Arts at Denison

06/15/2026

Celebration of Life for Professor William Osborne “WO," featuring speakers interspersed with music offered in tribute to his leadership, legacy, and enduring impact.
Sunday, June 28, 1:30 PM
Swasey Chapel
A reception in the Hoaglin Wellness Center will immediately follow the service.
Free and open to the public

For years, members of the Denison Singers have reunited on campus for a weekend of music and camaraderie. Following the passing of the group’s distinguished leader, the Denison Singers will gather to celebrate the life of the late Professor Emeritus of Fine Arts William Osborne, who passed away on Oct. 30, 2025, at 88.

Osborne, affectionately known as “WO,” taught at Denison from 1961 to 2003 and united generations of Denison students through song, spirit, and aspiration.

His campus presence is enduring through merit-based scholarships, the restoration of the century-old Swasey Chapel pipe organ, and the collective memories of those who loved and performed with him. Read Osborne’s complete obituary in Denison Magazine.

Multiple generations of the Denison Singers, the organization of chamber singers Osborne founded and led until his retirement, have met frequently for reunion concerts under his direction. Those singers, along with other alums and community members who feel moved by his life, are welcome to attend this Celebration of Life.

06/14/2026

On this day, June 14, 1949, the Denison Summer Theatre opened with "Belvedere" by Gwen Davenport.

The first official Denison Summer Theatre season premiered in 1944. Each year Denison students worked as cast and crew and were even reponsible for erecting the tent where the Eisner Center sits today. The most well-known of the Summer Theatre tents became know as the “big blue tent.”

Before the first curtain ever rose, 520 season ticket subscriptions had been sold for $1.20 each, with single admission tickets available for only 60 cents each. Thousands flocked to the big blue tent each summer to see musicals, comedies, and dramas.

The Summer Theatre program wasn’t only for students though. Visiting performers and crew joined the company each summer to help make the tent the place to see a show during the hot summer months.

Special thanks to the Denison Museum and University Archives and Special Collections for keeping these great memorabilia treasures!

06/10/2026

Visit our Denison Museum "From Blue Tent to Broadway" exhibit June 11 & 12, 1-3PM

This exhibit highlights Denison alumnus Harold “Hal” Holbrook ’48 and his rise from theatre student to renowned Mark Twain performer.

While at Denison, Holbrook studied under Professor of Theatre Edward A. Wright. Wright became a lifelong mentor and friend to Holbrook and was the primary force behind Holbrook’s experimentation with performing literary and historical figures.

Also featured in the exhibit are documents pertaining to Denison Summer Theatre, a beloved community tradition for more than two decades in which both Wright, as the program founder, and Holbrook were dedicated participants.

The Denison Museum presents: From Blue Tent to Broadway

06/08/2026

June 11, 3PM and June 12, 3:30PM & 8PM
Exclusive film screening of 'Little Dancer' | The story of the young ballerina who posed for Edgar Degas
Herrick Hall
Free and open to the public, however tickets required at artsatdenison.ludus.com
Alumni, please register through the alumni website.

Join members of the Denison and Granville community for a rare and exclusive screening of "Little Dancer," a new musical by Ahrens & Flaherty (the award-winning team behind Ragtime, Anastasia, and Once on This Island), inspired by the story behind one of the most iconic works of art in the world.

"Little Dancer" tells the story of Marie van Goethem, the young ballerina who posed for Edgar Degas and became the heart of his celebrated sculpture masterpiece and then disappeared into the streets of 19th-century Paris. This evocative original work explores the resilience, ambition, and indomitable spirit of a young woman navigating a man’s world.

This special screening features a three-camera capture of the show’s sold out one-night-only concert performance at London’s Royal Drury Lane Theatre in July 2025. It stars Tiler Peck, prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet in a memorable performance.

The film runs for approximately one hour and 45 minutes and offers an extraordinary preview of a production ahead of its official debut in London's West End early next year.

This special screening is made possible by Denison alumnae and producer Sharon Carr ’73 and is also part of Denison’s 2026 Reunion weekend (June 11-14), celebrating alumni milestone years.

The movie screening will be held in Herrick Hall at Denison University.

06/01/2026

In memoriam....
Bryant Arts Center stands as a testament to the vision of John "Jack" Beyer '92, who passed away on Jan. 23, 2026. As the last surviving founder of the world-renowned New York-based firm Beyer Blinder Belle that famously safeguarded New York’s architectural history, Beyer left his indelible mark at Denison with the 2009 transformation of a 1904 gymnasium into the visual arts building that it is today.

Beyer was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, with a degree in art, and later received a bachelor's and a master's degree in architecture from Harvard University in 1961.

Early in his career, he went to work for Victor Gruen, an Austrian-American architect who pioneered the shopping mall.

Describing the 2009 project that resulted in Denison's Bryant Arts Center, his firm observed that the sweeping renovation "creates a contemporary identity for Denison University's Art Department and promotes the cross-fertilization of visual arts disciplines under one roof.”

Learn more about Bryant Arts Center at link in comment.

05/29/2026

June 11, 3PM and June 12, 3:30PM & 8PM
Exclusive film screening of 'Little Dancer' | The story of the young ballerina who posed for Edgar Degas
Herrick Hall
Free and open to the public, however tickets required at artsatdenison.ludus.com
Alumni, please register through the alumni website.

Join members of the Denison and Granville community for a rare and exclusive screening of "Little Dancer," a new musical by Ahrens & Flaherty (the award-winning team behind Ragtime, Anastasia, and Once on This Island), inspired by the story behind one of the most iconic works of art in the world.

"Little Dancer" tells the story of Marie van Goethem, the young ballerina who posed for Edgar Degas and became the heart of his celebrated sculpture masterpiece and then disappeared into the streets of 19th-century Paris. This evocative original work explores the resilience, ambition, and indomitable spirit of a young woman navigating a man’s world.

This special screening features a three-camera capture of the show’s sold out one-night-only concert performance at London’s Royal Drury Lane Theatre in July 2025. It stars Tiler Peck, prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet in a memorable performance.

The film runs for approximately one hour and 45 minutes and offers an extraordinary preview of a production ahead of its official debut in London's West End early next year.

This special screening is made possible by Denison alumnae and producer Sharon Carr ’73 and is also part of Denison’s 2026 Reunion weekend (June 11-14), celebrating alumni milestone years.

The movie screening will be held in Herrick Hall at Denison University.

05/28/2026

Retiring Faculty Spotlight | Cheryl McFarren, B.A., M.F.A., Ph.D. Associate Professor Emerita of Theatre

Over the past 17 years, Cheryl Kennedy McFarren has shaped Denison’s theatre program through a deep commitment to the practice of performance. As Associate Professor of Theatre and Jonathan R. Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Theatre, she has supported generations of students in developing their craft, through an approach to theatre-making rooted in presence, collaboration, and creative agency.

McFarren’s path to the stage began in Oakland, California, where a summer recreation class first sparked her own interest in theatre. Encouraged by mentors who recognized her talent, she went on to study at the Young Conservatory of the American Conservatory Theater, where exposure to professional productions deepened her curiosity and ambition.

Led by this momentum, she then earned a bachelor’s from University of California, Berkeley, followed by a master’s of fine arts from the National Theatre Conservatory, and a doctorate in theatre from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

With more than five decades of professional experience, including 35 years directing and 30 years exploring the full range of theatrical production, McFarren has accumulated an impressive breadth of work.

Her time at Denison will be remembered for her mentorship, artistic rigor, and a deep belief in the power of creative exploration. For the many students and colleagues who have worked alongside her, those lessons will continue to resonate well beyond the stage.

Read full bio in our commencement program at https://denison.edu/forms/commencement-program

05/26/2026

The Vail Series was endowed by a generous gift from the late Mary and Foster McGaw in honor of Jeanne Vail, class of 1946. On this 80th year of her graduation, we reflect and give gratitude.

As a Spanish major and a straight-A student with a deeply sensitive and artistic spirit, Vail was active in many extracurricular activities while at Denison.

Vail was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority where she was treasurer during her junior and senior years.

She was active in the Glee Club, the A capella Chorus, YWCA, Sigma Delta Pi (Spanish honorary), Phi Society (scholastic honorary), the Committee of 100, and the Denison Decade Committee.

Elected to Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year, Vail was one of only five students to receive general honors at her Commencement exercises in 1946.

Jeanne Vail died in 1949, a victim of Poliomyelitis, but her memory will live in perpetuity at Denison through the Vail Arts Program.

And just as it was intended to do, the Vail Series enriches the artistic experience of the entire Denison community, giving us the opportunity for faculty, staff, and Denison students to meet Vail artists in the classroom, and attend concerts with world-renowned artists at no cost.

Then and now, Denison acknowledges, with deep gratitude, this fitting memorial to a gifted alumna of great promise who exemplified the very best in our tradition and our continuing mission.