Chorus workshop Tuesday night precedes auditions
By KATHERINE BREWER, Special to The Leader
The Whole Backstage Community Theatre and the family of season sponsor Sonny Lewis announced auditions for the summer production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic Broadway musical “Oklahoma!”, under the direction of WBS veteran Johnny Brewer.
Auditions for the Whole Backstage’s summer musical “Oklahoma!” will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, and Friday, Jan. 30, and 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31.
A special sing-through chorus workshop will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Reception Room 1 of the Whole Backstage Playhouse. This casual workshop is open to anyone who enjoys singing and wishes to explore the music of “Oklahoma!” Attendance does not obligate participants to audition or perform. Anyone who loves to sing is welcome to attend.
Choreographer Will Casey will lead dances. This production will incorporate the original 1943 script, much like the 1955 movie, and is not inclusive of changes made in the 2019 revival. The WBS has only staged “Oklahoma!” once, with performances at Guntersville High School and the Von Braun Civic Center in 1977.
Oklahoma! features a large and vibrant cast portraying the farmers, cowboys, and settlers of the early 1900s Oklahoma Territory. Roles are available for men and women of various ages, including speaking and non-speaking parts, singing and non-singing roles, and several non-speaking roles for children ages 10 and up. No previous theatrical experience is required. Auditioners should be prepared to sing a selection from Oklahoma! and participate in basic dance movement. There will be both a singing/dancing chorus and a singing-only chorus.
This fantastic score includes songs such as “People Will Say We’re in Love,” “Oh! What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “I Can’t Say No,” “Kansas City” and “Surrey with the Fringe on Top.” With a very strong and powerful story, Oklahoma! revolutionized the theatre world when it opened on Broadway in 1943 and changed the direction of musical theatre forever.
Oklahoma! is Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first musical collaboration and is considered, in many ways, to be their most innovative work, having set the standards and established the rules of musical theatre still being followed today. The mid-western locale at the turn of the 20th century, sets the tone for the high-spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys, and provides the colorful background for Curly, a handsome cowboy, and Laurey, a winsome farm girl, as they play out their love story. Although the road to true love never runs smoothly, with these two headstrong romantics holding the reins, love’s journey is as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road. That they will succeed in making a new life together we have no doubt, and that this new life will begin in a brand-new state provides the ultimate climax to the triumphant tale.
Auditions and performances will be at the Whole Backstage playhouse located at 1120 Dot Moore Way/Rayburn Avenue in Guntersville, Alabama. Rehearsals will begin on February 5, with performances scheduled for June 19 through June 28. Audition materials are currently available on the Whole Backstage website. For more information about auditions or the production, please visit the Whole Backstage website at www.wholebackstage.com.
The creative team for the Whole Backstage Theatre production of ‘Oklahoma!’ includes, left to right, standing, Dore Hagstrom, Missy Erin, choreographer Will Casey, Karen Fancher and Brad Watts; and sitting, Katherine Brewer, director Johnny Brewer and Jan Price. SPECIAL TO THE LEADER
