JD BAKER

THEATRE

Apr. 30 May 29 • Guided Audio Tour Of a Mind: Oklahoma City is a theatrical audio tour featuring a score of local voices, sounds and music. It captures the changing spirit of our lives in a guided audio experience designed especially for Oklahoma City’s increasingly vibrant urban core. Bring your mobile device, a pair of headphones for a lessthanonemile journey through downtown OKC. Of a Mind is an original commissioned project made specifically for OKC Rep by artists from Ireland, New Orleans, New York and Oklahoma City, including dozens of local people who generously recorded interviews. Get tickets at okcrep.org.

FUNDRAISERS

April 27 • Celebrations Formerly Celebration of Recovery, A Chance to Change has rebranded their annual event to be more inclusive and allencompassing of anyone on a journey through mental health or recovery. Celebrations will be held on Wed., April 27, at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to raise funds for free or lowcost services. Susan and Carl Edwards make the 13th honorees bestowed with the Jim McGuinness Award. Also being honored with the inaugural, Trail Blazer Award, is President and CEO of United Way of Central Oklahoma, Debby Hampton. Reception will begin at 6:00 pm and Dinner served at 6:30 pm. Get tickets at achancetochange.org.

May 14 • Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive On May 14, letter carriers across central and western Oklahoma will collect nonperishable food donations from homes on their routes as part of the 30th National Association of Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Oklahoma residents will receive plastic donation bags in their mailbox the week of May 9. On Saturday, May 14, residents are encouraged to fill the bag, or any plastic bag, with nonperishable food and leave it by their mailbox before their letter carrier arrives. Financial donations are also accepted. Text "Food" to 501501 to make a $10 donation. Every $1 donated helps to provide four meals to Oklahomans living with hunger. For more information about the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, visit rfbo.org/stampouthunger.

Pointer and Kathy Lippert are the event cochairs and the creative force behind the event. Funding from the event will provide instructors, curriculum materials and program support for the program. To purchase tickets, please call (405) 5247323 or visit communityliteracy.com/ events. $125 for individual or $200 for two.

May 6 • Private Reserve Event Community Literacy Centers (CLC) announces a twist to its signature fundraising event, Private Reserve: Wine and Dine for Literacy. Pri‐vate Reserve, Fiesta Style will offer exclusive tequila tasting and south of the border entertainment at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel on Friday, May 6. Fiesta Style benefits adults in the community who seek literacy and language services through CLC. Mary

THIS WEEKEND

April 2224 • In the Heights LinManuel Miranda’s debut musical In the Heights is April 2224 at OCU, with a 36member cast led by guest director and choreographer Luis Salgado of the Tony Awardwinning Broadway production. A free director’s talk will be held 45 min. before each performance. Tickets are available online at okcu.edu/ ickets or by calling 4052085227.

NEW DATES 2022

Paycom Center Events/Shows: The Who May 10 New Kids on the Block May 16 Kevin Hart Aug. 14 Andrea Bocelli June 23 Backstreet Boys Sept. 14 Pearl Jam Sept. 20 Shawn Mendes Sept. 27 Keith Urban Sept. 30 Zoo Amphitheatre: AJR June 7 Matchbox Twenty June 22 Goo Goo Dolls Sept. 17 Civic Center Music Hall: The Sleeping Beauty May 68 The Lion King May 1129 Tim Allen June 4 Matilda June 2126 Carousel July 510 Kinky Boots July 1924 Vince Gill Aug. 12 Pretty Woman The Musical Aug.1621 Weird Al Yankovic Sept. 4 Other Events/Shows/Awards: Festival of the Arts Apr. 1924 Sip and Stroll Apr.21Sept.15 OLFC Footsteps Luncheon Apr. 22 OKC Memorial Marathon Apr. 2224 Tatas & Tinis Apr. 28 LeAnn Rimes May 21 Walk for Kids June 11

Send calendar events to jennifer@okcfriday.com

When Mark McDaniel was in grade school, he wore braces on his feet. Back then, braces were big metal rods that attached on each side to a band at the knee and the sole of the shoe, usually a hard, black leather shoe. Mark was a smart kid, rowdy and well-liked. But when the others took off running, he was left behind, trapped in the wrong pair of shoes.

By fifth grade, Mark’s walking improved enough that he could walk without braces. By sixth grade, he hit a growth spurt and started to excel at sports. By the time he made it to high school, Mark was starting tailback on the football team, point guard on the basketball team and centerfield on the baseball team. He was elected team captain because he treated everybody the same. He never forgot what it was like to be the kid standing on the sidelines.

When Mark grew up, he married the love of his life, had three healthy children and became an enthusiastic little league coach for whatever sports his kids chose to play. One day as he was rummaging through the garage, he noticed a large pile of outgrown cleats. It was not a new site. Each season new shoes were bought, used and quickly discarded.

About that same time, Mark got a call from a parent. Her kids could not play basketball that season because they could not afford the shoes. No problem. Mark and his wife Stacy McDaniel got in the car, picked the kids up and took them to buy new basketball shoes. On the way home, it occurred to them that if their one little team had two kids who could not afford shoes, imagine how many kids were experiencing this same challenge at schools and little leagues across the state.

In 2011, Mark and Stacy started Cleats for Kids out of their garage. The goal was to ensure that any kid who wanted to play sports would have access to the shoes and equipment they needed to play. They believed in the transformational power of sports and wanted to share that experience with kids no matter their financial background.

Because Cleats for Kids was inspired by their three kids, Mark and Stacy believed that the nonprofit could also provide an opportunity to teach kids how to get involved in their community and help other kids. They started a varsity board of 100 high school students and a junior varsity board of 50 kids. The teen boards met several times throughout the year and planned collection drives, recruitment events and a summer kickoff party.

A decade later, Cleats for Kids has given out 180,000 pairs of cleats and athletic equipment to 125,000 Oklahoma students representing 225 school districts. From individual student athletes to full varsity teams, Cleats for Kids has stepped in when it matters most to help kids play sports.

Cleats for Kids is celebrating its 10th anniversary on Saturday, April 30, with a Gamechanger Tailgate party outside the Jones Assembly. Tickets and sponsorship information are available at cleatsforkids.org. It will be both a celebration of past success and a fundraiser to help ensure that there are no more Oklahoma kids standing on the sidelines, trapped in the wrong pair of shoes.

Kelli O’Hara Awards presented live at Rose State College

A Nederlander and Civic Center Foundation Presentation announces that the 2022 Kelli O’Hara Awards, sponsored by Paycom, will be live once again in late May. The 2022 show is the first live presentation since OKC Broadway transitioned the awards show to a virtual format following the Broadway Leagues’ decision to cancel the National High School Musical Awards in April 2020. In addition to returning live, the 2022 Kelli O'Hara Awards will be presented this year at the Hudiburg Chevrolet Center, located on the campus of Rose State College, in Midwest City.

“We highly anticipated the day we could announce The Kelli's live return, and we are ecstatic for the opportunity for Oklahoma's most talented students to be showcased before a live audience filled with family and friends,” said Elizabeth Gray, Executive Director of the Civic Center Foundation and General Manager of OKC Broadway.

The Kelli O'Hara Awards is officially recognized as the local, regional awards program of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (The Jimmy Awards), where participants compete for the titles of Best Performance by an Actor and Actress, among other honors. Twenty finalists will perform and compete for the opportunity to move on to the national level. The finalists will perform before a live audience, and the awards committee will select the Outstanding Actor and Actress for the 2022 season. The top two performers win a trip to New York City to compete on Broadway among other regional awards winners during The National High School Musical Theatre Awards®.

The goal of the awards is to recognize extraordinary achievement in musical theatre at the high school level, to advocate for arts education in schools and to foster a lifelong love of the performing arts in students and in the community.

The Awards ceremony will include student participants making their debut on a Broadway stage when they perform in an unforgettable talent showcase. During the event, a panel of judges will select two students for the coveted awards of Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor.

The Kelli O’Hara Awards is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 26, at the Hudiburg Chevrolet Center at Rose State College. OKCBroadway.com will be publishing further information as it is available.

THIS MESSAGE SPONSORED BY THESE LOCAL BUSINESSES:

FURNITURE DESIGN SUPPLIES PRINTING Oklahoma City (405) 947-5676 www.warrenproducts.com