to the idea of Oklahomans having this ability to create and come up with ideas and new concepts. It’s kind of the DNA of the state to explore acting or music,” says Moore. “The other thing that bears is the link between opportunity for creative endeavors and economic prosperity. Oklahoma has been in a cycle of prosperity the last 10 years or so, so I think that if there are economic conditions to allow people to pursue these types of activities, they will.” Reduxion Theatre Company presents Shakespeare productions at their most minimal. “My wife Erin and I started this thing,” Woods says. “We were living in New York City in 2006, and we were both acting and directing a little bit. We wanted to take an approach to Shakespeare that was bare-bones, stripped down, to get in touch with the beautiful poetry of Shakespeare.” Reduxion’s first performance was Hamlet, performed off-off-Broadway with seven actors. The production was well received; it ran for 12 performances. The next year, Reduxion produced As You Like It with 14 actors. The couple eventually decided to move back to Woods’ home state to lay down roots and to become part of Oklahoma’s theater scene. “We wanted to be here and bring our unique voice to Oklahoma City,” he says. Reduxion has performed for thousands in Oklahoma over its last six seasons. “We have the ability to create opportunities for other artists to practice their crafts and open doors to residents to see the talent we have in this town,” Woods says. “That is my ultimate triumph. Playing MacBeth on a national tour was wonderful, and being on All My Children was wonderful, but seeing this happen has been my real joy.”
Matthew Alvin Brown has acted professionally since 2007. PHOTO BY WENDY MUTZ.
For The Love, Not Money “I was shocked at how good Ragtime was,” Govich says. “(Lead characters) Tateh, Mother and Coalhouse, all three of us had Broadway experience…the quality of actors that we have available to us that are in Oklahoma, we’re very lucky. I’ve been on Broadway, I’m a decent performer, and I’m shocked when I go to rehearsal and see a show that people can see for 15, 20 bucks [in Oklahoma], and they’re better than the ones people pay $150 to see in New York.”
Bare Bones Theater companies have been around in Oklahoma since the 1920s when Theatre Tulsa, opened its doors. It’s the oldest continuously operating theater company west of the Mississippi. Groups like Theatre Tulsa and, in Oklaho
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ma City, Lyric Theatre, are integral to a city’s cultural scene. But there’s always room for one more. That’s exactly what Tyler Woods was counting on when he brought Reduxion Theatre Company to Oklahoma City. “Any time you can specialize in something, I think, means you’ll be better at it than anyone else,” he says. “I think a certain degree of specialization is wonderful, but too much can be a bad thing, and it’s important for theaters to [not become] too niche or too small so they can offer one thing and one thing only. It’s important to do what you do with your own unique voice…in that way, we are, I believe, fulfilling a niche of theater that is intimate and literally in your lap in that it is pared down and reduced.” “As far as the development of theater companies, from a historical standpoint, it goes
Will Carpenter moved to Tulsa when he was a teen. His acting took him all around the country, from Chicago to L.A. He appeared in a short film, Nines, that won an award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. But it was a need to be near family that brought him back to Tulsa. “I was really bummed when I first moved back here,” he admits. “I was bummed because I was like, ‘I don’t get to be in the game anymore.’ I didn’t do anything for the first two years. Then I [performed in] Educating Rita at Theatre Tulsa, and it clicked again, and I’ve been inspired ever since. I’ve run into other people that have similar journeys, and it’s nice to have a common past with these people. It’s been fantastic to share these experiences with new people in Tulsa.” Carpenter has been acting professionally for more than 20 years. It’s a far cry