The first show to take on the Kirkpatrick stage this semester is the Bass School of Music mainstage opera, The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Merry Wives of Windsor is a Shakespearean comedy that follows the character Sir John Falstaff as he tries to seduce two married women in order to gain access to their…
OCU Announced in BroadwayWorld 2023 Winners
Hey Stars! The 2023 BroadwayWorld Oklahoma Awards Winners were announced in January! Oklahoma City University was awarded eight of these prestigious awards, which were voted upon at the end of 2023. Four of these awards were related to the standout 2023 fall mainstage musical Sweeney Todd. Here is a complete list of shows, students, faculty…
Puffs to Kick off School of Theater Spring Semester
The first School of Theater show of the spring 2024 semester is Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic! Puffs is the perfect show for all Harry Potter fans out there. It is a hilarious play that gently mocks the series and makes clever jokes that only true…
2023-24 Spring Semester in the Arts
Welcome back Stars! We hope that you had a great break and are ready to get back to another great semester of learning. We are absolutely thrilled for students to return to campus and share this semester’s show calendar. Take a look at what is planned for this semester: January 25: Project 21 Concert Bass…
North American Premiere of Paradise Caps off School of Theatre’s Fall Semester
To end the OCU School of Theatre’s fall season, Paradise by Kae Tempest took the stage on December 7-10. Paradise is a new take on the Greek legend of Philoctetes, a celebrated wartime hero turned into an outcast. After being stranded on a desolate island for ten years, his plans to escape are…
Second Annual School of Dance Holiday Spectacular Draws in Crowds
The holiday season was kicked off this past year with the second annual Holiday Spectacular presented by the Oklahoma City University Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Entertainment, running from December 7-11. The Spectacular was a two-act dance show with performances comprised entirely of student dancers with more student dancers filling several management positions,…
OCU School of Music Comes Together for 44th Annual Christmas Vespers
The Oklahoma City University School of Music wrapped up 2023 with their annual Christmas Vespers Concert. This beautiful event was held in the First Presbyterian Church and featured performances from the OCU choirs and orchestras. The four OCU Choirs performed 16 songs prior to ending the night with candlelight singing of “Night of Silence” during…
44th Annual Christmas Vespers Celebration
OCU School of Music presents the annual Christmas Vespers Concert! Over 250 musicians and choral students will perform at the 44th annual Christmas Vespers. The concert includes student organists, the OCU flute choir, and concludes with Night of Silence which is a candlelight recessional inspired by Silent Night. You can expect to experience a few…
The Yellowboat Leaves Audience Emotional
Oklahoma City University’s final Studio Series production of the fall semester came to a close today. The Yellowboat occupied the Black Box Theatre in one of the most moving pieces of the season so far. Directed by senior BFA Acting Major, Sarah Filek, the show developed a beautifully creative world that explored the tragic story…
OCU Begins New Organization “From Scratch”
Oklahoma City University is home to many student organizations including the recently founded From Scratch. From Scratch is a student organization housed under the School of Theatre that strives to promote original student work created “from scratch.” With an emphasis on playwrighting, co-artistic director, Olivia Akers, states that the organization focuses on producing new works…
American Premiere of Opera Pieta
The twisted and captivating tale of Pietà/Suor Angelica took the stage this past weekend as a part of the Wanda Bass School of Music season. Pietà/Suor Angelica are two separate operas that tie into each other through characters and plot lines. Pietà is a new opera co-written by the director of this production, Andrea DelGiudice….
Star Dance Company Lights Up the Stage with Holiday Spectacular
The Ann Lacy School of American Dance & Entertainment at Oklahoma City University presents the Star Dance Company’s Holiday Spectacular, an incredible show of talent and festive cheer. The performances, which will take place at OCU’s Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Building’s Kirkpatrick Theater, promises to be a joyous celebration of the holiday season. More than 120…
Oklahoma City University School of Theatre Presents North American Premiere of Paradise
The Oklahoma City University School of Theatre presents its final mainstage show of the fall semester, Paradise by Kae Tempest. The show is a new take on the classic Greek legend of Philoctetes, a celebrated wartime hero turned into an outcast, who, after being stranded on a desolate island for ten years changes plans from…
Light and Sound on Steel and Glass Stuns Viewers
Every other year, Oklahoma City University School of Music and School of Theatre collaborate for a stunning multimedia display in downtown Oklahoma City entitled “Light & Sound on Steel & Glass.” This year the outside concert took place on Saturday, November 4th. Lighting Design students from OCU’s Theatre Design and Production under the supervision of…
Music School Presents The Light in the Piazza
The Wanda Bass School of Music is excited to announce this semester’s musical spotlight, The Light in the Piazza. The musical follows a tale of love, regret and new beginnings as a mother and daughter embark on parallel journeys of self-discovery during a trip to Italy, where their lives are transformed by a chance encounter…
OCU ODEI Celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Indigenous Peoples’ Day, observed annually on the second Monday of October, celebrates the immense contributions the indigenous community has made to society. It serves to honor the resilience, contributions, struggles and successes of this community in the past, present and future. Instituted in 1992 in Berkeley, California, the observation eventually spread throughout numerous cities and…
A Look into OCU OPERAtions
Oklahoma City University OPERAtions is a student-run organization that focuses on learning about and performing operas and is headed by co-executive directors Maeve Sullivan and Camryn Creech. Creech described it as, “an opportunity for people to perform,” as well as explaining that “it’s a way for people to get something under their resume, do something…
Oklahoma City University Music Theatre Presents Season Opener: Sweeney Todd
Oklahoma City University’s Wanda Bass School of Music invited students to “attend the tale of Sweeney Todd”, for this year’s first main stage musical production. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber on Fleet Street is a dark and thrilling musical that successfully transported its viewers into the macabre world of 19th-century London. Auditions for this production…
El Sistema, Project 21 Collaboration Concert
On March 12, Project 21: Music of the 21st Century held a historic student performed and composed concert in cooperation with local nonprofit music organization, El Sistema, titled the Project 21: El Sistema Collaboration, with a record breaking 30-piece concert. For this concert, Project 21 paired with El Sistema Oklahoma, a 3-12th grade after-school conservatory that…
Next Arts for March
Friday, March 3, OCU Stripped, “Ride the Cyclone” Petree Recital Hall, Free Admission Thursday, March 9 – Saturday March 11, Star Dance Company “MOVE! Dance for the World of Entertainment” Kirkpatrick Auditorium, Tickets Required Thursday, March 23 – Sunday, March 26, Stage II, “Ada and the Engine” Black Box Theatre, Tickets Required Thursday, March 30,…
Winter Choral Concert Showcases Broad Vocal Talents
On February 28, the four OCU choirs combined for their Winter Choral Concert, led by Dr. Randi Von Ellefson and Professor Tony Gonzalez with collaborative artists John L. Edwards, Jean Shackleton, and Donald Tullius. The University Chorale started the concert with, “Even When He is Silent” by Kim Andre Arnesen, directed by student conductor Raeslyn…
Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute’ reveals cast’s talent
From February 17-19, OCU Opera and Musical Theatre performed their first spring mainstage opera, “The Magic Flute” directed by Cynthia Stokes. The opera is by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from a libretto, a book of texts to be sung for a performance, by Emanuel Schikaneder. The show premiered on 30 September 1791, just two months before…
Fine Arts plans full spring performance schedule
OCU is a university where the arts can be found almost anywhere at any time, with over 10 concerts, not to mention over 10 productions, all happening in the past semester.
The upcoming semester has no plans of slowing down with over eight concerts, 10 theatre productions, a dance production, as well as events planned for specific musicians and art exhibits in the Norick Art Center.
Star Dance Company to debut Holiday Spectacular
The Oklahoma City University Holiday Spectacular dance show will be the inaugural performance for the newly forged Star Dance Company of the Ann Lacy School of American Dance & Entertainment. Performances will occur Dec. 8-11, with performances on the 8th, 9th, and 10th happening at 8 p.m., and performances happening on the 10th and 11th…
43rd Vespers set for two weekend performances
On Dec. 9 and 10, OCU’s Wanda L. Bass School of Music will combine more than 250 choral singers and instrumentalists for the 43rd annual Christmas Vespers concert. The Friday performance will begin at 8 p.m. in Oklahoma City First Presbyterian Church, 1001 NW 25th Street. The Saturday performance is a 4 p.m. matinee. Tickets…
‘Monsters’ is ‘biggest, wildest, most exciting’
From Dec. 8-11, OCU Theatre will continue their Mainstage season with “She Kills Monsters.” The 8th through the 10th will have performances at 8 p.m. and the 10th and 11th will have matinee performances at 2 p.m. Tickets are available for the performances for $15 at www.okcu.edu/tickets or at (405) 208-5227. The play is a…