The 2007-2008 academic year marks the 50th anniversary of Murphy Hall. The new Music and Dramatic Arts Building on the KU campus was dedicated in November 1957. We are celebrating the students, faculty, and staff who have occupied its halls with a yearlong series of activities.
Some of the 50th anniversary activities include:
- The original Music and Dramatic Arts Building at KU was dedicated on November 10, 1957. KU’s Department of Theatre and Film, University Theatre, School of Fine Arts, and Department of Music and Dance will rededicate Murphy Hall at 5:00 p.m. November 10, 2007. KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway and other dignitaries will attend this ceremony kicking off the celebration of Murphy Hall’s 50th birthday!
- The Department of Theatre and Film University Theatre and the Department of Music and Dance, will present Meredith Willson’s The Music Man, the popular musical that premiered on Broadway in 1957, November 9 - 11 and 15 – 17 in the Crafton-Preyer Theatre.
- A national symposium celebrating Broadway musicals, hosted by Paul Laird, KU professor of musicology, and John Staniunas, professor of musical theatre and chair of the Department of Theatre and Film, November 9 – 10.
- A two-week Festival of the Arts celebration, planned for April 13 - 27, 2008, will include a performance of the newly created opera Picnic, written by KU alumnus William Inge; a University Dance Company performance, as well as band, jazz band, choir, orchestra, and alumni activities.
- The Department of Theatre and Film and University Theatre is hosting Alums Come Home 5, a series of events to welcome theatre and film graduates back to Murphy Hall, April 24-27, 2008. The weekend will include performances of The Shape of Things by KU alumnus Neil LaBute April 25 and 27, and a gala Friends of the Theatre Fundraiser, featuring the celebrated blues artist Kelley Hunt, on April 26.
Mark your calendars and plan to join your friends as we celebrate 50 years in Murphy at KU!
- The King and I. The King is portrayed by the late Tom P. Rea, a former KU faculty member.
- The King and I. Anna is portrayed by Joyce Malicky Castle, now a voice professor at KU.
