Life and art

Theatre Pops tackles its most ambitious production to date with “August: Osage County”

Meghan Hurley didn’t know what she was getting into when she casually suggested during a brainstorming session that “August: Osage County” should be the next production for local drama company Theatre Pops. She hadn’t seen or read the play (nor seen the 2013 film adaptation), but she knew its reputation and was aware of its Oklahoma roots. 

“I said, ‘We should do “August: Osage County,” nobody else (local) has done it yet!’” Hurley said. “Then I read it and was like, ‘Oh…’”

The Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Green Country native Tracy Letts is an emotionally sprawling three-hour ensemble featuring 13 characters interacting on a multi-level set. Based on the contentious relationship between Letts’ mother (late author Billie Letts) and grandmother, it tells the story of the Weston clan, a dysfunctional, fragmented Oklahoma family forced to reunite at the family home outside Pawhuska after the disappearance of its patriarch, Beverly Weston.  The profane, acerbic script vacillates between comedy and tragedy, with meaty, challenging characters prone to colloquial digression.

Hurley, a Theatre Pops board member since 2013 and event planner by day, immediately saw both the challenges and rewards of mounting such an ambitious production. She convinced Pops President Randy Whalen that they could pull it off. Whalen responded by offering Hurley the role of director, which she accepted. That was nearly a year ago. 

Casting began over the summer; rehearsals were in full gear by fall.  “It went from, ‘Oh, this sounds great,’ to ‘Oh my god, this is really happening,’” Hurley said.

“With a three hour show, there are so many things to consider.  How do we transition back and forth so quickly from a moment of humor to screaming at one another and keep those levels true while staying on pace?  How do we navigate this amazing set?  It’s a three-story house in the Doenges Theatre, a black box made for smaller shows, and it truly works.”  

Hurley tapped veteran Theatre Pops thesp Lisa Wilson to lead the cast as Violet Weston (previously portrayed by Estelle Parsons on Broadway and Meryl Streep in the film), the pill-popping, pot-stirring wife of Beverly and matriarch of the family. Rounding out the cast is a mixture of new and veteran Tulsa talent, including Angie Devore-Green, Liz Masters, Craig Walter, George Nelson, Sterling McHan, Angela Adams, Leslie Long, John Cruncleton III, Chris Williams, Shanna Postoak and Tony Shanks. 

Whalen—the protective, reassuring leader of Theatre Pops for 25 years—passed away in November. He was loved and trusted by his company and his death cast a mournful pall over the initial stages of the production. 

“His absence is very tangible,” Hurley said. “He was basically the patriarch of Theatre Pops. You feel it, that he isn’t here. It shifted a lot of things in the initial stages of rehearsals.” 

As opening night at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center looms, Hurley is spending every spare moment monitoring the play’s moving parts—from performance rehearsals to set construction and sound design—confident that when the curtain goes up, the cast and crew will be ready.

“We just want Tulsa to be proud of this production,” she said. “There is no amount of kudos that would be better than that. We were really excited to see how enthusiastic people were about this show—not just in Tulsa, but all over Oklahoma. The cast is constantly saying how they wish Randy could see this. 

“I want Randy to be proud of this production, and I think he is.”

"August: Osage County" runs Jan. 8-18 at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.

For more on "August: Osage County," read Jeff Martin's OKcool story on the Letts family. Want more stories from Josh? Check out his Best of TV 2014 recap and his feature on Okie garage punk darlings Broncho.