OBU Theatre to Present Award-Nominated Musical Dreamers at Regional Festival

February 17, 2025

OBU’s Theatre Department is set to bring its acclaimed production, Dreamers: A Depression-Era Musical Fairytale, back to the stage before taking it on the road to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region 6 Conference.

The musical, with book, music, and lyrics by OBU creative writing major and theatre minor Elena Streett, will be performed at OBU’s Sarkeys Black Box Theatre on Feb. 20-21 at 7:30 p.m. before a special showcase at the KCACTF Region 6 Conference in Abilene, Texas, on Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. in the Abilene Convention Center.

Admission to the OBU performances is donation-based, with all proceeds supporting student food costs at the festival.

Set in a rural farming community in 1930s Oklahoma, Dreamers follows Myrtle, an independent and romantic young woman who meets a drifter named Max, making choices that drastically alter her future. Five years later, she returns home to reconcile with her family and face her past.

Stage Director John Dement expressed excitement about the opportunity to share Dreamers with a wider audience.

“Being invited to perform Dreamers at the KCACTF Region 6 Conference is such a tremendous opportunity,” Dement said. “As a faculty member and as the stage director for this ensemble of creative performers, I am thrilled they will be performing for an audience that includes faculty, staff, and students from Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. We’re incredibly proud that Dreamers is the work of one of our own students. This is an honor, and I know our cast and crew will make OBU proud.”

Music Director C. Alex Webster, who has worked with Streett on Dreamers for over two years, emphasized the significance of presenting an original musical at this level.

“The privilege of developing and presenting a fully supported new work at the collegiate level is already an incredible feat,” Webster said. “But getting a full set of performances, receiving incredible feedback from KCACTF, and an opportunity to re-mount the show with updates, adjustments, and new orchestrations is certainly a dream. Dreamers is a show of love, loss, and finding your way in young adulthood, a story that speaks to audiences of all backgrounds and ages.”

For Streett, seeing Dreamers evolve from a personal project to a regional festival selection has been an emotional journey.

“When I began working on Dreamers in October 2020, I never imagined it could come this far,” she said. “At its core, the play is about people struggling with loneliness and their need for connection, which I think is just as relevant now as it was during lockdown. From the first staged reading in February 2023 to now, Alex Webster and John Dement have been patient, insightful mentors to me. It is an honor to have my work performed at KCACTF Region 6.”

Several members of the original Dreamers cast are reprising their roles for the KCACTF performance, including Madeline Carlson, a sophomore biblical languages major with a biblical studies minor, as Diana and Cole Green, a sophomore business management major, as Max.

“I absolutely love Diana, and getting to revisit her feels like putting on an old, favorite coat,” Carlson said. “I’m excited to make my portrayal of her even more authentic.”

Green echoed similar sentiments.

“I love being able to revisit this work with fresh eyes,” he said. “This show has stretched me as an actor and vocalist, and I’m blessed to take on this challenge alongside such an incredible community.”

The cast also includes Abby Zang, a sophomore theatre major, who portrays young Myrtle Greene, while Streett, a junior creative writing major with a theatre minor, steps into the role of Myrtle Greene. Jubal Nelson, a senior computer science major with a minor in math, is cast as Frank Campbell, and Sally Greene is portrayed by Sierra Graham, a junior student ministry major with a theatre minor.

The cast also includes Zackary Dickens, a community member, as Mr. Greene, Garrett Wheeler, a community member, as Mr. Campbell, and Grace Carleton, a freshman theatre major, in the ensemble.

The production team includes Dement as the stage director; Webster as music director; Drew Rohrbach as stage manager; Josie Watson, as props assistant and marketing manager; Brianna Arledge as costume assistant; and Joshua Wideman as house and box office manager.

Dreamers runs approximately two hours, including a 10-minute intermission, and is most appreciated by audiences ages 13 and up.

For more information, contact Watson, the public relations manager, at josie.watson@okbu.edu.