Dance Commons^™

Whodunnit, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1986 Summer Theatre

The detectives may not know who the killer is but the audience knows. An announcer gives them the real facts. Following that, there's the fun of watching the experts—and the amateur—as they struggle to solve the dire murder. Is it the butler? Is it Grandma? It just couldn't be sweet Alice! The wind howls, lights flicker and bloodcurdling screams are heard … some shore done it! It's an amazingly easy production for a large group when fun's the object. https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/browse/one-act-plays/whodunit

The Foreigner, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1986 Summer Theatre

The Foreigner is a fun, two-act comedy by American playwright Larry Shue. The story takes place in a fishing lodge in rural Tilghman County, Georgia where two Englishmen, Froggy and Charlie, arrive as guests. Theshy Charlie agreed to accompany Froggy on the trip after his sick wife begged him to go.

https://stageagent.com/shows/play/354/the-foreigner

Plenty, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1986 Summer Theatre

Hare's inspiration for Plenty came from the fact that 75 per cent of the women engaged in wartime SOE operations divorced in the immediate post-war years; the title is derived from the idea that the post-war era would be a time of "plenty", which proved untrue for most of England.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plenty_(play)

Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1986 Summer Theatre

Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is a musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel. Brel's songs were translated into English by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, who also provided the story. The original 1968 Off-Broadway production ran for four years and spawned international and regional productions, as well as a West End production and Off-Broadway revival, among others. A film adaptation was released in 1975.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Brel_is_Alive_and_Well_and_Living_in_Paris

Ah, Wilderness!, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1986 Summer Theatre

Ah, Wilderness! is a comedy by American playwright Eugene O'Neill that premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theater on October 2, 1933. It varies from a typical O'Neill play in its happy ending for the central character, and depiction of a happy family in turn of the century America. It is O'Neill's only well-known comedy. Ah, Wilderness!. (2017, April 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:10, May 23, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ah,_Wilderness!&oldid=777914403

Murder On The Nile, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1985 Summer Theatre

Take heart mystery buffs, once again we close our season with our old friend Agatha Christie. This time we find ourselves on a paddle steamer on the Nile River with the usual collection of intriguing characters and enough twists and turns in the plot to keep us on the edge of our seats.

The Good Doctor, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1985 Summer Theatre

Neil Simon has collaborated with Anton Chekhov to produce a warm, tender and very funny evening of theatre. The play is a series of nine vignettes linked together by The Writer (played by guest artist Dennis Romer), who offers wise and droll comment on the characters he has created. The sketches offer an appealing balance of hilarious and poignant moments.

Don't Drink The Water, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1975 Summer Theatre

Don't Drink the Water is a comedy play written by Woody Allen. Written and set in The '60s, the play bases itself around the Cold War. In an unnamed European country behind the Iron Curtain, the American Ambassador must leave the Embassy for business. In his absence he places his incompetent son Axel Magee in charge. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Theatre/DontDrinkTheWater

The Liar, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1975 Summer Theatre

Géronte, Dorante's father, announces to his son that he has found a girl for him to marry (Clarice). ... After more fabrications and complications (Dorante revealing that his "wife" is pregnant), Géronte is infuriated to discover that he was lied to; Dorante eventually tells the truth and the plot is resolved happily. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Liar_(Corneille_play)

Move Over Mrs. Markham, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1975 Summer Theatre

Philip Markham, a publisher of children’s books, is asked by his business partner, Henry Lodge, if he can borrow the flat for the evening to gallivant with his latest girlfriend. As Philip and his wife will be out, he reluctantly agrees. At the same time, Joanna Markham is being persuaded by Linda Lodge to let her borrow the empty flat in order to entertain her lover. What nobody knows is that the interior designer who has been decorating the flat for the past three months has decided that this is the night that he and the au pair girl will …

Charlie Brown, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1975 Summer Theatre

The story of the play itself is told through a series of vignettes that mimic the four-panel format used by the original cartoon strip, "Peanuts." This panel format is supplemented with longer passages that are vaguely reminiscent of Shakespearean soliloquies and by musical interludes.

The scope of the play is described as an average day in the life of Charlie Brown and is broken into two acts. https://www.bard.org/study-guides/synopsis-youre-a-good-man-charlie-brown

The Importance Of Being Earnest (1975), Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1975 Summer Theatre

The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. It's the story of two bachelors, John 'Jack' Worthing and Algernon 'Algy' Moncrieff, who create alter egos named Ernest to escape their tiresome lives. www.importanceofbeingearnest.co.uk/synopsis/

1964-1965 Season Brochure, Otterbein University Department Of Theatre And Dance

Theatre and Dance Annual Brochures

Annual promotional piece of the upcoming season's shows.

1963-1964 Season Brochure, Otterbein University Department Of Theatre And Dance

Theatre and Dance Annual Brochures

Annual promotional piece of the upcoming season's shows.

1962-1963 Season Brochure, Otterbein University Department Of Theatre And Dance

Theatre and Dance Annual Brochures

Annual promotional piece of the upcoming season's shows.

1961-1962 Season Brochure, Otterbein University Department Of Theatre And Dance

Theatre and Dance Annual Brochures

Annual promotional piece of the upcoming season's shows.

Oklahoma!, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1958-1959 Season

Oklahoma! is the first musical written by the team of composer Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. The musical is set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams. A secondary romance concerns cowboy Will Parker and his flirtatious fiancée, Ado Annie.

The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943. It was a box-office smash and ran for an unprecedented 2,212 performances. Oklahoma!. (2017, April 24). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:06, May 23, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oklahoma!&oldid=776919771

The Rainmaker, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

At the time of a paralyzing drought in the West we discover a girl whose father and two brothers are worried as much about her potential future as an old maid as they are about their dying cattle. For the truth is, she is indeed a plain girl. The brothers try every possible scheme to marry her off, without success. Nor is there any sign of relief from the dry heat, when suddenly, from out of nowhere, appears a picaresque, sweet-talking man with quite the sales pitch. Claiming to be a “rainmaker,” the man promises to bring rain, for $100. …

Barretts Of Wimpole Street, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

The scene is Elizabeth Barrett's room. Here she lives with her father, sisters and brothers. Never too healthy, she has been kept prisoner by her domineering father, who rules his family with unbelievable severity. Her brothers and sisters are reconciled to their father's tyranny, but Elizabeth has in her a spark of rebellion. This is set off by the romantic young Robert Browning, who has known her through her poetry. He bursts upon the Barrett household and in the first scene with Elizabeth proclaims his deep love for her. When Elizabeth realizes that she is attracted to the young poet, …

Angel Street, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

A Broadway hit first produced on the West End under the title Gaslight and filmed twice,Angel Streettells the story of the Manninghams, who live on Angel Street in 19th century London. As the curtain rises, all appears to be the essence of Victorian tranquility. It is soon apparent, however, that Mr. Manningham, a suavely handsome man, is slowly driving his gentle, devoted wife, Bella, to the brink of insanity with an insinuating kindness that masks more sinister motives. While he is out, Mrs. Manningham has an unexpected caller: amiable, paternal Inspector Rough from Scotland Yard. Rough is convinced …

Born Yesterday, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

The vulgar, egotistic junkman Harry Brock has come to a swanky hotel in Washington to make crooked deals with government big-wigs. He has brought with him the charming but dumb ex-chorus girl Billie, whose lack of social graces embarrasses even Harry. Billie must be taught some of the amenities, and a few basic bits of information. The young, idealistic magazine reporter Paul Verrall, who has been investigating political skullduggery and is interested in Brock's activities, agrees for a salary, to educate Billie. He finds Billie has a natural honesty and a frank streak in her, and she begins to learn …

Brigadoon, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

When New Yorkers Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas get lost on a vacation in the Scottish Highlands, they stumble into Brigadoon. Brigadoon is a mythical village that, they learn, appears for a single day once every hundred years. At first, Tommy and Jeff are mystified by the villagers’ 18th century garb as they go to market, but they are soon charmed by romantic liaisons: Tommy, who is engaged back in New York, falls terribly in love with headstrong Fiona, while Jeff enjoys a harmless flirtation with Meg Brockie. It is only when Harry Beaton, the rejected suitor of Fiona’s sister, …

As You Like It, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

We celebrate the best of Shakespeare with laughter...music...dances...romance...comedy at all levels. The story of how the banished Duke, Rosalind, Orlando and others find happiness through love is one of the most delightful of all Shakespearean tales. The wit of the clown, Touchstone, the philosophy of "All the world's a stage...", the music of "It was a lover and his lass...", the earthy needs of the country people, the romantic honesty of young lovers in tune with nature...all can be found in As You Like It.

The Importance Of Being Earnest, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

The Importance of Being Earnest, written in 1895, was originally a three-act drama. It has recently been condensed into the one-act version. Mr. Wilde, using subtle humor to near perfection, wrote the play as a satire on the English aristocracy. Today it is recognized as an outstanding melodrama of the modern theatre.

Time Out For Ginger, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

According to the Herald-Tribune: "[The story] starts us out with a fairly staid banker who needs some sort of creative release and finds it in lecturing to local high-school classes on the need for self-fulfillment…It quickly develops however, that one of [the banker's] daughters—the youngest of three—has been very much impressed by her father's exhortations. She has further decided that her own true fulfillment can best be realized by going out for the football team." Any number of complications result: The father's job is jeopardized because the bank president doesn't approve; the girl's elder sisters insist that their social life …

The Crucible, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

The story focuses upon a young farmer, his wife, and a young servant-girl who maliciously causes the wife's arrest for witchcraft. The farmer brings the girl to court to admit the lie—and it is here that the monstrous course of bigotry and deceit is terrifyingly depicted. The farmer, instead of saving his wife, finds himself also accused of witchcraft and ultimately condemned with a host of others.

https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/61514/the-crucible-intl

The Lady's Not For Burning, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

Thomas Mendip, a discharged soldier, weary of the world and eager to leave it, comes to a small town, announces he has committed murder and demands to be hanged. A philosophical humorist, Thomas is annoyed when the officials oppose his request, even believing he is not guilty of the crime he suggests. Shortly afterward, a young woman, Jennet, is brought before the Mayor for witchcraft, but for some strange reason she has no wish to be put to death! Thomas tries, in his own way, to prove to the official how absurd it would be to refuse to hang a …

The Biggest Thief In Town, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

In a small town, the undertaker and the doctor plan to steal the body of the town's wealthiest citizen. That gentleman, a crook, has just passed out of the picture and the undertaker, who has led a quiet and honest life to date, sees no reason why he should not get a well paying job. So the undertaker and doctor enter the home of the deceased and proceed to take his body back to the shop. The undertaker and his friend picture a rosy future until the corpse comes to life and regains consciousness. The old gentleman is left on …

The Juggler Of Notre Dame, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

Barnabe, a traveling circus performer, a juggler, was very happy in his work. However, misfortune befalls him, and he suffers from cold, and lack of food and shelter. A Monk befriends Barnabe, and takes him to the monastery. The climax of Barnabe's story in the monastery occured on a certain Christmas morning.

Knickerbocker Holiday, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

In 1647 New Amsterdam (now known as New York) a rebellious young man, Brom, falls in love with the Town Councillor’s daughter, Tina. The Town Councillor tries to have Brom hanged but Brom is saved by the arrival of Peter Stuyvesant, the new Governor. When Stuyvesant turns into a dictator, Brom protests and is sent back to jail. Stuyvesant then tries to bring the country into a war. However, he abandons his plan when it is pointed out that history looks more kindly upon peace-makers than war-mongers. Meanwhile, Brom escapes from jail and all ends well.

https://stageagent.com/shows/musical/2183/knickerbocker-holiday