Odeion School of Music OSM, UFS

🎭 A little peek behind the curtain… West Side Story is coming together beautifully. ✨

The musical West Side Story, with its bittersweet story and beloved songs, is a welcome gift to Bloemfontein audiences who have been deprived of large-scale professional opera and musical theatre productions since the 1990s.

West Side Story will be staged from 18 June through a collaborative partnership between the University of the Free State (UFS) and Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, USA. The UFS departments involved are the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts and the Odeion School of Music (OSM).

The cast features student actors and singers from both universities, while the music will be performed by the Free State Youth Orchestra under the baton of Dingaan Chabalala of the OSM.

The production is directed by Thys Heydenrych, Programme Director of Drama at UFS. Barbara Hill Moore of SMU serves as Music Director, with Albertus Engelbrecht of the OSM as Associate Music Director.

West Side Story, a reimagining of Shakespeare’s 17th-century Romeo and Juliet, is set in 20th-century New York City. Two rival teenage gangs dominate the streets: the Jets, made up of white youths, and the Sharks, whose members are Puerto Rican immigrants.

Tony, a co-founder of the Jets, falls in love with Maria, a recent immigrant from Puerto Rico. Her brother leads the Sharks, and both gangs are locked in a struggle for dominance on the Upper West Side.

When Tony and Maria’s relationship becomes known, tensions between the rival gangs escalate dramatically, leading to tragic and unforeseen consequences.

West Side Story is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicals of the 20th century. It was created by an extraordinary team of artists: Jerome Robbins directed and choreographed the original production, Leonard Bernstein composed the music, Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics, and Arthur Laurents authored the book.

Since its Broadway debut in September 1957 at the Winter Garden Theatre, the musical has been celebrated for its groundbreaking fusion of music, dance, drama, and social commentary. Sondheim’s sophisticated lyrics and Bernstein’s dynamic score transformed the landscape of American musical theatre. Today, with its enduring themes of love, prejudice, identity, belonging, and hope, West Side Story remains a timeless masterpiece.

The first collaboration between UFS and SMU took place in 2024 when they successfully presented Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s Carousel at the Wynand Mouton Theatre on the UFS campus.

The partnership between the two universities, situated on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, originated from Hill Moore’s vision to create international study opportunities for her students. After reaching out to South Africa and receiving a positive response, she established the international SMU-in-South Africa project.

The University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban was the first South African institution to benefit from the initiative. It presented a unique South African adaptation of West Side Story, incorporating local dance forms and percussion rhythms. The Americans returned in 2013 to collaborate on South Pacific.

Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha followed, presenting South Pacific in 2019 and Oklahoma! in 2022.
As Hill Moore aptly notes, “These productions are more than just musicals on stage; they are a testament to what is possible when institutions collaborate in the spirit of learning, creativity, and cultural exchange.”

Performance Schedule
Dress Rehearsals
• 18 June at 15:00 – Wynand Mouton Theatre, UFS Campus, Bloemfontein
• 19 June at 15:00 – Wynand Mouton Theatre, UFS Campus, Bloemfontein
Public Performances
20 June at 18:00 – Wynand Mouton Theatre, UFS Campus, Bloemfontein (Sold Out)
• 21 June at 14:00 – Wynand Mouton Theatre, UFS Campus, Bloemfontein

Admission to all performances is free of charge, but seats must be reserved through Quicket.

OSM MUSIC REVIEW
Nicolene Gibbons Captivates Audience with Mesmerising Philip Glass Recital
Prof Naomi Morgan
2026/06/15

Jan Smuts apparently once said that the best and the worst never happen in South Africa. Yet on Sunday, 14 June 2026, the very best happened on the stage of the Odeion School of Music (OSM).
Before departing for Madrid, where this same programme will be followed by a recording, the brilliant piano lecturer Nicolene Gibbons performed a selection of Philip Glass’s Études and Mad Rush. I can imagine few things more special than an entire programme devoted to his music as part of the OSM’s 80th-anniversary celebrations.

Gibbons was remarkably composed before this demanding performance and introduced the works with the insights of someone who is herself a composer, as well as a sought-after chamber musician and lecturer. Particularly fascinating was the fact that Mad Rush was composed by Glass to accompany the Dalai Lama as he moved between his official vehicle and the welcoming committee during a visit to America.

The Études (she performed Nos. 2–7, 9, and 10) are essentially repetitions with variations.What was truly astonishing was that Gibbons performed the entire programme from memory, without any sheet music. It was an extraordinary pleasure to listen to this minimalist music, in which subtle changes are continuously introduced, offering the audience a fresh and invigorating experience.

The enjoyment was enhanced by the absolute silence in which this remarkable music was presented. The pianist requested silence between the études, which noticeably heightened the audience’s concentration and appreciation. The value of silence in the reception of classical music cannot be overstated.

Gibbons’s understanding of the music and her astonishing technique should have Spanish audiences at her feet. My personal favourites were Étude No. 2 in C major, No. 9 in C minor (which was fittingly used as the soundtrack for the RSG radio drama Faksie by Ilne Fourie), and the bell-like sonorities of Mad Rush. It was an unforgettable afternoon of international artistry in a rural setting.

Here is a recording of Étude No. 2 in C major, performed by another pianist (soon we will have Nicolene’s own unforgettable recording):
Philip Glass – Étude No. 2 in C Major | Sally Whitwell
https://youtu.be/6Jk6E9E1CN0?si=haHUt5UK9Pdoup9C

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this review are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Odeion School of Music.

OSM MEDIA
Netwerk 24
Elretha Britz
Arts Journalist

COLLABORATION BRINGS WEST SIDE STORY TO THE STAGE IN BLOEMFONTEIN

The musical West Side Story, with its bittersweet story and beloved songs, is a welcome gift to Bloemfontein audiences who have been deprived of large-scale professional opera and musical theatre productions since the 1990s.

West Side Story will be staged from 18 June through a collaborative partnership between the University of the Free State (UFS) and Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, USA. The UFS departments involved are the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts and the Odeion School of Music (OSM).

The cast features student actors and singers from both universities, while the music will be performed by the Free State Youth Orchestra under the baton of Dingaan Chabalala of the OSM.
The production is directed by Thys Heydenrych, Programme Director of Drama at UFS. Barbara Hill Moore of SMU serves as Music Director, with Albertus Engelbrecht of the OSM as Associate Music Director.

West Side Story, a reimagining of Shakespeare’s 17th-century Romeo and Juliet, is set in 20th-century New York City. Two rival teenage gangs dominate the streets: the Jets, made up of white youths, and the Sharks, whose members are Puerto Rican immigrants.

Tony, a co-founder of the Jets, falls in love with Maria, a recent immigrant from Puerto Rico. Her brother leads the Sharks, and both gangs are locked in a struggle for dominance on the Upper West Side.
When Tony and Maria’s relationship becomes known, tensions between the rival gangs escalate dramatically, leading to tragic and unforeseen consequences.

West Side Story is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicals of the 20th century. It was created by an extraordinary team of artists: Jerome Robbins directed and choreographed the original production, Leonard Bernstein composed the music, Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics, and Arthur Laurents authored the book.

Since its Broadway debut in September 1957 at the Winter Garden Theatre, the musical has been celebrated for its groundbreaking fusion of music, dance, drama, and social commentary. Sondheim’s sophisticated lyrics and Bernstein’s dynamic score transformed the landscape of American musical theatre. Today, with its enduring themes of love, prejudice, identity, belonging, and hope, West Side Story remains a timeless masterpiece.

The first collaboration between UFS and SMU took place in 2024 when they successfully presented Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s Carousel at the Wynand Mouton Theatre on the UFS campus.

The partnership between the two universities, situated on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, originated from Hill Moore’s vision to create international study opportunities for her students. After reaching out to South Africa and receiving a positive response, she established the international SMU-in-South Africa project.

The University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban was the first South African institution to benefit from the initiative. It presented a unique South African adaptation of West Side Story, incorporating local dance forms and percussion rhythms. The Americans returned in 2013 to collaborate on South Pacific.

Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha followed, presenting South Pacific in 2019 and Oklahoma! in 2022.
As Hill Moore aptly notes, “These productions are more than just musicals on stage; they are a testament to what is possible when institutions collaborate in the spirit of learning, creativity, and cultural exchange.”
Performance Schedule
Dress Rehearsals
• 18 June at 15:00 – Wynand Mouton Theatre, UFS Campus, Bloemfontein
• 19 June at 15:00 – Wynand Mouton Theatre, UFS Campus, Bloemfontein
Public Performances
• 20 June at 18:00 – Wynand Mouton Theatre, UFS Campus, Bloemfontein
• 21 June at 14:00 – Wynand Mouton Theatre, UFS Campus, Bloemfontein
Admission to all performances is free of charge, but seats must be reserved through Quicket.
— Elretha Britz, Media24
[email protected]

Samewerking lei tot ‘West Side Story’ op planke in Bfn
Netwerk24
Volksblad
Elretha Britz
12 Junie 2026

Samewerking lei tot ‘West Side Story’ op planke in Bfn | Netwerk24 Die musiekspel ‘West Side Story’ met sy bittersoet verhaal en bekende liedere is soos manna vir Bloemfonteiners wat sedert die 1990’s ontneem is van groot professionele opera- en musiekspelproduksies.