Ticket sales begin Feb. 1 for “Classics of Rodgers & Hammerstein,” a Will Rogers Stage Foundation benefit concert that will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 26 at the Will Rogers High School Auditorium, 3909 E. Fifth Place.
Songs will be performed from six Rodgers and Hammerstein shows — “Oklahoma!,” “Carousel,” “The Sound of Music,” “South Pacific,” “The King and I” and “State Fair.”
The event will feature conductor Brad Henderson and soloists Kelly Ford, Susannah Brooks, Cathy Venable and Elliott Wulff.
Tickets, sold online only, can be purchased at willrogersstage.com.
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Dick Risk, founder and president of Will Rogers Stage Foundation Inc., said the idea to form an entity to bring professional entertainment to the school came out of a 2016 conversation with principal Nikki Dennis.
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The public could not experience the splendor of the school’s art deco architecture since campuses in general were closed for security reasons, including the Will Rogers campus. The exceptions were a few scheduled guided tours and athletic events.
Risk said they concluded professional entertainment shows in the auditorium would be a draw — not only opening it to the general public on those occasions, but also raising the stature of the school in the community. The earnings of these events benefit the school.
Under the auspices of the Will Rogers High School Community Foundation, Risk brought the Kingston Trio to Will Rogers twice in 2016. Since then, in collaboration with Teresa Knox and the Church Studio (once owned by 1959 Will Rogers alum Leon Russell) and with help from many volunteers, Risk produced 2019 and 2022 tribute concerts to Russell’s career.
The Will Rogers Stage Foundation, a separate entity from the Will Rogers High School Community Foundation, was formed in May 2022 to present professional entertainment events in the auditorium.
Jimmie Tramel
Scene Writer
I cover pop culture and work as a feature writer at the Tulsa World. A former Oklahoma sports writer of the year, I have written books about former OU coach Barry Switzer and former OSU coach Pat Jones. Phone: 918-581-8389
