BY ROD JONES
OCU COMMUNICATIONS
Oklahoma City University's School of Theatre added two graduates to its Hall of Honor this year — Laura Kariuki (BFA Acting ’20) and Ty Fanning (BFA Acting ’13). A ceremony was held in April before the opening performance of Thorton Wilder’s “Our Town.”
Kariuki is best known for her role in the reboot of “The Wonder Years” and “Black Lightning” TV series. She also performed in the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” and appeared in an “American Horror Stories” season.
Fanning’s credits include stage and screen roles like the recent Broadway production of "Othello" starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal. He was also in "Chicago Med," "Search Party" and the Comedy Central film "Hot Mess Holiday."
The School of Theatre Hall of Honor began in 2013 as part of its 90th anniversary season to highlight the contributions of distinguished alumni, former faculty and staff who have demonstrated a commitment to the continued growth and development of OCU; and have made a significant impact on the performing arts community at the local, state, national or international level. It is located on a wall in the entryway to the Burg Theatre.
Previous inductees include:
- Mark E. Parker (former dean)
- Cathy O’Donnell (JD ’81)
- Harold “Chip” Ulich (BA ’80, MPA ’85)
- Donald Jordan (BA ’80)
- Jonathan Beck Reed
- Lakshmi Manchu (BA ’02)
- Robert Pittenridge
- Debra Hicks
- James Stuhlmiller (BA ’78)
- Jeffrey Meed (BS ’95, MPA ’97)
- Billie Boston (costume design professor)
- Gilbert McCauley (BA ’81)
- Ruth Fox Charnay (BA ’86, MPA ’91)
- Richard J. Charnay (BA ’73)
More about this year’s honorees:
Laura Kariuki’s OCU School of Theatre credits included “The Trojan Women,” “The Bluest Eye” and “Picnic.” She was also selected to perform in the World Theatre Education Alliance in Beijing, China.
Soon after graduation, Kariuki was selected to participate in the 2020 ABC Discovers Showcase where she was mentored by executives from ABC Entertainment. She started her professional career as J.J. Stewart in the “electrical superhero” CW series “Black Lightning,” then was cast as Kim Williams in ABC’s “The Wonder Years.”
She was born in Iowa and grew up in Lenexa, Kansas, near Kansas City.
Ty Fanning is an actor originally from Mustang, Oklahoma. Upon graduating from OCU, Fanning landed the lead role in the independent feature film "Hollis," which went on to screen at festivals around the world before streaming on Amazon.
Fanning has performed in more than 30 Shakespeare productions including the title role in "Hamlet" at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and Romeo in "Romeo & Juliet" at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. He has also worked on stages in Chicago and New York, where he’s lived since 2021.
Pictured above from left are W. Jermone Stevenson, associate dean of Theatre; Ty Fanning; Laura Kariuki; and Julia Montag, dean of the Bass School of Music and School of Theatre at the Hall of Honor induction ceremony.
