Good Company Theatre presents its first in-person, indoor production since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the World Premiere of the comedic play Fremont Junior High is NOT Doing Oklahoma!
The Drama Club Council at Fremont Junior High School is serious business. Endearing know-it-all Chrysanthemum is the President this semester. That means he’s in charge of announcing the school’s spring musical which is…Oklahoma! His best friend and coloratura Soprano, Phylicia, is guaranteed the lead. Or is she? The council is divided over whether or not to do this musical in this cultural climate. What will they do?
“Fremont Junior High is NOT Doing Oklahoma! is truly funny,” says Good Company Theatre Co-Director Alicia Washington. “We are excited that our return to indoor theatre is filled with laughs.”
“After the uncertainty of 2020 it’s nice to get back to what GCT does with a play like Fremont Junior High,” reflects Co-Director Camille Washington. “The show is quippy and hysterical but also touches on contemporary issues like equality and representation.”
The play is directed by Penelope Marantz-Caywood, who is the Director of Youth Theatre at the University of Utah. It stars Joseph Paul Branca (Pete the Cat, Saturday’s Voyeur) as Chrysanthemum, Alvaro Cortez (A Streetcar Named Desire, West Side Story) as Travis, Scotty Fletcher (She Kills Monsters, Mama Mia) as Zac, Talia Heiss (The Night Witches, Dracula, The Musical) as Phylicia, Alec Kalled (The Whale, The Real Thing), and Zaza Vandyke (Greif Circus) as Alexy. Please refer to our website for the actors’ preferred pronouns.
Fremont Junior High is NOT Doing Oklahoma! is a World Premiere written by Paul Michael Thomson. He is a Chicago-based theatre artist and interdisciplinary scholar whose plays have been produced by Avalanche Theatre, The Impostors Theatre Co., and The Story Theatre, of which he is a founding member. Paul Michael graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arizona, earning a BFA in Acting, a BA in Africana Studies, and is currently pursuing his PhD in Afro-American Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has trained as a playwright under Elaine Romero, Chicago Dramatists, and the Ensemble Studio Theatre.
The play runs 90 minutes. While it features junior high school aged characters, the show has strong language throughout. Discretion is advised for audiences under age 13. Tickets are $25 online at goodcotheatre.com or at the box office 30 minutes before showtimes. Patrons are required to wear protective face masks while at Good Company Theatre, including throughout performances and in all common areas.
Fremont Junior High is NOT Doing Oklahoma! runs September 16 – October 3, 2021, Fridays-Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 4:00pm. ASL performance September 25. Doors open 30 minutes before the beginning of the show. Good Company Theatre is located at 2404 Wall Avenue, Ogden, Utah, 84401. General questions can be asked via phone at 801-917-4969 or via email at info@goodcotheatre.com.
Produced with the generous support of Weber County RAMP, Utah Division of Arts and Museums, National Endowment for the Arts, and Ogden City Arts.