OHS Theatre Director Discusses Alumni Production Of COMPANY

Tomorrow night, over 60 Oxford High School Theatre Program alumni will take the stage to perform Stephen Sondheim’s COMPANY in the Kayla Sue Mize Auditorium, which is located at Oxford Middle School. The cast is currently in the middle of an all-hands-on-deck rehearsal to get ready for tomorrow’s performance. With just two days of rehearsal time, OHS Theatre Program Director John Davenport spoke to HottyToddy.com during a quick break to discuss the challenges they face in preparing for the show. 

Eli Williams is playing the lead role of Bobby in the play. Williams is an Oxford native currently living in Toronto. Williams graduated from Oxford High in 2010 and spent time acting in both New York City and Chicago before moving to Toronto. Williams spoke about how much fun it has been to be back in Oxford alongside fellow alumni. 

Event organizers say the homecoming performance demonstrates the impact that the Oxford High School program has made in the lives of theatre program alumni. 
“There are theatre alumni traveling to Oxford who are coming in from all over — Canada and other parts of the nation from the east coast to the west coast — to be a part of this production,” Davenport said. “When we came up with this idea and threw it out there, everyone jumped on board; everyone wanted to be a part of it and help out in some way.”
Davenport adds that the theatre program alumni feel it is a way that they are helping pay it forward for current Oxford High School students involved in the theatre program. All proceeds from the production benefit the current group of students performing at the International FRINGE Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. 
COMPANY will be performed at 7:30 p.m. in Kayla Sue Mize Auditorium, which is located on the Oxford Middle School campus at 222 Bramlett Boulevard in Oxford. Tickets are $15 in advance, which can be purchased online at www.oxfordsd.org/theatre, or $20 at the door. All seats are general admission. 

---

Steven Gagliano is the managing editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at steven.gagliano@hottytoddy.com. 
Follow HottyToddy.com on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat @hottytoddynews. Like its Facebook page: If You Love Oxford and Ole Miss…