River City Players performer returns season after season

(Tahlequah, Okla.)-- Although Anderson Daniels roots are in Tahlequah, where his family moved in 1995, he has taken his dreams to New York City.

With opportunities in the Big Apple at every street corner, many would think that a young man like Daniel would never look back; however, he finds his way back to Tahlequah each summer to play a key role in the River City Players.

The 2015 season makes year number seven as part of RCP for Daniel. For his first four years, Daniel served in a performers capacity, followed by two years as music director, and this year, hes filling the shoes of both vocal director and performer.

While in New York City, Daniel spends most of his time going to auditions, taking classes, writing music, performing at open mic events and performing in cabaret shows.

One audition led him to join Glow Lyric Theater, a relatively new company. In 2013, he was able to play the role of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, and in 2014, he landed the role of Mark in the musical Rent. Both shows were based out of South Carolina.

Working with Glow was a great opportunity, Daniel said. It was great to meet new people, and with them being a new company, the experience was a good stepping stone to grow. Since I was with them, the company has vaulted into an elite status. Its nice to know that I was a part of that.

Daniel first heard about RCP from his high school choir director, Margie Green, during his senior year of high school. Between her prompting and his fathers, who is an associate professor of music at NSU, Daniel auditioned, and has been back every summer since.

Everyone involved with RCP are great people, he said. I love that we do different shows and different styles. Its always an opportunity to learn and grow, especially learning the history of all the eras.

This season, Daniel has been most excited for the companys performances of Generations of Rock, a work that traverses through the music eras starting in the 50s and ending in the early to mid 90s. He also claims that this has been the best year in a long time, and viewers arent going to want to miss out on the opportunity to catch a show.

One aspect of RCP that keeps Daniel coming back is knowing that each season will be so unique.

Its always so great to see new people and how they will gel and blend with the veterans. Every year, its a new sound; there are new voices, backgrounds, characters its exciting to see what youll be spending your summer with, he said.

Although Daniel brings much experience and knowledge to share with those newer to the performance and musical arena, RCP has also been able to teach him several new things, making him more marketable in NYC. One example of this is the directing knowledge and experience that Daniel has gained from his years with RCP.

Before I directed with RCP, I didn't know much about directing. Not only have I gained the ability to do so, but this has shown me that I can do it, and it has allowed me to have a more active role and approach to writing music and then taking it out into the world.

Although its in its final week, you can still catch one of the three shows being showcased: Honky Tonk Hits, Twistin Time and Generations of Rock.

Catch Honky Tonk Hits on Friday at7:30 p.m., Twistin Time is Saturday at 2 p.m., and Generations of Rock showson Thursdayand Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The River City Players very first show began at NSU in 1983. It combined the best of popular music, Broadway hits, gospel and everything in between. Now in its 33rd season, River City continues to showcase the vocal talents and musical styling of the Tahlequah area community.

The daytime box office is availableMondaythroughFriday,8 a.m. 5 p.m. at the Woods House at 529 Seminary Ave. Tahlequah, Oklahoma, 74464. This year, tickets can also be purchased online atwww.nsuok.edu/si.

The Performance Box Office is open one hour prior to each performance and is located in the NSU Playhouse lobby.

Tickets are $13 per adult, $11 per NSU Alumni and NSU Employees, $10 seniors and groups of 12 or more, $7 for students and children, and free to NSU students who present a valid NSU Student ID.

To obtain the most up to date information on ticket availability and promotions, visit "The Official River City Players" page on Facebook.

To purchase tickets or for additional information, please contact 918-458-2075 or visitwww.nsuok.edu/si.

Published: 2015-07-27 09:26:30.390000