2005, Oklahoma
Rehearsals
Auditions for the Cabaret evening and Oklahoma were combined and thirty-six turned up, which was our best for years. The only problem was, with so many auditioning, a number had to miss out. In spite of the high standard, it was still a couple of regulars who got the leads, with Jennie Barnett and Alan Flint filling the roles of Laurie and Curly. Tim Warren was back, auditioning with his wife Meg, and she really impressed the panel, picking up the plum role of Ado Annie. This she was to share with her good friend, Deborah Oates, a very experienced performer. Deborah's husband, Damien Uselioates, picked up the role of Ali Hakim.
A number of our members auditioned for Jud, but none were evil enough, until along came John Leahy. Unfortunately he was doing Les Miserables at that time and missed a few early rehearsals. However, since he wasn't heavily involved with others on stage, it wasn't too disruptive. One of the other tenors found he wasn't going to be available for the second weekend of performances because of work commitments, so the role of Ike was shared too.
One of the auditionees was Amara Wagner, a blind girl with mild cerebral palsy, who had sung at the Eisteddfod and expressed a wish to sing in a musical. She'd been invited to join Oklahoma, provided her father would sing in the chorus too to keep an eye on her.
The membership were surveyed to see if any would like other activities for those not involved with Oklahoma, but not enough were interested for the plan to proceed.
Oklahoma got moving, and Sarah Lemcke put in an application to choreograph, which worked in well, as Julie was expecting a baby shortly after the show and would not be available for all rehearsals. She did the dream ballet and Sarah did the rest. Choreography started very early, which was just as well as there was a lot of dancing. There was a visit to Geelong and a stage fence and windmill were hired, and a house acquired - free if it wasn't returned! It was hoped this would save work, but Geoff ended up with a total reconstruction job. Still, we saved a lot of money on materials.
Greenland Audio was asked come along and advise us sound requirements. It had been suggested that we could have the orchestra at the back of the stage, but they said that would worse. They advised that we would not need microphones provided the orchestra remained covered! This was not practical, so they were employed to provide the necessary equipment, and some members agreed to assist with the difficult monitoring process. This proved to be a positive experience for all.
Meanwhile the publicity committee, under Jennie Barnett, was in full swing. The committee also successfully applied for a grant from Banyule Council to assist with the Open Day, which was to be part of the 20th Anniversary celebrations.
Rehearsals for Oklahoma went well and by early June it was books down! As usual, it was not all plain sailing. We appreciate the commitment of our cast who often have very difficult circumstances in their Iives. It was difficult for Deb and Damian, who were missing for some weeks as Deb's father was dying, but they caught up when they returned. Judith also found some of the dramatic scenes difficult after the death of her son, Steven. It was also a difficult time for Graham trying to direct, and write the Anniversary Book, with his parents going in and out of hospital. Ian was also working on his PhD, and went to Africa for a few weeks over the production period.
Performances
Show Program
The cast of DVS’ Oklahoma
Show poster
One of the dancers came down with pleurisy and missed the Wednesday show and Ike was replaced for the second weekend. Quite an eventful season! Performances went very well. The sound was much better, the stagecraft excellent, the acting impressive and the music infectious. We put on one extra performance and played to enthusiastic audiences. It was our most popular show ever.
Bill Smith, enjoying his first stint on stage, unfortunately had a heart attack before the Wednesday show and died a week later. Many from the cast attended the funeral, and we were touched that his family still came to see the show.
One of the dancers came down with pleurisy and missed the Wednesday show, and Ike was replaced for the second weekend. Quite an eventful season! Performances went very well. The sound was much better, the stagecraft excellent, the acting impressive and the music infectious. We put on one extra performance and played to enthusiastic audiences. It was our most popular show ever.
These history notes have been kindly provided by our long-term artistic director and co-founder, Graham Ford.