Oakland University presents Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Pulitzer Prize finalist ‘Gloria’

Oakland University’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance will present Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ acclaimed play, “Gloria”, from October 14-18 in Varner Studio Theatre on the OU campus in Rochester, Mich.

A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “Gloria” begins as a sharply funny workplace comedy about a group of ambitious editorial assistants navigating office politics, professional jealousy, and the relentless pursuit of the next opportunity. But when an unexpected act of violence changes everything, the play becomes a provocative examination of who gets to tell the story, who profits from tragedy, and what happens when personal experience becomes public property.

Directed by Broadway veteran and Oakland University Assistant Professor of Theatre Jacob ben Widmar, the production places audiences in an intimate thrust configuration, bringing them unusually close to the action.

The Oakland University cast features emerging performers from across Michigan, including Oxford’s own Zander Brown, who attended Oxford High School at the time of the 2021 school shooting. His connection to the community adds a personal resonance to a play that wrestles with violence, its aftermath, and the complicated ways people attempt to make meaning from traumatic events.

Written by MacArthur Fellow Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, “Gloria” premiered Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre and was subsequently named a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Its dark humor and shifting perspectives challenge audiences to reconsider ideas of authorship, ambition, memory, and ownership.

The production contains adult themes, strong language, theatrical violence, and theatrical blood.

Tickets are available through eTix.