The Heller Theatre in
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
is the largest community theatre in Oklahoma. It was founded in October 1981 by Ken Spence with the partnership of
Theatre Tulsa Theatre Tulsa, Inc. is a community theatre company in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.Theatre Tulsa the longest running community theatre west of the Mississippi and seventh in the nation, has had a prosperous but sometimes difficult history. The theatre has s ...
and has since produced more than one hundred shows including two dozen world premiers. The theater is currently directed by Julie Tattershall operated by the Tulsa Parks and Recreation Department.
The theater was named the Oklahoma Community Theatre Association (OCTA) Theater of the Year in 2005. The Great Plains debut of
Yasmina Reza
Yasmina Reza (born 1 May 1959) is a French playwright, actress, novelist and screenwriter best known for her plays Art and ''God of Carnage''. Many of her brief satiric plays have reflected on contemporary middle-class issues. The 2011 blac ...
's “The Unexpected Man," translated by
Christopher Hampton, received high honors from (OCTA) in 2007. Two of the Heller's most recent shows were named "Top Ten" performances of the Year by the ''
Tulsa World
The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 20 ...
''.
The theater is also home to Oklahoma's oldest comedy troupe, The Laughing Matter Improv, founded in 1993, and Round the Bend Players, one of the nation's leading senior theaters. Its current directors are Rita Boyle and Sherry Zyskowski. Round the Bend's production of Jacob Appel's "The Three Belles of Eden" was a critic's pick in the ''Tulsa World''.
[Shade, Karen. Round the Bend Players offer funny, sometimes dark story. ''Tulsa World'' August 24, 2006]
References
External links
Official website
Performing groups established in 1981
Community theatre
Culture of Tulsa, Oklahoma
Theatre companies in Oklahoma
Economy of Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tourist attractions in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Theatres in Oklahoma
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