Oklahoma’s community theatres are nationally recognized as leaders and outstanding examples of excellence, as festival winners and original stages for the famous.

Stage, screen, and television have boasted numerous stars who first performed with community theatre groups in Oklahoma. Among them are:

  • Ron Young (Grove Community Playmakers)
  • Christian Kane (Norman, OK, appeared on ‘Leverage’, ‘The Librarians’ –  TNT)
  • Will Mann, (Okla. City Univ., Bobby in touring ‘MEMPHIS’)
  • James Marsden, (Okla. Stat Univ., Stillwater)
  • Kelli O’ Hara (Okla. City Univ.) Tony Winner
  • Whitney Cooper (Okla. City Univ, Ensemble touring ‘MEMPHIS’)
  • Kenna Michelle Morris (Okla. Univ., Asst. Dance Capt. touring ‘MEMPHIS’)
  • Megan Mallaly, OKC Casady graduate, OKC Ballet soloist, 4 SAG awards & 2 Emmys
  • Ed Harris (Jewel Box Theatre in OKC/University of Oklahoma)
  • Gary Busey (Town & Gown Theatre / Okla. State Univ., Stillwater)
  • Jeanne Tripplehorn (Theatre Tulsa)
  • Candace Earley, Rudy Ramos, Jim Fantone, & Phil Brock (Lawton Community Theater)
  • Tony-winner Kristin Chenoweth, Tony-nominee Lara Teeter, Jayne Jayroe, & Susan Powell (Okla.City Univ. / Lyric Theatre, OKC)
  • Susan Powell (as a 14-yr-old Eliza Doolittle, Red Carpet Community Theatre, Elk City)
  • Tim Sabourn and Nathan Smith (Stone Soup Theatre, Norman)
  • Mary Kay Place (Univ. of Tulsa)
  • Rex Linn (Okla. State Univ., Stillwater)
  • Bill Hader (Cascia Hall Prep School, Tulsa)
  • Wes Studi (Tulsa Jr. College & Tahlequah Univ.)

Special guest performers on community theatre stages have included:

  • Afre Woodard (Theatre North, Tulsa)
  • Carol Channing (Shawnee Little Theatre)
  • Linda Lavin (University of Tulsa)
  • Jo Ann Worley (Lyric Theatre, OKC)
  • Wes Studi (Tulsa Indian Actors’ Workshop)
  • Kelli O’ Hara (Lyric Theatre, OKC “Oklahoma”)
  • Chita Rivera (Lyric Theatre, OKC, summer 2012)

Theatre Tulsa (originally known as Tulsa Little Theatre):

  • is the oldest community theatre west of the Mississippi
  • is 7th oldest community theatre in the United States, organized in 1921
  • has won more national 1st place festival awards than any other theatre