OKC Rep Announces 2022-2023 Season; BILL'S 44th, THE GREAT LEAP, and More!

Oklahoma City Repertory Theater's has announced the new lineup for the theater's 2022-2023 season. OKC Rep's most ambitious season since emergence from the pandemic brings a cutting-edge and adventurous mix of five theater pieces in partnership with Oklahoma Contemporary, including two touring presentations and three original productions never before produced in Oklahoma. The season kicks off with an innovative original puppetry show by Dorothy James & Andy Manjuck, and will continue with a trio of Oklahoma premieres by Lauren Yee, Tarell Alvin McCraney, and Emily Zemba. The season will also resume the partnership with The Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival-an initiative to expand the reach of the United States's foremost festival of international and experimental work.

"For this season, I sought out works that are joyfully defiant, theatrically intrepid, aesthetically audacious, all with themes resonant to Oklahoma City now. We will open the season with Bill's 44th, a spellbinding and charming work of original puppetry. Additionally, we are producing three Oklahoma premieres: Lauren Yee's high-energy political fable The Great Leap; Emily Zemba's darkly absurdist comedy Superstitions; and Tarell Alvin McCraney's haunting and heartrending The Brother's Size," said Artistic Director Kelly Kerwin. "We are also continuing our relationship with The Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival; OKC Rep will present another powerful and exciting presentation that will come straight to Oklahoma City after premiering in New York."

OKC Rep furthers its dedication to the cultural ecology of Oklahoma City by making theater accessible to everyone. The theater will be implementing sliding-scale ticket prices and a Pay-What-You-Can option. "We will offer the highest quality theater for citizens of Oklahoma City, but with fewer financial barriers. Theater should not be a luxury. It's a necessary artform that makes us more in touch with our humanity," Kerwin continued, "We will never stop trying to expand our audience base so that every OKC Rep show looks like Oklahoma City: diverse, friendly, and ready for anything."

"Throughout the season people will notice the phrase THIS IS THEATER inscribed on many of our materials. OKC Rep is committed to expanding what the definition of theater is and can be. These five productions and the artists behind them represent this notion. Theater is transdisciplinary, theater is rigorous storytelling, theater is inclusive, theater is absurd, theater is a catalyst for change, theater is thought-provoking, theater is your story, theater is our story, and sometimes theater is a life size puppet's story."

Patrons who join OKC Rep's donor clubs are instrumental in our efforts to produce the best theater at accessible prices. Donor clubs begin at $100, and perks include invites to Happenings, ticket deals, and early access to opening night seats and receptions. To find out how you can support OKC Rep by joining one of the donor clubs, visit okcrep.com/support or call 405.768.2191.

Tickets for the Fall shows in the 2022-23 season (Bill's 44th; The Great Leap) are on sale now. The rest will be accessible throughout the season.

Check out the full season lineup below!

BILL'S 44TH

By Dorothy James and Andy Manjuck
September 29-October 1, 2022

Presented by OKC Rep in partnership with Oklahoma Contemporary

The streamers are hung, the punch has been spiked, and the cake is just begging to be eaten! Now all Bill has to do is wait for his guests to arrive. Bill's 44th is an original comedic show created and puppeted by Dorothy James & Andy Manjuck to create one very worried leading man - Bill. Many styles of puppetry, raucous balloons, and a cheeky piece of crudité all collide to examine the pitfalls of impatience, the wonder of loneliness, and the universal passage of time.

Bill's 44th is a full-length (55 minutes), wordless, comedic puppet show performed with an original, recorded score.

For more information about content, please call 405.768.2191.

THE GREAT LEAP

Written by Lauren Yee
Directed by Jessica Holt

November 10-20, 2022

Presented by OKC Rep in partnership with Oklahoma Contemporary

When an American basketball team travels to Beijing for a "friendship" in the post-Cultural Revolution 1980s, both countries try to tease out the politics of this newly popular sport. For two men with a past and one teen with a future, the game is a chance to claim personal victories on and off the court. Tensions rise right up to the final buzzer as a pivotal moment in history collides with the action in the arena. Driven by rapid-fire dialogue, this perceptive new play explores the cultural and political risks of raising your voice and standing your ground.

UNDER THE RADAR: ON THE ROAD*

*Presented in Association with The Public Theater; in partnership with Oklahoma Contemporary

January 26-29, 2023

SUPERSTITIONS

Written by Emily Zemba
Directed by Kelly Kerwin
February 21-March 5, 2023

Presented by OKC Rep in partnership with Oklahoma Contemporary

A foreigner finds a penny on the ground. When he tries to offer it to a stranger - it sparks an absurd and frightening conversation about American "bad luck." An unlikely group of strangers intersect in this unconventional comedy about navigating personal and national terrors. Who knew the ridiculous could be so terrifying?

THE BROTHERS SIZE

Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney
Directed To Be Announced
April 25-May 7, 2023

Presented by OKC Rep in partnership with Oklahoma Contemporary

In the Louisiana bayou, big brother Ogun Size is hardworking and steady. Younger brother Oshoosi is just out of prison and aimless. Elegba, Oshoosi's old prison-mate, is a mysterious complication. Flights of poetry, music, dance and West African mythology combine in a contemporary tale that explores the tenuousness of freedom and the need to belong somewhere, to something, to someone.

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