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No Safety Net: Pushing Boundaries in UMS's 24/25 Season

Jess Jenks

The University Musical Society (UMS) is set to challenge audiences once again with the return of its provocative No Safety Net series in the 2024-25 season. This cutting-edge program, known for presenting works that tackle contemporary issues head-on, will feature three interactive theatrical experiences that promise to spark dialogue and push the boundaries of traditional performance.

Kicking off the series is “Fight Night” by the Belgian theater collective Ontroerend Goed, running from September 25-29, 2024. This politically charged piece transforms the theater into a polling station, where audience members become voters in a mock election. As candidates vie for support, viewers must navigate through campaign promises, charisma, and manipulation, ultimately confronting the democratic process itself.

The series continues in the new year with “Nate—A One Man Show,” written by and starring Natalie Palamides, from February 5-9, 2025. This daring solo performance delves into the complexities of consent and modern masculinity. Performed by Natalie Palamides in drag, Nate blurs the lines between comedy and discomfort, challenging audiences to examine their own beliefs and biases about toxic masculinity.

Closing out the No Safety Net series is “asses.masses,” a creation by Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim, scheduled for February 15-16, 2025. This innovative work explores the intersection of technology, politics, and human behavior. Audience members will become active participants in a full video game designed to be played in a theatre by audience members one person at a time. Using a single game controller, audience members will lead an ensemble cast of out-of-work donkeys through an epic adventure as they negotiate leadership, labour, and what it means to share the load of revolution.

“Our No Safety Net series returns in the 24/25 UMS season, accentuating our commitment to presenting artists and works that not only entertain but also challenge perceptions, interrogate our thinking, and catalyze important conversations about the issues of our time,” says Matthew VanBesien, President of UMS. “Our hope is that these performances leave audiences ruminating about their experience long after they’ve left the theater.”

Each production in the series will be accompanied by post-performance discussions, contextual learning and engagement activities, encouraging deeper engagement with the themes presented on stage.

“No Safety Net puts the power of the arts to convene and provoke greater understanding into action,” notes Mark Clague, Executive Director of the U-M Arts Initiative. “In the theater, the audience assembles in community to grapple with vexing social challenges that defy simplistic solutions and require thoughtful engagement, a willingness to listen to other views, and the courage to let go of our own preconceptions. For me personally, this UMS series is a must-see, and I try to attend each and every show.”

As the name suggests, No Safety Net isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for those who seek to be challenged, to engage with pressing social issues, and to experience theater that breaks free from conventional boundaries. 

With its mix of humor, provocation, and audience participation, the 24/25 No Safety Net series promises to be a highlight of UMS’s upcoming season, reaffirming the power of live performances to inspire change and foster understanding in an increasingly complex world.

Additional information can be found at ums.org/nosafetynet.