University Theatre is the mainstage producing organization for the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts. Productions are held in any of our three theatres: The Elsie C. Brackett Theatre, The Weitzenhoffer Theatre, and the Reynolds Performing Arts Center. Each year, University Theatre offers a season of theatrical productions that include ballet and contemporary dance productions from the School of Dance, plays from the Peggy Dow Helmerich School of Drama, musicals from the Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre, and operas from the School of Music. Every school year, fine arts students get to explore their crafts in performance, choreography, design, management, dramaturgy and production through 9 fully produced shows, showcasing their excellence, creativity, talent and collaboration.
exciting productions are produced each academic year: two musicals, two plays, two operas, and three dance productions.
costumes worn by performers on our stages throughout the year.
lighting instruments used throughout the season, which sets the mood and match the emotion during each performance.
tickets are sold annually for University Theatre productions.
From an early age, music and musical theatre represented a passion for Elsie C. (White) Brackett. Like so many Americans who lived through the Great Depression and World War II, Elsie found pleasure and comfort in all forms of musical expression. From the show tunes she sang as she cleaned house to the theatrical performances she attended that captivated her with all of the excitement that surrounds a live performance, music was a constant in Elsie Brackett's life.
Elsie epitomized the women of her generation. Born on August 16, 1914, on a small farm outside Troup, Texas, she grew up singing in her church choir and developing the strength and toughness of those raised during this era. She moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, a few years after completing high school and attended business school to learn the necessary skills to become a secretary and bookkeeper. While living in Tulsa, a coworker introduced her to the man who would become her husband, Delbert Brackett, and the two were married on September 6, 1941. Living in Tulsa and Bartlesville, she helped her husband to develop a home building and real estate company.
Because of her unselfish ways, her appreciation of higher education, and her lifelong passion for music, Elsie C. Brackett is a fitting namesake for the Univeristy of Oklahoma's performance venue. Knowing how thrilled Elsie would be to provide an opportunity for young pepople to develop the craft and the performing arts skills, her daughter and son-in-law, Susan E. "Betsy" Brackett and Gregg A. Wadley, made a lead gift to renovate the theatre. In recognition of their gift, the theatre is named to honor Elsie C. Brackett.
A. Max Weitzenhoffer is an independent producer of New York and London theater productions and currently owns six theaters in the West End in London. He is a graduate of the OU School of Drama and the largest contributor to OU fine and performing arts.
Mr. Weitzenhoffer has been nominated numerous times for Tony Awards and has won for The Will Rogers Follies and Dracula on Broadway. Additionally, he has won Drama Critics Awards and two Olivier Awards (Britain’s equivalent of a Tony Award). He is routinely named among the top 10 most important individuals in British theater by The Stage newspaper.
In the early 1990’s, Mr. Weitzenhoffer initiated and funded the conversion of a rarely-used storage facility into a black box theatre, providing the college with a third theatre and the perfect home for dramatic productions. The black backdrop of the theatre is designed to help the audience focus on the actors, provide a more intimate atmosphere, and utilize lighting to differentiate space in a way that typical scenery might not provide. This theatre is now known as the Weitzenhoffer Theatre.
During this same time, Mr. Weitzenhoffer returned to Oklahoma to raise his family. In 1994 he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and has received many awards from the University of Oklahoma, including the Regents’ Alumni Award, the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Citation, and an honorary doctorate. He also served on the University's Board of Regents for 14 years.
The Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center, built in 1918 as part of the University of Oklahoma’s original campus, is one of Oklahoma’s most historic buildings and one of the university’s key educational and community facilities. Originally named The Auditorium (1918) it was renamed Holmberg Hall (1938), after Fredrick Holmberg, professor of music and first Dean of the College of Fine Arts.
In 2002 the building began a multimillion dollar renovation. The original building with the addition of the new dance wing and renovated practice rooms were renamed the Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center (2005), after Donald W. Reynolds.
The Building’s centerpiece is Oklahoma’s only European-style performance hall, the setting for appearances by famous visitors to Oklahoma, generations of OU student performers, and a wide range of community activities. Sometimes called “Oklahoma’s meeting house,” the building has housed some of the state’s most memorable events.
Famous visitors include President William Howard Taft, statesman William Jennings Bryan, poet William Butler Yeats, Composer Aaron Copland, and dancer Martha Graham. Former high school students from across the state remember it as the site of music, band and speech competitions and events.
In addition, many of the University of Oklahoma’s landmark events, from former OU President James Buchanan’s funeral to football Coach Bud Wilkinson’s national trophy presentation, were held in the facility.
