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Editorial contact:
Kathy Kahn
woodminsterpr@yahoo.com
510-418-8523

For information about
Producers Associates, Inc.

Woodminster Summer Musicals
Opens 39th Season with "Oklahoma"
Cast of 47 is Woodminster’s Largest Since 1969

June 14, 2005 - Oakland, CA - Producers Associates, Inc. will open the 39th Season of the Woodminster Summer Musicals with "Oklahoma." Rodgers & Hammerstein's first musical collaboration, "Oklahoma" is by many considered their greatest. Set in a Western frontier territory just after the turn of the century, the spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys provides the colorful background for the tumultuous love story of Curly and Laurey. Some of the many well-known songs from Oklahoma include "Surrey With the Fringe on Top," "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'," and "People Will Say We're in Love." The show runs July 8-17, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the first weekend and Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the second weekend. All performances are at 8 p.m.

"Oklahoma!" won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1944, and ran for 2,248 performances on Broadway. It was revolutionary for the time because it combined elements of operetta with old-style musical comedies to produce the first full-fledged musical play, where all elements contribute to character development and story line. It was also the first Broadway musical to have every major number recorded by the full original cast and orchestra, and introduced the idea of the Original Cast Album, released of course on 78's.

This is the third time "Oklahoma" has been presented by the Woodminster Summer Musicals. Earlier productions were in 1975 and 1986. The cast of the 2005 Oklahoma! is the second largest ever at Woodminster, with 47 actors from 20 Bay Area cities from Santa Rosa to Pleasanton, from Daly City to Walnut Creek. The number in this cast is only surpassed in the theater’s history by that of “Most Happy Fella” in 1969, with an astonishing 72 in the cast.

"Oklahoma!" is directed by Joel Schlader, who has been involved in the Woodminster organization all his life, and succeeds his father James Schlader as Director of the theater. Choral Director is Trente Morant, formerly Artistic Director of the Oakland Youth Chorus and Musical Director for many theaters in the Bay Area and East Coast. Conductor is William R. Williams, the Conductor of the Santa Rosa Symphony Preparatory and Discovery Orchestras as well as Conductor of the Summer Repertory Theater at Santa Rosa Junior College for the last several summers. Choreographer is Amy Moorhead, known to local audiences for her work at Piedmont Light Opera Theater, as well as Encinal High School in Alameda, and Piedmont High School, where she is Dance Instructor.

The role of Curly, the charming cowboy hero, is played by Noel Anthony, and his spirited love interest Laurey, by Megan Nicole Gallup of Fremont. Ado Annie, the girl who "can't say no," will be portrayed by Jennifer Martin of San Francisco. Her favorite boyfriend Will Parker is played by Carl Danielsen of New York. Danielsen will be playing Will for a second time at Woodminster, and is a long-time favorite with local audiences, seen most recently as Cosmo in Woodminster's 2003 "Singin' in the Rain."

Other key roles are performed by Greg Carlson of Alameda (Ali Hakim), Phoebe Moyer of Greenbrae (Aunt Eller), and Dan Olson of Concord (Jud).

Tickets are $20-$33, with discounts for groups, seniors, and those aged 16 and under. Season tickets are also available, and provide a significant discount for people who wish to see all three shows. Woodminster also has a "Kids Come Free" program, where a child 16 or younger can attend free accompanied by a paying adult. For information about tickets, call 510-531-9597 or visit http://www.woodminster.com.

"Oklahoma" is presented through special arrangement with R&H Theatricals, 1065 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 2400, New York, NY 10018, www.rnh.com. Music is by Richard Rodgers, and book and lyrics are by Oscar Hammerstein. It is based on the play "Green Grow the Lilacs" by Lynn Riggs.

The Woodminster Summer Musicals are performed under the stars at Woodminster Amphitheater, an open air performance facility in Joaquin Miller Park high in the Oakland Hills. The park's spectacular views and serene woodsy environment made it the perfect setting for the amphitheater, cascades, reflecting pool, and paths that were originally built as a WPA project in 1939-40. For many East Bay families, it is a long-standing summer tradition to enjoy a picnic in the park and then see a musical at Woodminster.

Producers Associates, Inc. was founded in 1967 by James and Harriet Schlader to provide affordable live summer family entertainment in the East Bay, and to foster a love of live theatre. For the last 39 years, the organization has been producing summer musicals at Woodminster Amphitheater.
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(*indicates membership in Actors' Equity Association)

Below is *Carl Danielson as Will Parker in Woodminster's 1986 production of "Oklahoma." Danielson will play the role again in the 2005 production.

Below are members from Woodminster's 2005 "Oklahoma" cast. L to R, Megan Nicole Gallup as Laurey, *Phoebe Moyer as Aunt Eller, and *Noel Anthony as Curly.