LAKEPORT, Calif. – This is the final weekend for Oklahoma!, but for many cast and crew members there will be no break as they go into production meetings for their next shows.

To keep up with the five shows a year and various fundraisers the company puts on, the preparation is constant.

The company requires that directors assistant direct prior to going solo. Director John Tomlinson provided the requisite mentoring for Assistant Director Cynthia Forbes on this show.

Forbes, who will be directing next year’s musical, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” said of Tomlinson, “I hit the jackpot in getting to work with John. He has been acting, directing and teaching theater arts for many years. We have seen the magic he creates with Shakespeare at the Lake making these well-worn plays accessible to contemporary audiences. But, I have been most impressed at how small changes in the presentation or timing of a single line can set the mood of a scene with this show.”

As luck would have it, Tomlinson and Forbes were not the only directors working on Oklahoma!
When the show was first cast, Tim Barnes, a regular director and actor with the company, was very busy with work, school and many other obligations.

Barnes originally was only going to design the set until there was a shortage of male actors. He auditioned for and accepted the role of Jud more out of a sense of obligation. When the actor who was originally cast as Curly left the cast Tomlinson turned, again, to Barnes.

“I have worked with Tim before and know he is capable of almost any character type. He also sang in a play called The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) by Joanne Bogart and Eric Rockwell,” Tomlinson said. “It had a part, based upon this play, where he sang about corn with such joy that you could see Curly in there just waiting for us to stage Oklahoma! the real thing!”

With the role of Curly filled and the role of Jud now open there was a bit of a scurry to find an actor who could take on the role of Jud. Four of the company’s male actors had either moved out of the area recently or were otherwise unavailable.

Originally, Gary Deas had not auditioned for the show. He is the type of person that jumps in and gives his all when he commits to something and he had decided it was time for a break. That break was short lived. He was asked to come in for an audition.

Tomlinson explained his reasoning for casting him, “Gary showed potential in both singing and acting at his audition, and has a raw edge that suits Jud. His dedication to everything else he has worked on made me confident he would work hard on the role. Turns out it was true.”

Once Deas joined the cast, Forbes was not the only one watching Tomlinson direct. Deas assistant directed this year’s Animal Farm under Barnes in preparation to direct Boeing Boeing this spring.

“I watched all the actors and how they interacted with each other and John And listened to what they had to say after he was not around. I also asked him why he did things the way he did for Oklahoma! and what he thought about some of my ideas.”

Barnes, who has participated in several directors workshops with Tomlinson, had this to say about him, “John comes with an extensive background and is also a very talented performer. He has a firm grasp on the story we are trying to tell, but at the same time allows for individual character development and is open to the actors’ interpretation of their character. He shows a trust in the performers, that we are all united under the same goal which is to be the modern storytellers, transporting the audience and helping them leave with a sense of a real experience.”

Tomlinson pointed out, “The beauty of this play is what is says about community, friendship and making the most of your circumstances. Claremore, Oklahoma is not entirely unlike many rural Northern California towns. We rise to the occasion in hard times, and we come together in order to thrive.”

Audience reaction to this show has been very positive. The cast has received multiple standing ovations over the last two weeks. And, ticket sales reflect just how well the story the actors and the director are trying to tell has been received.

If you would like to see this joint production between the Lake County Theatre Co. and the Mendocino College Lake Center consider getting your tickets in advance.

The show runs Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. through Nov. 11 at the Soper-Reese Theatre in Lakeport.

Tickets are $22 and $17 in advance or $27 and $22 at the door and can be purchased at http://www.soperreesetheatre.com/ or via box office phone at 707 263-0577.

For more information please visit www.lctc.us.