The Leeds Arts Council is so proud to present Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! directed by Cliff Keen, Jr. Assistant to the director is Rachel White, musical director is Shane Champion. We will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Academy Award winning film with this summer production.
Set in the Oklahoma territory in the early 1900’s, this joyous celebration of frontier life is a story of tender romance and dangerous passion. There’s a box social coming up, and Curly asks Laurey if she’ll be his date. Trouble is, Laurey thinks he’s waited too long, and in a fit of annoyance accepts an offer from the boorish Jud instead. Meanwhile, Laurey’s friend Ado Annie is also torn between two men- a cowboy named Will and a foreign peddler, Ali Hakim. Both women struggle to know their own hearts before it’s too late. This is the first Rodgers and Hammerstein collaboration and the motion picture won the Academy Award for Best Score, featuring the classic songs “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “The Surrey With the Fringe On Top” and “People Will Say We’re In Love.”
Full cast is as follows: Cliff Keen, Jr. as Curly; Ashley Richardson as Laurey; Todd Ponder as Jud; Debbie Rakes as Aunt Eller (understudy Dale Baldwin); Kaylee Ramey as Ado Annie (understudy Mary Page Wilson Lyons); Jordan Graham as Will Parker; Steve Halsey as Carnes; Clark French as Ali Hakim; Mary Page Wilson Lyons as Gertie (understudy Kelly French); Robert Permenter as Ike; Buddy Permenter as Fred; Cody Slusher as Slim; Steve Christain as Cord Elam; Hannah Culpepper as Kate and Katherine Murphree as the child.
Rehearsals are well underway as the show dates draw closer. Performances will be on July 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th, 22nd, and 23rd at 7 pm, and July 10th, 17th, and 24th at 2 pm. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for ages 12 and under. The Leeds Theatre and Arts Center is handicapped-accessible with free parking on the street. Reservations are recommended so please call 205.699.1892; leave your name, phone number, date you’d like to attend and number of tickets you need and someone will return your call as soon as possible. You may also reserve tickets via email at leedsartscouncil@windstream.net, or via Leeds Arts Council on Facebook. Leeds Theatre and Arts Center is located at 8140 Parkway Drive, Leeds, Alabama, 35094.
CALLING ALL ACTORS! – The auditions for Leeds Arts Council’s October Mystery Theatre BLOODY MURDER by Ed Sala will be held on at Leeds Theatre and Arts Center on Monday, August 22 and Tuesday, August 23 at 7:00 until 9:00 PM. The cast is comprised of the following actors: A woman in her 70’s – Lady Somerset; another woman in her 60’s – the maid; a woman in her late 20’s – the innocent ingénue; and another woman in her late 30’s – mystery woman; a man in his late 60’s – The 
