After the final week of performances, the cast and co-director of Milton and Pace high schools joint production of ‘Oklahoma’ found it to be bittersweet in the show’s final weekend.
After months of preparation from the rehearsal of lines to perfecting the dance routines, Valerie Wright, co-director and PHS performing arts teacher was proud to see all of their work pay off.
“I’m so proud of the kids,” she said. “Everyone has been really impressed that kids in this area can pull off this show."
From acting to singing and dancing which is required for the classic musical, Wright said the young performers received nothing but praise for their student's performances.
Mary-Cathryn Cavazos, a junior at Milton High School, played Aunt Eller in the production which required the 17-year-old to portray a much more mature character. In addition to having aged-grey hair and makeup, Cavazos also had to deliver her lines in a deep southern accent.
Cavazos said the accent came from imitating relatives who speak with the accent. She credits the imitation with helping her get the role during auditions. Cavazos said she even found herself speaking with the accent in her free time.
“I would just slip into it, my friends would be like that sounds like Aunt Eller,” she said.
Cavazos is among several of the performers who are considering a career in theatre and performing arts.
“I like making people happy, I like looking into the audience and seeing a bunch of people smile,” she said. “Because I gave them a gift and that gift is performing.”
Fellow MHS cast member Demetrius McNutt, who played the Persian Peddler Ali Hakim, said he also received positive feedback from the audience following the show.
“They say I make them laugh and what more could you want as a performer who is playing a comedic character,” McNutt said.
McNutt said he has already been accepted to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, however McNutt will work on earning a degree as a licensed nurse practitioner before attending AADA. McNutt said he will miss bringing ‘Oklahoma’ to life on stage with his fellow performers.
“It’s such a great show,” McNutt said. “I grew up watching this show, I never thought I would be in it.”
Pace High School senior Jeffery Culleiton, who played antagonist Jud Fry, said he is pursuing the opportunity to earn a degree in theatre from Florida State University. Culleiton said he enjoys acting as other characters on stage.
“A lot of the people that are drawn to it are a lot of outcasts,” Culleiton said. “Sometimes you find your place on the stage where you can become other people.”
Although Culleiton was portraying the musical’s antagonist, it didn’t keep him from receiving favorable reviews.
“(They said) ‘You’re the first villain I have felt sorry for’…which is nice to hear,” he said.
Now that the show has ended its run at the MHS auditorium, Wright and cast members are happy to the production completed.
“It’s always bittersweet…although it will be nice to have our lives back,” Wright said.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Bringing ‘Oklahoma’ to Santa Rosa County