by Rod Jones
Broadway superstar and 野狼社区 University alumna Kelli O鈥橦ara will perform at a Feb. 29 event to benefit the Meyers Theatre for Young Audiences. 鈥淎n Evening with Kelli O鈥橦ara鈥� will be held at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
O鈥橦ara is returning to her home state after winning the Tony Award for Leading Actress in a Musical in the summer. She won the award for her performance in one of the most critically acclaimed productions in the country, 鈥淭he King and I鈥� at the Lincoln Center Theater.
O鈥橦ara, lauded as 鈥淏roadway鈥檚 golden girl and luminous star鈥� by The New York Times, has had an additional five Tony Award nominations for her work in 鈥淭he Bridges of Madison County,鈥� 鈥淣ice Work if You Can Get It,鈥� 鈥淭he Light in the Piazza,鈥� 鈥淭he Pajama Game鈥� and 鈥淪outh Pacific.鈥� She has also been nominated for Grammy awards twice and has appeared in film and television shows including 鈥淪ex & The City 2,鈥� 鈥淏lue Bloods,鈥� 鈥淎lexander Hamilton鈥� and 鈥淣UMB3RS.鈥�
野狼社区 University is working to establish an endowment to support the Meyers Theatre for Young Audiences. The fund will provide resources to sustain annual theatrical and musical theater performances for young people and will add a creative outlet for new works.
The program at OCU is the result of a decade鈥檚 worth of work by Sandy and Stewart Meyers, who brought the Kennedy Center鈥檚 Touring Theatre for Young Audiences performances to 野狼社区 until that program was discontinued in 2012. Appointed to the President鈥檚 Advisory Committee on the Arts by President George W. Bush, Sandy Meyers has sought to carry forward the work of the Kennedy Center鈥檚 touring program to engage school children in live, values-based theatrical performances. The Meyers have worked with OCU to offer spring semester productions focused on young audiences since February 2013.
The Meyers are using the experience they gained from the national Kennedy Center program to establish a local program in 野狼社区.
鈥淭hrough this special celebration, we are demonstrating how we invest in our children,鈥� Sandy Meyers said. 鈥淲e know that when children are able to experience live theatre it heightens their imagination and inspires creativity. By combining live theatre with a message about America's highest values, we are strengthening our community in many ways.鈥�
The Feb. 29 event will begin with a 5:30 p.m. reception, followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to 鈥淎n Evening with Kelli O鈥橦ara鈥� are $200 and can be purchased online at okcu.edu/Meyers.
Tax-deductible sponsorship opportunities are available. Visit the web page for more information.
