In this behind-the scenes video, hear from DCPA Theatre Company Artistic Director Chris Coleman and his creative team about setting Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical Oklahoma! in a historically correct African-American town.

You’ll see how Scenic Director Wilson Chin conceived his stunning sky and clouds and how Choreographer Dominique Kelley went through casting the show with curvy women, stocky men and actors of differing shades of skin. “Dancers are athletes but they are artists first,” Kelley says. What does this century-old story tell us about who we are today? Watch and learn.

Oklahoma! continues in the DCPA’s Stage Theatre through October 14. Video by DCPA Video Producer David Lenk and Senior Arts Journalist John Moore.

Oklahoma! Ticket information

• Written by: Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics). Based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs. Original Dances by Agnes de Mille
• Dates: Through October 14
• Where: Stage Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex
• Information: Call 303-893-4100 or BUY ONLINE
• Groups: Call 800-641-1222

More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter