SAF Young People’s Theater Presents: Oklahoma!, 2/4 – 2/6!

22 Jan SAF Young People’s Theater Presents: Oklahoma!, 2/4 – 2/6!

Telluride’s Sheridan Arts Foundation’s Young People’s Theater continues its 23rd season with the high school production of Oklahoma! live at the historic Sheridan Opera House on Friday, February 4 through Sunday, February 6, 2022, 6 p.m. nightly. Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for children 18 and under. Lap children are free. (Tickets are $1 more at the door to encourage people to buy in advance.) For tickets and more information visit www.SheridanOperaHouse.com or call 970-728-6363 ext. 4.

The show, directed by Leah Heidenreich, stars 25 high school children in grades 9-12. Last season, Heidenreich was forced to split the high school production into two musicals, “Tuck Everlasting” and “Cinderella,” to keep cast numbers at ten students or less to reduce the risk of Covid transmission. This year, the cast has rehearsed in masks due to the county mask mandate, but will be able to perform without masks as a majority of the cast is vaccinated, and everyone will take rapid tests prior to the performances.

“This is YPT’s first fully casted, full house high school production since Covid hit nearly two years ago, so I wanted to pick a show that is a huge spectacle. Oklahoma! is epic in every way- the set, the costumes, the music, the dancing, everything about this show is just so huge in the best way. Last year was so hard for our community’s teens, and they deserve for YPT to pull out all the stops. I’m really excited for the community to see such a delightful production that these 25 talented young thespians have worked so hard to bring to fruition.” Heidenreich shares.

Heidenreich hopes her students not only learn how to inhabit a character but also leave the program with a familiarity of the lexicon of musical theater. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first collaboration remains, in many ways, their most innovative, setting the standards and rules of modern musical theatre. In a Western territory just after the turn of the 20th century, a high-spirited rivalry between local farmers and cowboys provides a colorful background for Curly, a charming cowboy, and Laurey, a feisty farm girl, to play out their love story. Their romantic journey, as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road, contrasts with the comic exploits of brazen Ado Annie and hapless Will Parker in a musical adventure embracing hope, determination and the promise of a new land.

“Oklahoma! is iconic for so many reasons, and it’s no easy feat to fill the shoes of what is expected when you put on a production of this magnitude. The cast is INCREDIBLE. I have been so amazed by the talent of every single kid.”

Cast of Characters:

Hollis Andrew: Curly
Kassidy Atherton: Ellen
Grace Aumiller: Aggie
Savannah Baize: Joe
Cooper Cantor: Mike
Griffin Craige: Ike Skidmore
Phoenix Ford: Jess
Maya Geiger: Ado Annie Carnes
Keller Gilliland: Jud Fry
Pippa Gorraiz: Fred
Charlotte Guest: Sam
Olivia Hatcher: Gertie Cummings
Calista Hattler: Dream Laurey/Mabel
Eva Henschel: Vivian
Trinity Johnson: Armina
Macy McRoberts: Virginia
Madeline McRoberts: Laurey
Ava Moorman: Kate
Emmett Murphy: Will Parker
Vanessa Ramirez: Cord Elam
RJ Robinson: Andrew Carnes
Ryann Singer: Sylvie
Jack Spencer: Ali Hakim
Kiara Warren: Slim
Virginia Wilkes: Aunt Eller

Joining Heidenreich behind the scenes are Buff Hooper in set design, Tommy Wince in lighting design, Colin Casanova in sound design and Traci Baize in costume design. Longtime YPT participant Rowan Stephens will also be helping as costume assistant, hair and makeup assistant, and backstage assistant.

The Sheridan Arts Foundation values the safety and health of our patrons and staff above all else. Anyone age 12 and up attending a public event at the Sheridan Opera House is now required to bring proof of vaccination OR proof of a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of the event. Additionally, Molekule air purifiers (including two new medical grade Molekule Pro RX models) and hand sanitizer stations are dispersed throughout the building, and temperature checks are performed at the door. Ticket purchasers must also agree to the Sheridan Arts Foundation’s COVID waiver, found here.

The Sheridan Arts Foundation was founded in 1991 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to preserve the historic Sheridan Opera House as an arts and cultural resource for the Telluride community, to bring quality arts and cultural events to Telluride and to provide local and national youth with access and exposure to the arts through education. The Sheridan Arts Foundation is sponsored in part by grants from the CCAASE, Colorado Creative Industries, the Telluride Foundation, the Johnson Family Foundation and Just For Kids Foundation.