NEWS
NORMAN, OKLA. – From a world-staged opera premiere to Shakespeare’s final solo play, the University of Oklahoma’s 2026-27 University Theatre season will offer audiences nine productions spanning musical theater, opera, dance and drama.
The season opens Sept. 25 with the Broadway musical The Pajama Game and ends May 2 with Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Productions take place in the Elsie C. Brackett Theatre, Weitzenhoffer Theatre and Reynolds Performing Arts Center on the OU Norman campus.
The Pajama Game, Sept. 25-27, Elsie C. Brackett Theatre
Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, The Pajama Game combines romance, comedy and memorable songs as employees at a pajama factory navigate labor disputes, workplace politics and an unexpected love story.
Arcadia, Oct. 9-18, Weitzenhoffer Theatre
Tom Stoppard’s acclaimed play moves between the early 1800s and late 1980s, weaving together mathematics, science, history and romance in an exploration of truth and discovery.
Oklahoma Festival Ballet, Nov. 6-8, Elsie C. Brackett Theatre
OU dance students perform a collection of classical, neo-classical and contemporary ballet works that celebrate technical excellence, artistry and innovation The ballet will feature works by faculty choreographers and renowned choreographers George Balanchine and Jiří Kylián.
Die Fledermaus, Dec. 3-6, Reynolds Performing Arts Center
Die Fledermaus is University Theatre's annual holiday production. Johann Strauss II’s 1874 Viennese operetta follows a whirlwind of mistaken identities, elaborate parties and playful revenge in one of opera’s most enduring comedies. University Theatre takes a fresh look at the operetta by reimagining it in 1940s Hollywood.
Young Choreographers’ Showcase, Jan. 29-31, 2027, Reynolds Performing Arts Center
The annual performance highlights original works by OU student choreographers, featuring emerging artistic voices, innovative movement and the creativity of student lighting designers. Contains adult content.
Urinetown, Feb. 12-21, 2027, Weitzenhoffer Theatre
Urinetown, a biting comedy about capitalism and the establishment, is the winner of three Tony Awards. The Broadway musical is set in a drought-stricken dystopian city where a corrupt megacorporation controls all the public toilets.
Il re pastore, March 4-7, 2027, Reynolds Performing Arts Center
Il re pastore looks at themes of leadership, loyalty and love through music and storytelling. The production marks the world stage premiere of an opera written in 1755 by composer Maria Teresa Agnesi, whose work is receiving renewed international attention.
Contemporary Dance Oklahoma, April 2-4, 2027, Elsie C. Brackett Theatre
The performance showcases OU dance students and features Maple Leaf Rag by pioneering modern dance choreographer Martha Graham, set to the music of Scott Joplin, the “King of Ragtime,” along with original works by OU faculty and guest choreographer Branndi Lewis.
The Tempest, April 23-May 2, 2027, Weitzenhoffer Theatre
A story of shipwreck and magic begins in stormy, vengeful chaos, leading to an island rich with enchantment, where nothing is quite as it seems. The strength of love, family and forgiveness echoes in this timeless and dramatic Shakespearean play.
A theater season schedule is available here. Tickets can be purchased online, by phoning 405-325-4101 or at the OU Fine Arts Box Office inside Catlett Music Center, 500 W. Boyd, Norman. Season subscriptions and individual tickets are available through the University Theatre Box Office.
The Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts produces over 400 concerts, recitals, dramas, musicals, operas and dance performances each year. Learn more at ou.edu/finearts.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and healthcare needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
The University of Oklahoma welcomed Siddhartha Mukherjee to campus for the Presidential Speakers Series dinner on the evening of Sept. 9 at the Oklahoma Memorial Union. Mukherjee — an oncologist, entrepreneur and Pulitzer Prize-winning author — delivered a talk titled “Research and the Future of Medicine.”
University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz Jr. today outlined the university’s record-setting momentum to the OU Board of Regents, highlighting how that progress has strengthened OU’s capacity to pursue greater opportunities at a scale that would have been difficult to envision just a few years ago, particularly through the expansion of its research enterprise.
Ally Scherer is an interdisciplinary artist in the School of Visual Arts in the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts. Her journey at OU has reshaped both her identity and the spaces in which she works.
