LAKEPORT, Calif. – Right now, while you are reading this article, the entire cast and crew of Oklahoma! are trying to balance work, child care, making dinner, family life and all the other every day tasks with rehearsal for this show.

The show opens this Friday, Oct. 26, and runs through Nov. 11 at the Soper-Reese Theatre at 275 South Main St. in Lakeport.

Friday and Saturday shows are at 7 p.m. and Sunday shows are at 2 p.m. Tickets are $22 and $17 in advance, $27 and 22 at the door, and can be purchased online at http://www.soperreesetheatre.com, at the box office or by calling 707-263-0577.

Our cast is quite varied. We have nurses, teachers, a pig farmer, a District Attorney, County workers, retired Air Force, health care administrators, education specialists, volunteers, and retirees, but there is a common theme among them in that no one is getting paid. They basically take on this second job, rearrange their lives to fit the rehearsal schedule, get less sleep, call in favors to get their kids dropped off or picked up and even listen to their families lament about how much time the show is taking up. And, quite often they buy their own costumes, wigs, and props.

Why would anyone do this you ask? Well, for some it’s the fun of seeing if you can figure out what makes the character tick and then bringing them to life. For others it’s the challenge to see if you can hit those notes, remember your timing, and get your movements right without falling on your face.

Sometimes, it’s for the rush that you get right before you go out on stage. That moment when you are nervous because you want to do the best job possible and then the adrenaline kicks in and you just come to life like nowhere else.

Others like the fact that it’s slightly different every night and you never know what can and will happen. Some like the applause or the energy from the crowd when you are connected in a single moment.

And, still others just like the community of it all. Getting together a few times a week with people who share a common interest.

Let’s face it, not a lot of folks in everyday life get all the dorky theatre references we throw out. It’s nice to feel like people get where you are coming from.

And, so that’s what we do. We drive to work practicing our songs. We run our lines in our heads while we stand in line at the grocery store, and we try to remember if it’s kick, turn, step or kick, step, turn while waiting for our child’s soccer practice to be over. And, quite often we get a little less sleep because we are at rehearsal until 9 p.m. Some of us maybe even have to drive a ways to get home afterward.

But, we don’t complain, because when we come to the theatre on the night of the performance and hear the audience chatting while they are waiting for the show to start, that feeling in the pit of our stomachs kicks in. And, the adrenaline fires up. And, for the next 2 1/2 hours we are someone else, somewhere else; and, something magical takes over. And, the sacrifice, and the lack of sleep fade away.

Please come see the Lake County Theatre Co. and Mendocino College Lake Center’s co-production of Oklahoma! See if you can tell what gets each performer out there and experience a little of the magic with us. We promise you won’t be disappointed. There’s a reason why Oklahoma ends with an exclamation point!