Good morning, good morning, good morning. Welcome, welcome, welcome.
It's time now for our community connection right here on K one Don't One You
Trust, brought to you in part by Arnold Moore and Knee Camp a funeral
home. We have a houseful, because we're going to make a houseful actually
at the at the Center as they call it now. It's a children's musical
theater. And Rachel Miller is the executive producer. We've got the wonderful Wizard
of Wallace. How are we doing? We are excellent this morning, excited
to be here. Now introduced the whole he holl gang here too. All
right. We have Jackson Davis who is playing our scarecrow there Oz, and
then Navivy Kate McDonald who is our amazing Dorothy, and then Eli Swanson who
is ten man this year. Well, these are great roles, all of
them. They it's going to be something else, yea. They worked very
hard for their roles. Now, now how do we go around selecting this
for our production for this year? You know, actually a few years ago
and a group of producers for CMT Pass producers Present producers, we met,
evaluated in multiple shows and we decided that the Wizard of Oz checked off all
the boxes for what we felt we needed and what we felt the community needed.
Well, super, I want to talk to you a maybe Kate here
Dorothy, how are you doing, Dad? I just checked the radar.
Looks like we might get some rain. I hope it's not a tornado either.
Hey, how do you feed into those ruby slippers? I said it
really well? Actually good style, don't they? So tell us about the
role and how you went about, you know, getting ready for it.
Getting ready for Dorothy is not really hard because I'm it fits in the character
pretty well. Um, but I'm really excited for it. I think it'll
be really fun. It's it's a lot of hard work, but in the
end I think it'll I think it'll be really good. Well great, you
know. Yeah, do you get to world around by a tornado and you
get carried off? Or how do we do that on the stage? Um?
I think we like there'll be a few surprises production about that. In
this production we will have theatrical flying, so there are numerous of our cast
members who will actually be flying in the air. Okay, well in question,
sorry about that. Sorry, Let's go to Eli the tin Man get
a little closure there if you went to the microphone. So this is a
cool part. The tin Man has always been a kind of you have the
ability to steal the show, you know that. Don't backed up for this.
I'm I'm ready. I think I can do it and I'll be there.
Well you're there, man, you're already there. So what have you
done private previously to this? Um? I think this is going to be
my eighth mainstage show for CMT. Yeah, I've done some little junior camps
and other stuff like that. But it's it's fun. It's good work,
but it's yeah, it's funny. What you are you in school? I'm
going into tenth grade? Now, Well, there you go, there you
go, and then we are going to be talking not to Jackson Davis,
who's the Scarecrow. The Scarecrow is hilarious. Yes, a lot of fun.
How can it not be? Right, Now, you get to do
something and you get to do some dancing, you get to do some acting,
and you actually get to do a little bit of a kind of cloud
on a round right right? Yeah, what's your favorite part about the Scarecrow?
Oh? I love his like movements, how he's always like kind of
like swaying around. He has like very big like scarecrow movements if a scarecrow
good movie. Yeah, they do in the wind and what happens is you
just kind of capture that right there, because you know, with the scarecrow,
every time the wind blows, it looks like they try to make it
so it looks like a human moving, so it keeps scrows away from the
corn. But you just have the fluidity there. Do you have a dance
background too? Um, I haven't really done a lot of dance, but
I've been in a bunch of productions previous to this. But yeah, oh
okay, so you've done a little, but done what's been required? As
they say, yes, um, this is actually my first CMC production.
Oh really? Yes? Wow? Cool? Yes? Better now than you
know, say, well, I couldn't. Nobody needs to. Nobody needs
that on their their mind's resume. I could. Yeah, you gotta do
it. But I think you're going to be great. Yes, I'm very
excited and Rachel, I think all these kids are going to be great.
Time. I am incredibly impressed. Every day we're on our Today will be
our seventh day of rehearsal, and they have already blown me away with how
much progress they have made and how dedicated they are. It's amazing. You
know, We've got a real strong theater community here in Bartlesville, not only
with CMT, which has been around for years, but also with the high
school and with others that come into town from time to time to help out
as well. But it's it's really good because a community this size under forty
thousand, usually that's kind of like the last thing on the plate, and
this is kind of front and center. It's an amazing thing. It makes
Bartlesville, which is already special for other reasons, it makes it even more.
If you are a parent trying to find a place to raise your kids,
this arts environment is perfect. Oh god, Ali, it sure is.
Now how long have you been with the same team? So? I
started as a parent eight years ago and then progressed to a volunteer producer,
and then a year ago I started as a full time employee. I serve
as the executive producer for the main stage program and I am the development director.
Wow we yeah, Now, how did you get your start in theater.
I have no theatrical skills or background. I've seen your children, you
have to Nope, you do not want me to do any sort of performing,
singing, dancing. It would not be advisable to watch. Now,
I've watched one of your sons, Jackson, and your daughter Bella just really
put out the lights and everything that they've been in. I was surprised to
find that Jackson is as young as he is. Yes, he's the same
age, but he plays the role like he's much much older. Yes,
because he looks like he's because he looks all Yes, he is growth sports.
He was one of the first of his age, so I think he
had no choice but to appear I'm mature than he probably actually is. And
uh, Bella, your your daughter has been in some actually some film work
too. She has. She was able to work with a local producer um
here and get to do some film work. So that Dane Warner is a
good friend of mine, and he raves about her ability, says that you
know when she's captured on camera, you know you're you're just drawn into the
character, whether it was the fourteenth Floor or whether it was Kendra's song,
which by the way, you have a nice award there. And you know
Bella start with children's musical Theater. Her very first audition, she did not
even make a callback. She stared at the floor, she didn't look up
um and she worked harder and through her years with CMT, those skills have
just grown over the years. These three don't leave you because they've seen her
in just about everything. For first few years with CMT, she had a
whole lot of growth to do, and that's the beauty of the program.
Each year with the main stage program, we bring in artistic staff from all
over the country so that the cast members are getting to experience something different every
year, which allows continued growth for them. When we come back, we're
going to talk a little bit more to the cast members. Here. We're
talking with our friends from Children's Musical Theater. We've got the Wonderful Wizard of
Oz and what are the show dates on that. We have four performances for
the community beginning July twentieth through the July twenty third, and we're gonna tell
you how to get tickets here in just a moment too. After we take
this break, we're our more Kneecap Funeral Home right here on Kay one,
the one you drives. The first conversation I have with someone's loved one.
I don't care if it's three o'clock in the afternoon or three o'clock in the
morning. That first conversation is, mister X, this is Tim how with
Arnold Moore n Funeral Home. First of all, sir, let me say
I'm very sorry we're having to have this conversation right now. And to the
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walk through this together, Arnold Moore and me Camp Funeral Home, seven ten
Dewey, Bartelsville. We will walk through this together and welcome back to our
community connection. We're talking with friends and family here, but Children's Musical Theater
and they have of the Wizard Wis coming up in July twenty through the twenty
three at the Center in downtown Bartoldsville. I want to get it into a
little bit more with characters. We're gonna start and go right down the line,
Jackson. Have you ever seen the original movie of the Wizard of Oz.
Yes, I saw it for like the first time a couple of months
ago. Yeah. Yes, it was like right after I auditioned, I
was like, I should I should watch the Yeah, I watched it right
after that kind of a well, you know, you're you're living in a
different era. But for that time, that was crazy because color movies were
just starting to take effect, and that might have been one of the first,
if not the first, So yeah, it was one of the first
anyway. And what about you, young lady, miss Dorothy. Yes,
I've watched it. Before I watched the one, I was a little bit
littler, but and then after the auditions I watched it a couple of times.
We love the movie. It's very all the characters are fun, like,
yeah, are you feeling like things you're starting to sync up a little
bit toward that, Yeah, a new mystery, Like, yeah, I
have one. Actually rewatched it last night because it was it's I just wanted
I wanted to get into it and see it because I forgot about all about
the story and then, you know, I watched a few years back,
but I haven't watched it since. Well. Sometimes, you know, the
movie and the stage kind of transcend a little bit differently because of what you
can and cannot do. But many times, actually the play kind of takes
a little bit in a different direction than the movie because you know, you're
playing to really two different types of audiences and it's really gonna be fun.
Did you pick up any tips on perhaps how the tin Man played his part
and how you're doing your thing? Yeah, he's very kind, he's romantical,
and he's usually nice to all the people. He's just really longing for.
Oh, there you go. What about you? Would you pick up
from the character that you saw in the movie and how your portraying Dorothy.
She's very kind, she's a very good friend, but she's a little feisty.
She's very protective, even if it's going from doc to scarecrows to humans.
Yeah, she's very Yeah, she's a lot, but it's gonna well,
she's from Kansas. What about you, Jackson? I feel like the
Scarecrow is very charismatic and just like happy and goes along with everything and just
you know, he's along for the ride, right, He's going down the
yellow brick road. He hasn't gotta care, right exactly? How are you
seeing this sum up here? You know when the casting came out for this
one, there were a few surprises. But as I've watched each of them
in the rehearsals, they are embodying their characters. They're working so hard.
I mean, Eli, you are kinds like you just have kindness coming out
of you, so you are the perfect in man. Don't lose it.
Okay, you know when you start making millions of dollars on Broadway, remember
that kind cool stuff. Okay, it goes a long way. I'm sorry
about no no in here, but we will have a few surprises. If
you've never seen the stage version, you've only seen the movie, it expands
it a little more. We have a You'll Meet the Jitterbugs, which is
not in the movie, so our audience, if you come see you will
get to find out what a jitterbug is and have an entire dance break with
the jitterbugs, very exciting. We also have incorporated Eli as tin Man will
treat us to some tap. He is tapping as the ten a tap and
tin Man Man. So we additionally will have our crows that hang out around
Scarecrow in that scene, our crows will be tapping as well. Nice,
so you get a little ensemble thing going on there. You know, you
get to be the lead dude, but they get to do all the heavy
turn in and spin tap. But as long as they're focusing on your your
careers, ben your star park, they're gonna tap their little wings off.
Yes, so this is gonna be a lot of fun. Now, Dorothy
is just about in every scene. Yeah, if we had to think about
that, didn't. Yeah. You don't even get to go off and get
a drink of water very often, do you. No, But I always
have my water with me just in case something who's pretty much on stage the
entire show. That's what That's what I was thinking, you know, So
boy, you get a get a good meal, keep that energy gone.
Oh my goodness. Thinks it's gotta be fun working with the young people as
they're discovering not only the stage itself, but also their own talents as they
start to develop into their characters. Absolutely watching them go through this process,
we knew they already had talent. That's why they get here in the roles.
About watching them develop it and grow it. All of the cast members,
which we have sixty eight of them in this production, at eight of
them on the stage that you'll get to see, but each one of them
down to the even the seven year olds, gained skills, they gained self
sufficiency, more confidence. It's an amazing part of the process and I love
getting to watch it. You know, many people will focus on the primary
characters, but once you go into to see the play on the big stage,
you notice that you have the dy biddies who are just abudding little performers
out there just having a They have more fun. I think maybe maybe the
big kids do they do you kind of finding that out? Are you guys?
They do? Oh? No, they have so much fun. But
it's amazing if you watch what they are doing, even I'm seven years old,
that they are able to learn those roles, find their marks on the
stage, follow those instructions, and it's five weeks of long hours and hard
work, and it really pains off too. Because you know, I've seen
kids go through this development here too. They become very shall I say,
particular in life, meticulous in life, very detail oriented in life. Boy,
did they get detail oriented. And you know, sometimes as a parent
you're like, what, maybe I should be a little bit more detail oriented.
I got to catch up with that one. It teaches them so many
skills because they see how many different pieces there are that have to fall in
place. And you learn that you have to be a part of the team
because if you don't follow your piece, the whole thing can fall apart.
So everybody make sure they're doing their part. So what have you learned most
about your experience? This is your first big time when yes, what is
it? Um? I don't think so many things right, Yes, there
are so many things, um um. I have learned that Jackson has been
a little bit tortured the last week. He has learned that in order to
learn how to move like Scarecrow. Yes, he has had to have some
padding and kneepads and a tumbling match to be able to rehearse the flexibility.
Yes, yes, flexibility. I don't think he was expecting quite as much
physicality to his character that he is having to figure out. Oh yeah,
well by time it's over with, you be able to run a marathon exactly.
What about you, miss Dorothy. I've learned how to be more in
touch with my emotions and how to be more if I need to be sad
or if I really need to be really angry or really sweet, And I
think that's helped me a lot. And character walking too, Like she's still
human, but she still has her own type of black m Well, yeah
she's in charge, man, Yeah she's she's a boss lady. What about
you? What if you take what's your big takeaway from your experience? Well,
you really get to make a lot of friends that you get to like
characterize with other people and really get into the work. I want to say
workforce, but that's not really but it is. I'm gonna tell you I've
been an entertainment all my life. This I've done some acting and I'm on
a music to her on weekends and everything else like that. It is work.
Don't ever tell yourself that you're just playing around. It is actually it
is actually work. It's it's tiring, but it's good. What is it?
The old man used to tell me. It's good for you help derul
a character. Well, we got the show coming up July twentieth through the
twenty thirdieth the Center, Miss Rachel. How do we get tickets? You
can either go to the center and purchase them directly at the box office,
or you can go to Bartlesville Center dot com and purchase tickets online. How
can we find out more about CMT? Do you have a Facebook or a
website? We do have a Facebook page. You can go to Children's Musical
Theater searching on Facebook. You can also go to our website, which is
CMT onstage dot com and find out more information. Not only do we have
this amazing production right now, actually, as we are speaking, there is
a camp getting ready to start at our primary building. We have an Aristocats
kids camp that has forty five kids in it. So in addition to our
sixty eight kids in on the Wizard of Oz, there are forty five additional
kids who are working on a musical right now. Wow's that's a lot.
That is really kind of cool too. It is. It's an amazing thing
to watch. And each program that we have has a different feel to it,
different list of expectations, but all of them have the same benefits of
gaining self confidence, gaining those theatrical skills, having fun, becoming we kind
of in each of our casts, it's always a little bit of a family
atmosphere, and this Wizard of Us they actually do have families. They've been
assigned into little families, nine little families, and so at any time,
during warmups in the morning, or if they're needing to take a break,
they break into these little families where they can kind of help take care of
each other. I like that. I like that a lot. Hey,
I want to thank you all for being here. Break a leg and we'll
see you with the Wizard of Oz coming up July twenty through the twenty three
at the Center. Thank you, thank you. Hey, it's me Ruthie
from Total Line and More. You know how stores have been raising their prices
lately, Well, lean into your spe