Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA!
(Performers in order of appearance)

ORCHESTRA
Cody Aderholdt—Trumpet Becky Essermann-Tuba Andrew Boor-Trombone
Chase Mason-Baritone Stephanie Prasser-A. Sax Autumn Aderholdt-A. Sax
Cassidi St. Peter-Clarinet Jessica Miller-Clarinet Jonathon Smits-Percussion

CAST

CURLY MCLAIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Matt Koch
AUNT ELLER MURPHY (Friday and Sunday) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachel Rocole
AUNT ELLER MURPHY(Saturday) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heather Zimmer
LAUREY WILLIAMS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Olivia McKenna
IKE SKIDMORE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Merecki
FARMER SLIM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dale Keller
MARSHALL CORD ELAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .James Farrell
COWBOY JOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Don Demmith
FARMER TOM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dan Bobbe
VIRGINIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Maggie Koszalinski
KATE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shelby Krawze
WILL PARKER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeff Orley
JUD FRY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nick Ireland
ADO ANNIE CARNES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mickey Chrisman
ALI HAKIM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stevie Menne
GERTIE CUMMINS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tawnee Kerner
VIVIAN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Katie Esserman
ELLEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Erica Keller
ANDREW CARNES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Franzen
BETSY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rachel Rocole or Heather Zimmer
DREAM BALLET GIRLS
Katie Esserman Tawnee Kerner Rachel Rocole Heather Zimmer
Shelby Krawze Maggie Koszalinski Mickey Chrisman
DREAM BALLET LAUREY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erica Keller
LIGHTS AND SOUND
Shawn Cassidy, Marissa Bartels, Megan Maloney, Cassandra Traggardh, AJ Clay, Shane Hauch

RUNNING CREW and SET CONSTRUCTION
Tom Lowery, Chris Adamczyk, Adam Bennett, Jacob Twardowski, Cody Orley, Tony Koszalinski, Brad McLaughlin, Nick Pichotta, Sean Porter-Thompson

SCENIC ART
James Farrell and stage crew

SPECIAL THANKS TO:
A special Yahoo! goes out to the Wabeno PLAY Organization for hosting a party and feeding us, Don Demmith for pizzas, the Wabeno Tech Ed Department for constructing set pieces, Greg Stauber, Ethan Stauber, and Ryan Kelley for donating and building the split rail fence, Carol Bartlein for programs, publicity, and selling tickets, Linda McEwen for styling our hair, Joan Sackett, LHS and WHS office staffs for selling tickets, and Jim Odekirk, Dan Christianson, Jerry and Sue Banie, and the Christian Thrift Store for loans of costumes and props! We appreciate your help!





PRODUCTION STAFF

DIRECTOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nick J. Lowery
VOCAL DIRECTOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Ellen Keller
ORCHESTRA DIRECTOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Michelle Boor
COSTUME DESIGNERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Laura Bobbe and Wendy Richards
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Patrick Lowery
PRINCIPAL CHOREOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicole Lowery
LIGHTING DESIGNER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jameson Smits
STUDENT STAGE MANAGER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tom Lowery
VOLUNTEER ALUMNI. . . . . . . . . . . Meghan Keller, Jeff Mayer, Tyler Hauch


SCENES AND SONGS
The show is set in The Oklahoma Territory, 1901
ACT ONE
SCENE—Laurey Williams’ Farm, a beautiful morning
SONGS:
Overture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Orchestra
“Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Curly)
“Laurey’s Entrance” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Laurey)
“Surrey with the Fringe on Top” (Curly, Laurey, Aunt Eller)
“Kansas City”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Will, Aunt Eller, the Boys)
“I Cain’t Say No!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Ado Annie)
“Entrance of Ensemble” . . . . . (Will, Ado Annie, Ensemble)
“Many a New Day” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Laurey and the Girls)
“It’s a Scandal! It’s a Outrage!” . . (Ali Hakim, Boys, Girls)
“People Will Say We’re in Love” . . . . . .(Curly and Laurey)

SCENE—Jud’s Smokehouse, minutes later
SONG: “Pore Jud is Daid”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Curly and Jud)

SCENE—Laurey’s farm, same day
SONGS:
“Out of My Dreams” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Laurey and Girls)
“Dream Ballet”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Orchestra and Girls)
Ballet Synopsis:
Laurey inhales the Elixir of Egypt and falls into a vivid dream. Dream Laurey dances solo. Curly arrives. She is shy and proud at first, but when he is willing to formally propose, she accepts.
Laurey’s friends enter to form a wedding party. But when Laurey turns to face her groom, she finds Jud. Jud drags her to the smokehouse where she sees the pictures which have always frightened her. She flees, but when Jud drags her back, she finds her friends have turned into the floozies in the pictures. She finds herself forced into their “shameful” dance.
Curly arrives to rescue her, but dies at Jud’s hands. Dream Laurey flees, but Jud remains relentless in his pursuit.
The real Laurey wakes with a start, to find that Jud has arrived to take her to the party.
ACT TWO
SCENE—Ike Skidmore’s “Crooked I” Ranch, Evening of Same Day
SONGS: Entr’Acte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Orchestra
“The Farmer and the Cowman” . . . . . . . . . (Tom, Ike, Eller)
“All Er Nothin’” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Will, Ado Annie)
“People Will Say We’re in Love—Reprise” (Curly, Laurey)

SCENE—Laurey’s Farm, Sundown, Three Weeks Later
SONG:
“Oklahoma” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Ensemble)
“Finale and sing-a-long” . . . . . . . . (Ensemble and audience)


DIRECTOR’S NOTE:
Oklahoma! is often regarded as the first true Broadway Musical. By weaving its songs so tightly into the plot, the production started a whole new genre of theatre. The stories might be familiar “boy and girl overcome the obstacles” melodramas, but each musical finds its unique heart and soul in its songs. Oklahoma’s songs have endured through generations. And with forty-plus young people involved in this show, the songs seem poised to last at least one more generation!

Then…there’s “Pore Jud.” The comic song is a favorite with many fans of the show, but it deals with the touchy topic of suicide. In the end, we kept the song. It is just too much homespun silliness to be taken as a serious endorsement of suicide, and the script (which sometimes gets a little heavy-handed) really needs a light-hearted moment.