San Benito Stage Company opens summer theater show
For its latest all-ages show, San Benito Stage Company is
performing
”
Oklahoma
”
at the Granada Theatre July 9 to July 25.
The show includes a cast of 33 actors who will do plenty of
singing and dancing, and more than 20 people who have helped behind
the scenes. The cast ranges in age from 8 years old to mid-60s.
”
It’s rated PG and for this area, the show is great,
”
said Toni Smith, the assistant producer.
”
It lends itself to cowboys.
”
San Benito Stage Company opens summer theater show
For its latest all-ages show, San Benito Stage Company is performing “Oklahoma” at the Granada Theatre July 9 to July 25.
The show includes a cast of 33 actors who will do plenty of singing and dancing, and more than 20 people who have helped behind the scenes. The cast ranges in age from 8 years old to mid-60s.
“It’s rated PG and for this area, the show is great,” said Toni Smith, the assistant producer. “It lends itself to cowboys.”
The Rodgers and Hammerstein piece pits cowboys and farmers against each other at the turn of the century as they battle it out over land use. The crux of the story is that a farmer’s daughter falls for a cowboy so the groups have to learn to get along.
While the cast for the summer show is typically 50 or more, Smith said the cast is smaller this year. She added that they also moved the production up a week to allow the show to close before the Hollister Relay For Life because many of the families are involved in that at the end of the month.
The costumes are period pieces, such as dresses adorned with buttons, ribbons and other details, as well as petticoats underneath, with Western wear for the men. For many of the outfits, the crew used dresses or items from the Stage Company’s storage and bought several items from local thrift shops.
“We would take one dress and make it period by adding lace, ribbon or buttons down the front,” Smith said. “We had a few things sewn from scratch, maybe six, but that’s nothing for one production.”
The music for the show will be put on by a 15- to 19-piece orchestra, with which the actors first rehearsed June 29.
The biggest challenge in this year’s show is all the dancing, according to the producers. Stephanie Hicks, of San Benito Dance Academy, is the choreographer. Erinn Mitchell, a middle school music teacher, is the vocal director. Christian Barrera is the director and also has a role in the show.
“It is pretty fast paced,” Smith said, of the dancing scenes in the show.
As tech week started, Smith said there was still plenty to do.
“We are making bloomers (to wear under the dresses) and painting sets,” Smith said, the week before the show opened. “This is usually how it is. The last week we pull up all the strings and it comes together.”
SBSC also uses the summer show as a way to raise money for a local organization, and this year’s beneficiary is the San Benito Historical Park’s Garcia House Visitors’ Center.
“Normally every summer show we try to have a beneficiary,” Smith said. “It started a couple years ago. This is the fourth year.”
A dollar of each ticket sold will be donated and raffle tickets will also be sold to benefit the park. Tying in with the box social scene from the movie, where the ladies in the play auction of boxed lunches to raise money for a new school house, the Stage Company put together three gift baskets that are full of items and certificates to local businesses and services. The winners of each basket will also be invited out to the Historical Park for a Dutch oven cook-out with docents dressed in period piece.
‘Oklahoma!’ Opens
San Benito Stage Company presents “Oklahoma!” by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The show runs July 9-25, at the Granada Theatre. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $16 for adults, $13 for children/seniors/students. Four-packs are available for advance sale only at $42. $1 of each ticket will benefit the Historical Park Garcia House Visitors Center. Tickets are available at Postal Graphics, Running Rooster and at the door.
