August 28-30, 2026
State of Play invites you to join the creative process, presenting premieres and works in progress by dance artists from the Bay Area and across the US who push the limits of experimentation, risk, and curiosity. Bringing audiences and artists closer together, State of Play centers the art of art-making and its constant: play.
Purchase a festival pass and save!
The Mini Pass - redeems 3 tickets* to the performances or workshops of your choosing during State of Play. Get a taste for great art at an amazing value.
The Mega Pass - redeems 5 tickets to the performances or workshops of your choosing during State of Play. Mega fun for the mega dance fan.
The Max Pass - redeems 9 tickets to the performances or workshops of your choosing during State of Play, PLUS get a free snack. Literally all that and a bag of chips.
*Excludes Friday Opening Night Performance.
ARTIST LINEUP
RISK-TAKERS // Evening Length Performances
Leslie Cuyjet, Laila J. Franklin, Malinda LaVelle and Emmaly Wiederholt, gizeh muñiz
CURIOUS CREATORS // Short Form Performances
Johnny Huy Nguyễn, Dragons Dance/Erin Yen
EXPERIMENTERS // Studio Presentations
Khala Brannigan
Festival Schedule
Thursday, August 27
7:30-9:30pm - Kick Off Party with remarks by creative director Chloë L. Zimberg and ODC Founding Artistic Director, Brenda Way.
Friday, August 28
10:00am - Morning Workshop
7:00pm - Opening Night Performance & After Party featuring Dragons Dance/Erin Yen, Johnny Huy Nguyễn, and Laila J. Franklin with BABYBABYBABY from Boston, MA
Saturday, August 29
10:00am - Morning Workshop
3:00pm - Experimenter - TBA
3:30pm - Laila J. Franklin
5:00pm - gizeh muñiz
6:30pm - Malinda LaVelle & Emmaly Wiederholt
7:30pm - Khala Brannigan
8:30pm - Leslie Cuyjet
Sunday, August 30
10:00am - Morning Workshop
2:30pm - Leslie Cuyjet
3:30pm - Experimenter - TBA
4:30pm - Dragons Dance/Erin Yen & Johnny Huy Nguyễn
6:00pm - Malinda LaVelle & Emmaly Wiederholt
8:00pm - gizeh muñiz
Accessibility at ODC
ODC is ADA Accessible. Additional wheelchair seating is provided for select shows. ODC Theater seats are 17 inches wide. Getting to second floor studios in the ODC Dance Commons and ODC Theater involves riding an elevator or climbing one flight of stairs. The majority of the ODC Annex is carpeted.
Land Acknowledgement
ODC is on the ancestral lands of the Ramaytush People in Yelamu. We pay respects to elders past and present, who are still here and part of our community. We recognize that regenerative land management is not new, but is a continuation of practices from Native cultures and from our own ancestors. It is our responsibility to steward the land with care, as our elders did before us.
Arts Access Tickets
ODC offers a limited number of free and/or lower-cost Art Access tickets to every ODC presented performance. For most performances in B. Way Theater, twenty tickets are allocated to the Arts Access tiers. These additionally subsidized tickets, available on a first-come, first-serve basis, are reserved for those for whom price is a barrier. Please contact boxoffice@odc.dance if you or your organization is interested in underwriting the cost of additional Arts Access tickets.
About the Theater
ODC Theater exists to empower and develop innovative artists. It participates in the creation of new works through commissioning, presenting, mentorship and space access; it develops informed, engaged and committed audiences; and advocates for the performing arts as an essential component to the economic and cultural development of our community. This 170-seat venue is the site of over 150 performances a year involving nearly 1,000 local, regional, national and international artists.
What’s on at ODC Theater?