Oklahoma
Trans-Siberian Orchestra to ‘Handel’s Messiah,’ Christmas shows to watch across Oklahoma
OKC director explains Lyric Theatre’s new staging of ‘Christmas Carol’
Lyric Theatre’s 13th annual production of the beloved holiday classic runs Nov. 24-Dec. 24 inside OKC Plaza District.
The sights and sounds of the holiday season are coming to stages across Oklahoma.
From the beloved ballet “The Nutcracker” and the Dickensian drama of “A Christmas Carol” to popular seasonal concert tours like Mannheim Steamroller and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Oklahoma boasts more plum options for live yuletide entertainment this season than Santa Claus can carry.
Here are 30+ live shows you can catch in the Sooner State this season:
‘A Very Merry Pops’ with Take 6 and Sandi Patty
When: 8 p.m. Dec. 1-2.
Where: Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N Walker.
Tickets: https://www.okcphil.org/events-tickets/2023-24-season.
The Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s new holiday Pops extravaganza features the return of its tap-dancing Santas and the new medley “Kris Kringle’s Okie Jingle.” The show will star contemporary Christian star Sandi Patty, an OKC resident who recently relocated to Indiana, and Take 6, a Grammy-winning a cappella gospel sextet.
OKC Philharmonic Brass Ensemble
When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 9.
Where: Center Court, Penn Square Mall, 1901 Northwest Expressway.
Information: https://www.facebook.com/okcphilharmonic.
The musicians will treat shoppers to seasonal hits.
‘Handel’s Messiah’
When: 7 p.m. Dec. 3.
Where: Civic Center.
Tickets: https://canterburyokc.com.
Canterbury Voices will continue its holiday tradition of performing George Frideric Handel‘s masterwork, accompanied by the OKC Philharmonic.
Canterbury Youth Voices Holiday Concert
When: 7 p.m. Dec. 2.
Where: Oklahoma City Community College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater, 7777 S May Ave.
Tickets: tickets.occc.edu.
The four choirs of Canterbury Voices’ education program will perform a yuletide show, featuring 150 children from more than 90 OKC metro schools.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra, OKC and Tulsa
OKC: 7 p.m. Dec. 7, Paycom Center, 100 W Reno.
Tulsa: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15, BOK Center.
Tickets: https://www.trans-siberian.com/tour.
The rocking holiday favorite returns to the Sooner State on its 2023 winter tour, titled “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve – the Best of TSO & More.”
The 395th Army Band Holiday Concert
When: 2 p.m. Dec. 3.
Where: OCCC’s Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater.
Tickets: tickets.occc.edu.
One of the 13 Army Reserve Bands in the United States, the group will play a free seasonal show. Tickets are required and limited to four per household.
Michael Martin Murphey’s Cowboy Christmas Ball
When: 5 p.m. Dec. 3.
Where: National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63.
Tickets: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/cowboy-christmas-ball.
The Grammy-nominated Texas native will bring his long-running Western holiday tradition back to the OKC museum, with Oklahoma fiddler Kyle Dillingham as guest artist.
Cirque Dreams Holidaze, OKC and Tulsa
Tulsa: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29, BOK Center, 200 S Denver.
Tickets: https://cirquedreams.com/tickets.
The Broadway-style production infused with contemporary circus arts swings into Oklahoma for two shows.
Red Dirt Rangers’ Kids Christmas Show
When: 2 p.m. Dec. 17
Where: Blue Door, 2805 N McKinley.
Tickets: https://reddirtrangers.com/schedule.
The venerable Payne County band brings its long-running holiday gig back to the renowned OKC listening room.
‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas in Concert,’ Stillwater and Tulsa
Stillwater: 7 p.m. Nov. 30, McKnight Center for the Performing Arts, 705 W University Ave.
Stillwater tickets: https://mcknightcenter.org.
Tulsa: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1, Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 110 E 2.
Tulsa tickets: https://tulsapac.com/events.
The Tulsa Symphony Orchestra will perform James Horner’s score to Ron Howard’s 2000 live-action movie, which will play along with the musicians.
Meet Mike Hosty, the man behind the hit song ‘Oklahoma Breakdown’
Norman one-man-band performer Mike Hosty is the songwriter behind the hit song “Oklahoma Breakdown,” which he played at The Deli in Norman.
Addison Kliewer, Wochit
Mike Hosty’s Christmas Show, Norman
When: 9:30 p.m. Dec. 25.
Where: The Deli, 309 White St., Norman.
Information: https://www.facebook.com/michaelhosty.
The beloved Oklahoma one-man band will move his usual Sunday night show at The Deli, a 21-and-older, nonsmoking bar on Campus Corner, to Monday so he can play his original songs and serve up free Pizza Shuttle slices on Christmas Day.
Bricktown Water Taxi Caroling Cruises
When: 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays through Dec. 22.
Where: Bricktown Canal.
Information: https://artafloatokc.org/#events.
The holiday season of 45-minute musical excursions will feature talented local performers Sarafina Byrd, Rod Porter, Ckai Dawson and more. Passengers check in and board at Put a Cork In It Winery, 115 E California Ave.
The Imaginaries’ ‘Christmas at the Washita,’ Chickasha
When: 7 p.m. Dec. 2.
Where: Historic Washita Theater, 509 W Chickasha Ave., Chickasha.
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com.
The husband-and-wife folk-rock duo of Maggie McClure and Shane Henry will play an all-ages show immediately following the Chickasha Lighted Christmas Parade. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Proceeds benefit the Chickasha Community Theatre.
‘Amahl and the Night Visitors,’ Pauls Valley
When: 7 p.m. Dec. 10.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, 320 N Walnut, Pauls Valley.
Tickets: https://www.garvincountysings.com.
The Garvin County Choral Society and Sinfonietta will perform a fully staged production of Gian-Carlo Menotti’s family-friendly Christmas opera, which debuted on NBC in 1951. The show centers on a poor widow and her son, Amahl, whose lives are changed when three kings traveling to visit the newborn Christ stop at their home for rest.
Mannheim Steamroller, Tulsa
When: 8 p.m. Dec. 9.
Where: River Spirit Casino Resort, 8330 Riverside Pkwy, Tulsa.
Tickets: https://tickets.riverspirittulsa.com.
The brainchild of record producer and composer Chip Davis, the Grammy Award-winning holiday staple rolls into Tulsa for one night only.
A Drag Queen Christmas, Midwest City and Tulsa
Midwest City: 8 p.m. Dec. 1, Rose State College Hudiburg Chevrolet Center, 6000 S Prosper Blvd.
Tulsa: 7 p.m. Dec. 2, Tulsa Theater, 105 W Reconciliation Way.
Tickets: https://www.dragfans.com/tour/drag-queen-christmas-2023.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” standout Miz Cracker will host the Oklahoma stops on the touring show.
JD McPherson’s ‘Socks: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Christmas Tour,’ Tulsa
When: 6:30 p.m. Dec. 9.
Where: Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N Main, Tulsa.
Tickets: www.cainsballroom.com.
The singer-songwriter and guitarist, who hails from Broken Arrow, is again unrolling his yuletide tour, featuring songs from his 2018 original holiday album “Socks,” in his home state.
Tequila Songbirds Christmas Show
When: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 22.
Where: Blue Door.
Tickets: http://www.bluedoorokc.com/calendar.
The local singer-songwriters will flock together to play an all-ages holiday concert.
‘Jane Austen’s Christmas Cracker’
When: Dec. 7-23.
Where: Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park’s black box theater, 2920 Paseo.
Tickets: https://www.okshakes.org/indoor-black-box.
Oklahoma Shakespeare closes its 39th season indoors with its original holiday production, which local playwright Erin Woods has adapted from Austen’s iconic novels.
Star Dance Company Holiday Spectacular
When: Dec. 7-10.
Where: Oklahoma City University’s Kirkpatrick Theatre, 2501 N Blackwelder Ave.
Tickets: https://www.okcu.edu/dance/performance/homeholidays.
More than 120 performers from OCU’s Ann Lacy School of American Dance will put on a high-energy holiday celebration.
Christmas Vespers
When: 8 p.m. Dec. 8 and 4 p.m. Dec. 9.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, 1001 NW 25.
Tickets: https://oklahomacity.csstix.com.
More than 250 choral singers and orchestral musicians will join forces for OCU’s 44th annual celebratory concert, including scripture, poetry, congregational singing of cherished carols and a candlelit finale.
Egg Nog Extravaganza
When: 6 p.m. Dec. 23.
Where: Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23.
Tickets: https://towertheatreokc.com.
Oklahoma-based Irish composer Brian Byrne and the Oklahoma Film Orchestra will perform holiday hits, rarities and sing-alongs at the show, which will include an ugly sweater contest.
Lyric Theatre’s ‘A Christmas Carol’
When: Through Dec. 24.
Where: Plaza Theatre, 1727 NW 16.
Information: https://lyrictheatreokc.com.
After staging the yuletide classic outdoors at the Harn Homestead for the past three years due to the pandemic, Lyric is bringing its 13th annual production of Charles Dickens’ often-adapted “Ghost Story of Christmas” back indoors.
‘Little Women: A Holiday Experience’
When: Nov. 30-Dec. 9.
Where: Harn Homestead, 1721 N Lincoln Blvd.
Tickets: https://harnhomestead.com.
After hosting Lyric Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol” for the past three years, Harn Homestead is hosting a new immersive outdoor traveling production of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved 1868 novel, adapted by Storyteller Theatre Arts Co.
‘A Territorial Christmas Carol,’ Guthrie
When: Through Dec. 23.
Where: Pollard Theatre, 120 W Harrison Ave., Guthrie.
Information: https://thepollard.org.
The nonprofit theater has staged its signature seasonal show — adapted by the late Oklahoman Stephen Scott from the classic novel by Charles Dickens — for 1,000 performances and 150,000 patrons over more than 30 years.
3rd Act Theatre Company’s ‘A Sherlock Carol’
When: Dec. 8-23.
Where: Shoppes at Northpark, 12100 N May Ave.
Tickets: https://www.facebook.com/3rdActTheatreCo.
The community theater presents the Oklahoma premiere of Mark Shanahan’s Dickens of a holiday mystery, starring Don Taylor as Sherlock Holmes and Peter Fischaber as Ebenezer Scrooge.
OKC Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’
When: Dec. 8-18.
Where: Civic Center.
Tickets: https://www.okcballet.org.
It’s the 60th anniversary of Oklahoma City Ballet’s first production of “The Nutcracker.” The company’s classic version of the yuletide mainstay will feature the OKC Philharmonic and Canterbury Voices, who will perform Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s treasured score live. A sensory-friendly performance is set for 6 p.m. Dec 18.
UCO’s ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas,’ Edmond
When: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7-9 and 2 p.m. Dec. 9-10.
Where: UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E 5, Edmond.
Tickets: https://www.ucojazzlab.com/events.
The University of Central Oklahoma’s Musical Theatre Division is staging the musical adaptation of the iconic TV special.
‘RACE’s Hip Hop Nutcracker’
When: Dec. 8-10.
Where: OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater.
Tickets: https://www.racedance.com.
RACE Dance Collective — a local professional hip-hop, contemporary and jazz dance company — is bringing back its original reimagining of the seasonal favorite, featuring students from OKC Public Schools. The 7 p.m. Dec. 9 performance will be presented with Spanish-language narration.
OU School of Dance’s ‘The Nutcracker’
When: Dec. 1-10.
Where: Elsie C. Brackett Theatre, 563 Elm Ave., Norman.
Information: https://dance.ou.edu/performance-schedule.
Oklahoma Festival Ballet and children from across OKC will sweep audiences away with the University of Oklahoma School of Dance’s production of the fairytale ballet.
‘Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet,’ Midwest City
When: 7 p.m. Dec. 7.
Where: Rose State College Hudiburg Chevrolet Center.
Tickets: http://www.nutcracker.com.
The touring production features a multinational cast of 40 professional performers, including principal dancers from Ukraine and artists from Japan, Italy, Turkey and more.
‘Edmond’s Nutcracker’
When: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 2.
Where: Oklahoma Christian University’s Baugh Auditorium, 2501 E Memorial Rd., Edmond.
Information: https://okyoutharts.org/edmonds-nutcracker.
Oklahoma Youth Arts Foundation and Oklahoma Youth Ballet are putting on this inaugural production.
‘The Polar Express Train Ride’
When: Through Dec. 27.
Where: Oklahoma Railway Museum, 3400 NE Grand Blvd.
Information: https://okcthepolarexpressride.com.
A full theatrical show with a train car for a stage, the immersive ride faithfully follows Chris Van Allsburg’s beloved 1985 children’s book and Robert Zemeckis’ enduring 2004 computer-animated film starring Tom Hanks.
Norman Ballet Company’s ‘The Oklahoma Nutcracker’
When: Dec. 2-3.
Where: Nancy O’Brian Center for the Performing Arts, 1809 Stubbeman Ave., Norman.
Tickets: https://www.facebook.com/normanballetcompany.
The local family favorite intertwines Oklahoma history and themes of nature with the traditional storyline and musical score of “The Nutcracker.”
Central Oklahoma Ballet Company’s ‘The Nutcracker’
When: Dec. 2-3.
Where: Yukon Fine Arts Center, 850 Yukon Ave., Yukon.
Tickets: https://www.centralokballet.org.
Professional guest artists and local performers, accompanied by the Oklahoma Community Orchestra, will follow “The Nutcracker” heroine Clara on her enchanted journey.
WACO, Texas (KXXV) — To say the least, it has been a memorable four games for Baylor football so far this season.
A walk off field goal by Arizona State at McLane Stadium brings the Bears to 2-2 for the season and now they are heading to Stillwater looking to bounce back against Oklahoma State.
Watch the full story here:
Baylor looks to bounce back in road game against Oklahoma State
“Saturday’s game was a tough one,” head coach Dave Aranda said. “But, I think the message there is that hey, you can prepare, you can practice, you can do all of the things — that doesn’t mean you’re gonna win. There’s still more things that you gotta do.”
“There’s no participation trophy for preparing right and staying late and doing the extra all these details matter and so we’re really focused on that,” he added.
The Bears enter Stillwater following the firing of Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy after 21 years on the job. While the Cowboys are reeling, the Bears understand that they still have a talented roster.
“They play hard, you know. They get after the ball, their record doesn’t reflect the kind of team they are. They got a lot of talent and they’re gonna be ready to play,” safety Devyn Bobby said.
“Same thing we always talk about — respect all, fear none. We take that into every week, you know they’re still a great program. They have great coaching staff, great athletes on the field, so we gotta be prepared and ready for them,” wide receiver Kobe Prentice said.
After the Arizona State game, head coach Aranda spoke about complimentary football. While the defense had a great game last week, the offense struggled — and they are looking to find that balance.
“Obviously we didn’t get the win, so we got to get better so you know a lot of people might say we had a great game but we didn’t get to win — we could have had more stops, had more turnovers, but you know we’re still having to attack everyday mindset and we’re trying to get better,” Bobby said.
“The higher level than all of that is the team is that you know if one side’s down the other side picks it up. We need to be able to have that, you know, when we’ve played at the level that we need to play, we play that way and so we’re going to continue to aim for it,” Aranda said.
Baylor vs Oklahoma State is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. this Saturday.
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Mike Gundy thinks Oklahoma State football woes are ‘fixable’ this season
Mike Gundy says he has no desire to stop coaching the Oklahoma State football program amid the Cowboys’ 11-game losing streak against FBS competition.
Oklahoma State football has fired head coach Mike Gundy after 21 seasons, the program announced on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
Gundy, previously the second-longest tenured head coach with one program in college football, led the Cowboys to a 1-2 start this season, including a 19-12 loss to in-state foe Tulsa on Sept. 19, which was OSU’s first at home to Tulsa since 1951. Oklahoma State also lost to Oregon 69-3 in Week 2.
“Cowboy Football reached an unprecedented level of success and national prominence under Coach Gundy’s leadership,” OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg said in the announcement. “I believe I speak for OSU fans everywhere when I say that we are grateful for all he did to raise the standard and show us all what is possible for Oklahoma State football.”
Oklahoma State is amid its longest losing streak to Power Four teams in program history, having lost 11 straight against such teams. The Cowboys went 3-9 last season and were winless in Big 12 play. Gundy leaves the program with a 170-90 career record and has the school’s winningest coach of all time. He has 108 more wins than Pat Jones, who ranks second in program history with 62 wins.
Gundy is owed a $15 million buyout from the school due to be fired prior to Dec. 31, 2027, according to his contract obtained by the USA TODAY Network.
Gundy said after the Tulsa loss that he had no interest in 2025 being his final season with the program, and was swarmed with questions about his future with the school.
“In 21 years it’s a different position than I’ve been in,” Gundy said. “As I say every week, my job is to evaluate the overall program, players, the systems … And then I have to make a decision on where we’re at based on what we have. That’s what I do. We’ve certainly been in a different situation a lot of years in a row, but currently we’re not in that situation.”
The 58-year-old coach helped build Oklahoma State into a perennial Big 12 title contender after taking over for Les Miles in 2005. He nearly led the Cowboys to the national championship in 2011, and was Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2010, 2021 and 2023.
The fall from grace was fast for the program, as the Cowboys earned a spot in the Big 12 championship in 2023, and also beat archrival Oklahoma in the final Bedlam for the foreseeable future.
Gundy, a former Oklahoma State quarterback and Midwest City, Oklahoma, native, has only coached four seasons at other schools in his career, serving as passing-game coordinator at Baylor in 1996 and receivers coach at Maryland from 1997-99. He was an assistant at Oklahoma State from 1990-95, and again from 2001-04.
Oklahoma State will turn to a new coach for the first time in over 20 years for the 2026 season, and they’ll look to lead the program back to the heights of Gundy’s prime in Stillwater.
The Big 12 is still having a rough time in the national landscape.
Over the weekend, the Big 12 had some interesting matchups as it secured an unbeaten record in nonconference games. While a couple of matchups between Big 12 teams on Friday kept the conference from having a perfect record, the 12 teams in action combined for a 10-2 mark, which is the best they could have achieved in Week 3.
However, that didn’t mean a whole lot for the Big 12 in the AP poll, which dropped on Sunday. The conference had only three teams in the top 25, with No. 12 Iowa State, No. 16 Utah and No. 17 Texas Tech representing the Big 12.
In terms of how bad that is for the Big 12, the conference’s most recent departures in Texas and Oklahoma came in at Nos. 8 and 11, respectively. Meanwhile, the other three power conferences have at least one team in the top four and multiple teams in the top seven.
Of course, the AP poll is only good for discussions, as evidenced by winless Notre Dame’s inclusion, with the independent program riding the coattails of last season’s runner-up performance. The real rankings won’t come until the final weeks of the year, with the College Football Playoff’s top 25 ultimately being all that matters in the end.
To put it simply, the AP poll is unlikely to have any impact on OSU this season. The Cowboys’ loss at Oregon will keep them from receiving a single vote for quite some time, even if they could somehow put together a sizeable winning streak starting with the Tulsa matchup.
Of course, if the Cowboys could find a way to put together any sort of streak, perhaps in a similar fashion to 2023’s winning streak, they might be able to break through anyway, given the Big 12’s status nationally. Sure, the Cowboys won’t be any sort of contender at the national level any time soon, but a 5-1 start would probably be good enough to get them into the polls and the Big 12 title conversation.
In terms of the long-term future, the Pokes might not even be saved by any type of resurgence. Considering the Big 12 is easily the laughing stock of the Power Four, it needs a program to essentially save it from becoming irrelevant in the national landscape.
With OSU being the laughing stock of the Big 12, there’s no reason to expect the Cowboys to be the saviors the conference desperately needs.
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