THE JAMES T. BILL '55 THEATER

"To enter a theater for a performance is to be inducted into a magical space,

to be ushered into the sacred arena of the imagination."

- Simon Callow -

Built in 2000, the James T. Bill '55 Theater seats an audience of 325, and has been the home for O’Dowd’s long-standing musical theater tradition, with performances of Ragtime, Cabaret, Chicago, and more recently Shaina Taub’s musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Equipped with all the technical capabilities of a professional performance house, the James T. Bill Theater also offers students the opportunity to master behind-the-scenes production skills, including lighting, sound, costumes, props, make-up, and stage management.

Upcoming Productions

The Play That Goes Wrong - Fall '24

O’Dowd’s Theater Department is proud to announce our Fall Show
The Play That Goes Wrong (High School Edition)
by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields.

The Play That Goes Wrong welcomes audiences to the opening night of Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor. Unfortunately for the Cornley players, things quickly go from bad to utterly disastrous. This 1920’s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show, from an unraveling set to an unconscious leading lady. Part Monty Python and part Sherlock Holmes, this Olivier Award winning comedy is a global phenomenon that’s guaranteed to leave you aching with laughter!

Presented by arrangement with Dramatists Play Service under license from Mischief Worldwide Ltd.The Mischief Production of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG was originally produced on the West End Stage by Kenny Wax & Stage Presence and on Broadway by Kevin McCollum, J.J. Abrams, Kenny Wax & Stage Presence