Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park debuted their first musical in 41 years. From February 20, 2025, to March 2, 2025, at the Paseo Indoor Theatre, Penelope took the stage, impressing audiences with a performance led by actress Amanda Lee and accompanied by a five-piece band: Dustin Morningstar (piano), Aaron Michael (violin/music director), Joseph Messick (viola),…
Touring High Schools and Performing at OkMEA: A Wind Ensemble’s Journey
Dr. Matthew Mailman, Professor of Conducting at Wanda L. Bass School of Music: “Celebrates 30th OCU Season The Oklahoma City University Wind Ensemble recently completed an exhilarating tour across northwest Arkansas, capped off by a stunning performance at the Oklahoma Music Educators Association (OkMEA) convention in Tulsa. In just four days, the ensemble played seven…
Faculty and Students Join Forces for King Lear
OCU’s School of Theater will usher in their spring season with a production of Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear, featuring two OCU faculty in prominent roles. Professor Bill Langan will be portraying the titular character, an aged King of Britain whose political machinations divide his kingdom and family, while Professor Hal Kohlman is featured as the…
The Mystery of Edwin Drood Brings Interactive Comedy to OCU
Oklahoma City University STRIPPED recently closed its fall production of the musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood in the Petree Auditorium. OCU STRIPPED, a student-run theater company, presented the 1985 musical on November 1st and 2nd. Drood is based on Charles Dickens’s unfinished novel of the same name, and the story is full of vibrant…
Legacy of Light: A Celebration of Women’s Voices on the OCU Stage
Meghan Gosse and Jordan Smith deliver a captivating performance in Legacy of Light (Photo/ Bryan Cardinale-Powell/ Professor of Film) The Oklahoma City University Theatre Ensemble presented a powerful and thought-provoking production of Legacy of Light, a play by Karen Zacarias. Directed by Amy Ostanski, this production deeply resonated with audiences. It brought to life a…
Everybody Get Footloose at OCU: Classic Film Gets Stars’ Musical Makeover
Emily Sullivan and Zac Decker’s dynamic performance in Footloose (Photo/Michael Anderson/Wanda L. Bass School of Music) Drama, duets and dancing, a make-up of a spectacular show. Footloose hits all the marks. Based on the 1980s film adaptation, Footloose the Musical turns the old town of Beaumont into rock and roll central. The audience follows Ren…
Laugh Along with She Stoops to Conquer
Prepare for an evening full of laughter with the amazing upcoming comedy She Stoops to Conquer which will be showing at Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center’s Burg Theatre. The show is a timeless comedy that promises to fill the room with laughter, misunderstandings and delightful twists. Set in the countryside of 18th century England, this classic…
Oklahoma City University Highlights Rare Spring Enrollment Numbers
Oklahoma City University’s Office of Enrollment Management reports noteworthy increases in university enrollment numbers during the Spring 2024 term. This comes after the office announced earlier this year that the university matriculated its largest class of first-year students in over a decade. According to University Vice President of Enrollment Management and Communications, Kevin Windholz, the…
Real Life Pitch Perfect: A Capella Group Wins Quarterfinals
The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella is not just for Pitch Perfect – it exists in real life, and OCU’s Tonal Eclipse is the winner of their quarterfinal competition. Tonal Eclipse is one of two a cappella groups here on OCU’s campus. It is an entirely student lead organization who do their own arrangements,…
Be Aggressive: A Hilarious Journey of Healing and Resilience
The story of a high school cheerleader dealing with grief and healing in Be Aggressive offers an insightful look at family dynamics, resilience and the need for escape. This dramatic comedy, written by Annie Weisman, takes place in the sunny community of Vista Del Sol in southern California. The story focuses on Laura, a…
Dusty and the Big Bad World: Exploring Real Life
Dusty and the Big Bad World will be presented in the Black Box Theater from March 7-10 for an exciting and challenging evening. This show gives an informed and humorous look at current issues. It is based on true events revolving the television show, “Postcards from Buster” produced by the Public Broadcasting Service. The play looks at…
Studio Series presents The Life of Galileo
The Life of Galileo explored a dramatized retelling of the famous scientist’s real life, exploring themes of faith versus fact, courage and betrayal. Directed by Hal Kohlman, this show opened in the Black Box Theatre on Feb 22 as the first Studio Series of the spring semester. The Studio Series is a production series through…
Meaningless: Newest Neustadt Lecture Performance
For the 2024 Oklahoma City University Wimberly School of Religion’s Neustadt Lecture, OCU has partnered with the Jewish Theatre of Oklahoma to present “Meaningless,” an interpretation of Ecclesiastes. “Meaningless” is a one-man show performed by Rodney Brazil, an OKC-based actor, director and writer, who helped adapt the book of Ecclesiastes into play format, along with…
Merry Wives of Windsor kicks the first opera of the spring semester
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…
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….
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…
