Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) has partnered Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre and National Theatre Live (NTL) to show broadcast productions to audiences in the college’s Visual and Performing Arts Center (VPAC) Theater. NTL is the National Theatre’s groundbreaking project to broadcast the best of British theatre live from the London stage to cinemas across the United Kingdom and around the world.
National Theatre Live launched in June 2009, and since then, over 3.5 million people in more than 1,100 venues around the world have experienced the broadcast productions. Though each live broadcast is filmed in front of a live audience in the theatre, cameras are carefully positioned throughout the auditorium to ensure that cinema audiences get the ‘best seat in the house’ view of each production. Satellites allow the productions to be broadcast live, without delay, to cinemas throughout the UK as well as many European venues. Other venues, such as in the United States, view the broadcasts ‘as live’ according to their time zone, or at a later date.
OCCC will premiere the first three of the broadcasts during Arts Festival Oklahoma Labor Day weekend. “Treasure Island” will be the first in the lineup Saturday, Sept. 5 at 1 p.m. Robert Louis Stevenson’s story of murder, money and mutiny is brought to life. Playwright Bryony Lavery’s adaptation is “An imaginative adaptation, which keeps alive the wit and excitement of the book,” claims the Guardian. The Financial Times says it is “Witty. Playful. A richly enjoyable show.”
The hit Broadway production “Of Mice and Men,” filmed onstage in New York by National Theatre Live, will be broadcast Sunday, Sept. 6 at 1 p.m. This landmark revival of Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck’s play is a powerful portrait of the American spirit and a heartbreaking testament to the bond of friendship. Directed by Tony Award, Drama Desk and Outer Critics award winner Anna D. Shapiro, Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee James Franco and Tony Award nominee Chris O’Dowd star in the highly-anticipated screenings of this ‘riveting, powerful production’ (Independent).
The final broadcast during the festival will be an encore screening of “The Audience” starring Academy Award and Tony Award winner Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II Monday, Sept. 7 at 11 p.m. For 60 years, Queen Elizabeth II has met with each of her 12 prime ministers in a private weekly meeting. This meeting is known as The Audience. No one knows what they discuss, not even their spouses. Through these private audiences, we see glimpses of the woman behind the crown and witness the moments that shaped a monarch. “The Audience” is written by Peter Morgan and directed by two-time Tony Award winner and Academy Award-nominated director Stephen Daldry. The screening features a live performance recorded during the original run of the production in London’s West End in 2013, and features the original West End cast.
OCCC will continue this series throughout the season. Audiences will be delighted with the lineup of productions:
• “Skylight” Oct. 18 at 6 p.m.
• “Hamlet” Nov. 1 at 6 p.m.
• “Behind the Beautiful Forevers” Feb. 7 at 6 p.m.
• “The Audience” April 3 at 6 p.m.
• “Man and Superman” April 17 at 6 p.m.
• A Streetcar Name Desire” May 15 at 6 p.m.
Tickets for each show will be $15 for adults and $5 for students and children. Tickets may be purchased at tickets.occc.edu or call (405) 682-7579.
OCCC serves more than 28,000 students each year. The college offers a full range of associate degree programs that prepare students to transfer to baccalaureate institutions while other degree and certificate programs prepare students for immediate employment in a variety of fields. At OCCC, students receive a quality education with small class sizes, dedicated teachers and leadership opportunities. Students can choose from more than 80 major fields of study and participate in any of the 40+ clubs and organizations and attend events such as the annual Arts Festival Oklahoma. For more information about OCCC, visit www.occc.edu.
