Cool music, hot shows

By RENEE FITE
Press Special Writer

June 18, 2009 10:06 am

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Whether your musical tastes run to country, rock ‘n’ roll, or jukebox pop hits, the singers, dancers and musicians comprising Northeastern State University’s Downtown Country and River City Players roll out Branson-style performances that will keep audience members’ toes tapping and hearts singing.
And with the summer heat bringing on 90-degree temperatures already, what better way to enjoy cool summer entertainment than in the air-conditioned comfort of the NSU Playhouse and Shawnee Street Theater?
Costumes and lighting tease out the beauty of the shows, spotlighting the players and their music.
“It’s a wonderful training ground for young performers, or performers who want to try it out on the professional level,” said Megan White, managing director for the summer series and director of NSU’s Sequoyah Institute.
Together, the two shows will provide 64 performances this summer, June 18 through Aug. 8.
“The entertainers bring their A-game every single night,” White said. “Instead of spending a lot of money traveling to Branson, why not enjoy some good, clean, family entertainment in your own backyard?”
Some cast members are new this season, and for others, this may be their last.
Patrick Vaughn, 22, of Cleveland, Okla., is a senior at NSU, majoring in hospitality and tourism management. He plans to get a master’s in higher education administration and hopes to work in the student affairs field.
This is his first time to perform with Downtown Country.
“My friends Jordan Rozell and Kim Hurt knew I could sing and encouraged me to audition,” Vaughn said. “They made it sound fun.”
And they’re right.
“I’m glad I did,” he said. “It’s a lot of work, but an incredible experience.”
Vaughn feels like he can better help other college students by collecting a wide range of involvement and experiences.
“The experience of an actual show, being a part of something very few people get to do, is great,” he said. “And getting to know 12 or 13 more people is, too.”
And it’s a country show, he added.
“The familiarity of songs draws people in,” he said.
His favorite song he performs is, “If You’re Reading This” by Tim McGraw.
“It’s one of the first songs on ‘Turn Your Radio On,’ and it has a patriotic feel,” he said.
Rozell, 23, is an NSU senior who graduated from Tahlequah High School. She is also majoring in hospitality and tourism management. This is her third, and probably last season with the troupe. She does the choreography for Downtown Country.
“It gives me a place to sing other than in church,” Rozell said. “I’ve made a lot of friends, and it’s the ideal summer job.”
“Don’t It Make You Want to Dance,” by Bonnie Raitt, is her favorite number.
“We have a lot of talented people and it’s a fast-paced show, like what you would see in Branson,” she said.
Rozell has gone from being the youngest cast member to the oldest.
“With some new cast members, it’s a new, action-packed, show each year, with pretty girls, fun songs and all your favorites from yesterday and today,” she said. “With the ‘Turn Your Radio On’ show, we’ll use deejays instead of traditional emcees.”
It’s the 10th season for Kelli Doolen Farmer, director of the Downtown Country show and director of country music for NSU.
“The Radio Show idea came from the Country Music Theater Production class brainstorming,” she said.
Extensive Internet res-earch goes into song selection, she said. And she also lets cast members suggest their favorite song wish list.
“Two hours goes by quick when it’s a great show,” Farmer said, “and this is going to be one of our best ever. Our band is smokin’ this year.”
Arielle Christie, 18, is a Keys High School graduate and will be a freshman at NSU in the fall. This is her first season.
“I’ve heard about the shows for a long time, and I’ve been singing forever and want to do this the rest of my life,” Christie said. “Everyone here is wonderful. I’m way excited.”
It’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s also been fun.
“A lot of bonding takes place,” Christie said of the cast. “It’s an energetic show and it feels like home here. The audience is right next to the stage, and there’s a lot of interaction with the cast.”
“Feel Like A Woman” by Shania Twain is her favorite song to perform.
Christie has taken dance lessons for 10 years, but in the show, she’s learned how to clog, line dance and two-step.
“People I’ve talked to tell me what a great show this always is,” she said.
Another first-time cast member, Montana Camp, 18, will be a senior at Keys High School this fall. He won a state competition in speech and drama with a humorous duet and is the comedian in the Downtown Country show.
“I love to perform and be funny,” Camp said. “Being in this show is a good way to do what I want to do: be an actor, the next Jim Carey.”
Between sections, he pops in to do something funny. He likes doing the polka and line dance.
“We’re connected to the crowd,” Camp said. “I enjoy the people. It’ll be a fun experience for the crowd. We have amazing talent.”
River City Players Show cast member Brian Gaylor, 20, is in his third season, a sophomore and a theater major at NSU. He’s a THS grad who used to entertain at school shows with his fiddle.
“I love performing,” Gaylor said. “I like that we do such a variety of music.”
The Centennial Sound Track has songs from each decade, 1909 to 2009, he said.
“You get to hear each of us use our voices in different ways with these songs,” Gaylor said.
His favorite song to perform is “I Don’t Wanna Be,” by Gavin DeGraw, because “I get to use a more rock-style tone in it and I get to rock out.”
“We have a great cast,” Gaylor said. “We make you want to get up and dance with us, and you’re bound to hear at least one song that takes you back to a good memory for you.”
Brittany Long, 20, is a sophomore at NSU and a theater major. It’s her first season.
“I love to perform and it’s a great selection of music,” Long said. “One show has many eras of music and the sock hop is ‘50s and ‘60s.”
“Since You’ve Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson is her favorite song.
“It’s different from anything I’d seen in River City Shows,” she said. “I get to act like a rock star, and that’s fun.
Anderson Daniel, 18, will be a freshman at Oklahoma City University in the fall, and a music theater major. The former THS Orange Express drum major just graduated this year in the top 3 percent of his class.
“I’ve had friends in the show in previous years, and they said it’s a great experience,” Daniel said. “It’s a great chance to work in the professional world and hone the crafts.”
“Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” by Wham is his favorite: “The choreography and music fit so perfectly together, and it’s a great song.”
He’s already learned many different things that will help him with his college career, he said, “like how to make a quick costume change. You have to make sure it’s there and ready to go. And how to pace yourself in rehearsal when learning the songs, yet learn them as quickly as possible.”
Melodie McCay, 21, of Tulsa, is a junior at NSU majoring in English education with a music minor. It’s her second season.
“I love getting a chance to perform for all different types of audience, young and old and in-between,” McCay said. “It’s a great show.”
Her favorite song is a tie between “Black House In A Cherry Tree” and “Where The Boys Are,” by Connie Francis.
“I love how she slides al of her vocals. It’s a good classic picture for that time period, a pretty little girl song,” she said. “’Black House In A Cherry Tree’ is a powerful song to sing, and you can be a woman with power when you sing it.”
McCay said the cast is very talented.
“There’s not a weak link in the cast,” she said, “and we have a new band and a new choreographer, who performs in the show.”

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