inside - University of Central Oklahoma

ok center for arts education
by Chris brawley-morgan
J
.C. Carroll, 9, offered his review
immediately after the University of
Central Oklahoma opera “Little Red
Riding Hood: “Pretty decent. I liked the
chopping part.”
Besides the singing—“I didn’t know
college kids could do that!”—Carroll said he
especially liked the part when the wolf
popped off the stage, practically landing in
the audience. “It was like 3-D, only it was
real,” he said.
Carroll is a student at Northern Hills
Elementary School in the Edmond School
District. Last spring, he and nearly 120 of
his peers attended the UCO opera “Little
Red Riding Hood,” written by the
contemporary composer Seymour Barab.
The matinee opera was performed at
Mitchell Hall Theater and hosted by the
Oklahoma Center for Arts Education
(OCAE), a division of the UCO College of
Fine Arts and Design.
Besides its community outreach
programs, like opera performances for
elementary school students, OCAE also
hosts free day-long workshops for high
school students and 15 summer camps.
“Our mission is to provide arts education
through collaboration, professional
development and research,” said Ines
Burnham, OCAE program manager.
Second-grade teacher Kathy Williams
said attending the opera was a too-good-tobe-missed
educational opportunity for the
Edmond students.
“I love the arts, but opera’s not something
we can always do in the classroom. And not
all of them have been exposed to theater,”
Williams said.
O pera
FOR ALL AGES
She said many of her students wanted to “It was awesome. Opera is my favorite
tell her right after the opera ended what kind of singing,” said Sarah Pulley, age 8.
they noticed: the rhyming, the jokes and that “Actually, it was my first opera.”
some of the performers played two roles. “I Next up for the OCAE is sponsoring the
think they enjoyed it all,” she said.
children’s opera, “Jack and the Beanstalk,”
As they headed to a picnic on the UCO in the spring of 2011.
lawn, the students confirmed Williams’
“We are working with even more public
impression.
schools for this upcoming production and
“I liked it. It was funny. The boy killed the will be performing the show at their
wolf and the Grandma was dancing,” said schools. We find that this tough budget
DaShontria Greasham, age 7.
year has made it difficult for local schools
“I liked how the wolf played tricks on to travel to performances so we are excited
everybody and how the singers changed to help fill in the gap by bringing the arts
parts so quickly,” said Elijiah Lyons, age 8. to them,” said Burnham.
For current OCAE offerings, visit
www.ocae.net. ■
26 Impressions 2010|2011
Top: Children greet some of the UCO cast
members of the opera, “Little Red Riding Hood.”