OXFORD, Miss. – The 20th anniversary tour of “Rent” books a room in Oxford this fall as the Broadway musical comes to the University of Mississippi for one show at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

The Ford Center’s 2017-18 season also features a national tour of “The Sound of Music” and “Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility,” plus jazz concerts, children’s shows and much more.

“We are excited to launch some new initiatives and have expanded the offerings this season with a new jazz series and children’s series,” said Julia Aubrey, Ford Center director. “We have our audience favorites as well, with musicals, a classical play and dance concerts.

“Our Holiday Village will feature gingerbread houses, miniature Christmas villages, the North Pole and an international corner. This will open on Dec. 1 to coincide with our big event that features a holiday theme for the entire family.”

The season kicks off Sept. 7 with “Nashville Songwriters Night featuring Dickey Lee and Pat Alger with Roxie Dean.”

The Ford Series begins Oct. 26 with the Broadway tour of “Rent,” which follows seven artists struggling to follow their dreams. The von Trapp Family will thrill Ford Center audiences in “The Sound of Music” Jan. 24, with performances of classic songs including “My Favorite Things” and “Do-Re-Mi.”

On Feb. 27, Conspirare, a Company of Voices will perform “Considering Matthew Shepard,” the story of a gay student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie who was kidnapped and left to die nearly 20 years ago. This concert-length work uses musical styles, poetic texts, passages from Shepard’s journal and interviews with family members to tell his story.

The Ford Series concludes with the Tony Award-winning performance of “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” which offers a contemporary take on the classic tale.

The Artist Series begins Sept. 21 by making the audience part of the show in “Artrageous.” The musicians, singers, dancers and artists pay tribute to musical icons and genres in multiple art forms, including a gallery of finished paintings.

On Nov. 9, Oxford audiences will have an opportunity to see a performance named Best of Culture by the Los Angeles Times. West Coast dance troupe BodyTraffic, which recently toured Israel and Jordan, will perform its contemporary dance styles at the Ford Center.

Aquila Theatre continues to expand its adaptations of classical works with “Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility,” coming to the Ford Center on Feb. 13. The story revolves around two sisters in a time when choices were limited for women. The comedic romantic tale of the English upper middle class includes seduction, courtship, love, heartbreak and surprise.

The Artist Series concludes March 25 with “Revolutionaries: Ginastera and Beethoven,” featuring acclaimed German pianist Andreas Klein and North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra conductor Steven Byess. The artists will contrast the styles of Beethoven with works of 20th century Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera.

The Jazz Series, made possible by a $25,000 gift from Oxford residents Marty and John Dunbar, will begin Sept. 14 with a performance from the Cyrus Chestnut Quartet. Pianist Cyrus Chestnut blends contemporary and traditional jazz with gospel, Latin and samba and has become one of jazz’s most beloved and acclaimed musicians.

The series continues with “The Birdland All-Stars: The Art of Jazz” featuring Tommy Ignoe. The New York musicians have dazzled audiences for 10 years and return to the road with arrangements featuring music of David Bowie, The Police and Steely Dan, among others.

The series concludes March 1 with “Celebrating Gershwin: A Stroll Down Tin Pan Alley” by the Julian Bliss Septet. Bliss is one of the finest clarinetists of our time and he is joined by some of the best musicians in jazz to form this septet.

The Ford Center also will host a Campus Connections series, beginning Dec. 1 with “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” one of the most popular American operas during the Christmas season, and “Handel’s Messiah.” This collaborative project, made possible by a grant from Nancye Starnes and the Kite Foundation, includes performers from the community, university and professional guest artists.

On Jan. 27, the Malpaso Dance Company brings Havana to Oxford with movement and music from Cuba’s rich dance tradition. From April 20 to 22, the Ford Center will host Ole Miss Theatre’s performances of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”

Thanks to a gift from Billy and Rebecca Long, the Russian Folk Orchestra will perform Oct. 3 at the venue. This pops concert features popular selections combined with traditional folk music and is sure to appeal to a variety of audiences.

Throughout the year, the Ford Center also will feature a variety of performances for children as part of its Daytime School Series. “Dinosaur Zoo,” set for Nov. 16, offers two opportunities for schoolchildren to explore life-like dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures in an entertaining theatrical performance that will stimulate the imaginations of children.

On Dec. 13, “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” based on the book by Richard and Florence Atwater, follows a painter and decorator who dreams of Antarctic adventures when one day, a penguin arrives on his doorstep. The hourlong musical features original songs and penguin puppets, serving as the perfect family treat for the holiday season.

The School Series concludes April 10 with two performances for all ages of “Huck and Tom and the Mighty Mississippi.” This musical, based on the novels of Mark Twain, follows one of the greatest adventurers in American literature and his friends as they explore the river that defined their lives.

For more information about performances, visit http://fordcenter.org/. Tickets are available for all shows at the UM Box Office, inside the Ford Center or online at http://olemissboxoffice.com/.

OXFORD, Miss. – Country and Americana music legend Marty Stuart will headline the Governor’s Concert at the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration North, set for June 24 in Oxford. The free event is part of celebrations around the state during 2017.

“In a state known for master storytellers, Oxford is a literary capital,” Gov. Phil Bryant said. “There is no better backdrop for a celebration featuring some of Mississippi’s greatest songwriters than the land of William Faulkner, where our literary tradition thrives.”

Stuart will lead the Governor’s Concert lineup at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Mississippi. The Philadelphia native began his career as a sideman for country legends Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash before striking gold and platinum in his solo career, which spans more than three decades.

The Governor’s Concert also will feature singer-songwriter Mac McAnally, a hitmaker for Kenny Chesney and Alabama and a longtime member of Jimmy Buffett’s backing band, plus Mississippi’s Music and Culture Ambassador, Steve Azar, and Shannon McNally.

“We Are Mississippi,” a salute to the state’s musical heritage conducted by Jay Dean, executive director of the Arts Institute of Mississippi, will kick off the concert. Additional acts in the showcase include Vasti Jackson, the Roots Gospel Voices of Mississippi, 2015 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Contest winner David Lee, the Mississippi Bicentennial Symphony Orchestra, the Mississippi Bicentennial Singers and the 200-voice Mississippi Bicentennial Chorus.

“As shown by our more than 200 Blues Trail and Country Music Trail markers, Mississippi is very fortunate to have generations of talented musicians to lead us in celebration during the bicentennial year,” said Glenn McCullough Jr., executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority.

The Bicentennial Celebration North officially begins from 5 to 6:30 p.m. June 23 with the “Mississippi: 200 Years of Statehood” exhibit in the Faulkner Room at university’s J.D. Williams Library. A live taping of Thacker Mountain Radio in the Grove will follow at 7 p.m.

“The state’s bicentennial celebration is a great opportunity to showcase the wonderful Lafayette-Oxford-University community and all of the north region,” UM Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said. “We appreciate all the hard work by the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration Commission and partner organizations to mark the 200th anniversary of Mississippi’s statehood.”

All events during the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration are free and open to the public. Due to limited seating, the Governor’s Concert is free with ticketed admission. Attendees must reserve tickets online at http://www.visitmississippi.org/200. Visitors are limited to two tickets each.

“By hosting these bicentennial events in three major regions of the state, we are able to celebrate with our towns and communities and showcase what makes Mississippi truly great,” said Craig Ray, Visit Mississippi director.

Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration events are also planned for Dec. 9 in Jackson during the grand opening of the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. For more information on the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration, visit http//www.visitmississippi.org/200.

OXFORD, Miss. – An evening of deceit, intrigue and murder is in store for audiences Feb. 14 at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts when Aquila Theatre brings its production of mystery writer Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Nile” to the University of Mississippi.

The 7:30 p.m. performance is Christie’s own staging of her 1937 novel “Death on the Nile.” The story is set on a paddle steamer making its way along the Nile River in 1940s Egypt. When a famous heiress boards the ship, passengers begin a frenzy, which quickly involves treachery, theft and death.

The whodunit tale performed by colorful and mysterious characters in Christie’s signature style add to the drama of the classic novel. Aqulia Theatre, in its 25th anniversary, brings critically acclaimed direction, acting, physicality and design to give life to the story.

“We are happy to again welcome Aquila Theatre to the Ford Center with ‘Murder on the Nile,'” said Kate Meacham, Ford Center marketing director. “It’s such a great opportunity for University of Mississippi students and the Oxford community to experience theater at its finest.”

Tickets, available at the UM Box Office inside the Ford Center, are $22 for balcony seating, $26 for Tier 2 box and Mezzanine seating and $30 for Orchestra/Parterre and Tier 1 box seating. They also can be purchased online at http://www.fordcenter.org/.

The play, written by Christie in 1942, was first performed in Dundee in 1944.

“In so many ways ‘Murder on the Nile’ was a product of the darkest days of World War II, a time when the very existence of Britain was under constant threat of a Nazi invasion and German bombers pounded major cities,” Aquila Theatre founder Peter Meineck said. “At that time, Christie lived just outside London and worked at University College Hospital, in the heart of the city.

“Like all Londoners, she would have endured the frightening and almost daily bombing raids on the city during the Blitz. Small wonder a play like ‘Murder on the Nile,’ set in the pre-war years with its colonial travelers sailing away into heat, ancient history and intrigue, would have appealed to people in war-torn Britain.”

Meineck wanted to explore the production of the play from this perspective, while also honoring the performance originally created for the stage, he stated in a director’s note.

“In so doing, I discovered that behind her deft mystery writing lay acute observations of British culture and society and many poignant reflections of Europe in the late 1930s and early 1940s,” he said.

“My aim is that we get to enjoy this brilliant classic murder mystery once again while also being thoroughly entertained in the finest style and traditions that Aquila Theatre has become so well-known for.”

In conjunction with the performance, Aquila Theatre will hold a Physical Theatre Masterclass at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 14 in the Ford Center’s Studio Theatre. The class will focus on movement and vocal exercises for experienced high school and college level performers.

For more information, visit http://www.fordcenter.org/.