One of the most exciting things about making theatre is seeing the disparate elements of a production begin to cohere and work together. There is a clear but mysterious moment when a scene or a song or a dance number begins to breathe; it goes on its own, seemingly without the effort and struggle that it required in the laborious early stages.

"Seemingly" is the key word in that last sentence; everyone involved in Oklahoma! is working very hard to get the show and the property ready for Opening Day next Sunday. The small army of volunteers it takes to keep the Kitsap Forest Theater running is busy building sets, sewing costumes, printing programs, and recruiting ushers, parkers, cooks, and—most importantly—audience members! Give an electronic holler if you’d like to volunteer for any of those roles. You can volunteer to be in the audience by visiting our ticket information page to purchase tickets.

It’s wonderful to watch this show start to breathe—and sometimes, to watch it pant, like every time the actors get through Guy Caridi’s amazing choreography for “The Farmer and the Cowman”. It’s a showstopper, but the show doesn’t stop there; it’s got lots of laughs, fantastic fight choreography, and beautiful music—all delivered by one of the most generous and dedicated casts I’ve ever encountered. All this—and we’ve still got a week until opening!

Jenny Estill - Director

I’m writing from the steps of the Kitsap Forest Theater, watching our choreographer extraordinaire Guy Caridi sketch the beginnings of Oklahoma’s famous Dream Ballet. All of us (and my laptop) are grateful that, though gray, the skies over Seabeck are dry today. Just in case, however, we’ve got rain coats, plastic sheeting to save scripts from ruin and a watertight roof over our intrepid pianist, Debbie, who has fingerless gloves, a space heater and lots of hot drinks to ward off the cold.

Though we all grumble and burrow deeper into our Gore-Tex jackets when it starts to precipitate, we know that rain now means hillsides carpeted with rhododendron and dotted with trillium blossoms come May. It also fosters hardy actors and strong relationships among cast members; we have to become friends so we can share body heat! It’s a delight to watch this group of talented individuals start to work as a unit and support each other through the unique challenges of working in the Kitsap Forest Theater.

We’re also enjoying learning how to walk like cowboys, pronounce place names like “Catoosie” and “Quapaw” and embrace the exuberant energy of this classic American play. The play on which Oklahoma! is based, Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs, is an elegy and a love song to the Indian Territory of the author’s childhood. His affection for the landscape, the speech and the song of the community in which he grew up infuses every word of his writing and informs Rodgers and Hammerstein’s big-souled musical adaptation. We’ll keep working to capture this spirit of optimism in every aspect of the production!

And to stay warm.

Yee-haw!

Jenny Estill

Director

(Here's an album of photos from the April 3 Rehearsal by fabulous cast member Lani Smith)