OU'S STAGES OFFER
BALLET, STUDENT
CHOREOGRAPHY, 
AND CONTEMPORARY
DANCE 2017 - 2018

Catch a Rising Star at University Theatre!

  

Nine main stage productions, including dance, opera and musicals, offering fine arts patrons a season of passionate performances, designs and technical accomplishments of young talent from across the country will be offered during University Theatre’s 2017-2018 season at the University of Oklahoma.

 

University Theatre artistic directors have carefully selected a season of plays, musicals, operas and dance productions that will take your breath away. Some are familiar, some are new, some are traditional and some are surprising. This year’s production series includes the Tony Award-winning musical City of Angels, Tony Award-winning comedy Noises Off(the first two have already occurred), Oklahoma Festival Ballet, featuring the world-renowned ballet Swan Lake, Act II, Young Choreographers’ Showcase, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Contemporary Dance Oklahoma, Lucia di Lammermoor, and family favorites, Alice in Wonderland and the opera Hansel and Gretel.

 

“We invite you to ‘Catch a Rising Star’ of an actor, designer, dancer, technician, or director from our award-winning programs in a season sure to delight theatre-goers.  Whether through the Technicolor world of Hollywood, the magic of a lakeside love story, or children caught in a gingerbread adventure, our audiences are sure to be swept away to the worlds of theatrical creativity and imagination.” said Mary Margaret Holt, dean and University Theatre producer. “The hilarity of an itinerant troupe of actors, the emotion and power of modern dance, the Gershwin brothers’ favorite tunes, tragedy in the ruins of a Scottish castle, and a trip down the rabbit hole with Alice provide even more memorable moments for rising stars to shine bright on the ascent of their careers!”

           

To purchase a University Theatre  ticket, call (405) 325-4101 or visit the OU Fine Arts Box Office, 500 W. Boyd St., Norman; or go online to theatre.ou.edu. Box office hours are 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For accommodations, please call (405) 325-4101.  The price for advance tickets is $27 for  adults, $22 for seniors, and $12 for students.  At the door adults are

$35.

 

Please see below for the University Theatre’s 2017-2018 season lineup. Events that have already occurred have been

removed.

 

Oklahoma Festival Ballet

Featuring Swan Lake, Act II

Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

8 p.m. Nov. 3, 4, 9, 10

3 p.m. Nov. 5, 12

Elsie C. Brackett Theatre                                                                     

Join us for an exceptional evening of contemporary and classical ballet with Swan Lake, Act II as its centerpiece. Be swept away in a balletic fairy tale of love promised and challenged by evil in a magical lakeside setting. In addition, guest choreographer Trey McIntyre delights audiences with the premier of his new contemporary ballet as he joins School of Dance faculty choreographers Michael Bearden, Jeremy Lindberg and Clara Cravey Stanley in creating a memorable, moving evening of ballet. This production is suitable for all audiences.

 

Hansel and Gretel

Composed by Engelbert Humperdinck, Libretto by Adelheid Wette
Conducted by Jonathan Shames, Artistic Director
Stage direction by William Ferrara

8 p.m. Nov. 30, Dec. 1, 2

3 p.m. Dec. 3

Reynolds Performing Arts Center

Gingerbread Alert! Missing children last seen entering an enchanted forest! Evidence found at the scene: a trail of breadcrumbs, guardian angels and a suspicious witch riding a broomstick in the vicinity. If you have any information, please contact the authorities at OU Opera Theatre! Presented in English. This production is suitable for all audiences.

 

Young Choreographers’ Showcase

8 p.m. Jan. 25, 26, 27

3 p.m. Jan. 28

Reynolds Performing Arts Center

A perennial favorite, Young Choreographers’ Showcase features new and innovative choreography created by School of Dance students especially selected for this production. Featuring dance works from the full spectrum of movement styles with lighting design by students from the Peggy Dow Helmerich School of Drama, Young Choreographers’ Showcase never fails to entertain and inspire. This production is suitable for all audiences.

 

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, Book by Joe DiPietro
Directed by Lyn Cramer
Choreography by Kristen Beth Williams, Broadway star and OU Alumna

8 p.m. Feb. 9, 10, 16, 17

3 p.m. Feb. 11, 18

Elsie C. Brackett Theatre                                                                   

The roaring twenties brings together a cast of outrageous characters in New York to celebrate the wedding of a wealthy playboy. But, when the playboy meets a gutsy bootlegger who melts his heart, nothing goes as planned. Enjoy the glitz and glamour of this production, featuring some of the most memorable songs by George and Ira Gershwin, including “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It.” This production includes slapstick comedy, jazzy dance numbers and the occasional tender ballad.

 

Contemporary Dance Oklahoma

Choreography by Austin Hartel, Roxanne Lyst
David Hochoy, guest choreographer

8 p.m. March 2, 3, 9, 10

3 p.m. March 4, 11

Elsie C. Brackett Theatre

Contemporary Dance Oklahoma examines the creative range of modern dance, featuring choreography that is abstract, mood-inspired and narrative. Guest choreographer David Hochoy of Dance Kaleidoscope joins OU faculty choreographers Austin Hartel and Roxanne Lyst in challenging our dancers and entertaining our audiences. Enjoy this engaging exploration of the human condition expressed by the dynamic performance of Contemporary Dance Oklahoma. This production is suitable for all audiences.

 

Lucia di Lammermoor

Composed by Gaetano Donizetti, Libretto by Salvatore Cammarano
Conducted by Jonathan Shames, Artistic Director
Stage direction by William Ferrara

8 p.m. April 5, 6, 7

3 p.m. April 8

Reynolds Performing Arts Center                                                    

A ruined castle in the Scottish Highlands is the setting for Sir Walter Scott’s eerie Gothic romance. Torn by a family feud and forced into an arranged marriage, Lucia loses her mind and murders her bridegroom on their wedding night. This production of Donizetti’s gorgeous opera will feature lavish costumes, sets, full orchestra and chorus. Performed in Italian with English supertitles.

This production contains adult themes and violence.

 

Alice in Wonderland

Adapted for the stage by Eva Le Gallienne and Florida Friebus
Original book by Lewis Carroll
Directed by Judith Midyett Pender

8 p.m. April 20, 21, 27, 28

3 p.m. April 22, 29

Elsie C. Brackett Theatre

Come make memories with your children as you travel down the rabbit hole into the delightful world of Wonderland. Eva Le Gallienne and Florida Friebus have deftly adapted Lewis Carroll’s classic works, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, into a sumptuous spectacle of intrigue and excitement fit for the whole family. This production is suitable for all audiences.