Kate Eberstadt: Where We Meet Work-In-Progress Showing & Conversation
Kate Eberstadt’s *Where We Meet* is presented as a work-in-progress showing followed by a conversation with the audience. The piece explores whether music can connect people separated by distance and time, inspired in part by Eberstadt’s experience working at a refugee camp and forming a friendship with someone she can no longer reach. It also considers whether unseen aspects of the universe, including ideas associated with quantum mechanics, might offer another way to understand connection with people who are absent or lost.
The performance preview is followed by an audience dialogue involving a physicist, an artist and a nonprofit community leader who works with displaced families around the world. The project was commissioned by and is being developed with Ars Nova, an Off-Broadway theater in New York. The event is presented in partnership with Arts for All, the UMD Department of Physics and the Joint Quantum Institute, as part of NextNOW Fest 2026.
When: Thursday, September 10, 2026
Showtime: 6:00 p.m.
Venue: Dance Theatre, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Tickets: Free
Admission: General admission
Format: Work-in-progress performance showing followed by a conversation and audience Q&A
Artist: Kate Eberstadt, composer, writer, performer and Arts for All Artist-In-Residence
Development: Commissioned by and in development with Ars Nova
Partners: Arts for All, the UMD Department of Physics and the Joint Quantum Institute
Festival: Part of NextNOW Fest 2026, The Clarice’s multi-day festival of performances and other experiences by artists from around the country and the University of Maryland
Livestream: No
Run time: Not specified
Ages: Not specified
Accessibility: The Clarice offers wheelchair-accessible and size-inclusive seating, large-print programs, assisted-listening devices, adult and child-friendly sensory packs, and quiet spaces upon request. ASL interpretation, audio description and captioning are available for select events or by patron request at least six weeks in advance.
Registration: Registration is available through the NextNOW Fest event registration link.