The Student and Colonel’s Daughter are locked in a vice-grip, their hands glued to each other’s heads, rotating around, dipping and swirling, as it appears some great force has overtaken both. How can something be violent and tender? The Daughter is fighting something within that is about to burst out, and the Student is helping her keep it at bay. Eventually, the unknown force wins.
“The Ghost Sonata,” written by August Strindberg in 1907, is a surreal play that experiments with the human psyche-unraveling the dark secrets of a seemingly perfect and opulent house. The protagonist, a Young Student, has yearned to be a part of the upper class, but upon arriving at the higher echelon of society, finds it riddled with secrets and ghosts, both literal and metaphorical, and a beautiful woman who is doomed to illness.
Director Alejandro Tomás-Rodriguez, a member of the Theatre Faculty at The University of New Mexico, is taking an experimental approach to the work. He embraces movement as a storytelling device and is often seen out of his chair more than in it, crouching, crawling, and throwing himself around the rehearsal space as he encourages each actor to dive into their own embodied expression of the text.
The play explores some dark themes but does not succumb to what could be depressive tones. Instead, there are moments of snark, snideness, even humor as the Young Student uncovers the horrors of the house. There is even time for a chaotic and entrancing choreographed dance-fight
“The Ghost Sonata” is presented by The University of New Mexico Department of Theatre and Dance as part of their current production season. Playing at Rodey Theatre in The UNM Center for the Arts on April 25, 26, and May 1, 2, and 3 at 7:30pm, and April 27 at 2:00pm.
Tickets are available at unmtickets.com or the UNM Bookstore.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
1. PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS TODAY for “The Ghost Sonata,” by visiting https://www.unmtickets.com/events/detail/ghost-sonata-son1
Stephanie J. Woods’ sculpture Never Quite, Sweet Enough I was acquired by the nationally recognized Perry Art Collection following her 2025 residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. The work explores memory, legacy, and historical survival through an abstract porcelain form rooted in Black cultural history.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Dr. Dr. Peter Gilbert, Associate Professor of Theory & Composition in the UNM Department of Music, has been named a recipient of the prestigious Research and Creative Works Leadership Award at the University of New Mexico. The award recognizes recently promoted faculty who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in research and creative work. Nominees are selected by the provost following a rigorous external review of their scholarly and artistic contributions.
Dr. Ana Alonso-Minutti, Professor of Musicology, has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 OVPR Ovation Award for Research and Scholarship. This prestigious recognition, presented by the Office of the Vice President for Research at The University of New Mexico, honors full-time faculty whose recent accomplishments demonstrate exceptional impact, address pressing local or global challenges, and elevate UNM’s standing on national and international stages.