SPOTLIGHT ON: Jared Weiss of Oklahomo!

Hey friends!

So, the final week of the festival is upon us, but that doesn’t mean we’re winding down yet! My show, Show Choir!, closed this past Monday and I can honestly say it was one of the greatest theatrical experiences I’ve ever had. Grateful. I’m also appearing in the NYMF concert If It Only Even Runs a Minute 4 tomorrow night at 7! Plus co-creators Kevin Michael Murphy and NYMF Associate Producer Jen Tepper are reuniting the team behind the 1975 musical Truckload at the 5th edition tomorrow at 9:30! I’m seriously tweaking out. Get your tickets while you can! NYMF just rocks so hardcore sometimes I can’t even deal.

Anyways, I digress. I thought it would be awesome to interview the ever-wonderful Jared Weiss of the NYMF @ NITE show, Oklahomo: The Adventures of Dave and Gary this week. Jared is ridiculously talented with a fantastic half-Jew ‘fro (see the picture located below if you do not believe me).

Q: Hey Jared! Tell all the readers out there what Oklahomo is about.

A: Oklahomo is a one-act rock musical by Jesse Gage (an insanely talented, straight up dude) about two gay guys from Oklahoma named Dave and Gary. Dave and Gary are very much in love, and want to be accepted for who they are, differences and all. Dave is bestowed with super powers while tripping out on acid at a Journey Concert and becomes OKLAHOMO—a superhero. Naturally, this jump-starts Dave and Gary’s journey to change the world. The show promotes gender equality without shoving it down your throat. Universal Love can be achieved if we accept and embrace each other’s differences. The message is simple: It all starts with love.

Q: That is a fantastic message. I wholeheartedly enjoy that. So who do you play?

A: I play Brady. I work at Spencer’s Gifts in the mall in Oklahoma. For reasons that will become clear when you see the show; Brady is required to impersonate a biblical figure. Which one? Well darling, you’ll just have to come down and see the show to find out.

Q: Have you ever been involved in a NYMF show before?

A: No I’ve never been involved with NYMF. A while back I heard that they slaughter kittens and turn them in to erasers, so I never got involved. Then I heard that was a lie and that NYMF actually loves kittens. Honestly though, NYMF is good people. They do a great job at promoting new work around the city. I’m very grateful for the opportunity.

Q: NYMF totally loves kittens! That eraser business is utter slander!  Now, Oklahomo is a NYMF @ NITE event, does that mean you’ve had less rehearsal time than a full production? What’s the process been like?

A: The rehearsal process has been just as involved and professional as any other I’ve been a part of. We’ve been hard at work rehearsing every night for the past three weeks. The show is shot out of a cannon, so there’s not a lot of time to stop and think about what comes next; especially for Dave and Gary leads, who are onstage for basically 90 minutes straight. The cast, crew and creative team are totally committed, amazingly talented and just bold enough to pull this thing off. I can’t say enough good things about everyone involved. Granted we only have three performances; but they are going to be three fucking Earth-Shattering Performances.

Q: Yes they are. Everyone should get there tickets NOW. Any funny anecdotes while working on the show that you’d like to share?

A: Funny Anecdote… Wow, I’ve got two words for you: Singing Labia. How do you pluralize labia?

Q: Hm, I’m not entirely sure. Add an S? We can Wikipedia that later. Now for the most important question: how do you keep your hair looking oh so good?

A: Honestly? A combination of luck, genes and walking against the wind.

Check out Oklahomo this weekend at Urban Stages! For more info on the show and how to purchase tickets, visit the Oklahomo show page at http://www.nymf.org/oklahomo!