OKC Theatre Company

John Ball’s In the Heat of the Night

adapted by Matt Pelfrey
August 15-September 1, 2013 in City Space Theatre

Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays with two Sunday matinee performances on August 25th and September 1st
$10 Preview performance on Thursday, August 15

Made famous by the Oscar winning 1967 film version and the Emmy Award winning spin-off television series, John Ball's In the Heat of the Night newly adapted for the modern stage by acclaimed playwright Matt Pelfrey brings the sweltering August heat of Mississippi to the OKCTC stage. A dead white man is discovered and the local police arrest a black stranger named Virgil Tibbs. As it happens, Tibbs becomes the racially-tense community's single hope in solving a brutal murder that is turning up no witnesses, no motives, and no clues. "The play is taut and startlingly resonant, even as it deals with events taking place nearly 50 years ago. Pelfrey's work is economical and uncompromising...suspenseful, thrilling, and stunningly theatrical." -Nytheatre.com

August 15-September 1

Medea

by Euripides
October 17-27, 2013 in City Space Theatre

LIMITED RUN: Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays with one Sunday matinee on October 27
$10 Preview performance on Thursday, October 17

A disturbing horror story born of ancient myth, Medea delves into the tragedy and resulting terror of adultery, betrayal, and revenge. The original "woman scorned," Medea's grief turns to obsession when her husband's long absence and infidelity drive her to murderous insanity and the sacrifice of innocent blood on the altar of vengeance. OKCTC's modern production conceived by visionary director Fabrice Conte promises to disturb and horrify a new audience just in time for Halloween.

October 17-27

The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told

by Paul Rudnick
December 5-22, 2013 in City Space Theatre

Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays with Sunday matinees on December 15 and 22
$10 Preview performance on Thursday, December 5

Seeking a theatrical offering for the holidays that challenges the norm and appeals to an alternative audience, OKCTC presents this rib-tickling satirical take on selected stories from the Bible. Act 1 is a retelling of the major episodes of the Old Testament and the Nativity story. Act 2 jumps to modern day where Adam and Steve (who met in Eden, broke up during the flood, and were reunited when they both show up as shepherds during the Nativity) are together again. Bound by their long life together, the two men comfort each other even though their remaining time will be short.

Sylvia

by A.R. Gurney
February 13-23, 2014 in City Space Theatre

LIMITED RUN: Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays with one Sunday matinee performance on February 23
$10 Preview performance on Thursday, February 13

An outlandish comedy with a romantic twist, the plot begins as Greg adopts a street-smart stray who soon becomes a major bone of contention between husband and wife. The marriage is in jeopardy until, after a series of complications, a compromise is reached, and Sylvia becomes a valued family member. Sylvia looks and sounds like a dog to Greg and his wife, but the role is portrayed by a human woman who is fully capable of making Sylvia's thoughts and feelings known...to the audience, anyway. Ever wonder if your dog can understand you? Sylvia does. (Look for details about our community partnership with a local animal welfare organization to share a little love with our four-legged friends this Valentine's Day.)

Jesus Christ Superstar

music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
lyrics by Tim Rice

April 3-20, 2014 in The Freede Little Theatre
Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays with Sunday matinee performances on April 13 and on April 20 (Easter Sunday)
$10 Preview performance on Thursday, April 3

Experience Easter in a completely different way. OKCTC's post-apocalyptic war wasteland setting and our casting of local star Renee Anderson in the role of Judas, will give our audience cause to stand and cheer. Under the direction of Managing Director Deborah Draheim, the loosely-based Biblical account of Jesus' life follows the traditional Easter story, but the work's depiction offers a free interpretation of the psychology of Jesus and other characters. Contemporary attitudes and sensibilities pervade the lyrics and ironic allusions to modern life are scattered throughout with depictions of political events.

April 3-20

Native American New Play Festival

featuring Manahatta, a new play by Mary Kathryn Nagle
May 8-18, 2014 in City Space Theatre
Festival Events May 18-19

LIMITED RUN: Performances of Manahatta are Thursdays-Saturdays with one Sunday matinee performance on May 11, staged readings and other special Festival events and featured artists on May 18 and 19. (Details will be updated winter 2014.)
$10 Preview performance of Manahatta on Thursday, May 8

A one-of-a-kind cultural event in the region, the ever-evolving Native American New Play Festival will be produced for a fifth time by OKC Theatre Company. Each year the Festival reflects our Oklahoma pride and desire to highlight the rich tradition of storytelling in the Native American culture by celebrating it through the art of theatre. The Festival will feature Manahatta by Mary Kathryn Nagle, staged readings of 2014 finalists, cultural events, food, Native singers, and panel discussions with the playwrights.

Manahatta follows the story of a modern day Lenape woman who returns to her ancestral land to work on Wall Street. Once there, she must reconcile all that her people have lost with what she now attempts to gain. Manahatta simultaneously tells the story of the Lenape Indians who lived on the island of Manahatta in the 1600's, when Peter Minuit and the Dutch claim to have purchased the island for $24, and explores how the concepts of indigenous identity, ownership, and the entire system of American capitalism have made us who we are today.

May 8-19