Providing Norman youth performance opportunities that go beyond city limits, Sooner Theatre has been a staple in the Norman community for nearly a century.
Built in 1929 as the first theater in the region to display talking pictures, the theater had, and continues to have, only one screen. However, in combination with the city’s first air conditioner and water cooler, audiences flocked to the Main Street attraction when it opened.
Normanites parked their cars along the street early in the day to watch movies indoors before having a front-row seat to Main Street’s street races during the 1930s and 1940s.
The theater would remain a popular activity for 50 years. Popularity came to a halt in the 1970s when multiplexes debuted with more screens, closing the doors of the Sooner Theatre in 1975.
It took a near demolition to grab the community’s attention. In 1979, a group of creatives approached the city in hopes to turn it into a nonprofit organization and performing arts center. The city agreed and its doors reopened in 1982.
The theater programs kicked off the same year Executive Director and Art Director Jennifer Baker joined the team. The theater now hosts over 55 year-round classes for performers aged 3 and up.
“It’s a lot of students just looking to find their people, to find a passion, to find a place to fit in, to create and explore their talents,” Baker told the OU Daily. “Not meaning they need to go off and be a star, but just building the confidence and skills.”
Norman Public Schools only had musicals available to high school juniors and seniors when Baker joined the team in 2003. A driving force in the Sooner Theatre’s programs was providing opportunities to students not yet at the age to participate in their school’s musicals.
The Sooner Theatre is currently setting up for Cabaret. Cabaret will be put on in October.
Classes at the Sooner Theatre include dance, acting, singing, behind the scenes production work and strength training. For over 10 years, the theater has also hosted a class for children with Down syndrome. The class, Sooner Legends, consists of dancing with an emphasis on improving motor skills and strength.
The instructors at the Sooner Theatre possess an array of skills and many teach outside of the theater.
One of those instructors is Alex Irwin, an OU musical composition and psychology senior.
Irwin first took the Sooner Theatre stage at 4 years old. He performed consistently leading up to his high school graduation and teaches at the theater while prepping for his December graduation.
“I’ve grown up in Norman and I know the high schools here have really wonderful fine arts programs. But in terms of theater, I think the Sooner Theatre is peak theater in Norman,” Irwin said. “It involves so many people in the community and it’s community-funded. It brings so much life and entertainment to Norman.”
The Sooner Theatre is located in the Walker Arts District, which is home to murals, galleries, sculptures, frequent events and more.
“Whether you want to be a Broadway star or whether you want to be a doctor or a business owner, theater is going to help no matter what you go into,” Baker said. “I think theater is good for so many more things than just singing and dancing.”
Sooner Theatre is located at 101 E. Main St. Visit the Sooner Theatre’s website to learn about classes, camps, instructors, upcoming performances and more.
This story was edited by Emma Blakley and Karoline Leonard. Grace Rhodes, Mary Ann Livingood and Nikkie Aisha copy edited this story.
