Oklahoma

Oklahoma! Ushers In Another 50 Years of Spencer Community Theatre

SCT Celebrates 50^th Anniversary Season, Opening with “Oklahoma!”

[Spencer]- The 2009-2010 season is a special one for Spencer Community Theatre, marking their 50^th anniversary of productions. Oklahoma! kicks off the milestone 50th Anniversary Season Oct. 14-18, which will be followed by A Christmas Story, Over the River and Through the Woods, and The Spitfire Grill.

50 seasons ago, SCT got its start with the same production that’s marking the beginning of next 50 years: Oklahoma!, which was performed under the auspices of the Spencer Clef Club. Thus, at 8 p.m. on March 5, 1960, Spencer Community Theatre was born. Of course, those performing at the time probably didn’t realize that their production of Oklahoma! was going to get the ball rolling the way it did. Like most community theatres, SCT started out slowly, with just one production that season, and for each of the following four seasons. In 1965, though, the theatre group continued to grow. That year, they did two shows: South Pacific and Barefoot in the Park. In 1971, SCT was up to three shows a season, and by 1983 a four-show season was typical.

Many who were involved in the production 50 seasons ago are still in Northwest Iowa today (Joe Carroll, Nancy Lewis, Evelyn Bress, Marjory Fraseur, and Cathie Haygarth, to name a few). The community theatre organization decided that the best way to say thanks for the last 50 years, and look ahead to the next 50, was to do the show that started it all; the show that is considered a “historical landmark,” creating what we now know as the modern musical.

Breaking all the Broadway box office records when it opened in 1943, Oklahoma! was the first collaboration between Rodgers and Hammerstein- the legendary team who went on to create Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. Andrew Lloyed Webber (creator of Phantom of the Opera and Cats, among many others) once noted, “The partnership of Rodgers & Hammerstein has not yet been equaled; it probably never will be. As collaborators, they created musical theatre that enchanted audiences and redefined the art form.” Coincidentally, they weren’t even supposed to work together, but each of them had a partner that didn’t want to take on the project. And with that, the musical theatre collaboration dream team “Rodgers and Hammerstein” was born.

Oklahoma!, winner of a special Pulitzer Prize, changed the face of stage musicals by telling an emotional story through music, lyrics and dance as never before. Oklahoma! is more than a musical- it is a landmark of American history, a cultural phenomenon. This musical, building on the innovations of the musical Show Boat, epitomized the development of the "book musical," a musical play where the songs and dances are fully integrated into a well-made story, with serious dramatic goals, that is able to evoke genuine emotions in addition laughter. Furthermore, Oklahoma! features musical themes, or motifs, that recur throughout the work to connect the music and story more closely than any musical ever had before. From the moment the opening bars of “Oh, what a beautiful mornin’” soar across the theatre, the audience is drawn irresistibly into the world of one of the most beloved musical romances of all time.

Set in the Indian territory of the American West at the turn of the century- against a background of conflict between farmers and cattlemen- Oklahoma! is the captivating story of Oklahoma farm girl, Laurey (played by Leah Marshall) and the two rivals for her affection: Curly (Casey Muessigmann), the happy-go-lucky cowboy she loves; and Jud (Luke Miller), the hired farmhand and mysterious loner she fears.

Famously, the show opens with, “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” and contains a much-loved score with songs such as “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” “People Will Say We’re in Love,” “Many a New Day,” “I Cain’t Say No,” and perhaps the most well-known song of the show, “Oklahoma.” Surprisingly, this song wasn’t added to the show until after the show opened on Broadway, when a producer decided that the show should have one more big, rousing musical number. Thus, the song “Oklahoma” was written and added, and the play (which was originally entitled, “Away We Go”) was re-titled “Oklahoma” after that number.

The cast includes (in addition to those listed above): Michael Phipps, Alison Sawyer Munter, Scott Meier, F. Joseph Wilson, Jean Johnson, Bridgette Visser, Mark Joenks, Dean Garner, Blake Carlson, Jacquelyn Ginger, Myra Currans-Partridge, Sonna Winther, Carol Meinecke, Jane Jans, Anna Dean, Connie Goeken, M. Chief Olson, Ethan Visser, Sonna Winther, Lorelei Meter, and Marta Johnson.

Director Shaley Cullen, whose credits include the SCT teen productions of “Godspell” and “Footloose,” and Large Group Speech ensembles for Clay Central Every High School, leads the show. Nancy Patrick serves as Music Director for the production. Patrick, in addition to the numerous SCT shows for which she has served as Music Director, also directs the productions at Clay Central Every High School.

Just as SCT’s first Oklahoma! took place somewhere other than the SCT Playhouse (since it didn’t exist yet), this Oklahoma! will also be performed at an alternate space. This year, our regular season shows will be performed at the Clay County Regional Events Center while the Playhouse at 518 1^st Avenue E., undergoes massive renovations.

The show will run at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 14, 15, and 16 with a 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 18. Tickets are on sale now and may be reserved through the SCT Box Office at (712) 262-7336. SCT Box Office Hours are 11 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday (at the SCT Playhouse), and an hour before each performance (at the Events Center). The SCT Box office and administrative offices are still open and operating in the SCT Playhouse at 518 1^st Ave. E., tickets can be purchased at that location.

Tickets are $17 for adults and $10 for children 17 and under. Rush tickets (half-price tickets) are available for high school and college students the day of the show if tickets are available. Saturday, Oct. 17 is the Bargain and Senior Performance, at which all patrons receive a discounted ticket price of $16.00 and seniors age 62 and over receive a special ticket price of $15.50. Oklahoma! is appropriate for any age, and perfect for the entire family, although as a courtesy to other audience members, children 3 and under are discouraged from attending mainstage productions. Everyone who enters must have a ticket.

SCT Playhouse, where tickets can be purchased and picked up, is located one block off Grand Avenue in downtown Spencer at 518- 1^st Ave. E. The Clay County Regional Events Center, where the performances will be held, is located at 800 W. 18^th St. Oklahoma! is made possible with the help of a sponsorship from Kruse, Cate & Nelson, PC; and CD107.7, KICD AM 1240, and Lite 104.9, and done by arrangement with R&H Theatricals of New York.

Contributing Memberships, Season Tickets, and Encore Cards are still available through the Spencer Community Theatre. For more information please call us at (712) 262-7336 or visit us online at www.spencercommunitytheatre.com.