Oklahoma Christian Students Prepare for the Homecoming Musical

A well known and loved aspect of Oklahoma Christian University’s fall semester is the annual homecoming musical. This year, the musical is Brigadoon. The Talon interviewed several students involved to get an inside look at the upcoming show.

Cayden Cole, a freshman, is playing Jeff Douglas.

“Jeff is the comedic relief, sidekick and best friend to the main character,” Cole said. “He has a bit of a superiority complex. He’s very sarcastic.”

Cole said he has had fun playing his character thanks to the role’s humorous nature. 

“I don’t have to think hard about what this character is feeling in the moment because I just think about how I would feel in that moment,” Cole said. “He goes through some really strong emotions, which is really fun to play. But for the most part, he’s just kind of a sarcastic pessimist, which is fun.” 

Cole said his favorite part of production is what goes on behind the scenes. 

“The sense of community there is really great. It’s just a really fun group of people to be involved with and a lot of really, really talented individuals,” Cole said. “I feel like I’ve grown a lot.”

Cole said he is most excited for the audience to experience the twists and turns of the story. 

“I’m really excited for them to see this story play out because it’s a story not a lot of people have seen or even heard of. I think it’s a really interesting sort of story,” Cole said. “At the start, it seems kind of cookie cutter, but then the plot develops. There’s some really interesting twists and turns the plot takes towards the latter end.”

Ben King, a senior, is playing Mr. Lundie, the village schoolmaster.

“I am this mysterious old man. For a large portion of the first act, you don’t even hear from me. Eventually, you actually get to meet me and learn a bit of the secrets of the town of Brigadoon,” King said. 

Unlike Cole, King has to be more intentional as he steps into Mr. Lundie’s role. 

“I mentally slow down. If I’m an old man, I’m not thinking through everything super fast. I’m not super hyper energetic. I usually tend to be the person with a very big personality on stage,” King said. “Last year, I was an Oompa Loompa. That [role] is just not Mr. Lundie. Mr. Lundie is a little bit more subdued. He’s a more logical thinker.”

King echoed Cole’s sense of community with the cast. 

“This year, we have a very big cast. I’ve gotten to meet a lot of people. But everyone has kind of found their people. I think that’s really nice,” King said, “I’ve loved the new energy a lot of the freshmen have brought in, they’ve been really great.”

King offered a synopsis of the Brigadoon plot.

“There’s two guys from America and they’ve kind of become dissatisfied with their lives. One of the guys is engaged but he doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere. He’s not so sure about his feelings, and so he’s decided to go off on a hunting trip to Scotland,” King said. “While they’re in Scotland, they find this mysterious village that just appears in the midst. They meet all these colorful people. The main guy, who was so dissatisfied with his life, finds this beautiful girl in the town, and they start to fall for each other.” 

King said the scene he is most excited for the audience to see involves Cole’s character, Jeff. 

“It’s going to be really fun for people to see the scene with Jeff and Meg, and you’ll know it when you see it,” King said. “There’s a little bit of risque action and some fun, flirty times in that scene; I’m excited to see how people react.” 

Sophomore Ashlyn Karguth is playing clarinet for Brigadoon. 

“I decided to participate in Brigadoon because I wanted the experience. I’ve never been in a pit orchestra before,” Karguth said. 

Karguth has put a lot of work into this performance, preparing herself individually in addition to practicing with the rest of the orchestra.  

“I’ve spent lots of time alone in a practice room and listening to the soundtrack,” Karguth said.

Karguth said she is most excited for the audiences to see the dances.

“I don’t know what the dances look like since I’m down in the pit, but they sound interesting,” Karguth said.

Karguth gave her perspective on the plot of the musical.

“All I know is, it’s about Scottish people who fall in love faster than a first semester freshman couple,” Karguth said.
Brigadoon will be performed three times throughout Homecoming week: Thursday Nov. 3, Friday Nov. 4 and Saturday Nov. 5. Each show begins at 7:30p.m. Thursday night is free for faculty and students. Tickets can be purchased here.