Allied Arts

Last night I went to see Lyric Theatre's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with my parents and 9-year-old niece.  After that experience, I can honestly vouch for Lyric when they say that Chitty will be fun for the whole family – because it was! 

The show was enormously entertaining, with a great cast, great choreography, hilarious villains and spectacular special effects.  My dad and I got a huge kick out of the Bulgarian spies and my niece’s jaw dropped when Chitty started to fly. OK, I’ll admit it – I, too, was pretty amazed by the flying car.

If I haven’t convinced you to take your kids (or yourself) to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, maybe a few words from a 9-year-old will sway you.

And I quote:

“That was the best play I’ve ever seen!”

“My favorite part was…it was all of it!”

Use your OKCityCard to get 2-for-1 tickets on Wednesday night or Saturday afternoon.  You’ll have a phantasmagorical time!

I’m not sure what summer means to you, but for me, the summer season is wedding season!  I think I’ve been to a wedding a week since May.  And, speaking of weddings, do you know a bride-to-be that needs to find great ideas for her big day? You should take her to the Oklahoma Bridal Show!

The Oklahoma Bridal Show is your one-stop wedding planning shop.  With more than 40 vendors, you’ll meet wedding experts, see the latest in wedding fashion, find new ideas and (this would be the best part) taste cakes and reception food!

This year’s event will be on Sunday, July 25th at the Waterford Marriott.  Tickets are $7 at the door of $5 when you buy them online.  PLUS, you can use your OKCityCard to get 2-for-1 admission! This means you can take the whole wedding crew with you! The bride will definitely need some help making those big decisions.

For more information, visit http://www.okbride.com/. 

Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.
- Albert Einstein

Today, we're thankful for our freedom to be artists, be creative and be ourselves.  Happy Independence Day!



I love America!!

“Oh you pretty chitty bang bang, chitty chitty bang bang we love you…”

Need I say more?  It’s time for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Lyric at the Civic Center!  Get ready for Toot Sweets and flying cars as Lyric Theatre brings this well-loved family musical to life. 

Let’s get right to the point. Here are my top reasons to see this show:
• Lyric is using the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang staging, choreography, sets, and costumes
• 42 budding performers (ages 8 – 14) will be making their debut at the Civic Center after participating in Lyric’s “Camp Phantasmagorical” program
• It is rumored that the car will actually fly on stage!
• “Oh you pretty chitty bang bang, chitty chitty bang bang we love you…” (don’t you want this stuck in your head for days?)
• It will be FUN!

Chitty opens on Tuesday, July 6th and runs through Saturday, July 10th. Order your tickets at www.lyrictheatreokc.com or by calling (405) 524-9312. And don’t forget to use your OKCityCard to get 2-for-1 tickets – the whole family can go for half the price! To use the CityCard discount, you must present your card at the Lyric ticket office at 1727 NW 16th Street. 

We’ll see everybody at the Civic Center!

You know you want to see this:

Check out the photos below of the Stage Center after its basement and offices area flooded. Water reached more than five feet high, ruining the office furniture, supplies, performance materials and computer equipment.

Six arts organizations were displaced. If you'd like to help these groups with monetary donations, Allied Arts created an Arts Flood Emergency Fund. Donate online through our home page or mail a check to Arts Flood Emergency Fund c/o Allied Arts (1015 N. Broadway, Suite 200, Oklahoma City, OK 73120).

Many corporations and organizations have already stepped to help these organizations in need. Thank you to Chesapeake, Devon, BancFirst, the Junior League, Mason Realty and Hobby Lobby for your quick response.

Thank you all for your support during this time!

Below is a photo of the Metropolitan School of Dance office. They lost 90% of their property in the flood. Their dance floor was ruined and they do not have dance shoes for their students.



Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park's office was covered in water. Despite this disaster, they rallied to open their summer season on-time with "The Taming of the Shrew."



It's probably a little hard to see, but in the below photo you can make out the water mark that shows how high the water rose. All of the below debris was pushed into this space by the rushing water.



The arts groups tried to salvage what they could, including trying to dry their costumes on the Stage Center's lawn.



Below is what is left of one of the rehearsal spaces in the Stage Center. There is where Metropolitan School of Dance used to hold its dance rehearsals.



Thank you to Peter Dolese for sharing these photos.

This patriotic weekend is packed with fun! Want to work in some arts activites?  Let’s see, we’ve got “Red, White and Boom” with the Philharmonic, a collection of “Fifty Works for Fifty States” at the OKC Museum of Art and an exhibit that displays the works of a great American costume designer at City Arts Center.  It’s easy to celebrate America through the arts!

Reefer Madness, the Musical
Thursday - Sunday
@ Carpenter Square Theatre
http://carpentersquare.com/
2-for-1 admission with OKCityCard
*Please note that the location has been changed to the Freede Little Theatre at the Civic Center due to the flooding of the Stage Center

The Film Costumes of Edith Head and Mother's Hats: The Doris Elliott Collection
@ City Arts Center
http://www.cityartscenter.org/

FIBERWORKS 2010
@ Individual Artists of Oklahoma
http://iaogallery.org/

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Opens Tuesday!
@ Lyric Theatre and Thelma Gaylord Academy
http://www.lyrictheatreokc.com/
2-for-1 admission with OKCityCard

Weapons and Warriors: The Art of Armament
Opens Friday!
@ Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art
http://www.mgmoa.org/
2-for-1 admission with OKCityCard

The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States
Closes Saturday!
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/
2-for-1 admission with OKCityCard

Sketch to Screen
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/
2-for-1 admission with OKCityCard

Cocktails on the Skyline
Tonight – music by Synopsis
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/
Just $5 after 5 pm

Touch of Evil – Film Screening
Tonight
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/
See Charlton Heston’s suit in Sketch to Screen

Soundtrack for a Revolution – Film Screening
Friday and Saturday
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/

Patriotic Pops: Red, White & Boom
@ Oklahoma City Philharmonic
http://www.okcphilharmonic.org/
FREE concerts! July 3 in Bricktown, July 4 in Yukon

The Taming of the Shrew
@ Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park
http://www.oklahomashakespeare.com/
2-for-1 admission with OKCityCard

Sketch from a great American costume designer, Edith Head. See her work at City Arts Center!