Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Fine Arts will present its 24^th annual production of A Festival of Christmas on Dec. 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Jones Performing Arts Center. Its 2015 theme is “We need a little Christmas!” Tickets are $12 each and can be purchased at www.obu.edu/boxoffice.

In addition to students from Ouachita’s Division of Music and Department of Theatre Arts, dancers from Arkadelphia’s Dance Praize and local children in the Ouachita Honor Choir will perform in the production. Division of Music ensembles featured include Concert Choir, Ouachita Singers, Women’s Chorus and Ouachita Sounds. The Festival of Christmas Pit Band includes students from Ouachita’s instrumental program as well as Arkadelphia High School Band Director Jim Lloyd as lead trumpeter.

Attendees can expect “snow, fun, Santa, kids, sleighs, bright Christmas sweaters and baby Jesus,” said Dr. Jon Secrest, musical director of the show. “This production is our Christmas card to the community.” Secrest serves as Ouachita’s Addie Mae Maddox Professor of Music and coordinator of OBU’s vocal studies program.

Other production personnel for this year’s show include Dr. Scott Holsclaw, professor of theatre arts, as stage manager; Stacy Hawking, a senior musical theatre major from Sherwood, Ark., as choreographer and Lauren Hutcheson, a junior musical theatre major from Bossier City, La., as assistant choreographer. Eric Phillips, professor of theatre arts, will oversee the technical aspects of the show with assistance from Stephen Vaughn, interim technical director for Jones Performing Arts Center, and Marshall Pope, theatre shop technical director.

To help the audience get in the spirit, A Festival of Christmas will feature “many of the Christmas standards from years gone by,” Secrest explained, including “Come Celebrate the Season,” arranged by Don Marsh; “All I Want for Christmas,” arranged by Dr. Craig Hamilton, OBU’s Lena Goodwin Trimble Professor of Music and director of bands; and “O Holy Night,” arranged by Bob Krogstad.

Dance Praize will be accompanied by “the beautiful strains of harp and flute music,” Secrest said. Grace Whitaker serves as director for Dance Praize, and Kristin Grant, assistant professor of music, will be featured on the flute, and Lana Rose will be featured on the harp.

“We’re hoping you’ll find that your Christmas season is merrier and brighter if you attend our annual show,” Secrest added.

Tickets are $12 each and may be purchased at the Jones Performing Arts Center Box Office weekdays from 1-5 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.obu.edu/boxoffice. Students with a valid OBU ID may receive one free ticket. For more information, call the box office at (870) 245-5555 during business hours.

 

By Meaghan Pollizi // Photos by Tyler Rosenthal