The UAFS Academy of the Arts will perform the celebrated musical “Annie Get Your Gun”
on Nov. 9 and 10 at the Breedlove Auditorium, the second theatrical production in
the Academy’s On Stage series.
The Xtreme Teenz production will have three showings: two at 2 and 7 p.m. on Nov. 9 and one at 2 p.m. on Nov. 10. Tickets cost $12 for adults and $8 for children 10 and under.
“Annie Get Your Gun” tells a fictionalized version of the story of Annie Oakley, the famous sharpshooter who appeared in “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show” and who was romantically involved with fellow marksman Frank Butler.
Director Shannon Stoddard of Fort Smith said the show will be “hilarious” and rife with situational humor.
“Annie Oakley is a very country girl who hasn’t been around civilized people, but when she meets Frank Butler she melts and wants to do everything it takes to fit into his life,” she said. “Then you have Dolly Tate, who is stuck up and very over-the-top, and she wants her baby sister Winnie to have nothing to do with Tommy Keeler, the Indian man she’s in love with.”
Dolly also gets herself involved in a love triangle, where she finds her love is unrequited.
“Dolly thinks there is some great love connection between her and Frank Butler, but Frank wants nothing to do with her and is much more interested in Annie,” Stoddard said. “All of my actors do a great job at portraying each of these lovable characters.”
The performance, which is estimated to run for two and a half hours, includes familiar songs such as “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and “Anything You Can Do.”
Stoddard said she has been impressed by the talent of her cast.
“This is one of my favorite groups of students to work with. They’re old enough to really understand theatre, and the results are always phenomenal,” she said. “They are a great group of actors, and I see amazing things in their future.”
Serai Dees of Muldrow, Okla., who is playing Annie Oakley, is “very excited to be in the production.”
“The people are amazing, the script is super funny, and the music just makes you want to get up and do a jazz square,” she said.
Dr. Rosilee Russell of Fort Smith, executive director of the Academy of the Arts, said the Xtreme Teenz theatre company will “put on an amazing show.”
“The company has a talented group of young people,” she said.
The cast and crew include:
Barling: Carly Austin.
Booneville: MacKayla Burke.
Charleston: ShaLee Rose Jackson.
Fort Smith: Kariman Alsein, Blake Bulger, Hailey Douglas, Casey Goodson, Brigitte Koprovic, Hannah Pair, Derrick J. Rassiner, Adyn Rink, Francesca Rossi, Zach Ruple, Zinnia Smith, Annalise Worgan, Shannon Stoddard, Sheila Mann, Jennifer Woodside Anderson, Lindsay Hobbs, and Zack Hiatt.
Greenwood: Zachary Rylee.
Hackett: Abby Olivia Williams.
Muldrow, Okla.: Serai Dees, Alana Matheny, and Rhianna Pierce.
Spiro, Okla.: Cassidy Stout.
The performance is part of the Academy of the Arts’ On Stage series, which includes other productions such as “Disney’s Aladdin KIDS,” “The Little Mermaid JR” and “Shrek the Musical.” The On Stage series has a total of 12 events featuring young and seasoned performers in musical and theatrical productions.
For tickets, contact the UAFS Box Office at 479-788-7300 or visit . For more information on the Academy, call 479-788-7253.