Liesbeth Powers/Inland 360
In the foreground, Emily Raasch, playing Aunt Eller, and Min Lee, as Andrew Carnes, sing “The Farmer And The Cowman,” during a Troy Community Theatre rehearsal of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” on Monday at Troy City Park.
TROY — They say a story is only as good as its villain, so Kenn Wheeler knew he was onto something when he met a young actor with the voice and chops to play the iconic antagonist from “Oklahoma!”
Gage Sattler, 17, appears as Jud Fry in Troy Community Theatre’s production of the classic musical, opening Wednesday for a four-night run at Troy City Park.
Wheeler, an associate professor of theater at Eastern Oregon University in LaGrande, returned this summer for his second stint with the rural theater company after directing last year’s “Cinderella,” during which he met Sattler, a Deary homeschooler, student at Emily Raasch Voice & Piano Studio in Troy — and natural bass.
Sattler competed in June as a semifinalist in the National Association of Teachers of Singing National Student Auditions in Knoxville, Tenn., where he ranked among the country’s top 15 singers in musical theater and classical music.
Now, he’s tackling the role Wheeler envisioned for him.
“Rodgers and Hammerstein made him into a real villain,” Wheeler said, of Fry. “You want your actor to explore why he’s that way, but ultimately he’s motivated by some pretty dark desires. And you’ve gotta see that onstage.”
Liesbeth Powers/Inland 360
Britton Tunnell, as Laurey Williams, reaches for Sean McShane, center, as Curly McClain, as he aims a gun at Gage Sattler, as Jud Fry, in a dream sequence of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s "Oklahoma!" on Monday. The Troy Community Theater rehearsed the play at the Troy City Park Gazebo in preparation of their performances next week.
Fry, of course, is just one character in a widely recognizable list of more upbeat personalities that make up Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first musical. Set in Oklahoma Territory in 1906, it’s a love story that explores conflict, including competition for the land between “The Farmer and the Cowman” (one of the show’s many enduring songs) and the rivalry between cowboy Curly McLain (played by Sean McShane) and hired hand Fry over love interest Laurey Williams (played by Britton Tunnell).
The show’s youthful cast is primarily made up of high school- and college-age actors from Troy and nearby small towns such as Deary, Genesee and Potlatch.
Choreographer Abigail Shown lives and works in New York City, but she grew up here, graduating from Troy High School in 2011. Her mother, Emily Raasch, is the artistic director for the Troy Arts Council, which operates Troy Community Theatre.
Together with Wheeler and m usic director Kaitlyn Atchison (a Moscow resident with a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Idaho), Shown works to further the company’s mission of bringing theater education and live performances to rural Idaho.
Liesbeth Powers/Inland 360
Members of the women’s ensemble sing to Tunnell, front left, playing Laurey Williams, before she falls into a deep sleep.
Staging “Oklahoma!” provides ample opportunity for developing vocal skills — and also dance skills.
It was the first musical in theater history to use dance to further the storyline, Shown said, including choreographer Agnes de Mille’s legendary “dream ballet” sequence.
“So there’s a ridiculous amount of dancing,” she said, noting just two in the cast of 22 came to the production with formal dance training.
The show is staged outdoors, in Troy City Park’s gazebo, and this production will benefit from new microphones and lights, purchased with a $15,000 grant from the Troy Recreation District, Wheeler said.
Set-building was led by Shown’s father, Kris Raasch, who “does some amazing stuff basically on a shoestring budget,” Wheeler said, with support from donors such as Moscow Building Supply.
“This community is such a giving community,” Shown said.
Stone (she/her) can be reached at mstone@inland360.com.
Liesbeth Powers/Inland 360
Josiah Rauch, left, plays peddler Ali Hakim, and Gage Sattler is Jud Fry in Troy Community Theatre's production of "Oklahoma!"
IF YOU GO
Troy Community Theatre’s “Oklahoma!”
When: 7 p.m. July 24, 8 p.m. July 25-27.
Where: Troy City Park gazebo, 100 State Highway 8.
Tickets: $15 (plus $2.75 fee) at troycom munitytheatre.com or $15 at the gate.
Of note: Bleacher seating will be offered, and audience members can bring blankets or low chairs for lawn seating. Concessions will be available for purchase.
