Fine Arts to present concert, play

As the spring semester rushes to a close, the OTC Fine Arts department is offering a pair of public performances to add to the calendar.

On Tuesday, the OTC Choirs will present “American Songs: A Tribute to Our Nation’s Composers” at 7 p.m. at the Springfield Art Museum.

“Concert goers can expect to hear everything from traditional American melodies and hymn tunes to familiar pop and musical theater pieces. Our goal is to present modern American choral music in a seamless storyline,” said Kathryn Cole, the choirs’ director.

The college’s Concert Choir and Chamber Singers as well as guest artists “NoteaBellas,” will perform at the free event.

“This is our second concert at the Springfield Art Museum. The auditorium is a perfect space for our concerts. The venue gives our concert patrons the opportunity to hear our performances and enjoy all the museum has to offer,” Cole said.  “It’s a beautiful space.”

A week later, on May 9-11, the college’s theater department will present “Laramie Project: Ten Years Later,” a docu-drama that deals with the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo. The murder was denounced as a hate crime and brought attention to the lack of hate crime laws in Wyoming and other states.

“We chose ‘The Laramie Project’ first and foremost because we wanted a serious play that had something important to say, something that would challenge our students and our audiences and stimulate civic dialogue,” said Jon Herbert, OTC theater, the play’s production manager.

“The student-actors are being challenged in some very significant ways. The dozens of characters in the play are being played by only eight actors–all playing multiple roles of real people who are very different from themselves.”

The play is being presented in Lincoln Hall, room 211, on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

“We are using Lincoln Hall room 211 as a make-shift black box theatre for the first time, so we wanted something that would fit into that space,” Herbert said.

The performances are free and open to the public. Seating is limited. For reservations, call the OTC Fine Arts Department at 417-447-8975 for reservations, or email finearts@otc.edu.