Graduate student Jennifer Grace portrays an isolated woman who creates online videos for children in her M.F.A. project Joy, Unboxed. The UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance presents the play April 5-7, 2021. 

Joy, Unboxed centers on Joy, a reclusive woman who spends her days unboxing toys and making up stories for an audience of children who follow her videos online. She can’t deny the painful truth of the events that led her to this lonely existence, and eventually the toys compel her to tell the hardest story of all. The play uses videos, projections, and live action to take the audience on a journey that veers from silly to heartbreaking and back again.

Contains strong language and adult situations depicted.

In addition to Grace, the cast includes graduate student Danielle Levin, undergraduate students Jess Diaz and Erolina Kamburova and Lucas Hatton (M.F.A., dramatic art, ‘17). The production is directed by Halena Kays, associate professor of theatre at Northwestern University, and Corinne Balmain (B.A., theatre and dance, ‘20) is the stage manager. 

Presented virtually, the free performances are April 5 at 6:30 p.m. PDT and April 6 and 7 at 5:30 PST.

The Department of Theatre and Dance is part of the UC Davis College of Letters and Science.