Hear more about the 2017-18 MSC OPAS lineup Wednesday during WTAW newscasts and extended coverage during Wednesday’s 5 p.m. newshour on 1620 and radioaggieland.com.
From MSC OPAS:
OPAS officials announced the events coming to the 2017-18 “Steppin’ Out” season on Tuesday, May 30. The lineup of performances to be presented from September 2017 to April 2018 as part of the 45th season includes seven events on the Ann Cobb Wiatt Main Stage series, six events on the Intimate Gatherings series, and two Special Events.
Season and priority single tickets are available now at the MSC Box Office (979-845-1234) or online at MSCOPAS.org. Season ticket packages offer savings opportunities ranging from 10-15% off single ticket prices. Tickets to The Beach Boys concert on October 13 are available for Main Stage package buyers. Single tickets for that concert will go on sale on Thursday, August 3 at 7 PM. Season ticket package buyers are seated before single ticket buyers. All events will be performed in the Rudder Theatre Complex at Texas A&M University in College Station.
Of the new season, OPAS Executive Director Anne Black states, “We were thrilled to meet numerous first-time OPAS patrons at last year’s week-long run of Jersey Boys. We capitalized on that opportunity by asking these new audiences, as well as our long-time patrons, what programs might draw them back to Rudder and future OPAS seasons. Of the twelve titles surveyed last season, we are presenting five of the top eight on our 2017-18 season including Chicago, Cinderella, Kinky Boots, and The Wizard of Oz.” Black continues, “We also learned last season that parents and grandparents are eager to introduce their children and grandchildren to the larger Broadway-scale shows like last November’s Elf. Therefore, we are emphasizing family-friendly programs on our Main Stage season. We will be noting these programs with our new ‘Family Friendly’ seal in our communications throughout the year.”
A team of community and TAMU student volunteers worked with Anne Black to select the performances on the 2017-18 season. This year’s Program Advisory Committee included Committee Chair Zou Cherry, Aricka Anderson, Bonnie Denny, Jay Granberry, Emily Hall, Jeanie House, Sue James, Jerome Rektorik, Brie Snider, Shelby Sarradet, Jaime Grunlan, and Kerry Beck.
The Ann Cobb Wiatt Main Stage will open with Broadway’s huge-hearted, high-heeled Tony Award-winning best musical hit featuring songs by pop icon Cyndi Lauper—Kinky Boots (September 26 & 27). Family audiences are invited to an immersive entertainment extravaganza of magic, comedy and music when The Illusionists present: Adam Trent (November 7 & 8). Holiday family fun and high-kicking chorus girls follow with one of the most delightful and enchanting Christmas shows ever Christmas Wonderland Holiday Spectacular (November 28 & 29, sponsored by Tom & Mary Kirk of McGregor, Texas). Audiences of all ages can expect jaw-dropping transformations and incredible orchestrations with another family favorite, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (January 23 & 24, sponsored by Aggieland Credit Union). Getting away with murder can be so much fun…and there’s no better proof than the hilarious hit show that won the 2014 Tony Award for best musical—A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (February 6 & 7). Put on your ruby slippers and follow the yellow brick road to the next family musical on the Main Stage season in The Wizard of Oz (February 20 & 21, sponsored by Elms Orthodontics and Shenandoah Veterinary Clinic). The final program on the 2017-18 Main Stage season is Broadway’s razzle-dazzle smash Chicago (April 17-19). The longest-running American musical in Broadway history will be in Rudder Auditorium for three performances. All Main Stage events will begin at 7:30 PM and will be performed in Rudder Auditorium at TAMU. Main Stage season ticket packages for all seven events start at $194. Pick five Main Stage events for as little as $155.
The very popular Intimate Gatherings series begins with a celebration of one of the most distinct voices of our generation with Lennon: Through a Glass Onion (October 12). Bluegrass is always a favorite with OPAS audiences. The second performance on this series features the 2016 Grammy® winner for Best Bluegrass Album The SteelDrivers (November 15). The Montana Repertory Theatre returns to Rudder Theatre to perform Ernest Thompson’s American treasure of a play, On Golden Pond (March 8). Next up on the series is an artist who has been praised as “the soul of Spanish guitar”—Pablo Sáinz Villegas (March 26). Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s death, L.A. Theatre Works’ The Mountaintop (April 3) is an award-winning play by Katori Hall. The final performance on the Intimate Gatherings series features the hilarious musings of 73-years-young humorist Jeanne Robertson (April 26). All Intimate Gatherings events will begin at 7:30 PM and will be performed in Rudder Theatre at TAMU. Some performances will include a Q&A with the artists following the performance. The Intimate Gatherings series is sponsored by Allstate—Jackie Voss, Exclusive Agent and Sterling Auto Group. Season tickets to all six events start at $224.
The new OPAS season includes two Special Events. Promising “Good Vibrations,” The Beach Boys will be in Rudder Auditorium for one-night-only on Friday, October 13 (sponsored by Hoelscher, Lipsey, Elmore, and Poole). Main Stage season ticket buyers may add tickets to this concert to their order now. All other tickets will go on sale on August 3. The second special event is also another one-night-only engagement in Rudder Auditorium. It’s a new Broadway musical based on the true story behind the world’s most beloved song, Amazing Grace (April 7). Tickets to the new musical start at only $20 and may be ordered now.
OPAS programs are made possible in part through Hotel Tax Revenue funded from the City of College Station through the Arts Council of Brazos Valley. For more information about all of the events coming to the new OPAS season, please visit www.MSCOPAS.org.
Click below to hear Anne Black visiting with WTAW’s Chelsea Reber.