SummerStage Tulsa 2012 adds shows, cuts festival to five weeks
BY JAMES D. WATTS JR. World Scene Writer
Sunday, May 06, 2012
5/06/12 at 3:09 AM
This year's SummerStage, the annual performance festival presented by the Tulsa PAC Trust, will be a little larger. And a little shorter.
The festival also has commissioned a new logo - created by the University of Tulsa's Third Floor Design students - that officially names it "SummerStage Tulsa."
Some 30 shows - from one-person cabarets to large-scale musicals, from cutting-edge original dance works to shows designed to appeal to the kid in everyone - will be presented in four of the performance spaces of the Tulsa PAC over the course of the five-week event, which will run June 15-July 22.
"We managed to shave about a week from this year's festival compared to last year's," said Chad Oliverson, marketing and public relations director for the Tulsa PAC Trust.
In years past, SummerStage has stretched over three calendar months, from June to August.
"If you look at most festivals of this type, the majority run about one to two weeks," he said. "Everything is concentrated, and that makes the whole experience more dynamic. That's what we're trying do with SummerStage Tulsa. Our goal is to get the festival down to about a month."
The shortened time-frame, however, does not affect the festival's mission to showcase the diversity of the performing arts in Tulsa.
The 30 shows scheduled for this year's SummerStage Tulsa is more than were presented last year.
"One thing about this year's festival is that we have a lot of new organizations and individuals in the lineup," Oliverson said. "And that's something we love to see - new ideas coming in, and shows that are a little off the beaten path."
That includes having the first Oklahoma City-based artists to participate in SummerStage Tulsa - Perpetual Motion Dance.
The festival is also expanding within the PAC. In addition to presenting events in the facility's three lower theaters - the Williams, Doenges and Norman - the Robert J. LaFortune Studio will be home to many of the festival's cabaret performances.
Tickets for all performances will go on sale Monday by phone at 918-596-7111, online at tulsaworld.com/mytix, and at the PAC box office, 101 E. Third St.
SummerStage Tulsa is again offering a Festival Pass - patrons can select at least three participating events and receive a discount on tickets, as well as pay a single handling fee. Festival passes cannot be purchased online.
SummerStage Tulsa 2012
LOOK MUSICAL THEATRE
(All shows in the Williams Theatre)
June 15-July 8: "Gypsy." Classic musical about the life of Gypsy Rose Lee and the ultimate stage mother, Mama Rose.
June 16-July 3: "Avenue Q." Tony Award-winning musical about modern life in New York City - think "Sesame Street" meets "South Park." Mature audiences.
June 23-July 6: "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." Ron Loyd returns as Pseudolus in this fast-paced farce loaded with classic Stephen Sondheim songs.
Family shows
June 21-24: "Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business," presented by Tulsa Repertory Musicals. Adapted by Rogers State University professor David Blakely from the popular series of children's books by John Erickson. Doenges Theatre
July 5-7: "Winnie the Pooh," presented by Encore Theatre Arts. The familiar characters from A.A. Milne's beloved story decide to run away to protect Christopher Robin from the evils of Education. Doenges
July 6-7: "Once on This Island, Jr.," presented by Odeum Theatre. Tulsa's cutting-edge theatre company shows a new facet, working with young actors in this adaptation of a popular fairy tale. Norman Theatre
July 20-22: "Peter Pan," presented by Encore Theatre Arts. The "boy who never grew up" sweeps a family of children off to Neverland in this popular musical tale. Williams Theatre
Dance
June 15-16: "A Night at Saint Dementia," presented by Tulsa Folkloric Dance. Several local companies collaborate in this story of residents of a hospital whose lives are altered by a new patient. Doenges
June 23-24: "Pasion y Poesia," by Reflejos Flamencos. The music and dance of Spain is combined with the poetry of some of Spain's greatest writers in this show. Norman
June 29-30: "Satori: A Moment of Realization," by Perpetual Motion Dance. This Oklahoma City dance troupe puts on an evening-length show of modern and aerial dance works, all on the theme of identity and discovery. Doenges
July 8: "Dorothy in India," presented by Sanskriti School of Dance. "The Wizard of Oz" gets the "Bollywood" treatment, as a twister takes a girl named Dorothy to the magical land of India. Doenges
July 13-14: "BorN (Being or Nothingness)," presented by Portico Dans Theatre. Tragedy propels a man on a journey of dark discovery to confront the demons that so torment him. Doenges
Music!
June 22: Trio Spiritoso. Flute, cello and oboe come together to perform classics and contemporary, Bernstein to blues. Norman
June 28: "A Midsummer Night's Musical Journey." Tulsa Camerata partners with Oklahomans for Equality to showcase music by gay, lesbian and bisexual composers, from Tchaikovsky to Jennifer Higdon. LaFortune Studio
July 15: Appassionata Duo. Violist Jeffery Cowen and harpist Jill Wiebe perform original arrangement of pop and rock tunes as well as classical pieces. LaFortune
July 19: Vintage Wildflowers. Celtic music with a twist from this nationally acclaimed Tulsa trio. LaFortune
Theatre
June 15-17: "The Syringa Tree," presented by the Center for Racial Justice. A one-woman show in which award-winning actress Vanessa Adams-Harris portrays 24 characters, about the relationship between two families in South Africa, one black, one white. Norman
June 21: "Camp is Not Sexy," presented by Philip Geurin. A one-man show about a teenaged camp counselor trying to find a little summer romance. Norman
June 30: "Tinkerbell is Dead: #OCCUPYNEVERLAND!" presented by Theatre Pops. The company's annual monologue show. Norman
July 7-8: "The Wright Stuff," presented by Michael Wright. Father and son writers Michael and Eli Wright engage in a little friendly verbal duel. LaFortune
July 14: "Sizzling Season/Kindred Spirits" Summer Showcase, presented by Actors Company of Tulsa. Scenes from plays the company presented last season, along with a preview of what it has planned for 2012-13. Norman
July 19-22: "Almost an Evening," presented by Theatre Pops. Ethan Coen's trio of short plays are staged by first-time directors. Norman
Cabarets
June 19 and 26: "LOOK Cabaret," presented by LOOK Musical Theatre. Cast members of the company's productions perform. Norman
June 27: "Sing Anyway," presented by Emily Sahler Beleele. A mix of Broadway tunes, jazz standards and original songs that encourage people to express themselves. Norman
June 30-July 1: "A Blossom, Dearie!" presented by Rebecca Ungerman's Spinning Plates Productions. Annie Ellicott and Sarah Maud star in this show about the legendary singer-songwriter. LaFortune
July 6: "The Bad Roads of Oklahoma ... and Other Songs Along the Road," presented by Susan Herndon. One of Tulsa's most popular entertainers presents new original songs about traveling the region. LaFortune
July 10-12: "Wrong Way Broadway," presented by Samuel Jeremy Stevens. Nothing goes as expected in this satirical cabaret, which takes some bizarre side roads along the "Great White Way." LaFortune
July 13-14: "What'll I Do," presented by Janet Rutland. Rutland's eighth SummerStage show will focus on the music of Irving Berlin. LaFortune
July 20-22: "The Course of True Love Runs ... Directly through Broadway," presented by Rebecca Ungerman's Spinning Plates Productions. Four of Tulsa's top musical theater performers collaborate in this show that examines all the ways love is portrayed in the Great American Songbook. Doenges
Original Print Headline: SummerStage adds shows in fewer days
James D. Watts Jr. 918-581-8478
james.watts@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Perpetual Motion Dance will present "Sartori" on June 29-30 as part of SummerStage Tulsa. Courtesy
Tulsa Folkloric Dance Theatre will present "A Night at Saint Dementia" on June 15-16. Courtesy
Vocalist Janet Rutland will explore the music of Irving Berlin in her eighth SummerStage Tulsa show July 13-14. Courtesy
Tulsa Camerata will perform music by Tchaikovsky, Bernstein, Higdon and more in its SummerStage Tulsa debut on June 28. Courtesy
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