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 with limited “found resources and the ingenuity and creativity that can come from that.”
Akers leads the organization in partnership with Ariel Celeste in their inaugural year under the name From Scratch. Despite the new name, the mission of From Scratch is not entirely new. A previous organization formed in the early 2010s under the name “The Shadow Collective” was built to celebrate new original student works with an emphasis on creating space for marginalized students and specifically representing students of color.
Over time, the organization lost its original purpose and now, to keep the space for creatives, From Scratch was born. Akers discussed the importance of Shadow Collective and its value for people of color but acknowledged that the current leadership team is not the right team to continue its mission, yet the From Scratch team hopes “others will take up that mantle.”
The new From Scratch hopes to provide as many opportunities to as many students as possible on campus, including undergraduate and graduate students, in the School of Theatre and beyond. Akers has credited the From Scratch Instagram as the best way to get involved as it will be the source of announcements, casting calls and applications.
The first From Scratch event of the year was a Coffee House on November 19th where students were invited to perform or present any work they have created from scratch. Both improv teams on campus performed in addition to many other student works.
Next semester, the organization hopes to host even more events and activities.
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