December 3 at 7: Fleabag

Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag. Photo by Mark Humphrey.

ECU SCREENS finishes its fall season with Fleabag, the hilarious, award-winning, one-woman show that inspired the hit BBC/Netflix series starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, on Tuesday, December 3rd at 7:00 PM. The screening will be in the Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center of the Bill S. Cole University Center. The recorded live production is open to the public and tickets are $10 for community members. Tickets for ECU students are $5.

Written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve), Fleabag is a rip-roaring look at “some sort of woman” living her “sort of life.” Fleabag may seem oversexed, emotionally unfiltered and self-obsessed, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. With family and friendships under strain and a guinea pig café struggling to keep afloat, Fleabag suddenly finds herself with nothing to lose.

Playing to sold-out audiences in New York and London, Fleabag has been deemed a “legitimately hilarious show” by the New Yorker. Other reviews agree that Phoebe Waller-Bridge is “funny, vibrant and blunt as a hammerhead” (New York Magazine), and her storytelling is “quirky and original” (Guardian).

The runtime for Fleabag is 67 minutes. The BBFCA has given the production a rating of 15—higher than “PG-13,” but not an “R” rating—as the play contains strong language, sex references, references to sexual harassment.

NT Live is the National Theatre's groundbreaking project to broadcast the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world. ECU SCREENS will open its spring season with William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of King Richard the Second on January 17th at 6:30 PM.

To learn more about ECU SCREENS, like the ECU SCREENS Facebook page. For more information about the National Theatre in Great Britain and the National Theatre Live screenings, visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/. Dr. Steve Benton, co-director of ECU SCREENS, may be contacted at (580) 559-5877 or sbenton@ecok.edu. 

November 5 at 2 pm: I'm Not Running

Siân Brooke and Alex Hassell in I'm Not Running. Photo by Mark Douet.

ECU SCREENS commemorates the electoral season with I’m Not Running on Tuesday, November 5th at 2:00 PM in the Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center of the Bill S. Cole University Center. The recorded live production is open to the public and tickets are $10 for community members. ECU students receive free admission, sponsored by ECU SCREENS.

I’m Not Running is an explosive new political drama that explores personal choices and their public consequences, written by Academy Award-nominated writer David Hare. Siân Brooke (BBC Sherlock, BBC Doctor Foster) stars as Pauline Gibson, a junior doctor, who becomes the face of a campaign to save her local hospital. She’s thrust from angel of the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) to becoming an independent Member of Parliament. As media and public pressure mounts on Pauline to run for leadership of the Labour party, which has never had a woman as its leader, she faces an agonizing decision.

The Washington Post declared Hare “the premiere political dramatist writing in English.” Set in an alternative present of the United Kingdom, the play “hits political bullseyes” (Guardian) and is “a passionate, fluent production” (Independent).

The runtime is 2 hours and 47 minutes and includes an intermission, when free ice cream will be served to audience members. The production has a BBFC rating of 12A, the equivalent of PG-13 in the U.S., as the play contains strong language.

National Theatre Live is the National Theatre's groundbreaking project to broadcast the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world.

ECU SCREENS will continue its season with Fleabag, the hilarious, award-winning, one-woman show that inspired the BBC’s hit TV series starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve), on Tuesday, December 3rd at 7:00 PM.

To learn more about ECU SCREENS, like the ECU SCREENS Facebook page. For more information about the Royal National Theatre in Great Britain and the National Theatre Live screenings, visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/. Dr. Steve Benton, co-director of ECU SCREENS, may be contacted at (580) 559-5877 or sbenton@ecok.edu.

October 9 at 6:30: Antony and Cleopatra

ECU SCREENS continues our fall season with William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra on Wednesday, October 9th at 6:30 PM in the Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center of the Bill S. Cole University Center.

The recorded live stage production is open to the public. General admission tickets are $10; tickets for ECU students are $5.

Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter, Schindler’s List) and Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda, A Raisin in the Sun) play the fated couple in Shakespeare’s tragedy of politics, passion and power. In the aftermath of Julius Caesar’s assassination, General Mark Antony now rules alongside his fellow defenders of Rome. But Antony and the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra have fallen fiercely in love. Having neglected his political duties while in Egypt, Antony returns to Rome, to attempt to restore his political position. But he is torn between his duty to Rome and his devotion to Cleopatra, and his actions spark a war that threatens to destroy their love.

Director Simon Godwin’s modern dress production features a huge revolving set, live snakes and gorgeous costumes. Time Out praised the production as “slick, stylish and action-packed." Other reviewers have noted that Fiennes and Okonedo “offer blazing star power” (Independent) and “are simply terrific as the lovers who tempt fate one too many times” (The Times).

The runtime is 3 hours and 40 minutes and includes an intermission, when audience members will be served free ice cream. The production has a BBFC rating of 12A, the equivalent of PG-13 in the U.S.

National Theatre Live is the National Theatre's groundbreaking project to broadcast the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world.

ECU SCREENS will continue its season with a new, timely political drama I’m Not Running on Tuesday, November 3rd at 2:00 PM.

To learn more about ECU SCREENS, like the ECU SCREENS Facebook page.

For more information about the Royal National Theatre in Great Britain and National Theatre Live screenings, visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/. Dr. Steve Benton, co-director of ECU SCREENS, may be contacted at (580) 559-5877 or sbenton@ecok.edu.

All About Eve Launches Season 6 for ECU SCREENS

Lily James and Gillian Anderson in All About Eve

ECU SCREENS launches its sixth season with All About Eve on Tuesday, September 3rd at 6:30 PM in the Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center of the Bill S. Cole University Center. The recorded live performance is open to the public, and tickets are $10 for community members. ECU students receive free admission, sponsored by ECU SCREENS.

All About Eve offers a timeless glimpse into our fascination with celebrity, youth and identity. At the center of the action is Margo Channing, a legendary theatre star, and her relationship with Eve, an aspiring actress and Margo’s biggest fan.

Internationally renowned director Ivo van Hove’s production stars Gillian Anderson (X-Files, NT Live: A Streetcar Named Desire) and Lily James (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again). London theatre critics report that Anderson “delivers and acting masterclass” (Financial Times) that “combines irresistible allure and drop-dead wit” (Independent).

Originally authored by Mary Orr, the female-led story has been re-told in multiple formats since its publication in short story form as “The Wisdom of Eve” in a 1946 issue of Cosmopolitan. Orr adapted the story for radio for a 1949 broadcast, which led to a 1950 film by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The film produced a record four Academy Award nominations for its lead and supporting actresses, including featured star Bette Davis, who uttered the now iconic cinematic warning: “Fasten your seatbelts: it’s going to be a bumpy night.” The story also served as inspiration for the 1970 musical Applause and a 2008 episode of The Simpsons titled “All About Lisa.”

The runtime is 2 hours with no interval. The production has a BBFC rating of 15, as the play contains strong language. National Theatre Live is the National Theatre's groundbreaking project to broadcast the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world. ECU SCREENS will continue its season with National Theatre Live productions of William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra on Wednesday, October 9th at 6:30 PM, starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo, and David Hare’s explosive new political drama I’m Not Running on Tuesday, November 5th at 2:00 PM.

To learn more about ECU SCREENS, like the ECU SCREENS Facebook page. For more information about the Royal National Theatre in Great Britain and the NT Live screenings, visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/. Dr. Steve Benton, co-director of ECU SCREENS, may be contacted at (580) 559-5877 or sbenton@ecok.edu.

July 3 at 6:30: The Madness of King George

In the Estep Center at ECU.

April 26 at 6:30: Allelujah!

In East Central University's Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center in the Bill S. Cole University Center.

ECU SCREENS wraps up their spring season with a new comedy by Alan Bennett. Allelujah! will screen on Friday, April 26th at 6:30 PM in the Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center of the Bill S. Cole University Center. It is open to the public and the cost is $10 for community members. ECU students receive free admission, sponsored by ECU SCREENS.

Allelujah! is a hilarious, satirical drama centered on a small hospital at risk of closure due to budget constraints. A documentary crew helps the hospital fight for survival by following the daily struggles at the hospital. Alan Bennett, who is 84 years old, focuses the play on the geriatric ward and the “old people’s choir.” The play is “subversively political” (The Guardian) but also “leaves you bobbing on a wave of happiness” (Independent).

The characters each have their own method for keeping the hospital open. They include Samuel Barnett as Colin, a government consultant who argues “The state should not be seen to work. If the state is seen to work, we shall never be rid of it.” Deborah Findlay, as Sister Gilchrist, takes a more direct approach to making more hospital beds available. Sacha Dhawan plays an immigrant doctor with genuine concern for the patients’ well-being, but he is facing his own crisis as the end of his student visa puts him at risk for deportation.

The runtime is 2 hours and 30 minutes and includes an interval, when ECU SCREENS will serve free ice cream to audience members. The production has a BBFC rating of “15,” as the play contains strong language. NT Live is the National Theatre's groundbreaking project to broadcast the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world.

The next ECU SCREENS event on Wednesday, July 3rd at 6:30 pm will be The Madness of George III, also written by Alan Bennett.

To learn more about ECU SCREENS, like the ECU SCREENS Facebook page. For more information about the Royal National Theatre in Great Britain and National Theatre Live screenings, visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/. Dr. Rebecca Nicholson-Weir, co-director of ECU SCREENS, may be contacted at (580) 559-5929 or rnichlsn@ecok.edu.

March 29 at 6:30: Julie

In East Central University's Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center in the Bill S. Cole University Center.

ECU Celebrates Mexico

“Ask Me About the World" to kick off ECU’s 9th Annual Foreign Film Festival

For the ninth February in a row, ECU’s Foreign Film Festival will bring recently-released foreign-language films to the Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center of the Bill S. Cole University Center. These film screenings are free and open to the public. After each screening, audience members are given door prizes in the form of books, food, or works of art associated with the culture of the films featured in the festival.

Before this year’s first film screening on February 1st, ECU’s Linscheid Library and ECU SCREENS are co-hosting a special event titled “Ask Me About the World” that will feature campus representatives from the Bahamas, France, Germany, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, and South Africa. Guests are invited to come to the lobby of the Bill S. Cole University Center between 3:00 and 4:00 PM to broaden their understanding of the world by having a conversation with individuals from around the world about their home countries.

Jakob Cedergren as police officer Asger Holm in "The Guilty." Photograph: Nikolaj Moeller

The Festival’s first film screening, scheduled for 4 PM, will be “The Guilty,” a Danish thriller about an emergency police dispatcher who receives a frantic call from a kidnapped young mother. “The Guilty” will be introduced by Ginger Johnson, a senior English-Math major, Honors student and Regents Scholar from Broken Arrow. Run time for “The Guilty” is 85 minutes, and it is rated “R” due to some frightening scenes, portrayed through sound and dialogue on the phone. Click here to see the trailer.

Source: Press Photo.

On February 8th at 4 PM, the festival will continue with “Anna Karenina: The Musical,” a Russian-language stage performance recorded live at the Moscow Operetta Theatre. This high-tech production features an original libretto based on Leo Tolstoy’s dramatic love story about the married Anna and a dashing military officer, Alexey Vronsky, set against the luxury of 19th century Russian nobility. “Anna Karenina: The Musical” will be introduced by Dr. Joshua Grasso, professor in ECU’s Department of English and Languages. Run time for “Anna Karenina: The Musical” is 2 hours, 15 minutes, including one intermission. It is rated “PG-13.”  Click here to see the trailer.

The Festival’s grand finale will begin at 6 pm on Saturday, February 9th with an event titled “ECU Celebrates Mexico.” “ECU Celebrates Mexico” will feature live musical performances by ECU Showtime. Delicias restaurant will also serve a special selection of Mexican classics, a rare treat from the local favorite, which is usually closed on Saturdays. ECU’s Office of Campus Involvement will be providing free tacos to the first fifty ECU students in attendance.

"3 Idiotas" stars Alfonso Dosal as "Pancho."

The evening’s feature film, “3 Idiotas,” a Spanish-language comedy about college life in Mexico, will be introduced by the director of ECU’s Spanish Language program, Dr. Errol King at 7 PM. “3 Idiotas” is rated “PG-13,” and it has a run time of 1 hour and 45 minutes. Click here to see the trailer.

ECU’s Foreign Film Festival is supported by the ECU Foundation, the Cultural Activities Committee, and the Department of English and Languages, and it relies on work provided by student volunteers from Sigma Tau Delta (ECU’s English Honors Society) and ECU’s Honors Student Association.

Additional door prizes have also been generously donated this year by Delicias Mexican Restaurant, D.K. Nutrition Center, Hardnox Coffehouse, Hot Shots Coffee House, and The Perfect Blend.

To learn more about ECU SCREENS and the spring schedule, like the ECU SCREENS Facebook page or visit www.ecuscreens.blogspot.com. Dr. Rebecca Nicholson-Weir, co-director of ECU SCREENS, may be contacted at (580) 559-5929 or rnichlsn@ecok.edu.

King Lear Kicks Off ECU SCREENS Spring Season

Ian McKellen (King Lear) and Danny Webb (Gloucester) at Duke of Yorks Theatre. Photo by Johan Pers.

Ian McKellen plays the lead in the National Theatre Live production of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, which will open the spring season for ECU SCREENS on Friday, January 18th at 6:30 PM in the Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center of the Bill S. Cole University Center. General admission tickets are $10. Student tickets are $5. ECU students receive free admission, sponsored by ECU SCREENS.

Considered by many to be the greatest tragedy ever written, King Lear spotlights two aging fathers – one a King, one his courtier –who reject the children who truly love them. Their blindness unleashes a tornado of pitiless ambition and treachery, as family and state are plunged into a violent power struggle with bitter ends. This fast-paced, five-star production has been praised as “nuanced and powerful” by The Times and “smart, lucid, superbly detailed” by The Guardian. The Evening Standard celebrates “Ian McKellen’s detailed, intelligent performance” in particular as “a triumph.”

The runtime is 3 hours and 47 minutes and includes a twenty-minute interval. All audience members will receive free ice cream during the interval.

This production may not be suitable for small children as it contains violent scenes and gunshots

ECU SCREENS’s spring season will continue on Friday, February 1st with ECU’s 9th annual Foreign Film Festival, featuring free foreign films from Denmark, Russia, and Mexico. After each screening, audience members are given door prizes in the form of books, DVDs, food and works of art associated with the culture of the films featured in the festival.

The kick-off of the Foreign Film Festival on February 1st will also include a special event titled “Ask Me About the World,” where participants can broaden their global understanding by having a conversation with individuals from around the world about their home countries. “Ask Me About the World” will take place from 3:00-4:00 PM in the lobby of the University Center.

On March 29th, ECU SCREENS will present NT Live’s Julie, Polly Stenham’s new version of August Strindberg’s classic drama Miss Julie, which remains shocking and fiercely relevant in its new setting of contemporary London.

On April 26th, the spring season will conclude with NT Live’s Allelujah!, a sharp and hilarious new play by Alan Bennett about a small town hospital that is threatened with closure as part of an efficiency drive.

NT Live is the National Theatre's groundbreaking project to broadcast the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world.

To learn more about ECU SCREENS, like the ECU SCREENS Facebook page. For more information about the Royal National Theatre in Great Britain and other NT Live screenings, visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/. Dr. Rebecca Nicholson-Weir, co-director of ECU SCREENS, may be contacted at (580) 559-5929 or rnichlsn@ecok.edu.

Spring 2019 Schedule

All films will be screened in the Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center located inside the Bill S. Cole University Center (near the corner of E. 13th Street and South Francis) on the campus of East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma.

Tickets are available at the door.

Friday, January 18 at 6:30 p.m.
KING LEAR
By William Shakespeare


Recorded live on stage at the Chichester Festival Theatre in London.
Runtime: 3 hrs, 47 min with a 20-minute interval
$10 General admission; free for ECU students.

Friday, February 1 at 4:00 p.m.
THE GUILTY
Directed by Gustav Möller

In Danish, with English subtitles
Runtime1 hr, 25 min.
Free and open to the public

Friday, February 8 at 4:00 p.m.
ANNA KARENINA MUSICAL
By Leo Tolstoy, Libretto by Yuliy Kim, Music by Roman Ignatyev

Recorded live on stage at the Moscow Operetta Theatre
In Russian, with English subtitles
Runtime: 2 hrs 15 min, with an interval
Free and open to the public

Saturday, February 9 at 7:00 p.m.
3 IDIOTAS
Directed by Carlos Bolado

In Spanish, with English subtitles
Runtime: 1 hr, 46 min.
Free and open to the public

Friday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m.
JULIE
By Polly Stenham, after Strindberg

Recorded live on stage at the Chichester Festival Theatre in London.
$10 General admission; free for ECU students.

Friday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m.
ALLELUJAH!
By Alan Bennett

Recorded live on stage at the Bridge Theatre in London.
$10 General admission; free for ECU students.