The NHS production of Rogers and Hammerstein's first musical is Thursday

Thanks to a special guest, more than wind is expected to come sweeping down the stage when Newberg High School presents “Oklahoma!” for six shows over the next two weeks, beginning Thursday.

That’s because drama teacher Hendrea Ferguson has enlisted the help of a live horse for the production.

“She’s just kind of the fun cherry on top at the end,” junior Elise McConnaughey said. “I think the audience is really going to love her. It’s really special to have her in the show.”

The cast has found that Dixie, who was lent to the production by NHS theater clan the Lampings, has been a joy to work with.

“It doesn’t get spooked out a lot by the actors, which is nice,” student director CJ Koch said. “The first day that we had the horse come on, it actually bowed for us, which was really fun to see.”

This the first major production for Koch, who directed a small piece during Newberg’s annual tournament of plays, which has been particularly challenging considering he has never acted in a musical.

Tackling the dancing with such a large cast has been particularly challenging, but Koch said he has enjoyed the experience, especially the energy of the actors.

“It’s hard to get everyone at the same time doing the exact same thing, but they’ve done a really nice job with it,” the senior said. “They’ve got it all together and it’s looking really nice right now.”

Sharing the stage with so many other people has also been an adjustment for the cast, but it also brings its advantages.

“On the flipside of that, it’s such a blessing because it’s so many other people going through the exact same experience as you or a really similar one,” said McConnaughey, who is splitting the role of Laurey with sophomore Kendelyn Thomas. “So we can all very easily support each other.”

Having participated as a freshman in a small production for elementary school students that featured a miniature pony, Thomas knows from experience that it can be quite fun to work with animals, but for her, it really comes down to the people. This production has certainly lived up to the billing on that front, she said.

“It’s such a joy to get up and act and participate with the people we do,” Thomas said. “I know I wouldn’t do as well if it wasn’t for them. That’s definitely one of the bigger parts. It’s also performing. We all have a love for performing, so that’s just a perk.”

Senior Isaac Boyd, who is sharing the role of Curly with junior Travis Cox, said that things have really begun to fall into place as opening day began to approach over the last 10 days.

He credits Ferguson for having a special knack for choruses, which in turn are the key to the quality of Newberg’s musicals over the years. He also noted that the pit orchestra has done a wonderful job catching up after there was a delay in getting the music for the production.

“They bring the whole play together,” Boyd said of the chorus. “Without them reacting and doing their thing, the whole musical doesn’t make sense. We’re blessed again with a wonderful chorus.”

For Boyd, playing Curly has forced him to construct a strong barrier between the character and himself.

“I had to create a completely different set of thoughts,” Boyd said. “Isaac is hiding in the corner while Curly is on stage. That was really challenging because I’ve only gone this deep with a character once before and that was during ‘Fiddler on the Roof.’”

Rounding out the cast will be senior Katie Husvar and sophomore Amy Lowe as Aunt Eller, seniors Hannah Dotson and Hannah Lindsay as Ado Annie, and senior Cole Aldred and junior Alex Fofous as Will Parker.

All performances, Thursday, Friday and Saturday this weekend and Nov. 13-15, will begin at 7 p.m.

With such a robust and fun musical, the energy of the cast has also begun to build and promises to crescendo when the seats are finally filled.

Boyd said, “I can’t wait to have a real audience because the energy you get from a real audience is cosmic.”

Written by: Seth Gordon