Great Falls Theatre Company opens Oklahoma!
This story was reported and written with The Electric’s first intern Amaya Edwards.
The classic words and music of Rodgers and Hammerstein are coming to town this month with Great Falls Theatre Company’s production of Oklahoma!
The show opens July 13 in the University of Providence Theatre, the first large production in the space since it was remodeled in 2020.
The cast, crew and orchestra are locals who are part of the city’s newest non-profit community theatre company.
Ali Jo Sheets, costume designer for the show and a board member for the company, said that she had her own production company with her best friend before COVID, but he fell in love and moved away.
Other local theater and performance groups were operating in town, such as the Act Normal Theatre and Miss Linda’s, but “we all missed it terribly” and “now we’re coming together with the other groups.”
Kaylee Osentowski, vice president of the company board and stage manager for production, said “there’s a lot of hidden talent in our community.”
She helped with auditions, planning for props, sound and lighting and during the show, she’ll be in the back of the theater coordinating cues with her five-person stage crew.
Osentowski and the crew scouted for props, getting some donated from other theater production groups or the community and making some, such as the butter churner.
Sheets said they chose the UP theater for their first production due to its size and familiarity for many of the crew.
As the costume designer, Sheets got ideas from a inspiration board, artwork, other productions and era materials.
She said they found a few pieces from the UP theater program and the C.M. Russell High School drama program.
The high school students also helped with costumes and Sheets said she had a team helping to design and assemble the many pieces for the show.
She said they about 19 actors, each with two full outfits and the leads all have about four costumes.
From the actors, tech crew and board, the excitement is palpable for their first production.
Amber Henning Griffith, president of the company’s board, said that there was a group of locals who saw a need in the community for sustainable community theater.
“It’s time,” she said, “And at least for me, come hell or high water, we’re going to do this.”
They incorporated in 2021, starting with a core group and have ebbed and flowed but have a five-member board currently.
They held a fundraising production in September with a goal to raise the minimum of $20,000 needed for the Oklahoma! production, with the show rights costing about $5,000.
They’re renting the theater space, but Henning Griffith said that the university had been generous in allowing them the use of the space.
For now, the actors, crew and orchestra are volunteers. The directors and choreographer are paid a small stipend and Henning Griffith said they’re hoping to get to a point where everyone in a production is paid.
They’re planning to launch a season sponsorship option for the 2023-2024 season and looking to expand to a winter and summer production, to eventually a full five-production season, she said.
She said they also hope to establish a youth theater program.
With a background in the arts and music degree, she’s a lawyer in Great Falls now using those skills to move the company forward in the hopes of growing into a pre-professional company.
Corbin Swanson, is playing Curly McLain, one of the lead characters.
He participated in Missoula Children’s Theatre and fell in love.
Swanson said he’s had fun getting into the cowboy mindset and realizing the time period was close to the start of World War II and what the characters might have been experiencing.
He’s looking forward to having a live audience and encourages the community to bring children so that “the music will get into their ears and hopefully they’ll love it for years to come. The whole community is just gonna love it. There’s a lot of blood sweat and tears put into this.”
Kyrstin Hagins is playing Laurey, opposite Swanson, and also participated in Missoula Children’s Theatre when she was five-years-old.
The Great Falls native said, “I felt like I found my people.”
She always wanted to grow up and work in theater and completed her bachelor’s degree in the arts.
“I’m so thankful I got to do just that,” she said. “I was just waiting for this exact thing to come to Great Falls.”
Working in a local animal shelter by day, Hagins said she’s thrilled to be part of the Great Falls Theatre Company’s first production, which will be her first musical theater role.
“It’s one of the best productions I’ve ever been a part of,” she said. “It’s an amazing team and cast to work with.”
At its heart, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! is a love story between Curly and Laurey. As the road to romance and the road to statehood converge, Curly and Laurey are poised to carve out a life together in a brand-new state. But the road to love is bumpy and fraught with all the dangers and excitement of the time. The unforgettable score includes: “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” and title-song “Oklahoma!”
GFTC’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! is being performed at the UP Theatre on July 13, 14, 15 and July 20, 21, 22. The box office opens at 6 p.m., doors open at 6:45 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online here or limited tickets will be available at the door subject to availability.
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