2026 NOW Festival: Week 3

Chica Barbosa Marilyn Times Chica Barbosa’s Marilyn Times revisits the legend of Marilyn Monroe through a Latin American lens to question what might be possible when an icon is liberated. The performance stages a dream-state encounter between three characters: Norma Jeane (the woman), Marilyn Monroe (the myth), and Bia Borinn (the performer). Inspired by Brazilian playwright Sergio Roveri’s play imagining Monroe’s final moments, director and filmmaker Chica Barbosa expands that text in a multidimensional piece layering film projection and solo performance. Created in Marilyn Monroe’s centenary year, Marilyn Times frames Monroe’s life as a site of rupture exceeding the illusions of Hollywood projected onto her. Friidom THE TETHER THE TETHER is a deep dive into the ethos of street dance. The piece stems from a pivotal lesson Friidom’s parents taught him about support: when helping someone, you grab them by the wrist, not just the hand, to hold their full weight. In an increasingly divided world, Friidom (Dance and Choreography MFA 2026) sees the keys to survival in the ways dancers support each other. Bringing together dance forms including Krump, D-Boogie, Poppin, Waving, and Tutting, this dynamic piece explores the connections that tie community together,moving beyond one style, neighborhood, or generation. As live music builds and freestyling dancers gather in a propulsive cypher Friidom asks: how do we tether our ancestors’ wisdom and the needs of future generations to the decisions we make today? Tarren Johnson High Earners Not Rich Yet In this dance theater piece, Tarren Johnson (Dance and Choreography BFA 2013) reflects on the physical and economic tensions of Los Angeles in a portrait of precarity. Collaging fragments of text, voice, movement, recorded piano, and image, High Earners Not Rich Yet references individuals who earn substantial incomes yet accumulate little net wealth despite outward signs of affluence. This duet follows a guard as she repeatedly assumes and relinquishes her post amid discarded tires and debris, tracing her inner monologue of observation and memory. Searching for the divine in disorientation, Johnson considers how care is negotiated and sustained through the rituals and contradictions of everyday life. Please note: Marilyn Times contains flashing lights, nudity, loud sounds and mature content; THE TETHER contains loud sounds. NOW 2026: Week Three will be presented as one shared program of all three works on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.