Past Seasons

March 28, 2024

Bring everyone in your family to this evening of comedy and music by the faux-family band who puts their unique bluegrass spin on hit songs of every style. The New York Times wrote, “If Earl Scruggs, Dolly Parton and Spinal Tap spawned a litter of puppies, it would be the Cleverlys.”

February 15, 2024

Put your sweetheart “In the Mood” with music from the most sought-after Big Band in the world. This 18-member ensemble plays many of the original Glenn Miller arrangements from the Swing Era of the 1930s and 40s along with modern selections performed with the distinctive Miller style and sound.

 October 26, 2023

PUSH Physical Theatre (Darren and Heather Stevenson, founding co-directors) presents HYDE, the world premiere of their newest show inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The 2023-24 season-opener of the Davis-Waldorf Performing Arts Series will introduce Edward, a troubled young man, who has discovered himself through the classic tale and is anxious to share his origin story with you. As his invited audience, you’ll help him complete his greatest work. Along the way, you’ll discover the terror of a broken mind, the danger of a double-life and the power of the theatre. Because of profanity, violence and mature themes, this play is suggested for adult audience members. The production was developed in residency with PUSH Physical Theatre allowing USAO theatre arts students a unique look into professional theater.

October 28, 2023

Students from USAO and students from local K-12 schools will be working with the PUSH Physical Theatre company to develop their performance based on Robert Louis’ Stevenson’s novella. As they learn from the professional artists, the students will develop their own original “shadow show” with the same source material and will present this as the fall production of the Theatre Arts Program. This show will be performed on one night only, Saturday, October 28, at 7:30 p.m. in Te Ata Memorial Auditorium. Each season ticket holder will receive a ticket to this production as a “bonus” in their subscription.

November 30, 2023

A mixed repertory presentation of dazzling short ballets, MOMENTUM combines the brilliantly classical, poignantly romantic, and intensely contemporary into an evening that celebrates artistry and athleticism. There is delight for all ages on the menu of this kick-off to the holiday season!

October 6, 2022

Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, who will perform "American Catracho", is a proudly and visibly multicultural company, led by Latinx artist Wilfredo Rivera. The group combines dance and live music in visually stunning narrative performances that explore heritage and identity.

November 3, 2022

Ryan & Ryan is a father-son piano duo who amaze audiences with their ingenuity and skill. The blend of styles in this up-beat show, "Kickin' the Clouds Away" combined with their love of performance create an evening of music that inspires.

January 26, 2023

Nilaja Sun is the award-winning playwright who will perform her one-act contemporary masterpiece, "No Child...". This play is filled with humor and heartbreak as it reflects the experiences of children and teachers in under-resourced public schools in America.

This performance is suggested for adult audiences because of the realistic, yet sometimes profane, language of the teen characters.

March 23, 2023

In Ashwini Ramaswamy's "Let the Crows Come", the choreography is for three dancers with music by three composers. The classical Indian Bharatanatyam dance is deconstructed and recontextualized to recall a story that has a shared origin but is remembered differently from person to person – like a DJ re-mixing a song.

September 30, 2021

Broadway’s Next H!t Musical will bring an improvised, unscripted musical theatre event to the Te Ata Memorial Auditorium. Using suggestions from the audience, the group creates spontaneous scenes and songs accompanied by fantastic dancing and tons of laughter. During the “Awards Show” the audience votes for their favorite song and the cast turns it into a full-blown musical complete with memorable characters, witty dialogue and plot twists galore. Imagine all the fun of Whose Line is it Anyway? meeting a night at a Broadway Musical!

November 11, 2021

Rhythmic Circus will kick-off winter celebrations with their sensational show “Holiday Shuffle.” Families with children of all ages will be amazed and uplifted by this evening of joy and positive messaging through music, dance and humor.  This company last performed their show, “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now!”, to rave reviews during the 15^th season of DWPAS.

February 17, 2022

The family-friendly shadow dance company The Silhouettes will bring their acclaimed show “LOVE Happens” as the first DWPAS event of the new year.

March 10, 2022

Harmonious Wail will shake campus with their fiery and distinctive combination of genres ranging from the jazz of the Hot Club de France to the deepest blues of the Mississippi Delta to heartfelt folk scenes across Anytown, USA. Having performed virtually last season, now audiences can have a drink and chat in person with the multi-award-winning trio featuring mandolin virtuoso and vocalist Sims Delaney-Potthoff, master bassist Jeffo Weiss and vocalist extraordinaire Maggie Delaney-Potthoff.

March 31, 2022

The Arkansas-based slam poetry collective Foreign Tongues will bring the season to a close in a special additional performance. This first-of-its-kind event in DWPAS will feature an original poetry performance with all the energy of a slam and all the expertise of professional actors. Students will participate in writing and performance workshops and audiences will have an intimate opportunity to connect with the artists as they take storytelling to a new level.

Sept. 17, 2020 | 7 p.m. | Virtual

We kicked off the series with a “living room concert” with this Oklahoma City-based guitar virtuoso. Watch and listen live as he performs pieces from his extensive repertoire and takes requests from our audience. Throughout the evening, Cruz will also lead a masterclass-style discussion of technical aspects of solo guitar performance and reflect on the rising prominence of fingerstyle guitar.

Oct. 8, 2020 | 7 p.m. | Virtual

Artistic directors Darren and Heather Stevenson will give audiences an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at new pieces in development with the company and how their creative process has adapted in quarantine. This “community conversation” will be live and allow for audience questions and comments.

Oct. 23, 2020 | 7 p.m. | Virtual

Students and Alumni of the theatre arts program will present their fall performance in live, online video on one night only. DWPAS audiences are invited to experience the Oklahoma premiere of this new play, a contemporary sequel to Othello, that examines the enduring legacy of prejudice and trauma in a world where Shakespeare’s world crosses with our own. The cast and crew will hold a behind-the-scenes conversation with the audience after the performance, hosted by guest dramaturg, USAO alumna Cynthia Cunningham, M.F.A.

Feb. 18, 2021 | 7 p.m. | Virtual

Award-winning composer and pianist Daniel Kelly brilliantly reinterprets texts from Shakespeare’s most beloved plays as lyrics for original jazz songs featuring Nicole Zuraitis’ powerhouse vocals. The audience will not only enjoy a live, concert performance but will engage with the artists in real-time to collaborate on work!

March 25, 2021 | 7 p.m. | Virtual

This multi-award-winning trio will round out our “alternative” series, introducing audiences to the group’s distinctive and fiery fusion of musical styles that reach from the jazz of the Hot Club de France to the deepest blues of the Mississippi Delta to the heartfelt folk scenes across every-town America. This exclusive online concert is a preview of their spectacular live performance that will be featured in the DWPAS 20^th anniversary season.

October 24, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Davis Hall Little Theater

Bram Stoker’s 1897 horror novel DRACULA comes to life in an original, multi-media performance that combines visual art, acrobatics, dance, and mime. The classic tale of seduction and madness manipulates the beautiful, remarkable, and unfamiliar to evoke wonder at “the strength of the human soul expressed through the power of the human body.”

November 21, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Davis Hall Little Theater

Get in the holiday spirit with M-PACT’S Winter Wonderland. This award-winning pop-jazz vocal a cappella group has been called the “Cirque du Soleil of Song.” Their vocal acrobatics and innovative orchestrations will awe audiences of all ages in this musical revue designed to kick-off to the most wonder-full time of the year!

February 20, 2020 | 7:30 p.m. | Davis Hall Little Theater

Tradition. Innovation. Sensation. DALLAS STRING QUARTET starts the show as the string quartet you think you know, and ends as DSQ Electric, introducing the range of possibilities of strings performance along the way. These classically-trained musicians take audiences on a journey of wonder to “the meeting place of classical music and modern pop where artists like Beethoven and Bono collide.”

March 12, 2020 | 7:30 p.m. | Davis Hall Little Theater

DLUX, a professional theatre company, tours nationally with original performances using high-quality puppets and multimedia to retell classics for children, families and the young at heart. In this trip down the rabbit hole, Alice encounters life-sized puppets, created and voiced by master puppeteer Derek Lux. The “juke-box” musical includes popular music from the 60s, 70s and 80s in educational storytelling that emphasizes the value of communication, creativity and positivity.

January 31, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Davis Hall Little Theater

March 7, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | USAO Ballroom

February 15, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Davis Hall Little Theater

March 15, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Davis Hall Little Theater

March 21, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. | Te Ata Memorial Auditorium

February 4, 2016 | 7:30 p.m. | USAO Ballroom

March 3, 2016 | 7:30 p.m. | Te Ata Memorial Auditorium

February 14, 2015 | 7:30 p.m. | USAO Ballroom

March 27, 2015 | 7:30 p.m. | Te Ata Memorial Auditorium

February 7, 2014 | 7:30 p.m.

March 7, 2014 | 7:30 p.m.

March 1, 2013 | 7:30 p.m.

April 15, 2013 | 7:30 p.m.

January 31, 2012

February 27, 2012

January 25, 2011

February 28, 2011

February 23, 2010 | 7:30 p.m. | Te Ata Memorial Auditorium

March 23, 2010 | 7:30 p.m. | Te Ata Memorial Auditorium

February 6, 2009 | 7:30 p.m. | Te Ata Memorial Auditorium

March 10, 2009 | 7:30 p.m. | USAO Alumni Chapel

November 6, 2007 | 7:30 p.m. | Te Ata Memorial Auditorium

December 11, 2007 | 7:30 p.m. | Te Ata Memorial Auditorium

February 15, 2008 | 7:30 p.m. | Te Ata Memorial Auditorium

March 4, 2008 | 7:30 p.m. | Te Ata Memorial Auditorium

October 24, 2006 | 7:30 p.m. | USAO Alumni Chapel

January 23, 2007 | 7:30 p.m. | USAO Alumni Chapel

February 27, 2007 | 7:30 p.m. | Te Ata Memorial Auditorium

October 27, 2005 | 8:00 p.m. | Davis Hall Theater

January 13, 2006 | 8:00 p.m. | USAO Alumni Chapel

February 28, 2006 | 8:00 p.m. | USAO Alumni Chapel

February 11, 2005 | 8:00 p.m. | USAO Ballroom

March 6, 2005 | 2:00 p.m. | USAO Ballroom

April 5, 2005 | 8:00 p.m. | Troutt Hall Auditorium

November 11, 2003 | 8:00 p.m. | Davis Hall Theater

January 20, 2004 | 8:00 p.m. | USAO Alumni Chapel

March 9, 2004 | 8:00 p.m. | Troutt Hall Auditorium

December 19, 2002 | 7:30 p.m. | Troutt Hall Auditorium

February 13, 2003 | 8:00 p.m. | Troutt Hall Auditorium

April 17, 2003 | 8:00 p.m. | Davis Hall Theater