The Discovery Awards is a collaborative effort by the Tulsa PAC Trust and Celebrity Attractions to honor and encourage aspiring young actors.

One male and one female student from each of the 32 organizations will take part in a series of ensemble and solo performances as part of the event.

Participants were selected by adjudicators who attended performances throughout the 2024-25 academic year to assess the students’ skills in acting, singing, dancing and movement, and stage presence.

The winners will travel to New York City, where they will be contestants in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, more commonly known as The Jimmy Awards. They will also participate in a weeklong masterclass workshop led by award-winning creatives.

The students will then compete in a June 23 event at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre with an audience of Broadway producers and directors. Winners receive a cash scholarship.

Tickets to the Discovery Awards are $12-$18. 918-596-7111, tulsapac.com.

Youth Opera presents ‘The Hobbit’

J.R.R. Tolkien’s tale about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, who finds a magical ring while on a perilous journey with a group of dwarves, is brought to musical life in “The Hobbit,” a 90-minute operatic adaptation by Dean Burry and presented by Tulsa Youth Opera.

The work, specifically composed to be sung by young voices, is the only opera ever sanctioned by the Tolkien estate.

Set in the elven city of Rivendell, Bilbo Baggins is asked by Elrond, lord of Rivendell, to recount the tale of how he found the One Ring, a dangerous talisman forged to give its wearer the power to rule over all the races of Middle-earth. Bilbo calls on his elvish friends to bring his adventure to life in a rousing reenactment.

All characters are played by members of the Tulsa Youth Opera, Tulsa Opera’s tuition-free training program for singers in grades 3-12. The cast includes Emma Greenaway as Bilbo, Damian Alberti as Gandalf, Nicholas Hoover as Thorin, Lola Benedict as Elrond, Ella Hawkins as Thranduil and Brock Cannon as Gollum.

Dani Keil, Tulsa Opera director of community engagement, is the stage director, and Artistic Director Aaron Beck conducts the Tulsa Opera Orchestra.

“Collaborating with these talented and imaginative young performers has been such a joy,” Keil said. “The students are bringing Bilbo’s adventure to life with creativity and heart, and I am excited for audiences to be captivated by these incredible young artists and the magic of Tolkien’s world.”

Tulsa Opera previously produced “The Hobbit” in 2016. This production includes a refreshed and redesigned set by William Boles and new costumes by Randy Blair, with lighting design by Weston Wilkerson and hair and makeup by Tara Tumey.

Performances are 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 7, and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 8, in the Gussman Concert Hall of the Lorton Performance Center, 550 S. Gary Ave., on the University of Tulsa campus.

Tickets are $15-$45. 918-582-3133, tulsaopera.com.

‘Half Time’

In 2008, the New Jersey Nets basketball team held auditions for its first-ever cheer squad of people older than 60. The creation of this senior citizen dance ensemble became the basis of a documentary called “Gotta Dance,” which was later adapted into the musical “Half Time.”

The musical follows 10 determined dancers of “a certain age,” who discover after they are chosen for the squad that they will have to perform a type of dance none of them have tried before: hip-hop. They must battle self-doubt, stereotypes and even themselves in order to achieve their dreams of busting a move before an arena of screaming fans.

“Half Time” is directed by Kelli McLoud-Schingen, with music direction by Brian Jones and choreography by Mecca Marie.

World Stage Theatre Company will present “Half Time,” with performances at 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, June 6-7 and June 13-14; and 3 p.m. Sunday, June 8 and June 15, in the Tulsa PAC’s Liddy Doenges Theatre, 110 E. Second St.

Tickets are $19-$29. 918-596-7111, tulsapac.com

‘Wicked’ ticket lottery

When the musical “Wicked” began touring the country, it offered a ticket lottery, where fans could buy chances to win prime seats for the show.

The ticket lottery is still being offered for all performances, but it has moved online to luckyseat.com. The deadline for entries for performances through June 8 has passed, but it’s still possible to participate in the lottery for the shows taking place June 10-15.

Lottery tickets are $41 each (which is more than half the lowest regular-priced ticket), and there is a limit of two lottery tickets per person. Deadline to enter is 9:30 a.m. Friday, June 6.

Glenn Miller Orchestra

The Glenn Miller Orchestra, the newest incarnation of the legendary big band, returns to the Tulsa PAC for one performance, 7 p.m. Friday, June 6, at the Tulsa PAC, 110 E. Second St.

Organized by trombonist and band leader Glenn Miller in the 1930s, the group disbanded in 1942 when Miller joined the Army. He was on his way to perform with the Army Air Force Band when the plane in which he was flying disappeared over the English Channel.

The hit film “The Glenn Miller Story” starring Jimmy Stewart revived interest in Miller and his music, and a “ghost band” was formed in 1958 that has toured and performed ever since. The Glenn Miller Orchestra is currently under the direction of saxophonist Erik Stabnau and features vocalist Jenny Swoish.

Tickets are $72.25-$82.25. 918-596-7111, tulsapac.com.