The ONU Holiday Spectacular will be bringing its high-energy choreography back to Veterans Memorial Civic Center this weekend.
LIMA — After a three-day run starting Nov. 17 at the Freed Center in Ada, Ohio Northern University’s Holiday Spectacular is bringing all the song and spectacle people have come to love back to Lima starting Friday. And it is all thanks to the deserved enthusiasm of the university and a local business.
“It’s a wonderful way for the Ohio Northern University students to engage with local and surrounding communities,” said ONU Resident Artist in Music Kirsten Osbun-Manley. “People love to celebrate Christmas and share the joy of the holidays with their loved ones. And it’s I think it’s a wonderful way for the university and our students to engage with and give back to the local and surrounding communities. We couldn’t bring this production to the Lima Civic and Convention Center without the generous support of the Shutt family and Kewpee Hamburgers.”
Tickets to the shows at the Civic Center are not available for purchase online, but instead, all Kewpee locations in Lima, as well as the Freed Center box office, are selling them for just $5.
“This is the Shutt family’s generous gift to the Lima community and surrounding communities,” said Osbun-Manley. “They believe it is important to keep the tickets at an affordable price. So that families can bring their children and grandchildren to the theater and experience a wonderful Christmas show. The tickets are all $5 and have remained at this price for the past 27 years as long as the show has been coming to Lima.”
And according to Osbun-Manley, they are more than worth the asking price.
“First of all, I like to always say it puts everyone in a festive mood and promotes a spirit of giving, especially in times like this when the world has seen so much negativity,” she said. “It’s a positive light. It’s a beacon of light, a beacon of hope and it gives people at least an hour and 15 minutes of hope and happiness. I just think it’s a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays. Who doesn’t want to see something happy, right? And I always say if you haven’t seen it to go and if you have seen it before, go again because there’s always something new and fresh.”
And the usual performances that everyone loves, featuring Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, ballerinas and marching toy soldiers, will appear on stage.
“It’s quite simply one of the most delightful and magical Christmas shows in the area featuring showstopping numbers, fabulous, festive costumes and high-energy choreography,” said Osbun-Manley. “I think it’s one of the most popular productions in the history of Ohio Northern University and in in the surrounding community because it seems seen by over 9000 people annually.”
But with the amount of work that goes into producing this show, audiences can expect a good performance no matter what they see.
“The rehearsal process is very short,” said Osbun-Manley. “This forces the students to work quickly and efficiently.”
And moving the show from campus in Ada to the Civic Center involves disassembling the set and transporting it to Lima to be reassembled in just one three-hour rehearsal prior to the first performance.
“This provides real-world experiences for the cast and crew and teaches our students to think critically by putting their training to the test,” said Osbun-Manley.
The ONU Holiday Spectacular will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday for night performances, while 2 p.m. performances will also take place Saturday and Sunday.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: ONU Holiday Spectacular
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
WHERE: Veterans Memorial Civic Center, 7 Town Square, Lima
Tickets are $5 and are available at any Lima Kewpee location or at the ONU Freed Center box office.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
