Celebrating 50 years of Verser Theatre: a season of revivals
January 01, 2020
This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Verser Theatre. Verser went into
operation in the fall of 1967 and has served the Department of Theatre Arts since
then, hosting many theatre productions and classes. We have been blessed by Earl Verser’s
generous donation that provided the funds for this theatre and classroom space.
To celebrate this occasion, and this year’s 25th anniversary of Jones Performing Arts
Center, the Department of Theatre Arts has chosen to produce plays this year that
have had prior productions in Verser Theatre and in JPAC.
The Department of Theatre Arts begins its season with "The Secret Garden, the Spring
Version" by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon on Sept. 28–Oct. 2. The full production was
staged at Ouachita in 2002 with an outstanding cast. All former cast and crew members
are invited to come to the production on Saturday night and stay for an after-show
celebratory reception in the Verser lobby.
The second show of the season, "Blood Wedding" by Frederico Garcia Lorca, will be
presented from Nov. 1-6. Ouachita’s former Department of Speech and Drama first presented
this work in 1968. The Department of Theatre Arts invites all cast and crew members
from this past production to join us on the Saturday night’s performance and for a
reception in the Verser lobby.
Spring 2018 will begin with our annual Muse Project, which is another student-devised
and -directed production titled "Beyond the Looking Glass," on Feb. 15-20. This production
will celebrate the many students who have devised works for the Verser stage. The
department hopes those students will join us for this production and for the reception
in the Verser lobby following the Saturday, Feb. 17, performance.
The spring musical this year will be "Seussical," performed in JPAC April 19-22. Another
repeat performance, "Seussical" was first performed in JPAC in 2010.
Save the date now to join us for the big, year-end 50th anniversary celebration on
Friday, April 20, with a banquet before the show and a reception following in the
Verser lobby. All current and former students and faculty are invited to attend.
In addition to these main stage productions, the Department of Theatre Arts will produce
student-directed one acts in the fall on Dec. 7 and 8 and in the spring on May 3 and
4 as well as the Ten-Minute Play Festival on March 10.
We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate half a century of theatre at Ouachita.
Dr. Scott Holsclaw, professor of theatre arts at Ouachita, also serves as chair of Ouachita’s Division of Applied Arts and formerly served as dean of the School of Fine Arts.
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