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…
Hurricane Diane A Powerful Performance with Deep Meaning
At the Oklahoma City University School of Theatre, an incredible theatrical performance of Hurricane Diane took place from November 7th through the 10th. Written by Madeline George and directed by Ariel Celeste, this unique and imaginative show amazed audiences with a wonderful mix of humor, creativity and an important message about climate change. The performance…
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…
OCU Alum Stars in Oklahoma Shakespeare’s Rendition of Hamlet
Oklahoma Shakespeare recently brought one of the Bard’s most famous works to audiences as the cornerstone of their 40th anniversary season, and Oklahoma City University Stars lined the playbill. Hamlet, Shakespeare’s legendary play about death, madness, and revenge, wrapped production on Sept. 29. School of Theater alum Sarah Filek, BFA Acting ’24, made her Oklahoma…
First Mainstage Musical Of The Year: Footloose
The Wanda L. Bass School of Music will open its 2024-2025 season with the inaugural mainstage production of Footloose, slated to perform in the Kirkpatrick Theater from Sep. 27-29. The 1998 musical, a stage adaptation of the beloved 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon, tells the story of the fictional small town of Beaumont. The town’s…
Revealing Oscar Wilde’s Trials: See Gross Indecency on Stage
Explore Oscar Wilde’s journey through the interesting play Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. From Apr. 11 to Apr. 14, 2024, this show will take place in the OCU Bass School of Music’s Black Box Theatre. This moving performance will force you to think about living in an era where it was considered…
Audiences travel back in time with “She Stoops to Conquer”
This past weekend, audiences got to enjoy a delightful world of wit, charm, and hilarity in the production of She Stoops to Conquer presented by the OCU School of Theatre. Under the direction of D. Lance Marsh, the show featured OCU’s incredibly talented theatre students in this rendition of Oliver Smith’s classic comedy. The play…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Harmonious Notes Fill the Night: Wind Ensemble/Wind Philharmonic Concert
The lovely music of the Wind Ensemble and Wind Philharmonic will soon fill Oklahoma City Community College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center, 7777 S. May Ave. This event, expected to begin at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, will be a fascinating experience for music lovers and students alike. The rich, warm tones will be heard throughout the hall,…
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…