REVIEW: Oakland University’s ‘Blue Stockings’ is a Brilliant Study of the Fight for Education and Owning One’s Knowledge

Part of the excitement of seeing an Oakland University School of Music, Theatre and Dance production is the anticipation of finding out what is waiting as you round the corner and enter the transformed space. This time it is Blue Stockings – a beautiful, funny, and thought-provoking piece of theatre directed by Karen Sheridan and running now through November 24 in the Varner Studio Theatre. Written by Jessica Swale, Blue Stockings is set in 1896 at the all-female Girton College, Cambridge. … [Read more...]

Oakland University to Present ‘Lysistrata Remix,’ a Comedic Battle of the Sexes

Oakland University’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance will present Lysistrata Remix — a comedic battle of the sexes — from November 15 through December 2 in Varner Studio Theatre. The production puts a new shell on the Greek comedy Lysistrata by Aristophanes. Originally performed in Athens in 411 BCE, Lysistrata tells the story of a woman who makes a vow to withhold sex from her husband, and inspires other women to do the same, until their soldier husbands sign a treaty for … [Read more...]

REVIEW: Storms and Soul-Searching Set the Stage for ‘Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet’

In case you missed it, this summer the Oakland University Board of Trustees promoted Music, Theatre and Dance from department to school status. With the new distinction, OU hopes to attract high-caliber talent to their programs. The good news is we don’t have to wait for results because the Theatre Department already is teeming with amazing talent as the cast of Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet proves. Set in the fictional town of San Pere during a hot Louisiana summer, the play focuses around … [Read more...]