DIRECTOR'S NOTE by Chase Ramsey

Like many of you I have seen Oklahoma many times and even had the chance to play Will Parker while in college alongside a brilliant actor (Kelly Coombs) and brilliant director (Dave Tinney). Dave had a way of always seeing the soul of everyone and everything. I learned a great deal from him. Since then I have been in love with the show. The music, the story, and the history. It is by all means a classic.

When Janessa and I found out we were doing Oklahoma we knew that we wanted to approach it fresh. Unbiased. I wanted to read the scenes and be surprised by them...and what ensued during the process was magical. So many times we would be sitting at the table with our scripts and say "I had no idea it was about this." It was a constant surprise and the actors played and asked questions, while owning the truth.

I cried when I saw Jeff Sundwall (the actor who plays Curly) embody the grace that he holds under the surface even in the face of a society telling him he has to "be a man." I found love for Hailey Sundwall’s (the actor who plays Laurey) commitment to Laurey because she is everything I want to be and so much of what my wife Janessa is. Loyal, prioritizes love in all shades, and a dreamer. Hailey has harnessed a power I did not know was in the words. A brilliant surprise.

As Jud, Daniel Cespedes has shown me a "stuckness" that is so familiar. A fear to move. The ugly duckling is only the ugly duckling because WE made it that way. Will Parker and Ado Annie (played by Ty McQuiston and McCall Brainard) have reminded me of a bright look on life. To always play. Come back to the child in me. That bright eyed, bright part of myself. The entire ensemble has given me chills as they lock into a camaraderie. They believe. They buy in.

Overall, I have learned to be conscious and present with how I treat the people around me. To communicate through love and grace as I move through life. In this show, the little things turn to big things because they are ignored. Everything that isn't talked about comes back to haunt. Little disagreements become big mistakes. As simple as it sounds... The Farmer and The Cowman should be friends. It's still as relevant as ever.

P.S. Telling a story through movement is miraculous to me. I am a words guy. Words said or unsaid are my thing. So, when I see what Janessa Ramsey (Choreographer) has done with this play I am stunned. It is incredible how she has found a way to stay true to the story instead of doing a bunch of impressive nonsense. I really don't know how she does it. Holy COW!