The Day Before the Music Died to Premiere at the University of Oklahoma

World Literature Today’s director, RC Davis-Undiano, has written a play that is soon to be performed on the University of Oklahoma campus. With music by Alex Irwin, Sheryl Martin serves as director of the production. 

The Day Before the Music Died explores the final hours before the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper, as seen through the eyes of a mysterious observer. It’s a heartfelt and thought-provoking journey into the aspirations and struggles of these iconic figures, grappling with questions about identity, artistry, and the American dream. 

The play will run February 5–9, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. each evening in the Thurman J. White Forum on the OU campus. Purchase advance tickets here for ten dollars each. Tickets will also be available at the door. 

Dr. RC Davis-Undiano is executive director for the World Literature Today organization, overseeing all of its operations. He is Neustadt Professor in Literature and director of the Latino Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma. He also provides leadership at OU’s College of Professional and Continuing Studies and the OU Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies. His most recent book is Mestizos Come Home! Making and Claiming Mexican American Identity (Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 2017). The Day Before the Music Died is his tenth play.