Session Two of The Hanover Theatre Conservatory’s Teen Youth Summer Program (YSP) presented Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! on Friday August 13 (7pm) and Saturday August 14 (2pm & 7pm). The cast included Hopedale resident: Samantha Madigan, 16 (Laurey Williams).

Oklahoma!, the first groundbreaking collaboration of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s, remains, in many ways, their most innovative, setting the standards and rules of modern musical theatre. In a Western territory just after the turn of the 20th century, a high-spirited rivalry between local farmers and cowboys provides a colorful background for Curly, a charming cowboy, and Laurey, a feisty farm girl, to play out their love story. Their romantic journey, as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road, contrasts with the comic exploits of brazen Ado Annie and hapless Will Parker in a musical adventure embracing hope, determination and the promise of a new land.

Now in its 13th year, the Teen Youth Summer Program is designed for students seeking a pre-professional experience.  Teens attend daily morning classes focusing on music, drama and dance, as well as afternoon rehearsals for the final production. You can see these young stars shine in Oklahoma!, which will be the first musical performed on the theatre’s mainstage since March of 2020.

About The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts

The Hanover Theatre has entertained more than two million patrons with world-class performances and headlining acts including Broadway hits (“Jersey Boys,” “Kinky Boots,” “Something Rotten!”), comedians (Dave Chappelle, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld), musical acts (Neil Young, Aretha Franklin, John Legend, Tony Bennett) and everything in between (“A Christmas Carol,” Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Alton Brown, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson). POLLSTAR consistently ranks The Hanover Theatre as one of the top theatres in the world. After 12 seasons, the award-winning, historic theatre continues to establish its place as a world-class performing arts venue, acting as a catalyst for the economic development of downtown Worcester. The Hanover Theatre’s facilities at 551 Main Street house function spaces, offices and The Hanover Theatre Conservatory.

Worcester Center for Performing Arts, a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, owns and operates The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts.  All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.