Spring 2013: Oklahoma!
Music by Richard Rodgers, Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
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.


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PIT
Flute/Piccolo
Oboe/English Horn
Clarinet
Bass Clarinet
Saxophone
Trumpet
Trombone
Violin
Viola
Guitar
Piano
Percussion
Drum Set
Meredith Zettlemoyer
Olivia Bona
Samantha Johnson
Lawrence Dulay
Lauren Breedon
Kyle Ruempler
Zak Comer
Oscar Chow
Aaron Liu
Alice Xiang
Meigan McManus
Alexis Cooper
Susan Barnes
Mikey Lankenau
Harper McGrath
Niki Hua
Steven Moore
Dominic DeLotto
CAST
Laurey Williams
Curly McLain
Ado Annie Carnes
Will Parker
Aunt Eller
Jud Fry
Ali Hakim
Andrew Carnes
Gertie Cummings
Ike Skidmore
Cord Elam
Ellen, Dream Laurey
Slim, Dream Curly
Joe, Dream Jud
Farmer Page
Mike
Virginia
Kate
Fred
Vivian
Emma
Tom
Elsa Scheffelin
Kevin Harmon
Ana Mendelson
Jason Steckler
Taylor Goodson
Tim Lewis
Rishi Malhotra
Andrew Barat
Jacqueline Ford
Nick Lytle
Zach Showalter
Melissa Boice
Dan Barr
Nick Mattia
Brandon Norris
Brian Ammer
Kelsie Zipprich
Natalie May
Sean Donnelly
Nina Lukow
Patricia Ona
Lou Garcia
PRODUCTION STAFF
Producer
Asst. Producer
Business Manager
Asst. Business Manager
Technical Director
Alumni Chair
Fundraising Chair
Publicity Chair
Social Chair
Social Chair
Social Chair
Historian
Historian
Webmaster
Chelsea Marcelin
Megan Dumond
Jimmy Edwards
Jared D. Morgan
MaryClaire Martin
Conor Sheehey
Joseph Folds
Ryan Laychak
Julien Guh
Daniel Owen
Christian Thorsen
Alexis Greenberg
Melissa Sanford
Alex Hutcheson
TECH STAFF
Asst. Technical Directors
Stage Managers
Set Designer
Master Carpenter
Asst. Carpenters
Lighting Designers
Assistant Lighting Designers
Master Electrician
Asst. Electricians
Props Mistresses
Head Painter
Asst. Painters
Sound Designer
Asst. Sound Designer
Sound Managers
Head Costumers
Asst. Costumers
Head Hair/Make Up
Asst. Hair/Make Up
Run Crew Chief
Kyle Johnson
Katie Thompson
Maddy Brehaut
Erica Browne
Anne Donnelly
Olivia Hairfield
Alex Everington
Ethan Gould
Beth Reagan
Quinn Gomola Mullin
C.J. Whitaker
Rebecca Hotchner Blaser
Lauren Lukow
Rich Farella
Katie Kan
Ziqi Liu
Jackson Simon
Jennifer Keltz
Sarah Zhang
Kelly Strauch
Annie Archer
Jodie Benjamin
Blair Wriston
Peter Hazel
Ashley Gilroy
Mary Jane Gilliland
Anna Vesely
Sophie Friedman
Hillary Hylton
Riley Panko
Tara Hotaling
Olivia Knott
Melissa Collins
Trisha Hongcharti
Emily Shelton
Olivia Dawn Woodard
Emma Callahan
ARTISTIC STAFF
Director
Asst. Directors
Vocal Directors
Head Choreographer
Asst. Choreographers
Fight Choreographer
Pit Director
Anna McGrady
Wesley Webster
Christian Thorsen
Hannah Todd
Stephanie Lee
Ryan Campbell
Kevin Zeithaml
Katherine Gadzinski
Alexandria WIshy
Hawa Ahmed
Ahmad Helmy
Anna Gai
Producer's Note: Chelsea Marcelin
When I first joined First Year Players as a bright-eyed castie in Carousel, I had only experienced musical theatre from the audience – I had no concept of the incredible amount of work that goes into creating a sh. This semester, I have had the pleasure of experiencing all the many different facets of this amazing organization – from rehearsing the main musical number to spending countless hours running the same eight counts of choreography; from continuously rehearsing a twenty-two minute ballet to tuning an instrument until it’s perfect; from creating lighting and sound designs to selecting exactly the right type of fabric for a hair piece used in a single scene. Every new day means a new challenge and a new opportunity to improve, and I have never experienced a group of people so willing to take on a challenge headfirst.
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the many people who made this show possible. First, I would like to thank the Tech Director, MaryClaire Martin. Your work may be, literally, behind the scenes, but your bright spirit and commitment to tech shine front and center. Thank you for the countless hours of hard work. To the Production Staff – thank you all for inspiring myself and others to push FYP to new limits, for your dedication to this show, and for all the laughs. Anna Gai – you have worked wonders with the Pit this semester and thank you for all of your time and effort. Of course, I want to recognize the director and my dear friend, Anna McGrady. Your work in FYP goes far bend directing this show. You have spent every semester giving all of your effort and heart to FYP and Oklahoma! has been no exception. Thank you for all the love and dedication you have given to this show and this organization. You have truly left an irreplaceable mark on FYP, and a permanent handprint on my heart. Finally, I would like to thank every member of FYP who has made this semester and this show so wonderful.
Each semester in FYP, we strive to create fun, entertaining, and quality musical theatre productions. In my opinion, FYP’s greatest creation is the loving community that continues to grow with each show, and the beauty of this organization is that we get to share this love and oy with an audience. I want to thank you all for coming to support our community as we proudly present our Spring 2013 production: Oklahoma!
Enjoy the show!
Director's Note: Anna McGrady
With my hands clenched tightly around the slide of my trombone, I tried my best to walk confidently into the large New Cabell Hall classroom – I was auditioning for First Year Players’ production of West Side Story and wanted to make sure I hit every note. Thankfully, I was chosen for pit orchestra that semester, and thus started my amazing time spent in this wonderful organization. As a Director during the second semester of my fourth year, I feel like I have gained an especially complete sense of the power of First year Players. From semesters in pit orchestra to being a general member to time spent on Production Staff, each semester I have spent in FYP shows me more and more about the wonderful people in this organization and its unique and important role in the UVA community. FYP is more than a musical theater community, as I’m sure at all of you in the audience who have someone involved in the show tonight know. FYP is a family, a support group, a community, and the most wonderful creative outlet anyone could ever ask for.
I could never imagine directing any other show for FYP than Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! In a story filled with love and companionship, all interwoven with a sense of stalwart independence, this show mirrors the truly unique experience that all young adults face during college as we look towards the fast-approaching horizon of graduation and adulthood. I have had the wonderful opportunity to follow our very successful fall production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and I knew that I wanted to take on a show that would challenge the organization in every way. Oklahoma! is the most groundbreaking show in musical theater history, being the first to incorporate songs and dances into the story of the musical, and, although it premiered just shy of 70 years ago, the message remains as beautifully relevant today as it did when Alfred Drake first proclaimed “Oh, what a beautiful morning!” all those years ago.
Oklahoma! Is a story about love, but it is first and foremost a story about community Set in the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the century, Oklahoma! chronicles the story of Laurey Williams and her romance with the rambunctious, albeit a little overly-confident, cowboy Curly McLean. However, beyond the multiple entwined love stories of this show lie the underlying themes of the strength of home and the devotion of a strong and supportive community. The story of Oklahoma! mirrors the story of FYP itself: you first enter this organization, unsure of your place and clenching onto all you know before, and are welcomed in with open arms, e spirited proclamation of “FYP is fun not scary!”, and into a community of upperclassmen who have come before you. So much of my love for Oklahoma! and my desire to direct this show for First year Players comes from this sense of community. YP is made up of communities – from the individual communities we form as members of tech, pit, production staff, artistic staff, cast, and general members, to the larger community of the whole organization that we all hold so dear, and I hope that the bonds of love, endurance, and strength ring true throughout the show.
Just like in any other community, the individuals in FYP are never as strong as the whole. The production you see tonight is indicative of the true essence of First Year Players, and every person in this organization has had a hand in crafting this production. There are a few people who I would especially like to thank for their incredible dedication and commitment to this production. I would like to thank the Artistic Staff who have all put in countless hours of work to ensuring this production reached the incredible quality it is tonight. I could never imagine taking on this challenge alone, and I have been thankful every day for the amazingly talented people I have had by my side. I would like to thank Chelsea Marcelin, FYP’s amazing Producer. There is an unimaginable amount of work that goes into producing a show of this scale, and to have a Producer as loving, devoted, and compassionate as Chelsea is something every Director dreams of. I would like to thank MaryClaire Martin, FYP’ unceasingly amazing Technical Director. It takes a true artist to be able to transform the very scraggly paragraphs I had composed detailing my vision for the show into the beautiful set you see before you, and MarClaire has done just that with unbelievable patience, organization, and expertise. Lastly (but certainly not least), I would like to thank the cast, pit, tech, and everyone else who has been involved in Oklahoma! – FYP is truly only as strong as the amazing individuals within it, and everyone in this organization has helped to put on the wonderful show you all are about to experience.
I could not have been more blessed to find such an incredible group of people to spend my past four years with. From the pit orchestra rehearsals during a semester that feels like eons ago to knowing that I’ll always have someone to sit with during class to living with all of my wonderful FYP housemates these past two years to having the absolute best time as a Director this semester, I know that FYP has and always will be one of the most important experiences of my life, and of the lives of many more to come. It is truly rare that you find a group of people so dedicated to each other and to producing amazing art, and I count myself as incredibly lucky to have found my own community in FYP.
I hope you enjoy the show, and thank you for supporting First Year Players!