Ohio Wesleyan will welcome the public back to campus this fall to enjoy performing arts events and art gallery exhibitions. (Photo by Reilly Wright ’20)

2021-2022 Arts Calendar

Ohio Wesleyan University Announces Events for Upcoming Academic Year

DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University’s Department of Performing Arts and the Richard M. Ross Art Museum invite the community to attend the many concerts, recitals, plays, and art exhibitions planned for OWU’s 2021-2022 academic year.

Guests to the university must follow the latest public health recommendations from the Delaware Public Health District and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For visitors not fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, this includes wearing masks at indoor events, practicing physical distancing, and washing hands frequently.

Music Events

  • 3 p.m. Oct. 31 – Symphonic Wind Ensemble, conducted by faculty member Richard Edwards, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 8 p.m. Nov. 5 – Musical Theatre Scenes, directed by faculty member Jennifer Whitehead, in Jemison Auditorium inside Sanborn Hall, 23 Elizabeth St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 8 p.m. Nov. 9 – OWU Chamber Orchestra, conducted by faculty member Antoine Clark, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 3 p.m. Nov. 14 – Choral Art Society, conducted by faculty member Jason Hiester, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 8 p.m. Nov. 16 – Jazz Ensemble, conducted by faculty member Kevin Turner, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • Dec. 3-5 – OWU Art Hop, Department of Performing Arts gala weekend, featuring multiple free performances. Watch for time, location, and event details at owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 and 3 p.m. Feb. 12, 2022 – OWU Honor Ensemble Music Festival, featuring nationally distinguished guest conductors and offering performance experiences for students in high school choirs and orchestras, and for concert band students in grades 7-12. The festival will feature a Host Concert on Feb. 10 and a Finale Concert on Feb. 12, both in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 3 p.m. March 27, 2022 – Choral Art Society, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 8 p.m. April 5, 2022 – OWU Chamber Orchestra, conducted by faculty member Antoine Clark, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 8 p.m. April 14, 2022 – Symphonic Wind Ensemble, conducted by faculty member Richard Edwards, in Gray Chapel, inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 8 p.m. April 19, 2022 – Park Avenue Jazz Ensemble, conducted by faculty member Kevin Turner, in Gray Chapel, inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.

Theatre & Dance Events

  • 8 p.m. Oct. 7-8; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Oct. 9 – “Daughters of Leda” by Madeline Sayet. As the seasons change and Persephone returns to the underworld, a mortal girl arrives asking questions that turn history upside down. The Fates have a game up their sleeve—they are tired, they need a vacation. But in order to leave, they have to give back the stories they exploited. In a whirlwind of events, Adam & Eve, Leda & the Swan, Helen, Clytemnestra, Iphigenia, and Electra all come together to choose their own destinies and tell their side of the stories that have instilled fear of feminine knowledge for far too long. “Daughters of Leda” will be directed by faculty member Cortney Knipp and performed on the Main Stage of Ohio Wesleyan’s Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for senior citizens, Ohio Wesleyan employees, and non-OWU students. Admission is free for Ohio Wesleyan students with a valid university ID. To reserve tickets, call the box office at (740) 368-3855. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 8 p.m. Oct. 22-23 – “Flowers for Algernon,” a fall senior project production by Catie Hyatt, in the Studio Theatre inside Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Admission is free, but reservations are required as seating is limited. To reserve seating, call the box office at (740) 368-3855. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 8 p.m. Oct. 29-30 – Untitled fall senior project production by Jasmine Lew, performed in multiple locations throughout Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Admission is free, but reservations are required as seating is limited. To reserve seating, call the box office at (740) 368-3855. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 8 p.m. Nov. 12; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Nov. 13 – Orchesis 21/22 contemporary dance concert, on the Main Stage of Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for senior citizens, Ohio Wesleyan employees, and non-OWU students. Admission is free for Ohio Wesleyan students with a valid university ID. To reserve tickets, call the box office at (740) 368-3855. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • Dec. 3-5 – OWU Art Hop, Department of Performing Arts gala weekend, featuring multiple free performances. Watch for time, location, and event details at owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 – Directing Class One-Act performances (presented as part of the Performing Arts gala weekend), on the Main Stage of Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, call the box office at (740) 368-3855 or visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 8 p.m. Feb. 17-19; 2 p.m. Feb. 20, 2022 – “She Kills Monsters” by Qui Nguyen. A comedic romp into the world of fantasy role-playing games, “She Kills Monsters” tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she stumbles into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and ’90s pop culture, playwright Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all. “She Kills Monsters” will be directed by faculty member Bradford Sadler and performed on the Main Stage of Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for senior citizens, Ohio Wesleyan employees, and non-OWU students. Admission is free for Ohio Wesleyan students with a valid university ID. To reserve tickets, call the box office at (740) 368-3855. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 8 p.m. March 18-19, 2022 – Spring senior project production of “The Dumb Waiter” by Danny Rodriguez Hijo and Judson Nimrick, in the Studio Theatre of Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Admission is free, but reservations are required as seating is limited. To reserve seating, call the box office at (740) 368-3855. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
  • 7:30 p.m. April 1-2; 7:30 p.m. April 8-9; 2 p.m. April 10, 2022 – Ohio Wesleyan's spring musical theatre revue, "Journeys of Love: A Festival of New Musical Theatre, Written by Professional Composers, Lyricists, and Book Writers," will be performed on the Main Stage of Ohio Wesleyan’s Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for senior citizens, Ohio Wesleyan employees, and non-OWU students. Admission is free for Ohio Wesleyan students with a valid university ID. To reserve tickets, call the box office at (740) 368-3855. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.

Ross Art Museum

  • Aug. 25-Oct. 24 “Baltimore Lives,” featuring photographs by nationally recognized photographer and 1974 Ohio Wesleyan graduate John Clark Mayden, in the West and Mayhew galleries of the Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Mayden published his award-winning book “Baltimore Lives: The Portraits of John Clark Mayden” in 2019. It is a collection of 101 photographs documenting the lives of Black Baltimore residents between 1970 and 2012. Mayden’s photos also are featured in the 2020 HBO film “Between the World and Me,” based on the book by Ta-Nehisi Coates. During the academic year, the Ross is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The museum will be closed Oct. 13-17 for mid-semester break. The Ross is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit owu.edu/ross for more information.
  • Aug. 25-Nov. 12 – “Women Behind the Lens,” exploring works by women photographers and celebrating arts patron Sally Ross Soter, in the Kuhlman Galleries of the Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. During the academic year, the Ross is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The museum will be closed Oct. 13-17 for mid-semester break. The Ross is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit owu.edu/ross for more information.
  • Dec. 7-March 20, 2022 – “Deaf Republic” by James Stewart in the Lobby, Kuhlman, and Mayhew galleries, and “Into the Light” by Ron Anderson in the West Gallery of the Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Stewart’s paintings and ceramics interpret Ilya Kaminsky’s award-winning book of poetry “Deaf Republic,” in which a young deaf boy inspires a town’s resistance to military occupation. Columbus-based Anderson’s figurative paintings bring African American stories of music, sport, and dance into the spotlight. During the academic year, the Ross is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The museum will be closed Nov. 20-29 for Thanksgiving break; Dec. 17-Jan. 12, 2022, for winter break; and March 5-13 for spring break. The Ross is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit owu.edu/ross for more information.
  • April 9-May 7, 2022 – Ohio Wesleyan’s graduating fine arts students exhibit works juried by their OWU professors, at the Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. The exhibit will include an artist reception from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, April 9, at the museum. Learn more about OWU’s fine arts department at owu.edu/finearts. During the academic year, the Ross Art Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit owu.edu/ross for more information.

Ohio Wesleyan’s Gallery 2001

  • Aug. 16-Dec. 13 – “In Our Time: Covers for a Small Library,” featuring works by R.B. Kitaj, in Gallery 2001 inside Beeghly Library, 43 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Kitaj is described as a key figure in European and American contemporary painting whose “highly personal paintings and drawings reflect his deep interest in history; cultural, social and political ideologies; and issues of identity.” He died in 2007. Gallery 2001, located on the library’s first floor, is open during library hours. For times, visit library.owu.edu/hours. The gallery is a gift from the Class of 2001 and a satellite of the Richard M. Ross Art Museum. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/ross.
  • Jan. 11-May 9, 2022 – “The Natural World,” featuring images by award-winning photographer Max Seigal, Ohio Wesleyan Class of 2009, in Gallery 2001 inside Beeghly Library, 43 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Seigal combines his OWU degrees in biology and environmental science to help him capture breath-taking views of the natural world. Gallery 2001, located on the library’s first floor, is open during library hours. For times, visit library.owu.edu/hours. The gallery is a gift from the Class of 2001 and a satellite of the Richard M. Ross Art Museum. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/ross.

All event information is subject to change. For the latest details and additional campus events, visit owu.edu/events or “like” www.facebook.com/OhioWesleyanUniversityNews.


Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature program, The OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to integrate knowledge across disciplines, build a diverse and global perspective, and apply knowledge in real-world settings. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives” and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at owu.edu.