Production Season 2012-2013

In his final apologetic work, C.S. Lewis opined “every image of God we form he must in mercy shatter.” The heart's blood of this statement resides in the sentiment that a life of faith is marked by the journey as much as the destination; that believers become a “city on a hill” in their persistent quest to locate eternal solace and renewal. What medium could be more appropriate than theater for communicating this sentiment of uncertainty? No artistic endeavor more than drama suffers from “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.” The signature paradox of theater, according to Anne Ubersfeld, is its transience: “… we might see in theater the very art of paradox … it is an art of today, a performance taking place tomorrow, but seeking to be the same as one that took place yesterday, acted by people who have changed and who perform in front of a new audience.” Yet, it is exactly because of caprice that theater has equipped itself to render concrete deep apprehensions and uncertainties, be they social, spiritual or existential questions. This season, OC Theater will explore “uncertainty” in each of its six productions. All of this season's works feature characters in the midst of unique circumstances. The current season will examine how these works acquire new meaning through the process of theatrical adaptation in an array of performance modes: fantasy, humor, music and drama. The unity between these productions demonstrates how theater can wrestle with significant ideas in different and equally creative ways. Below is a description of each of our productions.

Box Office: 405-425-5525

The Golem by H. Leivick (Adapted by Barrett Huddleston and Charles Rix)
Performance Dates: October 18, 19 and 20 (8:00 pm)
Location: Judd Theatre

The story of Rabbi Loew ben Bazalel features the construction of an artificial avenger, the golem, who is wrought to protect the Jews of Prague from the anti-Semitic pogroms that threaten their religious sanctity and very survival. However, Leivick uses these fantastic events to pose a serious religious question: should the righteous more value justice or salvation? The sacrifices Rabbi Loew undertakes come at a tragic (in more than one sense) cost and serve as an ostentatious caution to those that nurture revenge instead of grace.

Seussical by Lynne Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
Performance Dates: November 1, 2 and 3 (8:00 pm)
Location: Hardeman Auditorium

Ahrens' and Flaherty's script brings more than a dozen of Dr. Seuss’s prominent creations to the stage, including The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax and Green Eggs and Ham. Its primary source material, however, derives from Horton Hears a Who, a tale Seuss dedicated to a longtime Japanese friend as a public apology to the excesses of United States’ security measures during World War II. One of the most endearing aspects of the musical production continues to be its delicate, but clear, interplay of lighthearted characters with durable gravitas.

Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon
Performance Dates: November 29 and 30 and December 1 (8:00 pm)
Location: Judd Theatre

Paul’s and Corie’s Honeymoon ends in more than one sense when they enter their first home, a cramped New York apartment with room for little more than an oversized single bed, not to mention an acrobatic Hungarian neighbor and meddling mother-in-law. Will Paul’s and Corie’s love survive long enough to turn house into home? Simon answers these and more durable questions regarding marital bonds with humor, candor and warmth.

Doubt by John Patrick Shanley
Performance Dates: February 21 and 22 and March 1 and 2 (8:00 pm)
Location: Judd Theatre

This Pulitzer Prize-winning drama pits a venerable sister against crumbing traditions, a suspect priest and her own inner conflict regarding the harsh role she must adopt to preserve her religious heritage and student charges. Set against historical pinnacles like the Second Vatican Council and Civil Rights Movement, Doubt ascends to its titular meaning in countless ways to deliver a dramatic experience that lingers long after the final curtain.

Honeymoon at Graveside Manor by Pat Cook
Performance Dates: April 11, 12 and 13 (8:00 pm)
Location: Judd Theatre

Marian Thorncraft has just set out the welcome table at her most unwelcome new home, an abandoned mortuary. To complicate her adjustment to marital bliss, Marian’s home may or may not be haunted by a knife-wielding specter, her husband may or may not be on the trail of a demented lunatic, and her maid may or may not be stuck in the wall. This comedy conveys the sometimes overwhelming challenges of young marriage with outlandish, deliberate excess, providing quintessential farcical entertainment.

For more information, contact:
Dr. Larry Jurney

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