Summer Workshop on the Horizon!

The Summer Kidz Workshop is now taking applicants!

SIGN UP HERE!

The Theatre Co. of the Ozarks is pleased to announce their upcoming summer workshop! They are now accepting applications for students ages 6 to 17. Applications are due by Monday May 20, 2024.

The dates are Monday-Thursday July 8-11, July 15-18, and July 22-25 from 1pm-5pm, with a performance on Sunday July 28 at 2pm at the Lyric Theater. We will provide snacks and water, but it is always a good idea to have your child bring their own water bottle and snacks if they prefer something in particular or have allergies.
 
The cost of the workshop is $25 per child. There are several scholarships available based on need.

 
This workshop will be a combination of mini workshops for improv, acting, set building, lighting design, and much more! They will be hosted by qualified and experienced adults and Theatre students in high school and college.

 
The younger students will participate in The Aristocats KIDS and the older students will concentrate on writing their own monologues and performing them OR on tech and backstage work! If kids choose to be tech students, they will still participate in all workshops, and instead of performing, they will learn how to build a portfolio and present iit. OAC Executive Director Julianna Hamblin and Theatre Co. of the Ozarks Vice President AJ Womack will be leading the students in these performances. 
 
Please make plans to attend the mandatory parent/guardian meeting on Monday June 3 at 5:30pm to get all the info. Please bring your registered child(ren) so we can meet them! But don’t forget to sign up first!

Sign up here!

Musical at HHS PAC: The Addams Family, A New Musical #LiveAtThePAC April 12-13 at 7:00pm, April 19-20 at 7:00pm; April 14, 21 at 2:00pm

Harrison High School Theatre Dept. Presents:
The Addams Family, A New Musical
Friday, Saturday April 12-13, April 19-20, at 7:00PM
Sunday April 14, 21 at 2:00PM

The Addams Family, A New Musical will be performed at the Harrison High School Performing Arts Center April 12 & 13, 19 & 20 at 7:00 pm and April 14 and 21 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are on sale at HHSPAC.org.

Hundreds of years ago, a family’s ancestors came from the old country and settled on a plot of land in what has now become New York’s Central Park. The family flourished for many generations, enjoying their seclusion in a huge house built where a great Spanish oak protected the ancestral graves from such annoyances as tourists and…sunlight.

As the play begins, the last dead leaf of autumn falls from the Family Tree, and all is right in the morbid, macabre world of the Addams Family—Gomez (Bannon Jones), Morticia (Rilee Young), Fester (Isaiah Wallis), Grandma (Reagan Hersh), Wednesday (Liani Cash), Pugsley (Ally Hyatt), Lurch (Chase Moak), Cousin It (Mick McCormick) and, of course, Thing. They’ve gathered—where else?—in the family graveyard, to celebrate life and death in a yearly ritual to connect with their past and ensure their future. They are at peace, not just with each other and their inimitable, unchanging Addams-ness, but with their dead ancestors, too—who emerge from their graves on this night each year to join in the celebration (Makayla Alsobrook, Ricky Bates, Emma Bock, Laith Boswell, Milo Briggs, Maci Bright, Julie Davis, Leigh Dayanan, Ella Domini, Mattea Emerson, Bella Gibson, Delaney Hodges, Ellison Jones, Kamyron Lefebvre, Zachary Linn, Wynn Mahoney, Mick Morrell, Beck Nelson, Nicholas Padilla, Jerome Sweatman). At the end of the ritual this year, though, Fester blocks the ancestors’ return to their graves! Those unchanging Addams family values are about to be tested when we find out that Wednesday, “that bundle of malice,” is in love…with a “normal” person, Lucas Beineke (Garret Cox)…and he, his mistrusting father Mal (Mark Green), and his cloying mother (Valeria Carbajal) are on their way to dinner. But how ‘normal’ are these regular Ohioans? The night will take a crazy turn when the Beinekes sit down to dinner with the Addams! Will everyone live happily ever after or go home slightly depressed?

Join us at the Harrison High School Performing Arts Center to see this creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky family and their ancestors deal with the trials of modern young love! 

The Addams Family, A New Musical will be performed at the HHS PAC April 12, 13, 19, 20 at 7:00pm and April 14 and 21 at 2:00pm. Tickets are on sale at HHSPAC.org.

OAC Ticketing Link

Almost, Maine, January 26–28 at 7pm, January 29 at 2pm! #LiveAtTheLyric!

The Theatre Co. of the Ozarks and
the Ozark Arts Council Present:

January 26–28 at 7pm, January 29 at 2pm! #LiveAtTheLyric!

 

The Theatre Co. of the Ozarks and The Ozark Arts Council present Almost, Main performed at the Historic 1929 Lyric Theater January 26–28 at 7:00pm and January 29 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $8 for children, when bought in advance; prices rise $3 if purchased at the door—$11 for children, $13 for seniors and students, and $15 for adults.

Welcome to Almost, Maine, a place that’s so far north, it’s almost not in the United States. It’s almost in Canada. And it’s not quite a town, because its residents never got around to getting organized. So it almost doesn’t exist. One cold, clear, winter night, as the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, the residents of Almost, Maine, find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend—almost—in this delightful midwinter night’s dream.

“ALMOST, MAINE is a series of nine amiably absurdist vignettes about love, with a touch of good-natured magic realism…witty, romantic, unsentimental. A beautifully structured play, with nifty surprise endings (most but not all of them happy).” —NY Times. “Sweet, poignant, and witty. Nearly perfect. ALMOST, MAINE’s charm is real. [It] packs wit, earns its laughs and, like love, surprises you.” —NY Daily News. “Mega-hit ALMOST, MAINE lands somewhere between Norman Rockwell and Our Town. Unabashedly unhip. There is no pretense of an edge here—the show offers a sweetness and decency that’s become rare at the theater. At this point, it’s a welcome breath of fresh air.” —New York Post.

Join us at The Lyric for Almost, Maine, January 26–28 at 7:00PM, January 29 at 2:00PM #LiveAtTheLyric. Tickets on sale SOON for OAC Members! Tickets for non-OAC Members to open shortly after. Become an OAC Member at Join.TheLyric.org!

 

OAC Ticketing Link

White Christmas, December 1–3 at 7pm, December 4 at 2pm! #LiveAtTheLyric!

NorthArk Drama, HHS Theatre Troupe 2715, and
the Ozark Arts Council Present:

December 1–3 at 7pm, December 4 at 2pm! #LiveAtTheLyric!

 

NorthArk Drama, HHS Theatre Troupe 2715, and The Ozark Arts Council present White Christmas performed at the Historic 1929 Lyric Theater December 1–3 at 7:00pm and December 4 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, and $12 for children, when bought in advance; prices rise $3 if purchased at the door—$15 for children, $18 for seniors and students, and $21 for adults. Veterans and Active Duty Service Members receive a discount by choosing the Veteran discount ticket.

Veterans Bob Wallace (Bannon Jones) and Phil Davis (Isaiah Wallis) have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II. With romance in mind, the two follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters, Betty (Maci Bright, understudy Savana Tolbert) and Judy (Brinkley Brewer, understudy Ella Domino) Haynes en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by Bob and Phil’s former army commander, Henry Waverly (Matt Hamblin). Though the General is retired, he must now contend with a failing inn, a has-been-but-still-aspiring actress, Martha (Jenna Wilson), and his precocious granddaughter, Susan (Allyson Hyatt). When Bob and Phil decide to bring their whole crew down to help the General out with a huge Christmas show, new romances will begin, old friendships will be rekindled, and everyone will learn that sometimes, things really can be fixed with a little Theatre in your life. Ensemble cast includes both veteran and novice students of Theatre: Malachi Baker, Jude Bilbee, Emma Bock, Angie Briggs, Valeria Carbajal, Camron Edwards, Lashayla Engel, Lilly Mangrum, Melissa Mao, Tracy Mao, Kamyron Lefebvre, Wyatt Mahoney, Brycen Myers, Andi Jo Parrish, Lexi Poor, Chasity Price, Natalie Sims, Eric Stubbs, Logan Wilson, Karma Wooten, and Rilee Young.

For those who love the movie, the play will give you a double treat, because of the sub-plots and character development, plus the greater involvement of beloved-but-minor characters (especially Susan and Martha!). With a dazzling score featuring well-known standards including “Blue Skies,” “How Deep Is the Ocean” and the perennial title song, White Christmas is an uplifting musical that will surely get you in the holiday spirit!

Join us at The Lyric for White Christmas, December 1–3 at 7:00PM, December 4 at 2:00PM #LiveAtTheLyric. Tickets on sale NOW! Become an OAC Member at Join.TheLyric.org!

 

OAC Ticketing Link

Freaky Friday, July 1–2 & 8–9 at 7pm, July 3 & 10 at 2pm! #LiveAtTheLyric!

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and
the Ozark Arts Council Present:

Thursday–Saturday, July 1–2 & 8–9, 7:00PM
Sunday, July 3 & 10, 2:00PM

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and The Ozark Arts Council present Disney’s Freaky Friday, A New Musical, performed at the Historic 1929 Lyric Theater July 1–2 and July 8–9 at 7:00PM, July 3 and 10 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $8 for children, when bought in advance; prices rise $3 if purchased at the door—$11 for children, $13 for seniors and students, and $15 for adults.

Based on the beloved 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films, Freaky Friday, A New Musical hits all the right notes!

Teenager Ellie (Bri Coleman) is…annoyed. Her mother, Katherine (Shawna Cash), is in a frenzy planning her own wedding, her brother Fletcher (Landon Clements) is being his usual irritating, little-brother-self, and her soon-to-be-stepfather, Mike (Michael Amburn), is just too overbearing. When Ellie wants to go on a scavenger hunt with her friends (Lexi Poor, Emma Bock) instead of attending Katherine’s rehearsal dinner, she and Katherine argue and end up breaking a magical hourglass…which makes them swap bodies. When they realize they need another hourglass to switch back, they rush to find it, as they have just one day to put things right again!

Freaky Friday, a new musical based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films, is a heartfelt, comedic, and unexpectedly emotional update on a classic. With a stellar cast of both new and familiar Lyric faces—including Ann Lemley, Bannon Jones, Liani Cash, Jerome Sweatman, McKenna Franks, Candace Lamberts, Delaney Bowie, Courtney Lantis, Becky Poor, Kinder Hinrichs, Marsha Franks, Jacob Howton, Patrick Franks, Julie Davis, and Joe Cotton—you’ll laugh riotously and be sincerely touched as you see two seemingly opposite people come to appreciate one another’s struggles, learn self-acceptance, and realize the immeasurable love and mutual respect that bond a mother and daughter.

As with any adaptation of a book to a live performance, we suggest a (re-)reading of the book both before and after the performance. We suggest this because it both prolongs the entertainment and makes the experience more enriching. By reading the book before and after, you are able to engage your own imagination of the characters and scenery, etc., or even of the nuances of the plot, then gain insight into the playwright’s imagination of the same, and then deepen and broaden your own imagination through the post-performance reading. You may agree or disagree with any playwright’s choices in an adaptation…and, maybe, if you disagree enough, another playwright will have been created!

To read the novel by Mary Rodgers, visit the Boone County Public Library or a library near you…or buy it online. If you follow our links to buy the book, you’ll notice that where ‘www’ normally is, it says ‘smile’, which means you can designate the OAC/Lyric to receive a portion of what you pay for the book (it won’t increase your price or take money away from creators or producers of a product, but comes out of Amazon’s profit).

Join us at The Lyric for Disney’s Freaky Friday, A New Musical, July 1–2 and July 8–9 at 7:00PM, July 3 and 10 at 2:00PM #LiveAtTheLyric. Tickets are available now here at TheLyric.org by clicking any “Get Tickets” link, or calling the OAC office at (870) 391-3504 (please leave a detailed message if you get our voicemail).

OAC Ticketing Link

Once Upon a Mattress, April 20–23 at 7pm, Live At The PAC!

ITS Troupe 2715 and
Harrison High School Theatre present:

Once Upon a Mattress

Wednesday–Saturday, April 20–23, 7:00PM

Harrison High School Theatre Dept. and International Thespian Society Troupe 2715 present Once Upon a Mattress, performed at the Harrison High School Performing Arts Center April 20-23 at 7:00pm. Tickets at HHSPAC.org – $12 adult, $10 senior/student, $8 children (prices raise $3 if purchased at the door).

Once Upon A Mattress, based on the famous fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea, is a hilarious retelling with quite the twist! Many moons ago in a far-off place, Queen Aggravain (Jenna Wilson), aided by her loyal Wizard (Mandy Prpich), has decreed that no couples shall marry until her son, Prince Dauntless (Zach Jimerson), finds a bride. Her husband, King Sextimus (Donovan Walters), might have something to say about that…if he could do any speaking, that is. Princesses (Iria Delgado) come from far and wide to win the hand of the prince, but none can pass the impossible tests given to them by the Queen and Wizard.

The Knights and Ladies of the Court (Jude Bilbee, Lily Brockelman, Joseph Claus, Ellie denHollander, Mya Dodson, Ella Domino, Camron Edwards, Lashayla Engel, Michelle Gregory, Victoria Hudson, Cassi Johnson, Lilly Mangrum, Landon McKellep, Katey Sims, Natalie Sims, Maegen Sterling, Jerome Sweatman, William Tanner, Lydia Thomas, Serenity Yang) are distressed by the situation, but the most concerned are Lady Larken (double cast Faith Nix and Valeria Carbajal) and her handsome knight, Sir Harry (Hayden Allen). Sir Harry, determined to find a true princess for Dauntless, sets off for unexplored parts and comes back with a shy swamp princess, Winnifred the Woebegone (double cast V. Grae Smith and Rilee Young).

Meanwhile, the Minstrel (Addie Jones) and Jester (Brinkley Brewer) have their hands full trying to solve everyone’s problems and stay out of trouble themselves, but things become more complicated when it turns out that the Queen’s underhanded schemes are no match for a delicate thing like a Swamp Princess. When a pea is placed under 20 mattresses and a Nightingale (double cast Maci Bright and Faith Nix) is provided to sing Princess Fred to sleep, some side-splitting shenanigans are most definitely in store!

Harrison High School Theatre Dept. and International Thespian Society Troupe 2715 present Once Upon a Mattress, performed at the Harrison High School Performing Arts Center April 20-23 at 7:00pm. Tickets are at HHSPAC.org – $12 adult, $10 senior/student, $8 children (prices raise $3 if purchased at the door).

OAC Ticketing Link

Beauty & the Beast, Jr., July 20, 25, 27! #LiveAtTheLyric!

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and the Ozark Arts Council Present:
Beauty & The Beast, Jr.

Saturdays, July 20 & 27, 2:00PM & 7:00PM
Thursday, July 25, 10:00AM

What you’ve been waiting for all summer is almost here: the enchanting and exciting story of Beauty and the Beast! The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and The Ozark Arts Council, under license from Music Theatre International, will present Beauty and the Beast, Jr. LIVE at The Lyric Theater in Harrison, Arkansas, on July 20, 25, and 27. Saturday performances will be at 2:00pm and 7:00pm, and the Thursday performance will be at 10:00am. Tickets are available through TheLyric.org with Advance Tickets priced at $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults.

Shade Roberts and Liani Cash

Don’t let the “Jr.” in the title lead you to expect a watered-down production missing your favorite songs: when Disney commissions an adaptation for young performers, it’s name is still on the line! Based on the original Broadway production that ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, and the Academy Award-winning motion picture, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. is a fantastic adaptation of the story of transformation and tolerance.  Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. features some of the most popular songs ever written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice.

As with many of our children’s plays, rehearsals were preceded by a two-week-long workshop, which focused on vocals, acting, and choreography, as well as the proper etiquette for being in a play and attending a play, all of which culminated in a short performance for the family and friends of the children—many of whom are gracing the Lyric stage for the first time ever. Only then was attention turned fully to this play, where those new or refined acting, singing, and dancing skills could be put into practice for the sellout performances this July will bring.

Beauty and the Beast tells the story of an arrogant young prince and his castle’s servants who fall under the spell of a wicked enchantress when he turns her away from his door. The enchantress turns the prince into the hideous “Beast” until he can learn to love and to be loved in return. The spirited, headstrong village girl Belle enters Beast’s castle after he imprisons her father, Maurice. With the help of his enchanted servants, including the matronly Mrs. Potts, Belle begins to draw the cold-hearted Beast out of his isolation. But when the similarly cold-hearted Gaston and his henchman Lefou decide to destroy the Beast, will Belle be able to save the Beast from eternal doom?

We hope you will join us both for the entertainment and lesson imparted by this classic story and for the building of our community that attendance at Arts events—especially at young people’s theatre—always brings. The OAC and its Member Organizations are committed to having children of all ages learn about the Arts and develop a love for them that reaches beyond their early years, so that they grow up to be well-rounded, empathetic adults. These “Jr.” plays, and the directors who bless us by giving up a portion of their summers, are a huge first step in that direction.

Says Director Debbie Waters:

“I have been blessed with the best cast of young people between the ages of 6-18 who are a joy to work with.  We have a cast of 30 who are working hard and excited to ask everyone to ‘Be Our Guest’ at the Historic Lyric Theater during our 90th Birthday Celebration season.”

Our Cast and Crew include:

Caleb Lord and Liani Cash

Belle: Liani Cash
Beast: Shade Roberts
Gaston: Caleb Lord
LeFou: Jacob Cothran
Maurice: Logan Cole
Mrs. Potts: Alayna Davis
Chip: Ivan Hanschu
Lumiere: Nicholas Prpich
Babette: Chyler Caraway
Cogsworth: Bannon Jones
Madame de la Grande Bouche: Lexi Sprenger
Silly Girls: Brinkley Brewer, Avery Skinner, Emily Still
Enchantress: AnneJanette Cole

Ensemble: Kaden Allen, Zoë Arthur, Laura Bracken, Callie Caraway, Ethan Causey, Landon Clements, Joshua Cothran, Ella Domino, Dierdra Goldman, Jadah Gregory, Kalel Lewis, Tarron Lewis, Mia Ostberg, Emma Claire Pruitt, Natalie Sims, Jerome Sweatman, Jenna Wilson

Director: Debbie Waters
Assistant Directors: Courtney Lantis, Yaffah Lewis, Michele Reynolds

Back: Caleb Lord & Emily Still
Front: Avery Skinner & Brinkley Brewer

Join us at The Lyric for this heartwarming tale of the transformative power of love on July 20, 25, and 27. Tickets for Beauty and the Beast, Jr. are available now through TheLyric.org by clicking any “Get Tickets” link, by stopping by the OAC office at 115 W. Rush
Ave. between 8 & 2 Tuesday through Friday, or by calling (870) 391-3504 (please leave a detailed message if you get our voicemail).

OAC Ticketing Link

Nunsense — Saturdays, March 10 & 17 @ 7:00 & Sundays, March 11 & 18 @ 2:00 — #LiveAtTheLyric!

 

It’s Funny…but…#itshabitforming!
It’s Nunsense!

Saturdays, March 10 & 17 at 7:00PM
Sundays, March 11 & 18 at 2:00PM

A hail of fun and frolic—Nunsense, like the holy mother church, is a bona fide institution.
 – The New York Times

Nunsense begins when the Little Sisters of Hoboken discover that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned 52 of the sisters, and they are in dire need of funds for the burials. The sisters decide that the best way to raise the money is to put on a variety show, so they take over the school auditorium, which is currently set up for the eighth grade production of Grease. Here we meet Reverend Mother Mary Regina (Jeanie Hunt), a former circus performer; Sister Mary Hubert (Lisa Johnson), the Mistress of Novices; a streetwise nun from Brooklyn named Sister Robert Anne (Ann Lemley); Sister Mary Leo (Serena Bolonsky), a novice who is a wannabe ballerina; and the delightfully wacky Sister Mary Amnesia (Karen McKaig), the nun who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head.

Want to get a little taste in advance? Check out the Nunsense YouTube Channel!

Want a little local taste in advance? Besides watching this site for upcoming cast photos, etc., be sure to watch Hometown TV’s 726 and The Weekly Daily Show with Jim and Alicia for upcoming interviews!

Featuring star turns, tap and ballet dancing, an audience quiz, and comic surprises, this show has become an international phenomenon. Join us at The Lyric to see these singing, dancing, trapeze-ing nuns! Tickets available by clicking any “Get Tickets” link on this site or by calling (870) 391-3504. Advance Tickets are $12 Adults, $10 Seniors/Students; tickets purchased at the door are $15 Adults, $14 Seniors/Students.

OAC Ticketing Link