Why Choose OU Helmerich School of Drama?
Race Ricketts and Julian Walker in Twelfth Night, 2019. Costumes: Ciara Smith; Lighting: Joshua Robbins; Set: Nathan Hatfield; Props: Tony Wilkerson; Photo by Wendy Muntz.
- We train students for professional careers in Acting, Design, Dramaturgy, and Stage Management.
- We offer theatre training in a conservatory-style environment while still offering the advantages of a liberal arts education from a nationally renowned university.
- Our designers, stage managers and dramaturgs have the opportunity to work on plays, musicals, operas, and dance concerts through the College of Fine Arts.
- Auditions for all productions, including musicals, are open to students of any year or discipline. Students are frequently cast during their first year at OU.
- We are committed to creating an equitable experience for all our students, faculty, and staff.
- We have a strong and supportive alumni base now living and working in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and around the country.
- We continually adapt our program to meet the needs of the professional entertainment industry.
- Professional preparation is emphasized during the senior year, including showcases in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago for Performance majors and USITT showcases for Design & Production majors.
- Students are trained in their emphasis while also being urged to discover themselves creatively, with courses offered in directing and playwriting and double-emphases possible.
- Our faculty consists of theatre artists with distinguished careers, who regularly return to the professional industry and work as actors, directors, designers, dramaturgs, and stage managers, bringing the fruits of their experience into the classroom, rehearsals, and production.
- Distinguished guest artists who have visited our campus or our students via Zoom recently include Ron Howard, Blair Underwood, Ed Harris, Ming-Na Wen, Danny Burstein, Beowulf Boritt, Broadway producer and OU alum A. Max Weitzenhoffer, and many others.
- Our low faculty-to-student ratio ensures that students get the personal attention they need. Supportive, professional faculty and encouraging fellow students create a nurturing environment in which all can learn and develop their craft.
- Norman is a traditional college town with easy access to the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, with a safe and friendly community.
- The OU campus offers many rich historical and cultural resources, including the Weitzenhoffer Collection in the Fred Jones Museum of Art (the largest donation of impressionist art ever given to a public university), the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, and the Peggy V. Helmerich Great Reading Room.
