WINSTON-SALEM – The University of North Carolina School of the Arts’ (UNCSA) highly anticipated all-school production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! is here! The show opened last night, April 28, and runs through May 8 at the Roger L. Stevens Center in downtown Winston-Salem.

This faithful restaging of the original 1943 Broadway production is already getting rave reviews! See: www.uncsa.edu/OK.

When Oklahoma! opened on Broadway, it transformed musical theatre with its innovative integration of words, music, dance and design. UNCSA’s restaging includes the original Agnes de Mille choreography as re-created by Gemze de Lappe, a renowned dancer and teacher who performed in the original Broadway and touring productions of Oklahoma! and worked closely with de Mille for many years. In addition, UNCSA has extensively researched all aspects of the original production and has painstakingly recreated the original costumes and stage design.

Oklahoma! is directed by Terrence Mann, a UNCSA alumnus (he graduated from the School of Drama in 1978 with a B.F.A. in Acting) and a prominent actor, singer, dancer and director. His Broadway credits include lead roles in Cats, Les Misérables and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Lennon, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Assassins and most recently, The Addams Family. Mann also has appeared on television and in movies. He has numerous connections with North Carolina, having performed in and directed The Lost Colony and having served as Artistic Director of North Carolina Theatre in Raleigh.

Musical Director for Oklahoma! is internationally renowned conductor John Mauceri, Chancellor of UNCSA. The Founding Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Mauceri was Music Director and Musical Supervisor of three Broadway musicals: Candide, On Your Toes, and Song and Dance. He has worked closely with the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization on numerous projects including the first-ever recording of all the Overtures from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals (“Opening Night: The Complete Overtures”) as well as a restoration of the film score from The King and I, featuring Julie Andrews and Ben Kingsley, which received the Deutsche Schallplatten Prize in 1993. Among his many other awards and honors are a Tony, Grammy, Billboard, Olivier and two Emmys.   

The cast for Oklahoma! is drawn from the students at UNCSA, America’s first public arts conservatory. The mission of the school is to train young people to become professional artists. Alumni from UNCSA can be found throughout the professional world, on Broadway, in Hollywood, at the greatest opera houses and ballet and dance companies, and as designers and managers in virtually every field of the performing arts.

The full performance schedule for Oklahoma! is:  April 28, 8 p.m.; April 29, 7:30 p.m.; April 30, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; May 1, 2 p.m.; May 4-6, 8 p.m.; May 7, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; May 8, 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the UNCSA Box Office by calling 336.721.1945, or online at www.uncsa.edu/performances.

A special Gala Benefit performance will be presented tonight, Friday, April 29.

The April 29 “Boots and Bandanas” gala is sold out, but tickets are still available to the hottest party in town: the Downtown Hoedown (the gala after-party)! For ticket information, call the UNCSA Box Office at 336-721-1945, or go online at www.uncsa.edu/hoedown.

Proceeds from the production and the Boots and Bandanas Gala/Downtown Hoedown will go toward student scholarships at UNCSA.

Ticket prices are: Prime Orchestra, $100; Orchestra Center, $63 for adults and $49 for children 13 and under; Orchestra Sides and Front Balcony, $54 for adults and $40 for children 13 and under; Rear Orchestra and Rear Balcony, $43 for adults and $30 for children 13 and under. For the best deal in town take advantage of the great prices on Oklahoma! “Family Four Pack” (2 adults and 2 children) for the evening performances on Wednesday, May 4, and Thursday, May 5, only: $150 for Orchestra Side/Front Balcony and $110 for Rear Balcony. Please note that the ARTSCARD cannot be used for Oklahoma! Groups of 10 or more receive a 10% discount on every full-priced ticket. The 10% discount for groups may not be combined with any other offer.

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is the first state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established as the North Carolina School of the Arts by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, UNCSA opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of the Arts”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972. More than 1,100 students from middle school through graduate school train for careers in the arts in five professional schools: Dance, Design and Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and Music. UNCSA is the state’s only public arts conservatory, dedicated entirely to the professional training of talented students in the performing, visual and moving image arts. Internationally renowned conductor John Mauceri has been chancellor of UNCSA since 2006. UNCSA is located at 1533 S. Main St., Winston-Salem. For more information, visit a style="font-family: Verdana; color: #6B9F25; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single" href="http://www.uncsa.edu"> www.uncsa.edu.

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