Ohio University’s School of Theater

I can't say enough about the amazing students at Athens Middle School and Athens City School District! They are passionate and compassionate and show up to do the hard work. Working with facilitators Lacey Rogers, John Schmieding and Rachel Siegel has been transformative for me.

And thank you Tantrum Theater for providing support for the Ohio University’s School of Theater students: Ayana Johnson, Leilani Stillwagon, Oakley Aughtman, and Emma Mayes, to experience this work. Can't wait for next year!

These are the faces of Bulldogs Becoming Better Bystanders (BBBB)!

Through a collaboration with dedicated Athens Community Relations Commission members, the Ohio University School of Theater, and the City of Athens starting in October 2023 and concluding (for this round of the trainings) in April 2024! These Bulldogs have made the commitment to participate in weekly trainings to help develop the skills and courage to stand up and speak out when they witness racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc. in THEIR community! Students had the opportunity to develop the program to fit their own school experiences and hopes by creating posters, suggesting topics, inviting peers, and workshopping how to respond to personal and social challenges.

Through this training, over the course of the school year, students from the OU School of Theater (Oakley Aughtman (they/them), Ayana Johnson (she/her), Emma Mayes (she/her), Leilani Stillwagon (she/her)) act out scenarios, often based on real life examples from the Athens Middle School students. Participants then engage in small group discussions led by facilitators (Merri Biechler (she/her), Lacey Rogers (she/her), John Schmieding (he/him) and Rachel Siegel (she/her) to discuss what they saw happen in the scene, ideas for how to intervene, what gets in the way of intervening and often even standing in as actors themselves to practice their bystander skills! Let’s hear it for these outstanding AMS students for their part in creating a more inclusive community!

Want to learn more? Contact Rachel Siegel at [email protected].

Courtney Abbott leading a master class in boundaries and consent at Ohio University’s School of Theatre. Thank you outreach and education for the opportunity!

Don't miss "We Are Proud to Present..." April 11-20, 2024!

School of Theater Presents: We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915 We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915 By Jackie Sibblies Drury Directed by Caitlin Lopez A group of actors gather to tell the little-known story of the first genocide of the ...

Ohio University School of Theater invites you to view our 2024 Virtual Showcase, featuring MFA and BFA Acting and Musical Theater students.

Join us! We are looking for a Production Manager.

Production Manager THIS IS A TEN (10) MONTH APPOINTMENT THAT RUNS FROM AUGUST 1- MAY 31 OF EACH YEAR. The School of Theater and the College of Fine Arts at Ohio University is seeking applications for a Production Manager. This position provides services for the School of Theater and Tantrum Theater Productions.Primary...

The Knight of the Burning Pestle

https://youtu.be/rQTtB-keJpo?si=PI0EfEl4vJLcKwB-

By Francis Beaumont�Directed by Caitlin Lopez
📸: Clarissa Rai

A group of thespians present a romantic play about star-crossed lovers… well… they would if the audience would just shut up. A rowdy grocer and his wife demand a different play starring their apprentice. The company must now perform two plays: the romance, and an improvised chivalric adventure complete with knights, giants, and sick dance moves.

GET YOUR TICKETS ASAP! (Link in Bio!)
✨Show up early for Student Rush✨

Virginia Hahne Theater�October 26th, 27th, & 28th @ 8PM & 28th @ 2PM

Director – Caitlin Lopez
Scenic Designer – Lydia Ball
Lighting Designer – Lillie Wright
Sound Designer – Bob Walters
Costume Designer – Sofia Perez
Stage Manager – Lily Welsh
Properties Designer – Izzy Bawn
Properties Assistant - Erin Stone
Technical Director – Dan Denhart
Assistant Director – Safa Sarvestani
Associate Stage Manager – Conrad Gothard
Associate Stage Manager – Morgan Humbert
Dramaturg – Lauren Key
Charge Scenic Artist – Zach Snow
Scene Shop Manager – Nicole Hankins
Costume Shop Manager – Sofia Perez
Electrics Shop Manager – Madeleine Hebert
Sound Shop Manager – Daniela Chaparro
Lead Electrician - Quentin Kurtz
Light Board Programmer – Quentin Kurtz

Cast:
Avery Smith
Alexandra Marusich
Amy Pilgrim
Sarah Dykhuizen
Elizabeth Amstutz
Kaycee Dingee
Nick Swope
Melissa Levine
Hannah Boyers
PJ Pavot
Emilie Dexheimer
Abby Golden
Elliott Wortley

The Knight of the Burning Pestle The Knight of the Burning PestleBy Francis BeaumontDirected by Caitlin LopezVideo By: Clarissa RaiMusic: Drama By HoliznaCC0A group of thespians present a ro...

Medea
By: Euripides
Directed By: Devin Ty Franklin

In this modern translation by Frederic Raphael and Kenneth McLeish, this classic Greek tragedy follows the journey of a woman fighting to be seen by a man (and a world) that has defined her as invisible and insignificant. What will it take for this force of a woman to ascend beyond her circumstances.

https://youtu.be/Af0yl-8YKwo

Stage Manager: Aisha Mahon
Assistant State Manager: Ana Grier
Production Assistant: Ebyss August

Set Designer: Princess Ibeh
Lighting Designer: Kharla Landrau
Assistant Lighting Designer/Programmer: Madeleine Hebert
Sound Designer: Sid McCarty
Props Master: Conrad Gothard

Costume Designer: Mariya Radeva-Nedyalkova
Costume Design Assistant: Esther Yali-Williams

Costume Construction:
Carissa Knitowski
Georgia Fried

Production Manager: Roberto Di Donato
Dan Denhart: Technical Director

Cast:
Medea: Clarissa Rai
Jason: George Carpenter
Nurse: Paige Marshall
King Kreon: Sebastian Yobe-Bowen
King Aegeus: Derek Smith
Tutor: Logan Clark
Messenger: Reed Hickerson
Chorus:
Grace Larger
Katie Maccabee
Lucy Walter
Anna Richcreek
Vivian Waye

Medea Promo MedeaBy: Euripides Directed By: Devin Ty FranklinFree Music Archive: Dirt Rhodes, Kevin MacLeod(CC By Ohio University School of Theater)In this modern transl...

IT’S OPENING NIGHT!
Medea opens tonight in a SOLD OUT run THIS Thursday (8pm), Friday (8pm), and Saturday (2pm/8pm).

But don’t lose hope if you don’t have your ticket. STUDENT RUSH is holding a select number of tickets before each performance. Arrive early and grab your FREE seat by showing your Student ID.

Medea
By: Euripides
Directed By: Devin Ty Franklin

In this modern translation by Frederic Raphael and Kenneth McLeish, this classic Greek tragedy follows the journey of a woman fighting to be seen by a man (and a world) that has defined her as invisible and insignificant. What will it take for this force of a woman to ascend beyond her circumstances?

Virginia Hahne Theater�October 12th, 13th, 14th @ 8PM & 14th @ 2PM

Stage Manager: Aisha Mahon
Assistant State Manager: Ana Grier
Production Assistant: Ebyss August

Set Designer: Princess Ibeh
Lighting Designer: Kharla Landrau
Assistant Lighting Designer/Programmer: Madeleine Hebert
Sound Designer: Sid McCarty
Props Master: Conrad Gothard

Costume Designer: Mariya Radeva-Nedyalkova
Costume Design Assistant: Esther Yali-Williams

Costume Construction:
Carissa Knitowski
Georgia Fried

Production Manager: Roberto Di Donato
Dan Denhart: Technical Director

Cast:
Medea: Clarissa Rai
Jason: George Carpenter
Nurse: Paige Marshall
King Kreon: Sebastian Yobe-Bowen
King Aegeus: Derek Smith
Tutor: Logan Clark
Messenger: Reed Hickerson
Chorus:
Grace Larger
Katie Maccabee
Lucy Walter
Anna Richcreek
Vivian Waye

Faith Prince has been dazzling Broadway audiences since winning the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her performance as “Ms. Adelaide” in Guys and Dolls. She’s one of Broadway’s best loved leading ladies, and now she’s at OHIO UNIVERSITY!

Join Faith Prince, Brent Frederick, and the Ohio University Musical Theater Class of 2024 as we celebrate this beloved theater icon!

BROADWAY BOUND with FAITH PRINCE

7PM BAKER THEATER, KANTNER HALL

(TICKETS HERE: https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/ohio-university-school-of-theater/64f749ee3b0c9f0e3cfeb659)

Congratulations Dale Ricardo Shields!

OHIO theater alum Dale Ricardo Shields’ impact leads to prestigious Paul Robeson Award There are many words one could use to describe Dale Ricardo Shields – actor, advocate, director, production manager, Bobcat – but lifelong learner and educator seems most appropriate.

Congratulations to Bentley Heydt who assisted Tim Lutkin on "Life of Pi"!

From transporting us to the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the mesmerizing Pondicherry Zoo, congratulations to Tim Lutkin on his Tony Awards win for Best Lighting Design in a Play.

Our amazing BFA Acting Seniors have been hard at work to launch their careers! Check out their amazing work for our 2023 Ohio Actor's Showcase:

OHIO Actor Showcase

Tonight! Catch the closing weekend performance of Imaginary Audiences by OU Playwright Eryn McVay! Tomorrow be sure to cone back and see Squeakers, by OU Playwright Steven Strafford! The shows start 8 pm at our Baker Stage in Kantner Hall!

Today at 3pm and 8pm!
Saturday at 3pm and 8pm!

Join us for the 29th annual Seabury Quinn, Jr. Playwrights' Festival on Friday, April 29th and Saturday, April 30th! All events are in the E.E. Baker Theater in Kantner Hall.

Friday. April 28, 2023
12pm Lunchbag with playwrights, cast, crew, designers, and directors
3pm reading: "Mona Quimby: Age 38" by Steven Strafford
8pm production: "Imaginary Audiences" by Eryn McVay, directed by Molly H. Donahue

Saturday April 29, 2023
3pm reading: "How Sweet the Sound" by Eryn Elyse McVay
8pm production: "Squeakers" by Steven Strafford, directed by Sam Nelson

Invited Mentors: Martine Kei Green-Rogers and Aaron Carter

Join us for the 29th annual Seabury Quinn, Jr. Playwrights' Festival on Friday, April 29th and Saturday, April 30th! All events are in the E.E. Baker Theater in Kantner Hall.

Friday. April 28, 2023
12pm Lunchbag with playwrights, cast, crew, designers, and directors
3pm reading: "Mona Quimby: Age 38" by Steven Strafford
8pm production: "Imaginary Audiences" by Eryn McVay, directed by Molly H. Donahue

Saturday April 29, 2023
3pm reading: "How Sweet the Sound" by Eryn Elyse McVay
8pm production: "Squeakers" by Steven Strafford, directed by Sam Nelson

Invited Mentors: Martine Kei Green-Rogers and Aaron Carter

See what all the side eyes are about tonight!

Pictured:
Left - Hannah Rutkowski
Right - EJ Williams

https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/ohio-university-vibrancy-theatre/6419ef134194e50e3e06fbe6/

Catch OU Actors EJ Williams (Yerma), Justin Ly (Juan), and our amazing cast of Yerma! Tonight through Saturday! Tickets linked below!

https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/ohio-university-vibrancy-theatre/6419ef134194e50e3e06fbe6/

Next week Ohio University SOT opens Yerma!

About the show:
A woman in a passionless marriage, who wants nothing more than to have a child. A community that measures a woman’s worth by their ability to bear children. Yerma, for anyone who has ever desperately wanted something and found that it was just beyond their reach.

Written by Federico Garcia Lorca
Directed by Ally Poole

Get your tickets here: https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/ohio-university-vibrancy-theatre/6419ef134194e50e3e06fbe6

Today’s matinee performance of “The Secretaries” has been canceled.

Please check back in the coming days for updates on future performances.

Opening this week are the first productions at OU by our 1st year MFA directors: Devin Ty Franklin and Caitlin Lopez!

Get your FREE tickets for these shows here: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/ohio-university-school-of-theater-27501021971
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Opening Thursday is “macbitches” by Sophie McIntosh, directed by Devin Ty Franklin.

When a freshman is unexpectedly given the coveted role of Lady Macbeth, a few upperclassmen actresses invite her over to “celebrate” her casting and reassert their positions at the top of the theatre department’s hierarchy. As the Fireball and Svedka flow, the girls interrogate their own sense of ambition as well as the power structures that have shaped their theatrical education.

March 2, 4, 8, 9 @ 7:30 pm
Putnam PlaySpace, RM 227
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Opening Friday is “The Secretaries” by The Five Le***an Brothers, directed by Caitlin Lopez.

Pretty Patty Johnson is thrilled to join the secretarial pool at the Cooney Lumber Mill under the iron-fisted leadership of sultry office manager Susan Curtis. But she soon begins to feel that all is not right—the enforced diet of Slim-Fast shakes, the strange clicking language between the girls, the monthly disappearance of a lumberjack… By the time Patty discovers murder is part of these office killers' skill set, it's too late to turn back! In the guise of satiric exploitation-horror, The Secretaries takes an unflinching look at the warped cultural expectations of femininity.

March 3, 7, 10 @ 7:30 pm
March 4 @ 2:00 pm
Putnam PlaySpace, RM 227

To wrap up Black History Month, Vibrancy Theater in collaboration with Athens Black Contemporary Dancers will be hosting a night of exploring Black Joy through Dance in America.

This workshop will be held on Sunday, February 26th in Putnam Hall, room 335 at 6:00 pm. We will learn about Black Dance in America through a slideshow presentation, followed by a dance combination taught by Rhys Carr and Alexis Fuqua to physicalize some of what was discussed. No previous dance knowledge or training is required to attend. If you'd prefer to stay for only one of the portions of the workshop, that is welcome as well. We ask that if you decide to attend, please come with an open mind to new information, a mentality of respect, and a positive attitude!

Please reach out to Rhys Carr via email at [email protected] with any questions or concerns. We hope to see you there!

Coming Soon...Stay Tuned! You're not going to want to miss this production.

Congratulations to alums Dusty Brown and Michael Dias!

Dusty Brown Named New Artistic Director of Redtwist Theatre Redtwist Theatre has named Dusty Brown as its new artistic director, Eileen Dixon as its community director and Michael Dias as development director, effective immediately. Redtwist Theater.