The Legendary Annie Oakley
Great Northern Theatre Company presents the great Broadway show Annie Get Your Gun based on the life of Phoebe Ann Mosey. She was born in a log cabin in 1860 in Ohio. She fired her first shot at the age of 8 and by age 12 was the chief provider for her large family by selling wild game to a Cincinnati hotel owner.
The fame of this amazing little shooter exploded throughout Ohio and the mid-west when she defeated Frank Butler, vaudeville's champion marksman and trick shot. They married a year later and were brought to the attention of the genius manager of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. She changed her name to Oakley in honor of a friend from Ohio.
Touring Europe with the Wild West Show in 1887, Annie twice gave private demonstrations for Queen Victoria, defeated Grand Duke Michael of Russia in a match arranged by the Prince of Wales, and in Berlin shot a cigarette from the lips of Kaiser Wilhelm. After a tragic train accident, Annie retired from the Wild West Show in 1901. She starred in a Broadway play, THE WESTERN GIRL, in 1902 and '03 and continued to perform at charity events—Annie Oakley never refused a Charity request if the beneficiaries were orphaned girls, deserving young women, or actors.
Annie Oakley's feats as a sharpshooter are legendary. At thirty paces she shot a dime from between her husband's thumb and forefinger with a .22 rifle and with this weapon could hit two-inch flying balls by sighting them in the shiny surface of a bowie knife. Once she hit 943 out of 1000 flying balls in a rapid fire demonstration and, at the age of 56, using three double-barreled guns, punctured in midair six balls sprung from as many traps. Her prowess was immortalized in the lingo of Broadway when, in the pre-computerized days of hard tickets that were collected at the door and sorted to count the number of audience members, complimentary tickets were identified by the holes punched in them. They were called "Annie Oaklies" since they duplicated the holes Annie shot in flying playing cards.
Annie Oakley died in Greenville, Ohio on November 3, 1926. Frank Butler died eighteen days later and are buried side-by-side in Brock Cemetery, just a few miles from her birthplace.
GNTC will hit the bullseye when it presents the music of Irving Berlin in the musical Annie Get Your Gun for 6 evening performances August 9-11th and August 15-17th at 7:30pm and one matinee on Sunday, August 12th at 2pm in the newly air-conditioned Glanville Smith Auditorium.. The box office in front of the auditorium at Rocori High School opens TODAY July 17th for you to purchase your tickets in person and will be open Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 – 8:30pm thru August 7th. Visit our website – gntc1.com – for all of the details about the show and to print a ticket order form to mail in. Get your tickets now because, as Annie Oakley quickly learned, there’s no business like show business!
Cast of Characters
Annie Oakley, Kristen Loecken (Freeport)
Jessie, Lauren Davis (Cold Spring)
Nellie, Aedyn Colville (Kimball)
Little Jake, Dean Rothstein (Cold Spring)
Little Johnnie, Jonathon Loecken (Freeport)
Frank Butler, David Stoner (St. Cloud)
Buffalo Bill Cody, Marvin Rothstein (Cold Spring)
Dolly Tate, Brenda Brown (Cold Spring)
Winnie Tate, Kelly Davis (Cold Spring)
Tommy Keeler, Chris Groth (Rockville)
Charlie Davenport, Brad Busse (St. Joseph)
Mae Wilson, Joan Anderson (Cold Spring)
Mac, Trever Theis (Cold Spring)
Chief Sitting Bull, Ron Woods (Cold Spring)
Mrs. Sylvia Potter-Porter, Janet Aaseth (Cold Spring)
Mrs. Schuyler Adams, Leigh Ann Davis (Cold Spring)
and a chorus of Circus Performers, Kings & Queens, Debutantes and Dancers, Cowboys and Indians: Matt Anderson, Anne Benson, Nicholas Benson, Alyssa Brown, Hailey Bzdock, Amanda Culver, Carla Durand, Jim Dwyer, Bethanne Holthaus, Paul Houston, Jaylyn Jacobs, Patricia Loecken, Chelsey Maus, Melissa Nierenhausen, Andrea Rothstein, Maria Rothstein, Megan Schlangen, Austin Stang, Kevin Symanietz, Kenzie Traurig, Brittany Waletzko, Ellie Wigham, and Wendi Wigham.
CREATIVE TEAM: Vicki Meyer, Leigh Ann Davis, Janet Aaseth, Tim Jarnot, Craig Kimmerle, Stephanie Schramel, Justine Schramel, Kasi Stein, Ron Woods, Gayle Kinzer, Lois Rieffer, Gregg Davis, Bernie Motzko, Kay Coapstick, Karla Reichel, Jen Dwyer, Val Hollermann.
Pit Orchestra: Jeanie Schoephoerster, Cecillia Diffley, Rachel Masters, Eric Wehrs, John D. Johnson, Mary Beth Kulander, Jon Wittgraf, Val Hollermann, Dick Lane, Willy Weldon, Kim Jones, Eric Wigham, Craig Kimmerle.
“This activity is funded, in part, by a grant from the Central MN Arts Board, through appropriations from the MN State Legislature with money from the state’s general fund, and its arts & cultural heritage fund that was created by a vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.”
Show Times: