OCU Kicks off a Rousing Season of Musical Theater - 405 Magazine

OCU Kicks off a Rousing Season of Musical Theater

The Stars Are Back in Town

Oklahoma City University is a venerable institution, established before Oklahoma even became an official state. Founded in 1904 as Epworth University in Midtown, the school changed names and locations a few times before it was moved to its current spot on NW 23rd Street and officially re-named Oklahoma City University a full century ago in 1924. Now it is known for producing and honing star-quality talent in the Wanda L. Bass School of Music and Theatre, with alumni venturing on to perform on both stage and screen. As an alumna of the Music Theatre program myself, I have many times witnessed the Broadway-quality performances that grace the stage at this historic campus—and this upcoming season will be no different. 

Starting off strong this semester is the well-known musical Footloose, bringing to life the Oscar-nominated score of the 1984 classic film. This story is about as Oklahoman as it gets: inspired by the town of Elmore, its 80-year ban on dancing and the polarizing first high school prom in 1980. Relive this story of love and rebellion with showtimes set for Sept. 27-29.

Next on the playbill is the fall musical spotlight, The Drowsy Chaperone, which will take place in the Burg Theatre Oct. 4-6. Acclaimed by New York Magazine as “the perfect musical,” this script and dazzling soundtrack won five Tony awards in 2006, including Best Book and Best Musical Score. The hilarious performance paints the scene of a die-hard Broadway fan sitting down to listen to his favorite soundtrack, only for the characters to actually come to life. 

The weekends of Oct. 31-Nov. 3 and Nov. 7-10 you’ll find the play Legacy of Light by Karen Zacarias taking the main stage. This dual-timeline story tells the tale of Émilie du Châtelet, a scientist who unexpectedly becomes pregnant at the age of 42 by the great 18th-century philosopher Voltaire, and that of a 21st-century physicist desperately trying to conceive a child. These two female scientists, living hundreds of years apart, examine the meaning of motherhood and science in this contemporary comedy. 

Performing Nov. 15-17 is the American opera The Ballad of Baby Doe by composer Douglas Moore, with an English-language libretto by John Latouch. Inspired by real-life characters in 19th-century Colorado, this opera tells a quintessential rags-to-riches, tragic love story. 

Finishing up the fall semester season is the play Mother Road by Octavio Solis, on stage Dec. 5-8. Inspired by Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Mother Road acts as a sequel to the classic, telling the present-day story of William Joad in an epic tale of land, kinship and survival. Mother Road is being produced in partnership with the Plaza District’s beloved Lyric Theatre, and students in OCU’s fall production will later understudy the professional cast in the upcoming spring production on the Lyric Theatre stage. 

The Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University also has numerous other free performances throughout the semester: Individual and studio vocal performances, instrumental recitals, ensemble performances and concerts occur most weeks of the school year. 

Tickets are available online at okcu.edu/tickets or by calling (405) 208-5227. Follow the Bass School of Music on social media to keep up with performances, as well as what amazing things alumni are accomplishing professionally.