Neighborhood Philanthropy: Theatre Oxford
Oxford is host to some wonderful non-profit organizations that provide for our community in so many ways. We want to provide a glimpse of these organizations each month. Since 1997, Theatre Oxford has been providing performing arts exposure to the adults, youth and children of Lafayette County, Oxford, and the University of Mississippi. The organization believes in the power of drama and storytelling to both unite and elevate a community.
Scenes from Theatre Oxford Performances
Theatre Oxford was founded by University of Mississippi Theatre Professor, Larry Kadlec, along with Rebecca Jernigan, Christopher Schaeger and others. It is an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff. Their 9-member board of directors, along with committees, conduct the business of the organization. They hope to secure funding for a Production Manager in the future. The current President, Kate Hooper, shared, “The ultimate goal is to build community through collaboration and creation. I believe those who create together gain greater appreciation and understanding of one another. At this time, we are working toward greater diversity in all areas of our organization: programming, people, and production. Two targeted efforts at the moment are providing more youth and educational opportunities, as well as increasing our production values (such as better lighting, sound, and stage set-up).”
On February 10th and 11th, they will present Theatre Oxford’s Ten-Minute Play Festival. This year they will present seven short plays, including the winners of our International 10-Minute Play Competition. This year local writer, George Kehoe, won second place! The annual competition and festival are two of the longest running programs associated with Theatre Oxford. You can purchase tickets to the Theatre Oxford’s Ten-Minute Play Festival here. In conjunction with the Festival, they are offering a 2-day 10-Minute Playwriting Workshop led by Rhona Justice Malloy, an internationally recognized dramaturg, and Neil White, a professional writer and publisher. You can sign up for the workshop here.
Theatre Oxford is always looking for volunteers. They cannot operate without volunteers in all areas: business, accounting, marketing, PR, fundraising, hosting, designing, performing, and crewing. Interested volunteers can add their name to the sign-up list and they’ll reach out to you when they have need. They also need sponsors for the season, individual productions, and improvements. Interested sponsors should email theatreoxford@gmail.com.
We are so grateful to Theatre Oxford and their commitment to providing performing arts exposure and opportunities for our community. As Kate Hooper, current President, shared, “Arts participation among adults is correlated with behaviors that contribute to the health of civil society and theatre arts participation among children strengthens development of identity, increases sense of belonging, builds confidence, and provides an outlet for expression.” Please consider volunteering or becoming a Theatre Arts sponsor and be sure to follow them on social media to hear about upcoming shows!
