University of Colorado Boulder Eklund Opera & Musical Theatre’s Spring 2026 production of…
OKLAHOMA!
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Carpenter & Deck/Rail Crew
Director — Nathan Halvorson
Assistant Director — Izzy Bodley
Music Director — Nicholas Carthy
Choreography — Justin Boccitto
Scenic Design — Peter Dean Beck
Costume Coordinator — Ann Piano
Lighting Design — Jonathan Spencer
Sound Design — Dan Sjaastad
Hair/Wig and Makeup Design — Jason Estrada
Props Design — Jenn Melcher Galvin
Production Director — Ron Mueller
Technical Director — Jeff Rusnak
Fight Director — Carrie Colton
Intimacy Director — Ellie Griffin
Program Manager — Christie Conover
Production Stage Manager — Lexi Holtzer
Deck Stage Manager — Joseph Whitney
Assistant Stage Manager — Camden Hornor
Sound Assistant Stage Manager — Courtney Sjaastad
Photos — Bennet Forsyth
Build Process
The build for Oklahoma!, although having the visual appearance of wood, involved a lot of wood-clad open metal frames, as well as regular wooden construction methods. I did a lot of rustic carpentry, intentionally using the poorer sides of plywood and ripping boards with a circular saw instead of the table saw to achieve the "rustic farmhouse" effect, but also did some detailed finish carpentry, making windows and shutters with hundreds of half-lap joints and lots of trim work. In addition to building the show, I ran the show as deck crew and operated both single-purchase counterweight and hemp lines.
