Washington State, The 5th Avenue Theatre Present All-Student OKLAHOMA, 3/16-17

The 5th Avenue Theatre production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! has closed its doors, but the chant of "O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A" still rings through the theater's rehearsal space. Washington state teens are working on an all-state all-student production of this Golden Age staple as part of a brand new education program called The Oklahoma! Project.

With the support of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras and Spectrum Dance Academy, this production will be performed, crewed, supported, marketed, and produced by student teams under the guidance and coaching of 5th Avenue Theatre professionals. The Oklahoma! Project will be directed by Mathew Wright, music directed by Chris DiStefano, and choreographed by Stacee Raber Nault and Daniel Cruz, inspired by the original direction and staging of Peter Rothstein, and choreography of Donald Byrd, who created The 5th Avenue's main stage production of Oklahoma!

The Oklahoma! Project plays March 16 at 8:00 PM and March 17 at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM at The 5th Avenue Theatre (1308 5th Avenue, Seattle). Tickets (starting at $19.00) may be purchased at www.5thavenue.org, by phone at 206-625-1900, or at the Box Office at 1308 5th Avenue in downtown Seattle. The Oklahoma! Project will utilize the original set design by Matthew Smucker, lighting design by Tom Sturge, costume design by Lynda L. Salsbury, sound design by Ken Travis, hair and makeup design by Mary Pyanowski, orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett, and fight choreography by Geoffrey Alm.

"This educational program is the only one of its kind in the country," said The 5th Avenue Theatre Director of Education Anya Rudnick. "Students participating in The Oklahoma! Project will have the unique experience of creating a fully realized professional production, one they have developed themselves, both on-stage and off. We are thrilled to have students participating from as far away as Eastern Washington, learning skills ranging from performance and technical crew to development and marketing, under the mentorship of 5th Avenue Theatre professionals."

Along with students from Spectrum Dance Academy, The Oklahoma! Project boasts a huge ensemble.The roles of Laurey, Curly and Jud, will be performed by Keaton Whittaker, Bryan Gula and Michael Bryan, respectively. Whittaker is a student at Inglemoor High School. At The 5th, she performed in the pre-Broadway run of Shrek: The Musical as Young Fiona, Whistle Down the Wind, Sunday in the Park with George, and White Christmas. Her New York and regional credits include A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Camp Wanatatchi, and Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird. She recently performed as Fredrika in the Broadway revival of A Little Night Music opposite Catherine Zeta Jones, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch. Gula, a student at Charles Wright Academy, was recently seen in Balagan's Spring Awakening. Balagan will revive the production in April with Gula in the leading role of Melchior. In addition, Gula has performed with Seattle Children's Theater, Tacoma Musical Playhouse, Lakewood Playhouse and Encore Theatre in roles including Laurie in Little Women, Brian in Avenue Q, Jack in Into the Woods, and Ryan in High School Musical. Playing Jud is Central Kitsap High School student Michael Bryan, a self-proclaimed "jock" whose talents transcend sports. He has appeared in productions of Fame, Sweeney Todd, Fiddler on the Roof, Peter Pan, Julius Caesar, and others in the Bremerton area.

Playing the comedic roles of Ado Annie, Will Parker and Ali Hakim are Maria Ishikawa, Taylor Stutz, and Dakota Daley, respectively. Ishikawa is a petite belter from Stadium High School where she has been involved in her school's Show Choir and its musical productions. Most recently, she performed as Alice in Wonderland High. She has also participated in The 5th's dance classes and its summer Professional Intensive training program. Stutz, a student at Redmond High School, is also an active participant in the educational programs offered at The 5th and Village Theatre. He has performed with Village, SecondStory Repertory and Redmond Academy of Theatre Arts in shows including Godspell, Hello My Baby, A Chorus Line, Children of Eden and The Wedding Singer, for which he received a 5th Avenue Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. Daley is a student with Edmonds Heights K-12 and is a nominee at The 5th Avenue Awards for his role in The Drowsy Chaperone. He has also performed in Curtains, Urinetown, Into the Woods, and Pride & Prejudice, and recently appeared in Lyric Light Opera's production of The Music Man.

Also featured in The Oklahoma! Project are Seattle Academy's Sasha Conley as Aunt Eller, Kent Meridian High School's Tobias McCurry as Andrew Carnes, and Evergreen High School's Rosie Smith as Gertie Cummings.

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