Publishing Company (DPC).
www.dramaticpublishing.com  

Content Advisory: This work includes mature themes related to adolescence, such as substance use, sexual content, violence, and strong language.

The UB Theatre and Dance 2026-2027 season is sponsored in part by Fox Run at Orchard Park, celebrating its eighth year in support of the department.