I first toured the UC Davis campus about three years ago. I was a senior in high school, my last acceptance letters were trickling in and I had no idea where I wanted to go to college.
Before that tour, Davis was at the bottom of my list. I had been told that UCD was a biology school in the middle of nowhere, and as a girl raised in Los Angeles and planning to major in something arts-related, I had already decided that it was not for me. Worst of all, my senior musical was approaching and I was simultaneously cast and costume designer for the show. At that moment, skipping a few days of rehearsal felt like the end of the world.
Thankfully, my mom didn’t allow me to get away with that BS. Perhaps because she liked the idea of me staying in the state for college — or maybe because she had some kind of magic mom foresight — she forced me to drive up with her to tour the campus in April of 2023.
Shocker, I ended up loving Davis. The intimate atmosphere of the town combined with the sprawling campus and huge student body was a perfect fit, and I could immediately see myself spending the next four years there.
Everything seemed great, certainly to my mother, but I knew there was one problem. Theater! When I asked my tour guide about performing arts opportunities at Davis, she stared blankly back at me, and all of the other prospective students seemed to be content only hearing about athletic and career-related clubs.
When we got back to our hotel room that evening, I began a mad search.
“Theater at UC Davis?” “UCD performing arts clubs?” “How do I get involved in theater at UCD???”
Unfortunately, none of my searches was particularly fruitful. I was disappointed, but ended up committing to Davis anyway — the pros outweighed the cons — and maybe it was my turn to have a little bit of foresight.
It wasn’t until a month before school began that, by a stroke of luck, a potential employer put me in contact with a current UCD student who was a member of Studio 301 Productions.
She explained to me that 301 is a student-run theater company at UC Davis, committed to making performance accessible to all, especially those who aren’t theater majors. I was elated — it felt like everything was finally coming together.
I am now a third-year English and Music double-major, and I have been consistently involved in 301 since I began at Davis. Currently, I am co-music directing our winter production of Ride the Cyclone, and I am on the club’s board as Marketing Director.
It was a stroke of luck that I found 301 when I did, but my involvement with them has been formative to my college experience. I know that in some ways, online exposure for Davis’ arts clubs has improved in the past three years, but in some ways, it is still lacking. Below, I have compiled a list of most of the main performing arts clubs at UCD, and I reached out to some of the clubs’ board members to ask the questions I would have loved to know the answers to as an incoming Davis freshman.
Acapella
Ever wished that you were in ‘Pitch Perfect’? This is your lucky day! There are five acapella groups at UC Davis: The Spokes, The Lounge Lizards, The Liquid Hotplates, Cleftomaniacs and Jhankaar.
I was lucky enough to interview members of The Spokes, an all-female identifying ensemble. “We sing, we dance and we compete, all while being best friends (as cheesy as that sounds),” they shared. If you are interested in making some new besties, they “typically have two audition periods per year — one in the fall … and one in the spring. They may seem daunting, but they’re super low-key! You just show up, sing a couple of vocal exercises and a 30-second to 1-minute solo that you feel best showcases your voice!”
Comedy
There are also lots of opportunities for comics at Davis. We have many comedy clubs, ranging from improv to stand-up to sketch comedy.
I spoke with some of the ‘Birdies’ from improv club Birdstrike, “a long-form improvisational theater club. Birds learn the basics of improv theater, a ton of cool long-form improv formats and sometimes go to college improv team-focused events!” Auditions for Birdstrike are held in the fall and are announced on their Instagram.
First-year Bird Isaac Richardson shared: “I feel like I am always learning and improving just by watching my teammates do their thing and getting to be silly with them.”
“I honestly am just really lucky to be a part of this team, and I’m really proud of the improv community we’ve created,” added Ale Pelkowski.
Miscellaneous
Not really into singing or comedy? That’s ok!! There is a diverse range of clubs with performing opportunities on campus. Other than my clear bias, Studio 301 Productions, some of my favorites are the Rocky Horror club and Theater for Social Change.
Theater for Social Change specializes in “alternative forms of theater and … original student-written and performed pieces. No theatrical experience is required and all … events are free to attend!” They have general meetings on a bi-weekly basis and have quarterly auditions and applications for designers and crew for all of their productions. They also host “benefit performances” where students can sign up to perform in an open mic format to raise money for a cause. Students interested in getting involved can “fill out our New Works Submission form for ideas with plays, future projects and more!”
Nitin Ramesh, the club’s secretary, shared: “My favorite part of TFSC is how we are able to give many playwrights in Davis an opportunity to show off their original work. It’s been truly incredible seeing the … talent in our theater department, and I can’t wait to see more of it in the future.”
Closing thoughts…
I may be a bit biased, but if you are an artsy high school student like I was, unsure about whether or not you’d fit in at a school like UC Davis, consider this your sign. I hope to see you at auditions in the fall!
In the words of Spokes member Neharika Logeshwaran, “if you’re trying to get into the performing arts scene at UC Davis, [don’t] let any corner of the arts department go unnoticed. There are so many clubs and organizations on campus that deserve everyone’s attention and … many students haven’t heard of them … venturing out beyond the surface is where you’re guaranteed to find something you’ll love.”