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inside COVER P. 25 Now in its 18th year, the annual

deadCenter Film Festival in downtown OKC celebrates world-class local and international filmmakers. Oklahoma Gazette deployed its writers to interview directors, producers and stars and review some of the movies populating this ever-growing local film event.

Cover by Kimberly Lynch

NEWS 4 City Urban Pioneer Awards

6 City shooting at Louie’s Grill & Bar

8 State the future of sports betting in

Oklahoma

10 Chicken-Fried News

EAT & DRINK 13 Review Queen of Sheba

15 Feature TOLY Park in Norman 18 Feature Ganache Patisserie 20 Gazedibles raw fish

ARTS & CULTURE 22 OKG Shop summer 24 Art Prix de West

25 deadCenter festival program

29 Theater Native American New

Play Festival Best of OKC categories 32 Marijuana Weed the People 35 deadCenter deadCenter Film Festival reviews 38 deadCenter Thy Kingdom Come 40 deadCenter You People 41 deadCenter ICON Award winner Ryan Merriman 30

43 Calendar

MUSIC 45 Event The Coathangers at 89th

Street – OKC 46 Feature WoRm’s To Go Plate 48 Live music

FUN 49 Astrology

50 Puzzles sudoku | crossword

OKG CLASSIFIEDS 51

Correction The May 30, 2018 story

“Complex mandate” (News, Ben Luschen, Oklahoma Gazette) incorrectly identified the chief executive officer of Oklahoma Health Care Authority. Becky Pasternik-Ikard is the agency’s CEO.

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NEWS

Setting pace

Dunlap Codding’s Douglas Sorocco, a Film Row visionary, wins the 14th annual Urban Pioneer Award. By Ben Luschen

Those familiar with the city have probably at least heard of Dunlap Codding, particularly the firm’s role as a philanthropic force and frequent event host on Film Row. But in business terms, fewer are aware of what the intellectual property law firm’s exact work entails.

Douglas Sorocco, Dunlap Codding’s director and shareholder, said it is easier to think about who the company serves and protects than to list its many services and roles.

“We work with innovators, creatives, artists, musicians, entertainers — anybody that you can think of who comes up with an idea or something new that they want to do,” he said.

Sorocco himself could be described as a creative visionary. His ability to see potential in the Film Row stretch downtown along Sheridan Avenue at a time when few others gave the area much thought is part of the reason he will accept the 2018 Urban Pioneer Award, presented every year by Plaza District Association to honor members of the Oklahoma City community who exemplify the state’s pioneering legacy in leadership and a commitment to urban revitalization.

The honor will be presented at a special award banquet 11:30 a.m. June 14 at Oklahoma City University School of Law, 800 N. Harvey Ave. Table sponsorships are still available and can be found at plazadistrict.org/upa. Urban Pioneer Awards is the Plaza District Association’s largest annual fundraiser.

Sorocco, a native of suburban Chicago in Indiana, has lived in Oklahoma with his wife for the last 21 years. He joined Dunlap Codding his first year out of law school. His specialty in intellectual property law tends to be in business development, working with everything from local startups to large, multinational corporations like Johnson & Johnson or Siemens AG. There were around 10 attorneys at Dunlap Codding when Sorocco first joined the firm. Since then, the company has doubled in size at least twice.

Sorocco might not be a native Oklahoman, but his invaluable work in the community through the last several years has more than made him an honorary local. In several ways, it is fitting that he will accept an award that embodies the Sooner State spirit.

“My wife and I made this our home here in Oklahoma,” he said.

New path

Sorocco first moved to Oklahoma with his wife after she was accepted into a graduate school program at Oklahoma State University. Their first home was 4

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in Guthrie, but eventually, they moved into Oklahoma City into what is currently recognized as the 16th Street Plaza District.

Their location meant Sorocco spent a lot of time driving down Sheridan Avenue and Film Row far before the area was developed to the point it is at today.

“Whenever we would go to anything in Bricktown, Film Row was my cutthrough,” he said. “So, I kind of knew Film Row. I have very good recollections, not of [Dunlap Codding’s current] building, but of what Joey’s [Pizzeria] looked like, what the Candor building looked like. Obviously, The Paramount building looked completely different.”

The road was rough, and there was a noted lack of development. Sorocco said the street was nothing that resembled anything he would be comfortable walking down.

In 2011, Dunlap Codding was looking at moving into its own building from the Valliance Bank Tower. They looked at a lot of buildings in the downtown area, but eventually, it was suggested to the firm that they look at an available property on Film Row’s Sheridan Avenue.

“When she said Sheridan, visions of the old Sheridan kind of popped into our head,” Sorocco said. “When we got down here, what I remember was all the construction happening from about two years prior when they did the streetscape.”

It dawned on Sorocco that the area was somewhere Dunlap Codding and other businesses nearby could have a significant role in shaping.

“It wasn’t 100 percent raw, but there was an opportunity for us to make a difference,” he said. “That was very attractive to all of us who were owners at the time.”

Keeping perspective

Urban development means different things to different people. Sorocco puts emphasis on restoration.

“To me, it means looking at areas that are often overlooked, underused or forgotten and having people coming in to shore up historic properties or helping a neighborhood get back up on its feet,” he said.

But he also acknowledges that urban development does not always carry a positive connotation. There are concerns about gentrification and the population that already inhabits an area before it is developed.

Sorocco said this is something Dunlap Codding has strived to remain conscious of since its move to Film Row. There was a large homeless presence in the area

when the law firm arrived on Sheridan, and the firm has frequently invited that population into its home. Dunlap Codding often serves as a homeless dinner host during the holidays and on other occasions. In summer months, it has had cooling hours during which people could come and sit in the shade. It has also held barber days and clothing drives.

“By doing that, we’ve never had any issues here with anybody,” Sorocco said.

“In fact, some of the folks became some really good friends and would watch the building for us or would clean up the building in the morning if they saw someone had left something. More importantly is that we treated them with respect and it gave us a chance to learn some things that you don’t understand until you’re in that situation.”

Things some people take for granted, like the ability to plug your phone in and charge it or to sit at a table and be served, are tremendous luxuries to others.

“If there is one thing we’ve done,” he said, “it’s the ability to show some kindness and compassion for the people who were here first.”

Blazing trails

Anyone who has ever attended Glitter Ball, the one-of-a-kind annual dancing and art extravaganza benefiting deadCenter Film Festival, knows Dunlap Codding can throw a good party.

Dunlap Codding offers its space for free for every public, nonprofit event. Sorocco said just about every nonprofit in the city has utilized Dunlap Codding’s facilities at some point. The only requirement is space availability and the approval of a brief application. It also frequently opens its doors to arts organizations, and Sorocco tries to champion the local creative community as often as he can.

The firm has been hosting events for about five years now. Sorocco said in that time, about 50,000 individuals have passed through its doors. Hardly a day goes by that the building is not being used for at least one event.

Doug Sorocco will be awarded the 14th Urban Pioneer Award on June 14. | Photo Chad Bennett / provided

“For us, it has become kind of amazing to watch because the space is pretty simple,” he said.

Dunlap Codding is not the only reason Film Row has gone from a place some people were afraid to go to an area that actually sees the occasional jogger or dog walker. Entertainment options abound in the district, from The Jones Assembly to The Paramount and nearby 21c Museum Hotel.

Sorocco believes Film Row’s next big step will be the completion of the West Village housing and retail development on Main Street near 21c.

“It’s going to bring a level of excitement and engagement that I don’t think people truly understand yet,” he said.

Adding the young professionals that are expected to populate the new development would welcome in an influx of new minds and interest in the area.

Sorocco said the possibilities for the future are limitless.

Sorocco was astonished when he heard he was going to be this year’s Urban Pioneer winner, and he is appreciative of the honor. He notices a pioneering spirit not only on Film Row, but all around the metro area.

The openness to try new things and make a quick impact is part of the reason Sorocco and his wife decided to stay in Oklahoma.

“It’s very possible to do anything here,” he said. “Working with a lot of these startup [companies], yeah, it’s harder here. It’s not Silicon Valley. And yeah, it’s a little more difficult if you want to do an arts event from a financial side, but getting people interested? You can do almost anything and have 25, 30, 50 people show up. In many other cities, there’s this jadedness.”

Oklahoma, Sorocco said, fosters bravery and the entrepreneurial spirit.

“Here, you develop that sense of, ‘Oh, to hell with it; I’ll try it,’” he said. “That’s really cool.”

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cit y

NEWS

Addressing distress

A shooting at Louie’s raises questions about mental health procedure and resources. By Ben Luschen

The morning after the May 24 shooting at the Louie’s Grill & Bar location at Lake Hefner, many of Oklahoma City’s internet denizens became momentarily entranced by shooter Alexander Tilghman’s YouTube channel Yahweh Rules2. The account’s posts paint a picture of Tilghman as a man under significant mental distress and paranoia, with video titles like “Demonic Ducks Laughing At Me” and “Satan Making Vehicles Louder On The Highway.”

Though they did not have thousands of views until after the incident that injured three people and resulted in the shooting death of Tilghman by two armed bystanders with law enforcement and military training, the videos posted by the Yahweh Rules2 account were concerning to some people well before the shooting. Some have wondered if enough was done to address Tilghman’s mental state before the shooting occurred.

The Gayly, an OKC-based LGBTQ community paper printed monthly, published an interview with Tilghman in January, more than four months before the shooting at Louie’s.

In a prepared statement, The Gayly said it first heard of Tilghman after receiving a tip about flyers reading “DEMONS CLONED IN TRANSEXUAL BODIES” being left under car windshields. The flyers led the Gayly staff to Tilghman’s YouTube account, and reporter Jordan Redman was able to contact him through the site. The Gayly was interested in interviewing Tilghman to learn why he was spreading what appeared to be transphobic rhetoric across the city.

The day before interviewing Tilghman, Redman called Oklahoma

City Police Department to see if they had heard any reports on the flyers.

According to The Gayly, OKCPD encouraged Redman to tell people to report any disturbing actions they observed

by Tilghman rather than engage with him directly.

In the statement, Redman said she wanted to spread the word about Tilghman because “the community needed to know.”

“I felt our LGBT+ community needed to know this person was out there,” her statement reads.

On Jan. 8, an OKCPD field interview was conducted at The Gayly office. The FBI also released a statement after the shooting, saying that it had received at least one other tip on Tilghman’s YouTube channel as recently as May. “The caller reported concerns about a YouTube channel associated with the subject, but did not report any potential threat of violence and did not have any knowledge of the subject possessing any weapons,” the FBI statement reads.

“Based on this information, and following our standard protocol, no further investigation was warranted.”

The statement continues by saying the content on the channel was found to be within Tilghman’s First Amendmentprotected free speech.

According to OKCPD procedure, a person determined to be mentally ill can be civilly detained and transported to an appropriate mental health facility. But determining which speech is a real threat and which falls under one’s civil liberties can be difficult for law enforcement.

OKCPD did not respond to Oklahoma Gazette’s request for comment before deadline.

Getting help

Though shootings in highly trafficked public areas are the aspect of the mental health crisis that grabs the most headlines, gun-related suicides claim far more lives on an annual basis.

A recently completed study by the Washington, D.C.-based Violence Policy Center (VPC) using 2016 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data found that Oklahoma has the fourthhighest gun suicide rate in the nation.

VPC concluded that, in general, states with weaker gun violence prevention Mental Health Association Oklahoma CEO Mike Brose strongly advocates for use of a co-responder model to mental health-related emergency calls. | Photo Mental Health Association Oklahoma / provided 6

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laws and higher rates of gun ownership produce the highest gun suicide rates in the nation.

Mike Brose, CEO of Mental Health Association Oklahoma, said the high gun suicide rate is a sign that Oklahomans impacted by a mental illness either never seek treatment or do not have access to the resources they need.

Though he did not want to comment on what was specifically ailing Tilghman without firsthand knowledge of his condition, Brose said he seemed like a person with a high degree of mental distress.

“From what I can tell and read, he was finding ways to cry out for help,” Brose said.

In the video “Please Contact Me If Your Real,” the last post to Tilghman’s channel before the shooting, he clearly asks for some kind of assistance.

“I’m definitely losing it,” Tilghman says in the video. “I really can’t go on. I really need some help. Please.”

Brose has no way of knowing if Tilghman ever actively sought help or to whom he might have turned for such aid. But he said many of the videos Tilghman posted could have been subconscious cries for help.

“We do know that when people are in a state of untreated severe mental illness or distress and are asking for help … we’ve got to figure out ways to be able to provide that to them,” he said.

OKCPD’s procedure for dealing with mental health threats is generally in line with most other major cities. Brose said he would like to see law enforcement officers take a more active role in committing some people but also admits that it is a tricky situation to judge.

“The protection of a person’s civil rights is always very important,” Brose said, “but you have to weigh it against someone who is in obvious distress and not able to recognize they need any treatment.”

New models

OKC is not the only city where mental health professionals feel law enforcement underutilizes its forced commitment powers. Some cities use a co-responder model to respond to mental health calls.

Under such a model, a responding law enforcement officer works in tandem with a mental health professional to intervene, de-escalate a situation and help determine if someone should be committed to an appropriate facility.

Before the shooting, the FBI received at least one call expressing concern about Alexander Tilghman’s YouTube account Yahweh Rules2. | Photo YouTube / provided

“We think that’s state-of-the-art,” Brose said. “We’re advocates for that to be used.”

Brose pointed to Colorado Springs as an example of a city where the co-responder model has seen success. Mental Health Association Oklahoma is currently working with the Tulsa Police Department on a yearlong, two-day-perweek pilot program for the model.

Outcomes are being studied and analyzed in hope that the results will convince budget-makers and law enforcement agencies around the state of the model’s effectiveness.

Brose said a co-responder model brings together the best of both worlds.

“Law enforcement doesn’t have all of it; mental health professionals don’t have all of it,” he said. “That’s why we advocate for use of that model.”

Brose and his colleagues have been discouraged by the state’s lack of commitment to mental-health funding in recent years. He said research has shown that mental health intervention early on is not only what is appropriate in a given situation but can be a reliably preventative step against violent outcomes.

“We’ve really evolved into what we call a downstream state, where you’re putting all your resources into incarceration rather than re-allocating them further upstream,” he said.

Brose does not like when stories like this validate his association’s position.

Instead, he hopes for a day when local media outlets contact them to talk about the state as a national standard in community-based mental health services.

Before that day comes, it will take a more serious statewide commitment to mental health services.

“We live in this us-and-them world, and we want to think, ‘Oh, well, that’s them; it was that guy. What does that have to do with me?’” Brose said. “Well, it turns out it’s in every family and it appears in different seasons, at different times of lives and in different circumstances.”

The research and methods the state needs to take a step forward are already there. Brose said what is lacking is funding and a serious commitment to change.

“It’s hard work; it’s not easy,” he said.

“But again, we’re finding that a co-responder model is the best way to go about doing that.”

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NEWS

Big plays

Oklahoma’s tribal casinos are interested in sports betting, but state legalization might take awhile.

By Ben Luschen

While the prospect of legal sports betting in the state might be seen as a game changer for Oklahoma sports fans and wagerers, state-based tribal casinos are more interested in ensuring future arrangements are favorable to them than rushing to meet increased demand.

In May, the United States Supreme Court cleared the way for states to legalize sports wagering within their own borders by ruling against a 1992 federal law that outlawed the practice.

Prior to this year, Nevada was the only state in which authorized sports betting was permitted.

A few weeks after the court’s ruling, Delaware became the first state to add legal sports betting. Many others are expected to join them soon. But Oklahoma’s tribal-dominated casino culture is different from Delaware, a state with only three casinos, all of which are commercially owned.

Klint Cowan, a tribal and gaming law specialist for Oklahoma City-based law firm Fellers Snider, said while many of the state’s tribes are interested in sports betting, most have not made it a top priority because the margin for profit on those wagers is relatively small compared to what can be made on slot machines and other types of gaming.

“They don’t see it as a vitally important issue,” Cowan said, “but it’s one way to expand their portfolios and offer more than they’re offering now.”

While sports betting was federally outlawed before last month, that did not stop states from technically legalizing it in anticipation of its future legalization.

States like West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey already have legal sports betting but are in the process of setting up the framework to facilitate it.

Oklahoma’s past two legislative sessions have seen attempts to legalize sports betting, but Cowan said state tribes were generally against those efforts because they believed it would open up the possibility for anyone to accept those kinds of wagers.

“The tribes saw it as competition from non-tribal parties who would compete for gaming dollars with their casinos,” Cowan said.

All of Oklahoma’s 130 gaming operations are tribally owned. Each tribe with a gaming operation has a compact with the state that guarantees a percentage of their gaming profits go to the state in exchange for the exclusive right to offer casino-style gaming.

Exclusivity fees are set at 4 percent for a tribe’s first $10 million in revenue, 5 percent for the next $10 million and 6 percent on anything after that. In fiscal year 2016, the state collected $132 million in exclusivity fees. The largest percentage of those fees is automatically allocated to state education funding.

However, current tribal gaming compacts do not allow sports betting.

If Oklahoma-based casinos were to start taking sports bets as a service, they would need to have it negotiated into their compact agreements.

“I could see the tribes and some of my clients wanting sports gambling to be added to the compact so they can do it [in their casinos],” Cowan said, “but not necessarily expanded so that other people can do it.”

New interest

Pat Crofts, CEO of Muscogee (Creek) Nation Casinos, which operates Tulsabased River Spirit Casino Resort, admitted that he was not closely following past attempts to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma because it was still federally illegal.

But since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, he has heard a lot more talk about the future of such bets in state casinos.

“Everyone started thinking, and it became a very hot topic, obviously,” Crofts said.

Crofts said while sports betting would not directly generate a lot of money for state casinos, it would be a good tool for bringing new and different kinds of people through the door.

“What it would be is a great amenity to our customers,” he said. “It would bring new people into our casinos and who knows, they might want to do some Muscogee (Creek) Nation Casinos CEO Pat Crofts believes sports betting would be a popular addition to the amenities offered at his casinos. | Photo River Spirit Casino Resort / provided

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other gaming while they’re here.”

Moving forward, Crofts expects state tribes to be much more active in lobbying for a renegotiation of state compacts that would include sports betting. There is a wave of momentum and excitement around the topic that did not exist before.

“It’s more of a possibility now,” he said.

“The odds of it happening and the probability of it happening is much, much greater than it was a year or two ago.”

But there are 31 tribes in Oklahoma that hold gaming compacts with the state, and not all of them will be as motivated as others. Cowan said a lower profit margin for sports betting will make a lot of the smaller tribal gaming operations wonder if the service is even financially worth it.

To add sports betting to one’s facility, it would mean clearing out floor space that could otherwise be given to slot machines or other games with higher profitability.

“There may be some tribes who just don’t really care one way or the other,” Cowan said, “but I certainly think tribes with multiple casinos will want to at least have the option to offer it.”

For resort-style facilities with large, sprawling campuses, sports betting has become another attraction to add to an all-encompassing experience. Someday it might even be considered a standard function of large casinos across the nation.

“We’re not just casinos anymore,” Crofts said. “A number of us have transitioned into full-service, upscale resort facilities like we’ve done here at River Spirit.”

For years, people across the country have made a near ritual out of flocking to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the year’s biggest sporting events. Over 300,000 visitors were expected in the city during this year’s Super Bowl in February.

Crofts would like to offer an in-state alternative for sports bettors who would no longer need to travel.

Tulsa’s River Spirit Casino Resort is one of more than 130 tribal gaming operations in the state. | Photo River Spirit Casino Resort / provided

“If we were able to offer the betting here,” he said, “I think it would keep a lot of people in-state and, obviously, in our facilities.”

Compact renegotiations

Cowan said Oklahoma sports bettors should be patient in anticipation of legalization.

“It’s something that’s going to take some time,” he said. “We may not see it for another year or two.”

The real pressing issue facing the tribes is a general renegotiation of their compacts with the state, particularly concerning how much the state will be paid in exclusivity fees.

While each tribe has its own compact with Oklahoma, the state has one model compact with set conditions that each tribe can choose to opt into. Those agreements are set to expire in 2020.

There are other possible outcomes to potential negotiation, including the possibility that no new agreement is reached. In that case, the current compacts would just be extended.

But some people believe the state should be asking for more in exclusivity fees than it currently receives, and Cowan thinks it is likely that state lawmakers will look into negotiating a bigger cut. It is possible that the state could dangle sports betting’s inclusion in the compact as payoff for a larger share in fees.

The state can engage in compact renegotiations at any time.

Crofts is optimistic about the future of sports betting at tribal casinos and hopes to soon have conversations with state officials about how that would work. While it might not be the biggest moneymaker, he believes sports wagering can definitely be a strong asset.

“The more non-gaming amenities we can add,” Crofts said, “the more popular our facilities become.”

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chicken

friedNEWS

Job fulfillment?

All of the tributes at the altar of the free market paid off last week when Oklahoma City officials announced that online retail giant Amazon will be building a 640,000-squarefoot fulfillment center in south Oklahoma City.

Amazon plans to employ about 1,750 people at the center, which is the first cog in the transportation process from one-click shopping to your front door, according to The Oklahoman.

The fulfillment center holds products that have been ordered and allows Amazon to have more of its inventory closer to customers.

In total, the facility requires a $146 million investment from Amazon, but that doesn’t include $1.7 million in public money from the city that will pay for 53 managerial jobs and road improvements. This public investment pales in comparison to the estimated $123 million in tax breaks Amazon received from Ohio in four separate deals since 2014, according to Bloomberg, but it’s certainly not insignificant.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos recently unseated Bill Gates as the world’s richest man with a fortune over $112 billion. The Atlantic reported earlier this year on the negative impact on one of its warehouses in San Bernardino, California, which saw the percentage of people living in poverty rise and median household income fall over a five-year period before and after the facility’s opening.

A recent study by Policy Matters Ohio showed that more than 700 Amazon workers were on food stamps, meaning the company owned by the richest man the country doesn’t pay a living wage.

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Purple suit

Stressed-out social media users regularly muse over which musicians they would resurrect if that were possible outside of a passion play. When a Russian journalist who was allegedly shot and killed in Kiev, Ukraine, last month showed up alive at a press conference on May 30, one Twitter user loudly wrote, “DO DAVID BOWIE NEXT.” For one Yukon man using the music distribution site TuneCore, the legendary and sadly deceased superstar Prince is alive and well — and taking him to court.

According to The Oklahoman, Prince’s estate is suing Phil Shadid for committing copyright infringement by posting videos featuring music from Prince’s early ’80s lingerie-rocking protégés Vanity 6.

Like nearly all projects that emanated from the court of Prince, 1982’s Vanity 6 was written, produced and performed entirely by Prince except the lead vocals and some of the harmonies. Now, why would anyone bother to bootleg a 36-year-old album that only produced one major hit, “Nasty Girl,” and barely edged into the

Billboard top 50? Well, unlike Prince’s canonic catalog, Vanity 6 and its Vanity-free follow-up, 1984’s Apollonia 6, are not available on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes or anywhere else except used record stores or maybe a shoebox under your dad’s bed.

Much like CD Baby, TuneCore is a service that helps independent musicians distribute their music to the aforementioned streaming and downloading services. So was this an end-run around Prince’s estate to release steamy electro-funk by a longdisbanded trio comprised of two of Prince’s girlfriends and his “wardrobe mistress” to Spotify and Apple Music?

We at Chicken-Fried News have experienced the pain of trying to create an all-encompassing Prince Paisley Universe (PPU) playlist but not being able to locate “Nasty Girl” or even “Sex Shooter.” But now, TuneCore has taken down the Vanity 6 videos and Shadid just got glam-slammed.

Crossing boundaries

Oklahoma’s best teachers are heading to Texas, and that’s a real problem. But apparently the Sooner State’s most notorious streakers are headed south of the Red River, too.

Readers might not know the name Steven Dale Brazeal, but maybe they

would recognize the rear end of the 56-year-old lifetime Oklahoma sex offender. Local news stories revealing his penchant for public nudity and lewdness go back to at least 2006.

But now a whole new population is being exposed to Brazeal’s au naturel physique. According to a report by Houston’s KHOU Channel 11 news, Texas law enforcement officials have recently connected Brazeal to a series of exposure incidents in the Houston area.

Brazeal reportedly walked around a suburban Houston clothing store completely naked. We suppose that could make him either a really big fan of irony or, perhaps, a protester of sorts against the concept of outfits and the Big Fabric industrial complex.

Here we all are, absolutely hooked on those unnecessary amenities — things like s h i r t s and pants and socks and hair scrunchies — while these large multinationals rake in the dough.

But we here at Chicken-Fried News are known for taking tough stances, and it is with measured confidence that we say we are pro-clothing, particularly while patronizing a public retail store.

Brazeal’s identity was at first unknown to Texas authorities, but security footage from the clothing store and several other places in the Houston area he visited in the buff led to his identification.

What’s more interesting is that Brazeal was actually arrested in Tulsa a week later after failing to register as a sex offender but got out on bond.

That was before he was connected with the Houston lewdness.

Brazeal’s current whereabouts are unknown. Houston’s Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has asked anyone with information to contact either them or Tulsa Police Department.

Judging by the stills put out by law enforcement, Brazeal’s weight seems to be in the ballpark of 300 pounds. We don’t say that to body-shame in any way, but just to point out that it should not be too hard to spot someone with that much bare skin.

Then again, we all know a full moon only comes out once a month.

If Brazeal really wants to blend in, he should find the next live audition for Naked and Afraid as soon as possible.

Take the shot

When people talk about measles, it’s usually in the past tense, as in “Aren’t you glad we don’t have to deal with yaws, rubella, smallpox and the measles any more? Pass the avocado toast and don’t Bogart the mimosa pitcher!” But our carefree existence of Sunday Fun Days and discussing the new season of The Bachelorette was shaken by old-world problems when an Oklahoma County resident returned from overseas with a fresh case of the damned measles.

According to The Oklahoman, officials with Oklahoma CityCounty Health Department report that the unidentified person stayed at home during the infectious period and was not roaming around, licking playground equipment or dipping ice cream. Still, the department encourages residents to check their vaccination statuses, especially if they are planning to travel overseas

to look for jobs outside the radius of the upcoming trade war.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — that building in Atlanta that Sheriff Rick Grimes and his non-zombie buddies were trying to get into at the end of the first season of The Walking Dead — reports that measles were eradicated from the U.S. 18 years ago.

Still, it’s entirely possible for unvaccinated people to contract the disease if they go overseas and then return to, say, attend a handshaking convention or walk around a retail store completely naked.

So really, Bob — Chicken-Fried News is going to call you Bob since we don’t know your name — why didn’t you get your shots before you went globetrotting? Have you been listening to Jenny McCarthy again? We swear, if people don’t get off this anti-vaxing kick and start embracing proven science again, we’re just going to have to stop having fun in public.

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EAT & DRINK

Fork-free dining

Oklahoma’s first Ethiopian restaurant still delivers a flavorful communal dining experience.

By Jacob Threadgill

Queen of Sheba 2308 N. MacArthur Blvd. | 405-606-8616 What works: Meats and lentils flavored with berbere spice blend are standouts.

What needs work: The chickpeas were gritty and somewhat bland.

Tip: It’s only open 4 p.m.-10 p.m. TuesdaySaturday for dinner.

In some ways, teff flour is a magical ingredient. The iron-rich grain is also gluten-free and has served as the basis for the national food of Ethiopia and other countries in the Horn of Africa for centuries.

Teff is the main ingredient in injera, a sourdough-risen flatbread that serves as both platter and utensil for eating the stewed meats with vegetables (wats) and sautéed bite-sized meats and vegetables (tibs) that comprise a traditional Ethiopian meal.

Queen of Sheba, located at 2308 N. MacArthur Blvd., tucked into an aging strip mall next to Pollo Regio, was Oklahoma’s first Ethiopian restaurant, according to The Oklahoman. It has dutifully served diners a unique culinary style since 2006, and with the recent closing of Haiget’s Restaurant in Edmond, is the only Ethiopian option in the metro Oklahoma City area.

Founded by Begib and Mimi Younis, Queen of Sheba is a family-run restaurant that will please vegetarians and carnivores alike. The large artwork of Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia, hangs over the wall to greet guests who

are in store for a communal and flavorful meal that will warm their souls.

The first thing you might notice when sitting down to a table is that there is no silverware. The server explains the tradition: a warm cloth is provided for the table to clean your hands, and the injera is to be used to pick up the various wats and tibs served inside a larger piece of injera.

Injera is made by mixing teff with water and allowed to ferment for a few days, like a sourdough starter. It is cooked like a crêpe by pouring and spreading the mixture on a flattop. The result is a slightly spongy flatbread that is not as flavorful as pita on its own but does an excellent job of soaking up the surrounding stews.

If it is your first trip to Queen of Sheba, the server will recommend the messob ($15.99 for one person, $28.99 for two), which is a variety of beef, chicken, lentils, chickpeas, potatoes, green beans and a salad covered in a house lemon dressing.

Before you dig into the mountain of food that is the messob, it is important not to miss the sambusas ($4.50) fried dough filled with vegetables or meat. I recommend the vegetarian version made with lentils over the chicken variety.

When I first bit into the sambusa, it reminded me of a more yeasty version of a wonton wrapper. A few versions of recipes I found online called for the use of egg roll wrappers, but Queen of Sheba’s version has much more give and rise than the flat and crispy wonton wrapper.

Mimi Younis of Queen of Sheba | Photo Gazette / file

It creates a different texture that sits somewhere on the scale between a wonton and an empanada, and I thought it was excellent. The lentils are combined with green chilis, but the heat level is very mild. It is the smokiness of the beluga lentils that sticks with me after the meal. It’s the perfect blend of slight heat and smokiness. The order comes with two large sambusas that can easily be split between four people.

A few minutes after contemplating my sambusas, the platter of dishes that is the messob arrived, and I was immediately attracted to the bright-red stewed meats that are spiced with the traditional Ethiopian spice blend berbere.

I attended a fundraiser for St. Anthony’s earlier this year that was hosted by Food Network’s Marcus Samuelsson and had an opportunity to interview him beforehand. Samuelsson, who was a refugee from Ethiopia who grew up in Sweden, waxed poetic about his love for the berbere spice blend, and I’ve thought about it ever since. Savory Spice Shop, 4400 N. Western Ave., sells a berbere blend of spices.

He served a chicken dish that evening with berbere that I found to be extremely flavorful, and I honestly thought Queen of Sheba’s version was just as good, if not better.

Mimi Younis has been quoted in the past that the restaurant has toned down

its berbere for U.S. palates, and I could certainly go for more heat, but the spice blend is the basis of the messob for the chicken, lentils and lamb. The alicha beef is stewed in spices, butter, turmeric and ginger. My plate only had two pieces of lamb, which was disappointing because I preferred its berbere-based sauce to the alicha.

In fact, I enjoyed all of the berberebased dishes. The chicken was tender, but not so much so that it fell off the bone upon slight touch, which is a good sign.

The entrée lentils packed much more heat than the version in the sambusas.

The other sides were hit and miss.

The potatoes were heavy on clarified butter and didn’t have much other flavor, but they were preferable to the chickpeas, which were somewhat surprisingly bland and gritty. The accompanying salad was bright and a perfect palate cleanser for the accompanying meat in the injera. The string beans with carrots were overcooked, but by design.

They had almost a fried texture that I’m sure cooked out most of their nutrients, but they were enjoyable.

Overall, I enjoyed the environment at Queen of Sheba. They played smooth jazz throughout the meal, and the communal nature promotes fun discussion between dinner guests. The dinneronly restaurant opens up with live music on Friday and Saturday nights for a heck of a good time.

The Queen of Sheba messob includes three types of meat, string beans, potatoes, lentils, chickpeas and a salad. | Photo Jacob Theadgill O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8

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Downtown growth

Norman’s TOLY Park is a welcome addition to downtown. By Jacob Threadgill

Norman’s first food truck park is also on the site of the first new building construction in the city’s downtown area in over three decades and removed a potentially dangerous eyesore.

TOLY Park is located at 227 W. Main St. and stands for The Old Lumber Yard, which stood unattended on the block for years.

“This was a total eyesore and a hazardous spot,” said TOLY Park general manager Sammie Richardson. “There was big lumber piles on both of these walls. We barely hit them with a bulldozer and they came crashing down.”

The park opened in mid-April in time for Norman Music Fest and has become a meting place for the monthly Norman Art Walk. It is open 4-10 p.m. Fridays, 5-10 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Wednesdays and Thursdays for lunch.

The project started a few years ago as Norman dentist Gabriel Bird began looking for a site to build a new office.

“It’s kind of a Forrest Gump story,” Bird said. “The lot is a lot larger than the building I am going to be putting on it. Rather than just make a giant parking lot and add another concrete jungle feature, the idea to put in a [food truck] park came up, and really, it just made perfect sense.”

Bird is an active member of Norman Arts Council, the city chamber and Norman Downtowners Association.

Construction for the food truck park began in January.

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General manager Sammie Richardson oversees the TOLY Food Truck Park in Norman. | Photo Jacob Threadgill

and being a part of the rejuvenation of what’s going on down there and to finally get rid of the eyesore that we’ve dealt with for so long,” Bird said.

Richardson, a veteran of the restaurant industry, manages the day-to-day schedule of booking food trucks and overseeing the park, which is still undergoing construction. On-site bathrooms and a full bar with both draft beer and spirits is slated to open by the end of the summer. The park currently sells domestic beer by the bottle.

Last week, the park hosted a movie night by showing Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and playing the movie’s soundtrack for a mixture of University of Oklahoma students and families with children and dogs in tow.

“There are a lot of other places that have the same concept, but it’s not as much of a family-friendly environment,” Richardson said. “[Other food truck parks can be] more of a go-andget-drunk type of place. We’re shying away from that.”

Richardson is in the process of getting the park’s lunch service off the ground, which she said picked up after a few days once the nearby courthouse got word of the service. She only likes to book the park no more than a month in advance in order keep variety. continued on page 17

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EAT & DRINK continued from page 15

“I’m constantly finding new trucks.

I had someone come up from Davis last week,” Richardson said. “I’m trying to stay loyal to the folks that helped us get lunch going.”

A few local restaurants like Gaberino’s Homestyle Italian and Apple Tree Chocolate added a food truck in order to help service the park. Mission In-Pasta-Bowl, Fran’s Food Truck, Phil Me Up Cheesesteaks and Sparxx Sliders are among other food trucks with multiple appearances at the park.

“I worked years ago at a warehouse and we’d go out to what we called the Roach Coach,” Richardson said. “You’d get a $3 tuna sandwich that was always a bad call. It was the only thing that showed up. Now you can get a steak, baked potato, salad and a glass of wine off of a food truck now while sitting with your family outdoors.”

Richardson doesn’t charge trucks to use its space for lunch and is more than willing to work with a truck if it has a slow night, saying that she won’t ask for a percentage cut if its sales are low.

“I haven’t had a bad food truck yet,” Bird said. “Mission In-Pasta-Bowl has some good low-calorie and vegan options, which is nice. The food truck park isn’t what I make my living off of, so I don’t need it to be a big moneymaker. I just need it to be a special place.”

The addition of TOLY Park has helped expand Norman’s Art Walk a few blocks west, according to Richardson. As people come to visit the park’s vendors, surrounding businesses have added live outdoor music and

other merchants. “[TOLY Park] is an exciting addition for our community,” said Scott Martin, CEO of the Norman Chamber of Commerce. “Dr. Bird’s medical practice is the first new construction in downtown in over 30 years. It is a wonderful repurpose of the property, and the food truck park will service that area well, particularly during outdoor activities like Art Walk, Fall Fest and Norman Music Fest.”

The park has served as meeting place for fundraisers for local charities like Transition House, Food & Shelter and Women’s Resource Center.

There are a lot of other places that have the same concept, but it’s not as much of a family-friendly environment.

Sammie Richardson

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“The Norman community is just incredible,” Richardson said. “Norman helps each other out. We had a food drive for the food shelter, and people were walking through the gate carrying through sacks for of groceries not because they wanted a free soda but because they wanted to help. What better day is that? I get goose bumps thinking about it.”

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Beer is available at TOLY Park by the bottle until a full bar is built by the end of summer. | Photo Jacob Threadgill O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8

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Ganache Patisserie owners Laura Szyld and Matt Ruggi trained in European kitchens in Argentina and France before moving to Oklahoma. | Photo Jacob Threadgill

European delight

Ganache Patisserie introduces intricate Europeanstyle pastry to Chisholm Creek. By Jacob Threadgill

Traditionally, ganache is the combination of warm cream added to chocolate to create an icing or filling for a variety of confections.

It’s the elevation of two simple ingredients that highlight the ethos behind Ganache Patisserie, the brainchild of European-trained pastry chefs and husband-and-wife duo Matt Ruggi and Laura Szyld, which opened in the Chisholm Creek development located at 13230 Pawnee Drive in March.

“The idea of mixing two simple ingredients and getting so much flavor out of it, that’s what we believe is our pastry shop,” Szyld said. “It’s simple ingredients that if they are really good, you don’t need more that that.”

Ruggi and Szyld met in Argentina, where Szyld was born and raised; Ruggi moved from Italy as a young child. The couple has trained in intricate European-style pastries in Argentina, Paris and across Europe and operated a successful catering business in Buenos Aires.

Szyld’s father got a job with University of Oklahoma a few years ago and immediately began raving A variety of Ganache Patisserie crossaints include strawberry cream cheese, plain and chocolate. | Photo by Jacob Threadgill

9 Metro locations new location at 6801 SW 3rd D Q E Opening Soon! www.sandbburgers.com 18

J u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

about the city to his daughter.

“He really liked it and told us to check it out. He felt like it was a secret; ‘Just don’t tell anyone else that everything is 15 minutes away,’” Szyld said.

Ruggi said they enjoyed all of their food experiences in Oklahoma City, except when it came to the dessert portion of the menu. He got excited about the idea of being the first patisserie in a big city.

“When we got here and saw the city growing infrastructure but also food offerings, I was expecting steakhouse after steakhouse, which would make me happy, but then we saw a variety of different cuisine like Korean food and ramen,” Ruggi said. “If people are as open-minded enough to try it, they might as well be for pastry.”

The menu at Ganache Patisserie features ornate cakes and tarts like a cheesecake with white chocolate mousse, colorful ganache-filled macarons available in 14 flavors, dark chocolate bonbons, European-style croissants and savory breads, including three sandwich and salad options.

The transition from Argentina to a business in Chisholm Creek is the culmination of nearly a three-year process after originally visiting Oklahoma City. They spent time in Connecticut with Ruggi’s family while he tied up loose ends with the catering company.

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left An opera cake with layers of raspberry, dulce de leche and white chocolate is joined by below a variety of ganache-filled macarons. | Photo by Jacob Threadgill

During visits to Szyld’s family in Oklahoma, the couple said that they spent a month going to every bakery in Oklahoma City and Edmond to look for a good location for the shop. After nearly coming to terms in Midtown, a realtor suggested the burgeoning Chisholm Creek development.

They signed a deal in March 2017 before an influx of some of the city’s most well-established restaurant groups like A Good Egg Dining Group (Republic Gastropub) The McNellie’s Group (Yokozuna) and Provision Concepts (Hatch and Sidecar Barley & Wine Bar) opened in the development.

The couple returned to Argentina to await the immigration process before a full-time move to Oklahoma and returned seven months later to find a booming development of retail shops and restaurants that complement Ganache’s offerings.

“It’s crazy how much Chisholm Creek expanded, and it’s still growing,” Ruggi said.

On Mother’s Day, a brunch crowd gathered outside Hatch next-door, and the next thing the couple knew, they had a line from the cash register to the door.

“We didn’t expect any of this,” Szyld said. “What I really like is when people come back or had a neighbor who brought them a pastry and came in because they needed another one. The idea of being able to advertise just with our product is a great feeling.”

The couple’s commitment to baking everything from scratch daily is a labor of love. They come into the bakery around 6 a.m. and leave most nights after midnight. They’ve had help in the kitchen but hope to get more as they continue to train staff.

The move to Oklahoma has led to a few unexpected bumps in terms of the means of production.

Increased humidity means that recipes have to be tweaked to prevent pastry from falling under the weight of added water molecules.

“Even from two weeks ago, when the humidity picked up, we noticed that breads and croissants were out of

shape,” Ruggi said. “The refrigerated cases have gotten foggy. It wasn’t like that last week.”

They run into issues with European suppliers wanting guarantees on order amounts and had to stock up on Belgian chocolate because the supplier didn’t want to ship during the summer heat.

The difference in style between Ganache’s baking and its U.S. counterparts is apparent in its croissants, which rise and spiral in the middle and finish to a pointed end rather than the rounded edges with lighter crust than the massproduced versions in the U.S. “I wouldn’t call it a croissant,” Ruggi said.

“It’s like a bread in the shape of a croissant.”

“I could eat [the U.S. version] warm and it’s good, but it’s not what I know as a croissant,” Szyld said. “You need the flakiness that is created from the steam of the butter.”

The couple said that every compliment they get from new guests fuels their late nights at the bakery.

“I had two older gentleman come in a few weeks ago, and while eating a chocolate croissant, they called me over and said ‘Son, I’ve been looking for 30 years.

I was deployed in Germany, and I’ve dreamt of this taste. Thank you for being here,’ and he drove all the way from Mustang to try it,” Ruggi said. “It made me happy.”

Visit ganacheokc.com.

Best Brunch Best Patio Best Seafood Best Bricktown Restaurant 2610 W. Memorial Road | Oklahoma City 73134 Across the turnpike from Quail Springs Mall 405-608-0825 | mamaritasmexican.com

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eat & DRINK

Raw fish

Just because we live in a landlocked state, it doesn’t mean that we don’t have good access to fresh seafood, so thank you, modern transportation and overnight shipping. Whether your preferred method is Japanese (sushi), South American (ceviche) or Hawaiian (poke), these seven restaurants have you covered.

By Jacob Threadgill Photos Gazette / file and provided

1492 New World Latin Cuisine

1207 N. Walker Ave. 1492okc.com | 405-236-1492

What’s better than one version of ceviche?

Well, two, of course. In addition to is menu staple of tilapia avocado ceviche, 1492 offers a seasonal variety. Its spring menu features ahi tuna ceviche with plantain chips. There is also a 1492 location at 9213 N. Pennsylvania Ave. in The Village.

La Brasa

Yuzo Sushi Tapas

Ceviche is the national dish of Peru, and La Brasa pulls off its Peruvian and Asian-fusion menu with aplomb.

Peruvian ceviche traditionally mixes in aji amarillo into its citrus marinade, and La Brasa follows suit so that its mixture of seafood gets a good spicy kick that is accompanied by sweet potatoes, avocado and plantain chips.

Yuzo is the only place in the city where guests can get poke, ceviche and sushi.

By blending Asian flavor with a slight Spanish tapas influence, it delivers concepts you might be familiar with (spicy tuna roll) and others that are less familiar (hamachi ajillo). Its salmon ceviche is served with mango salsa.

1310 NW 25th St. labrasaokc.com | 405-524-2251

808 N. Broadway Ave. yuzosushitapas.com | 405-702-9808

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Looks can be deceiving. Do not underestimate the sushi joint connected to a chain sandwich shop next to a gas station along Memorial Road. Chef Henry Yang is committed to sourcing the highest quality fish possible, and the selection shines on its sushi and sashimi list that offers the likes of madai (Japanese snapper), orata and tako (octopus).

Caeli’s Sweets, Eats & Bar

Okie Pokie

Sushi Neko

Owner Kenny Harris is one of the first people in Oklahoma City to bring poke to a menu after first trying the Hawaiian marinated fish at a friend’s wedding a few years ago. The dish typically sells out at Caeli’s Film Row location by 2 p.m. and is available with tuna, salmon or cooked shrimp. The poke stands out on a menu that features another star: meatball grilled cheese.

The first of three poke concepts to open on 23rd Street this year, Okie Pokie shares the former Guernsey Park location with owner Truong Le’s Noodee noodle concept. For poke, guests in the downstairs seating area can choose from a few house-selected poke combinations or build their own bowls. Two proteins (tuna, shrimp, crab or salmon) are mixed with a base of salad and/or rice, a sauce and extra toppings.

Despite the patio at Sushi Neko undergoing an extensive renovation in recent months, chef Kurt Fleischfresser, director of operations for Western Concepts, reports that sales at Sushi Neko have remained strong. It’s a testament to the restaurant’s commitment to using high quality ingredients. On the raw side of the menu, go with one of three sashimi specials or four hand-rolled sushi options.

726 W. Sheridan Ave. caelissweetseatsandbar.com 405-600-7885

2418 N. Guernsey Ave. 405-605-5272

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We haven’t even officially gotten to the summer solstice yet and Oklahoma City residents are already trying to stay cool during 100-degree temperatures. You can beat the heat by setting up by the pool or finding an outfit that will keep you cool. If you want to embrace the sun by heading out on a camping adventure or tending the grill, there are plenty of local vendors that will help you chill.

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This eclectic boutique is geared toward women, but there is more than clothes available. In the corner of the store is the leisure by Lush section that includes fun summer items like koozies and inflatable pool floats in fun shapes like doughnuts and pizza slices.

The associates at Lush put together a fun summer outfit that includes a tassel necklace ($19), an embroidered white top ($29), a sea green tulip skirt ($35) and a women’s shoulder bag ($49) and represents a small variety of its ever-changing seasonal apparel.

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The earliest recommended date to be fitted is in your 8th month of pregnancy and after.

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Kamado-style grills have been sold in the United States for over thirty years, according to Everything Barbeque manager David Parton, but they’ve increased in popularity in the last five.

The ceramic kamado is one part smoker, one part grill and one part oven that is very versatile. While a brand like The Big Green Egg run over $1,000, it comes with a lifetime warranty.

Everything Barbeque also carries a huge selection of Oklahoma-based barbecue spices, rubs and sauces.

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You aren’t the only ones suffering during the heat. Our furry friends must also do so without the benefit of being able to sweat to cool down. A visit to Groomer A Go-Go gives clients a chance to have their dog be cleaned and completely removed of its heavy undercoat or shaved down for the summer. Grooming services start at $65. The store offers a 10 percent discount for new customers, and there are no limits on sizes. An appointment, which includes grooming and towel-drying, takes about three hours. The store also sells dog treats and dog and cat food — including Oklahoma’s own EarthBorn Organics — and CBD that is used for pet anxiety and arthritis.

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art

ARTS & CULTURE

Evolving West

Prix de West returns to National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum for a 46th year.

By Jeremy Martin

The “prix” in Prix de West is French for “price,” but Susan Patterson, curator of special exhibits at National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, doesn’t want people to see the annual art exhibition and sale as cost-prohibitive.

“I think often people associate this show with high-priced art,” Patterson said, “but we do have our lowest price this year as $850. So we do have a broad range of pricing, from $850 to $125,000 and everything in between. So if someone is truly interested in becoming a collector, we just encourage people to come out and look at the show and not be intimidated by price point.”

The exhibition, now in its 46th year, begins Friday. While spending tens of thousands of dollars on a painting or sculpture is impossible for many art lovers, and the evening auctions, dinners and receptions can cost hundreds of dollars to attend, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum also hosts daytime seminars, live art demonstrations and a panel discussion, “Finding My West,” all of which are free to attend with regular museum admission (free-$12.50).

“It’s really a wonderful opportunity for people who perhaps aren’t yet able to attend the evening events but they would like to meet some of the artists just coming out to the museum and looking at the show. Viewing the show in galleries, they’re bound to run into artists,” Patterson said. “It’s an exciting weekend.”

Moderated by painter, sculptor and Oscar-nominated visual special effects director Randal M. Dutra, “Finding My West” is a panel discussion featuring landscape and wildlife painter Francois Koch, portrait painter Mian Situ and wildlife sculptor Kent Ullberg, all of whom immigrated to the United States from other countries. Patterson said the discussion is intended to offer different viewpoints of the American West, not to enter into the debate over immigration.

“Why did they come to America, what were they expecting, and how has their viewpoint changed in terms of calling America their home?” Patterson said. “It’s truly not intended to be political at all.”

Western views

Viewing the West through a kaleidoscopic lens of viewpoints has been one of Prix de West’s missions since the exhibition began in 1973 as the National Academy of Western Art. “We have artists who tell stories about the historic West,” Patterson said. “We have artists who tell a contemporary story. … Kang Cho, his ‘Fiesta in the Plaza’ is something he saw in Santa Fe on the plaza this year. We have a buffalo soldier

by Dean Mitchell, who met this gentleman several years ago. So the show just features all aspects of the American West, past and present. It could be one of our wildlife artists who spotted a buffalo in his travels, or it could be someone who’s depicting how the Native Americans viewed the buffalo one or two hundred years ago. … Mian Situ has brought an incredible painting of Chinese immigrants who helped build the transcontinental railroad in the 1800s, and we have Native American historic storytelling.

We certainly have cowboys, and then we have wildlife across the board. We have still lifes. Just the subject matter of the American West is a broad scope of possibilities, and that’s what’s so exciting every year, to see how each of these artists interpret the American West.”

Patterson has worked on the past eight Prix de West exhibitions, but the museum’s emeritus curator Ed Muno has served as its primary exhibit designer since its inaugural year. Two artists — Taos, New Mexico-based painter Walt Gonske and Fort Washakie, Wyoming-based sculptor Richard V. Greeves — have been featured in the exhibition for 42 years. Patterson said watching artists develop over the

“On The Oregon Trail” by Benjamin Wu | Image National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum / provided

years is one of the exhibition’s highlights.

“If they’re painting year after year after year, their work’s going to continue to evolve and be stronger and stronger, and they may try different techniques,” Patterson said. “And their viewpoint of the West may change, and they may evolve to where they’re painting different subjects or they may be using a different medium. We have a handful of artists who are extremely talented in both painting and sculpture, so you may find someone who has typically brought sculpture all of the sudden start bringing paintings to the show.”

Artists considered a “good fit with the show” are invited to return each year, but their new work is still judged for quality control.

“There’s no guarantee that all of your work, or any of your work, will be in the show because it has to go through that screening process first,” Patterson said.

“There’s an expectation that every year the show is going to be even better than the year before, simply because each of these artists brings another full year of growth and talent to the table.”

New relationships

Two or three new artists applying to Prix de West are accepted each year, on average. If they’re invited to return, they are considered guest artists for their first few years.

“When we’re looking at a new artist, we’re looking for someone who doesn’t duplicate, perhaps, a style we’re already representing in the show,” Patterson said, “but we’re always looking for consistent quality.”

Establishing a connection between artists and patrons is also one of the exhibition’s goals.

“My belief is that art is a relationship-building business,” Patterson said, “and you just meet the artist or you meet the people who love your work and you watch these relationships grow, artistto-artist and artists-to-individuals. It’s really fascinating. Some of the staff have been here for decades, and everyone has a relationship to some of the artists who participate in the show. It’s like old home week, Prix de West weekend, “Cherokee Caravan” by Robert Griffing | Image National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum / provided

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j u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

“Blasting a Route for Central Pacific Sierra Nevada Mountain, 1865” by Mian Situ | Image National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum / provided

because you may just see people one time a year and it’s at this show.”

But the art itself is always the main attraction.

“For me, it’s always about the artwork,” Patterson said, “because we see the art on our website, but until you really see it in person and the exhibition is installed and you just walk in the galleries and it’s just this ‘aha’ moment. All of the hard work and effort, of not only the artists but the museum staff in bringing together such a stellar event, is pretty awe-inspiring. For me, it’s walking in the gallery once all of the work is installed and the labels are up and then watching the artists come in to see their work for the first time in this year’s show is always very exciting and inspiring.”

The art sale takes place Saturday night, but all Prix de West works will be on display at the museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., through Aug. 8. Visit pdw.nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Prix de West 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 1700 NE 63rd St. | 405-478-2250 pdw.nationalcowboymuseum.org Free-$12.50

SponSored progrAm

18th Annual deadCenter Film Festival The 18th annual deadCenter Film Festival kicks off this Thursday and runs through Sunday night, screening films at Harkins Bricktown Cinemas, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, and Myriad Gardens Great Lawn. deadCenter will screen 135 films from the 1,300 films that submitted to the festival. That total includes 22 feature films, 102 short films, and 11 virtual reality films. From hilarious

deAdCenterFilm.org

comedies and thoughtful dramas, to intense documentaries and mindblowing shorts, deadCenter has films for every possible audience and taste.

All Access passes can be purchased at IAO Gallery for $200 and include priority access to all 135 films and parties throughout the weekend.

Individual movie tickets are sold before each screening for $12 each.

Free events include Kids Fest and

High School Shorts at the Downtown Library at 10:00am on Friday and Saturday; the Oklahoma Film + Music Office panel series at ACM@UCO on Saturday, from 10:00am – 5:00pm; Virtual Reality films at the deadCenter Virtual Cinema @ 21c Museum Hotel, Friday through Sunday, 10:00am – 6:00pm; and, the world premiere of a new documentary short about Thunder player Nick Collison on Saturday night

getting Social with deadCenter #

at 9:00pm at Myriad Gardens Great Lawn, followed by the Lynyrd Skynyrd rock & roll documentary If I Leave Here Tomorrow.

Check out this issue of the Gazette for a full schedule and list of films. Movie trailers and additional information are available at www.deadcenterfilm.org.

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/deadcenter Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/deadcenterfilm Youtube film trailers: youtube.com/user/deadcenterfilm Please see the full film schedule inside. dcff18 O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8

25

SponSored progrAm

narratives features

Accommodations

• Fri, Jun 8th, 8:45 PM at OG&E Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sun, Jun 10th, 5:00 PM at Tapstone Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema

American Animals

• Thu, Jun 7th, 8:00 PM at Oklahoma City Museum of Art • Sat, Jun 9th, 7:30 PM at Devon Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema

Amy Miller Gross directs this beautiful drama about an affluent Manhattan couple who rent out their recently renovated loft while they explore a more meaningful life.

American Horror Story’s Evan Peters stars in this exciting Sundance favorite about college kids who attempt a major heist of their college’s rare book collection.

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich

The Independents

• Fri, Jun 8th, 9:30 PM at Tapstone Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sat, Jun 9th, 9:15 PM at Tapstone Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema This feisty horror film is filled with hilarious puppets, tons of fake blood, and enough scares to keep you jumping out of your seat.

• Thu, Jun 7th, 6:00 PM at MidFirst Bank Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sun, Jun 10th, 2:00 PM at Oklahoma City Museum of Art Musician Greg Naughton wrote and directed this musical comedy about three struggling songwriters whose chance meeting rekindles their dreams of making it in the music business.

Hearts Beat Loud

• Sun, Jun 10th, 7:45 PM at Stella Nova Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema deadCenter favorite Nick Offerman returns along with Ted Danson in this uplifting musical about a father and daughter who form a band the summer before she leaves for college.

People, People

• Sat, Jun 9th, 4:30 PM at MidFirst Bank Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sun, Jun 10th, 7:30 PM at Tapstone Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema Writer/director Lizzie Logan presents this very modern romantic comedy about the struggles of a generation raised entirely online.

The Jurassic Games

Woman Walks Ahead

• Fri, Jun 8th, 7:00 PM at Devon Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema

• Fri, Jun 8th, 5:30 PM at Oklahoma City Museum of Art

Oklahoma’s Ryan Belgardt returns with this CGI action film about a virtual reality game that pits death row inmates against each other and dinosaurs. Great cast led by Ryan Merriman and Adam Hampton.

Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain and Oscar winner Sam Rockwell star in this gorgeous drama about a widow who travels to Dakota in 1890 to paint a portrait of Sitting Bull.

“We are really thrilled with the great blossoming of delicious culture that’s happening in oklahoma City.”

You People

• Thu, Jun 7th, 8:30 PM @ MidFirst Bank Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sun, Jun 10th, 6:00 PM @ MidFirst Bank Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema OU grad Laron Chapman directs this comedic drama about an African-American teen with an identity crisis between his white, suburban upbringing and his growing interest in AfricanAmerican culture.

1985

• Fri, Jun 8th, 7:00 PM @ Tapstone Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sat, Jun 9th, 1:30 PM @ OG&E Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema Michael Chiklis and Virginia Madsen star in this intense drama about a gay man with AIDS returning home to his conservative family from director Yen Tan.

The Big Lebowski

• Fri, June 9 at 11:00 PM at 21c Museum Hotel Grab your robe and join us for a PJ Party as “The Dude” Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

— nick offerman

“this is an exciting time to be in oklahoma City. it’s amazing to be up here at the deadCenter Film festival, which is kicking butt.”

— James marsden

Video Art @ oKC museum of Art deadCenter is partnering with the OKC Museum of Art to offer all passholders free access to the video art exhibit The Serenity of Madness from renowned video artist Apichatpong Weerasethakul from Thailand. Weerasethakul won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2010 and is considered one of the leading video artists in the world.

essential info 26

june 6, 2018 |

Full schedule and details can be found at deadcenterfilm.org. There, you can read about each of the 100+ films, screening locations, pass-purchase information, the latest deadCenter news and more. #dcff18 O kg a z e t t e . c o m

all-access passes

All Access Passes are $200 and may be purchased at deadCenter’s Registration Lounge at IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. through Friday, June 8 and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, June 9.

SPOnSORed PROGRAM

A Shot in the Dark

• Sat, Jun 9th, 5:00 PM at Devon Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sun, Jun 10th, 6:30 PM at Devon Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema

HAL

• Fri, Jun 8th, 8:00 PM at Oklahoma City Museum of Art • Sat, Jun 9th, 7:00 PM at MidFirst Bank Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema

This inspiring documentary follows a blind wrestler as he tries to win a state championship before graduating from high school.

OU grad Amy Scott directs this awesome film about Oscar-winning director Hal Ashby (Harold and Maude, Shampoo, Coming Home).

Purple Dreams

The World Before Your Feet

• Sat, Jun 9th, 1:45 PM at Tapstone Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sun, Jun 10th, 1:30 PM at Devon Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema This uplifting triumph follows six students at a performing arts school as they take their production of The Color Purple all the way to nationals.

• Fri, Jun 8th, 6:00 PM at MidFirst Bank Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema This thoughtful film from SXSW follows Matt Green as he walks every block of New York City in a quest to discover his true purpose.

If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd

• Sat, Jun 9th, 9:30 PM at The Great Lawn at the Myriad Gardens A music-filled tribute to one of classic rock’s biggest bands.

SponSored progrAm

documentary features

John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection

• Sat, Jun 9th, 11:30 AM atMidFirst Bank Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sun, Jun 10th, 4:00 PM at Devon Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema This fascinating French film explores John McEnroe at the height of his career as he tries to win the elusive French Open.

Thy Kingdom Come

Weed the People

This powerful, intense documentary follows actor Javier Bardem as he gets small-town Oklahomans to discuss their most personal stories.

This thought-provoking doc tells true stories of marijuana being used for medical purposes.

• Sat, Jun 9th, 12:00 PM @ Tapstone Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sun, Jun 10th, 1:15 PM @ Stella Nova Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema

• Sat, Jun 9th, 4:15 PM at Tapstone Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sun, Jun 10th, 12:00 PM at Tapstone Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema

Find the full schedule in the glossy insert!

Daughters of the Sexual Revolution: The Untold Story of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders • Thu, Jun 7th, 5:30 PM at Oklahoma City Museum of Art • Sat, Jun 9th, 2:30 PM at Devon Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema

White Tide

• Fri, Jun 8th, 8:30 PM at MidFirst Bank Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sun, Jun 10th, 2:30 PM at Tapstone Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cine ma The thrilling true story of an American dreamer who sets out on a quest to find a buried treasure of $2 million worth of cocaine.

Father’s of Football

• Sunday, Jun 10, 8:15 PM @ MidFirst Bank Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema A special sneak peek from Oklahoma native and deadCenter alumnus Bradley Beesley, Fathers of Football, follows the triumphs and struggles of life in a small town, where football is not only the brightest stage but also the best ticket out.

get your tickets today at deadcenterfilm.org

#dCFF18

This glorious film offers insight into the most glamorous phenomenon of the 1970s and the woman who made it all happen.

Virtual Cinema @ 21c museum Hotel deadCenter’s Virtual Cinema at the 21c Museum Hotel will feature 11 Virtual Reality/360 films from around the world, including films from Australia, China, Mexico, South Korea, Sudan, and all across the US. There is even a VR film from Alva, OK. Our trained volunteers will set you up in a VR headset so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the future of film. deadCenter’s Virtual Cinema is free and open to the public.

individual tickets

$12 and can be purchased at each screening 20 minutes before show time, after passholders have been seated.

free screenings

deadCenter offers free screenings of its KidsFest and High School shorts programs at the Downtown Library Fridayand Saturday, starting at 10 AM each day. There is also a free outdoor screening of the rock ’n’ roll documentary If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd 9:30 p.m. Saturday on the Myriad Garden’s Great Lawn.

Please note that all films screened at deadCenter Film Festival are unrated. Any films shown after 6 p.m. may have mature themes and are not appropriate for those under the age of 18.

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8

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SponSored progrAm

short film programs

Love, Sex, & Death Shorts

dC After Dark Shorts

Cutting Edge Shorts

Mind-blowing Mediums

Check out these ten films focusing on what makes the world go round.

• Friday, June 8, 6:30pm Stella Nova Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sunday, June 10, 5:15pm Stella Nova Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema Standby, Control, The Weight, Consolation Prize, The Insecurities of Dill, End Times, The Shuttle, A Craftsman, Shed, Last Words

Eighty-two minutes for adult eyes only.

• Thursday, June 7, 9:00pm Tapstone Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Saturday June 9, 7:15pm Stella Nova Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema M.A.M.O.N. (MONITOR AGAINST MEXICANS OVER NATIONWIDE), Netflix & Chill, Gridlock, Hashtag Perfect Life, -Winston, Smother Me in Hugs, Lunch Ladies

Check out these six films testing the limits of storytelling.

• Friday, June 8, 9:00pm Stella Nova Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sunday, June 10, 3:15pm OG&E Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema Falling, (Some) Mortal Tales, The Likes and Dislikes of Marj Bagley, Nightmares by the Sea, Terraform, 1971, Motorcycle Heart

Three mind-blowing shorts worth every extra minute.

• Saturday, June 9, 11:45am Stella Nova Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sunday, June 10, 5:45pm OG&E Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema ATISAZ, The Tree Prophet, Guo Mie

Allies and Adversaries Shorts

Heart Hard Shorts

The Fringe Shorts

Friend or foe? You decide among these six films.

• Saturday, June 9, 6:30 PM OG&E Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sunday, June 10, 2:45 PM Stella Nova Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema Civil, Caroline, The Good Fight, You Can’t Play With Us, Stealing Silver, Redneck Muslim

Six films guaranteed to pull at those heartstrings extra hard.

• Saturday, June 9, 2:15 PM Stella Nova Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sunday, June 10, 8:15 PM OG&E Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema Kin, It’s Just a Gun, Baby Won’t You Please Come Home, Dinner Guest, Purity, Unforgivable

Eight stories off the beaten path.

• Saturday, June 9, 4:45 PM Stella Nova Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sunday, June 10, 12:45 PM OG&E Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema American Dream, Mama, Stine, From Scratch, Felix, Do We Leave This Here, Paleonaut, Diana in Savannah

kidsFest

High School Shorts

Okie Shorts

Ten short films the whole family will enjoy.

• Friday, June 8, 10:00 AM at Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library • Saturday, June 9, 10:00 AM at Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library Tom in Couchland, Nan Isht Akokpachi (The Gift), Extinguished, The Wishing Cranes, The Test, Plush Assassin, KCLOC, Dear Henri, Love on the Balcony,Rock Paper Scissors

Check out these eleven films from the next generation.

• Friday, June 8, 11:00 AM at Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library • Saturday, June 9, 11:00 AM at Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library The Story of Three Rings: A Memoir of Dana Schwartz, All Yours, Skin, Early Birds, Old Bloo, Shoes, In the Trees, Ukiyo, Perfect Profile, Every Name Has a Story, First Day

Eleven homegrown and totally awesome shorts — just how we like them!

• Saturday, June 9, 8:00pm Oklahoma City Museum of Art • Sunday, June 10, 3:30pm MidFirst Bank Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema More Tomorrow, Breakdown: An Anti Romantic Comedy, Ava, The Office Case, A Clockwork Banana, Homecoming Trilogy, Domesti City, OK, KID, As She Goes, Unlucky Day, Rock Paper Scissors

Okie Mediums

Comedy Shorts

Check out these three Okie films worth every extra minute.

• Saturday, June 9, 2:00pm MidFirst Bank Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Sunday, June 10, 1:00pm MidFirst Bank Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema The Grave, Grey Matter, Forget-Me-Not

As a dCFF program staple, these ten films are guaranteed to produce the giggles.

• Thursday, June 7, 6:30 PM Tapstone Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Saturday, June 9, 11:00 AM OG&E Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema Off Book, Easy As…, Paid For By - Diane Busch’s Women’s Issue Ad, Joint custody, A Day in the Park, Lifeline, Chorus, Missing Lefty, Sand, The Curse of Don Scarducci

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Gallery Shorts Three films so cool, they belong in the museum.

• Friday, June 8 - Sunday, June 10 at 21c Museum Hotel dis[ability], Shinrin-Yoku (forest bathing), The Shins “Half A Million”

VR FIlms Check out these eleven films from the next generation.

• Friday, June 8, 10 AM - 6 PM at 21c Museum Hotel • Saturday, June 9, 10 AM - 6 PM at 21c Museum Hotel Space Explorers Ep 1, The Posies - Unlikely Places, Rone, Homecoming: Seduction, Space X Girl, Everything Flows, “Unraveled - The Future of Music with Virtual Reality and 360 Media”., The Evolution of Testicles, The Other Dakar, The Wall VR, VIVE: Aeronaut

Femme Fatale Shorts A program dedicated to seven women directors who are absolutely killing it.

• Friday, June 8, 6:15pm OG&E Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema • Saturday, June 9, 4:00pm OG&E Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema Susanne and the Man, Night Call, Mickey’s Pets, Ovum, That Is How Motherhood Works, Hair Wolf, The Winkles

Metro Technology Centers Preparing for Life

OKLAHOMA FILM

MUSIC

For more inFormAtion on FilmS And eVentS ViSit deAdCenterFilm.org | #dCFF18

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t h eater

ARTS & CULTURE

Celebrating 5 years!

Encouraging laughter

Join us June 15th

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VOTe us!

Native American New Play Festival’s featured play shows a less serious side of Native life.

BesT resAle Or COnsiGnMenT furniTure

By Jeremy Martin

A critically acclaimed work of cinema verité, The Exiles, spends a single night with a group of young Native Americans who’ve moved from reservations to downtown Los Angeles after the Indian Relocation Act of 1956. New York Magazine called it “Enthralling and breathtakingly gorgeous!” Playwright Arigon Starr has a few problems with it.

“It was a beautifully shot film,” Starr said, “but the stories that they had in there were the usual Native American tropes of the broken family, the alcoholism, the tragedy, you know, ‘Lo the poor Indian.’ And I said to myself after seeing it, it kind of made me angry; I said, ‘That’s not what I heard from my family.’

I still have family members that moved from Oklahoma to Los Angeles in the 1950s and stayed there, and they had wonderful lives. They had families and children, and I thought, ‘They never tell that story. That’s the story I want.’”

Her desire to see that side of Native American life led her to write the comedy Round Dance, set in Los Angeles in 1956. It was performed as one of the staged readings at last year’s Native American New Play Festival. This year, Round Dance will be fully staged as the festival’s feature production beginning Thursday at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. Festival coordinator Maya Torralba said the play was selected for a full production in part because of the audience feedback to the staged reading.

“It was really popular,” Torralba said, “something fresh and new.”

In her time with the festival as both an artist and an administrator, Torralba said Round Dance is the first comedy she recalls.

Starr, a member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma and a Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter, comic-book creator and playwright, said she likes writing comedies because laughter has always been an important part of her life.

“That’s another side of Native Americans that people don’t really get to see very often,” Starr said. “The way I was raised and the people that I knew growing up, we loved to laugh, and that was something that my grandparents shared with me and my mom and dad, just everybody I know. It’s like, gosh, when we all get together, we’re just hootin’ and hollerin’.”

Round Dance chronicles the meetcute between Rudy Kernel (Wilson Daingkau), a scarred veteran and gas station manager relocated from rural

COlleCTiBles | MeMOrABiliA 70 DeAlers | neW sTuff DAily

Oklahoma, and Ada Snail (Starr), a Cherokee nurse, in a bar in Los Angeles in June of 1956, the night after Elvis Presley’s famous appearance on The Milton Berle Show. Starr said she thinks it’s important to tell upbeat stories about Native Americans in more contemporary settings.

“Yes, there are horrendous things that have happened to our people all over the country and they shouldn’t be forgotten,” Starr said. “But on the other hand, if we stay in that place, we’re downtrodden, brokenhearted, defeated, disappeared, vanished people, and that’s certainly not the case. So that’s why with the work that I do with my theater pieces, with the music that I create, with the comic books that I do, it’s all positive stuff that we’re still living now, and we’re not like that famous sculpture the ‘End of the Trail.’

Because that’s what a lot of people say, ‘Oh, they’re all dead and vanished,’ and it’s like ‘No, no, no; we’re still here.’”

Telling the story as a play gives it extra life, she said.

“What’s really interesting about doing theater is that it’s live, it’s immediate, and because of the space that we’re in, it’s really intimate,” Starr said.

“You almost in this play feel like you’re onstage with the actors, and you’re in the action. I love it.”

If we stay in that place, we’re downtrodden, brokenhearted, defeated, disappeared, vanished people, and that’s certainly not the case.

Arigon Starr The only issue with the live performance, Starr added, is that non-Native audience members are sometimes confused about how to respond to a comedy in the context of the Native American New Play Festival.

“When people come to see the show, let them know that it’s OK to laugh at the Indians,” Starr said. “You really have to give permission to the audience

Apple Tree AnTique GAllery 6740 nW 39th expressway Bethany, OK | 405.495.0602

Arigon Starr wrote Round Dance, which is being staged at Native American New Play Festival.

Photo Maria Ventura / provided

to laugh, and sometimes I’ll actually have a family member come in and I’ll tell them, ‘You just laugh as hard as you can. Get them started. ’Cause they’re a little afraid to laugh at us.’”

Festival features

In addition to six performances of Round Dance, the festival, now in its ninth year, features staged readings of Neechie-itas by Jo MacDonald, Little Brother of War by Bret Jones, River of Blood by Ed Bourgeois and The Bone Picker by Carolyn Dunn as well as a live musical performance by Terry Tsotigh, vendors selling jewelry and art, an informational booth organized by the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women and a discussion panel featuring Starr. Tickets to Round Dance can be purchased online, but the discussion panel and the staged readings are free to attend. Like last year, the audience response to the staged readings will help determine which play is produced as next year’s feature.

Torralba said the festival has “become more Native Americanorganized” in recent years with a record number of actors auditioning this year after organizers reached out to theater departments in rural Oklahoman towns such as Anadarko. Getting young people involved in the theater is key to keeping traditions alive.

“We’re a people of storytellers,” Torralba said, “and Native drama has always been storytelling and origin stories or trickster stories, and with elders telling the stories and telling children about times past, and the children would learn from that. And that’s what we’re carrying on now in contemporary Native culture through the theater.”

The festival runs through June 16.

Tickets are $15-$25. Visit nanpf.org.

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Native American New Play Festival Thursday-June 16 Civic Center Music Hall | 201 N. Walker Ave. nanpf.org | 405-297-2264 $15-$25

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NomiNatioNs are Now opeN! Oklahoma City’s first and longest-running readers’ poll, Best of OKC, is back for its 34th year! We need your input to tell us the best our city offers, so nominate your favorites online at bestofoklahomacity.com, via Facebook or on our Best of oKC app until June 18.

save the dates for Best of oKC voting and the results!

NomiNatioN votiNg June 6-18

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ruNoFF votiNg July 18-30

results issue august 22

oFFer up thaNKs issue august 29

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m ar i j uana

ARTS & CULTURE

Growing support Weed the People is scheduled for a timely screening at deadCenter Film Festival. By Ben Luschen

Editor’s note: This article is part of a series examining cannabis and cannabinoids in Oklahoma leading up to the June 26 medical marijuana referendum.

Weed the People holds a special place in Ricki Lake’s heart. The actress, television host and Hairspray alum was emotionally moved by the documentary’s stories of young children using cannabis oils to combat cancer, but the film also hits an even more personal note.

Weed the People is a lasting tribute to Lake’s late husband.

Lake co-produced the documentary with husband Christian Evans, whom she married in 2012. Evans suffered from bipolar disorder and manic episodes and died by suicide in early 2017.

Evans used medical marijuana to cope with his disorder and was also motivated to spread the word on the plant’s many potential medical uses through his father’s death from cancer.

Weed the People likely would not have been made without Evans’ interest.

Lake believes there could be no better tribute to his legacy than this film.

“I feel like these kids are being helped because of his own quest to find answers,” Lake said in a recent Oklahoma Gazette phone interview. “He was talking about CBD years before Sanjay Gupta was around.” deadCenter Film Festival screens Weed the People 4:15 p.m. Saturday at Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16, 150 E. Reno Ave. A second screening is scheduled for noon Sunday at the same theater. Admission is $12, and those interested in attending are encouraged to arrive early.

Lake made Weed the People with director Abby Epstein, whom she had partnered with before on the 2008 documen-

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tary The Business of Being Born. The idea for their second project together specifically came from a little girl with cancer that Lake met with her husband.

“I happened to tell Abby, ‘Oh, we’re doing something crazy. Christian and I are moving this little girl into our house, and are going on this journey to find cannabis for her disease,’” Lake said. “And Abby’s like, ‘We should be documenting this. This is our next movie.’”

They never ended up using that particular girl for their film, but the idea led them to many other families looking to treat their children’s cancer through cannabis oils.

Epstein said Weed the People is a movie about healing. There are a lot of other marijuana documentaries out there, but not many that put a human face with its medical uses. It is hard to come away from the documentary, which follows the intense, high-stakes treatments of several young cancer patients — including one infant — without feeling any sympathy.

“Neither of us really knew much about the cannabis world before this,” Epstein said. “We were not big cannabis users, we never used this medicine, we were not politically involved in legalization.

We came into it skeptical but open.”

While the pair came into the documentary with a mostly neutral approach to the subject, the process of filming has turned them into advocates. Lake wants to channel her late husband’s passion in an effort to help as many families as possible.

“We’re really hoping to make a difference,” she said.

Real use

When Weed the People viewers first meet Chico Ryder, the boy is weak, pale

and bed-bound — physically ravaged by the adverse effects of the chemotherapy he was receiving for his aggressive soft tissue cancer.

However, through the use of cannabis oil, Ryder was eventually able to counteract most negative effects of chemo. His physical improvement is clear and remarkable.

“When we screen it in front of an audience, there’s an audible gasp when they see Chico in the doctor’s office,” Lake said. “He looks like a different child. It’s great that we’re able to see these kinds of outcomes.”

Filming for Weed the People began in 2012, but the bulk of the footage was gathered in 2013. Epstein said they met most of their subjects organically within the cannabis oil community. Many families who use these projects for their children connect with each other through Facebook and social media.

While Weed the People is an informative film, it is also a personal one dealing with real life-or-death situations. When Epstein began following a child’s treatment, she had no idea how things would develop.

“It’s a very, very tricky thing to film, obviously, because you just don’t know the prognosis of these children,” Epstein said. “You’re kind of in it for whatever happens. It’s scary, but luckily, almost all of them are doing quite well.”

The logistical side of making a documentary is not easy either. Lake and Epstein have two children apiece.

“I feel like we had a guardian angel watching over us with this project,” Lake said, “because it really came together so beautifully.”

Well-timed

Lake said it is no coincidence that Weed the People is screening at deadCenter less than three weeks before Oklahoma voters will decide on State Question 788, which would legalize medical marijuana.

Both Lake and Epstein will be in Oklahoma City for the film’s screenings.

“That’s why we’re coming,” she said.

“That’s the reason; it’s definitely a conscious decision for us to come so we can hopefully help move the needle.”

There is a common notion that

Weed the People screens at deadCenter Film Festival less than three weeks before state voters will decide on State Question 788. | Photo provided

medical marijuana is something that is completely untested, but Weed the People make a point to emphasize how cannabis is actually one of the oldest medicines known to man, with documented uses going back 5,000 years.

It is only within the last century that there has been a prohibition against it, a movement Epstein said had little to do with the plant’s healing properties.

“The prohibition of the drug has nothing to do with its safety profile or addiction,” Epstein said. “It only has to do with politics, greed and corruption.

That’s it.”

The director knows it is hard to combat decades of misinformation on cannabis, but she asks voters to approach the issue with an open mind and do their research on medical marijuana before they hit the polls.

“The big thing is to really open your mind up to the science of this to see what this looks like,” she said.

Visit weedthepeoplemovie.com.

Weed the People 4:15 p.m. Saturday, noon Sunday Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16 150 E. Reno Ave. deadcenterfilm.org | 405-246-9233 $12

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18-GT-2830_GT SF Oklahoma Gazette - TRADE_4.55x6.05_CNP_FINAL.indd 1

PUBLIC OPENING REMARKS AND ARTIST PANEL 7 p.m. Thursday, June 7, 2018 EXHIBITION RUNS June 8 – Sept. 9, 2018

5/11/18 1:02 PM

FRED JONES JR. MUSEUM OF ART The University of Oklahoma 555 Elm Ave. Norman, OK 73019-3003 FJJMA.OU.EDU | @FJJMA ADMISSION IS ALWAYS FREE!

Visual Voices: Contemporary Chickasaw Art is made possible by grants provided by the Chickasaw Nation and the National Endowment for the Arts, and by assistance from The American Indian Cultural Center and Museum.

Paul Moore (U.S., Chickasaw, b. 1970); The Field [detail], 2017 Acrylic on panel (triptych), 20 x 16 x 1.5 in.; Loan courtesy of artist For accommodations, please call Visitor Services at (405) 325-4938.

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo

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j u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

ARTS & CULTURE

d ea d center

The Jurassic Games | Photo deadCenter/ provided

Close-ups

Six deadCenter entries illustrate the quality and diversity of the festival’s offerings.

The Jurassic Games

Take the dystopian, gladiatorial realityshow aspect of The Hunger Games series and drop in some of Jurassic Park’s classic scaly predators and you have the basic premise for The Jurassic Games, the latest popcorn-shoveling sci-fi action flick from director Ryan Bellgardt.

The man behind past fan favorites Gremlin and Army of Frankensteins has crafted his own creature-feature niche at deadCenter Film Festival. The Jurassic Games does more than live up to those titles, channeling two widely cherished major film franchises at once.

Fans won’t find Jennifer Lawrence or Chris Pratt in this ambitious mashup, but strong acting performances can be found throughout The Jurassic Games’ cast. The story follows death-row inmate Anthony Tucker (played by actor Adam Hampton), who is accused of murdering his wife. Instead of straightforward execution, he is given the chance to compete in a hugely popular television reality competition that puts death row inmates on a computer-simulated island, where they must achieve a series of tasks while surviving attacks from the island’s dinosaur residents (and, of course, their murderous co-stars). The last standing survivor earns freedom and criminal exoneration.

Tucker, who maintains his innocence, accepts the show spot in hopes that he might win and be reunited with his children, who are certain their father is no murderer.

The Jurassic Games does not spend

much time explaining how the world has come to such a chaotic state that such a bizarre and ill-advised show would be allowed to exist, and that is a good thing. Fictional dystopias are frequently bogged down with setup and backstory. Bellgardt doesn’t ask his audience to do anything more than accept the story’s core scenario.

Many of Tucker’s competitors are specialists in nasty, antisocial behavior.

Convicted killer Joy (Katie Burgess) is as unpredictable as she is violent, but some others have redeemable qualities, like martial artist Ren (Tiger Sheu), who engages in the ever-rare kung-fu battle with three velociraptors. Guiding everything along is the show’s polished host (Final Destination 3’s Ryan Merriman), who has an unhealthy obsession with churning TV drama out of human suffering.

The Jurassic Games should go down as Bellgardt’s best work to date. The visual effects are phenomenal considering the film’s miniscule budget — at least compared to the blockbuster franchises that inspired it. It’s classic summer fun the whole family can enjoy. — Ben Luschen

living in Oklahoma City through the character of Chad Johnson (played by Joseph Lee Anderson), a black man adopted by a suburban white family.

The film opens with Johnson leaving a class assignment blank when asked to identify himself and a montage of images such a Black Lives Matter demonstrations and pictures from Oklahoma City’s Pride parade, but the film immediately takes a comedic turn with laughs presented by Johnson’s adoptive parents (Michael Gibbons and Cindy Hanska).

The mixture of comedy and identity issues can be cringe-worthy at first, especially when Chad’s white best friend Michael (James Austin Kerr) tells Johnson they need to “revoke his black card” and calls himself the “Mr. Miyagi of Blackness” while using the n-word, but that is Chapman’s intent.

Many of Chad and Michael’s interactions are based on Chapman’s real-life experiences and prepare viewers for intense scenes later in the film.

Johnson’s worldview begins to

change when he’s introduced to love interest Melanie Fischer (Gabrielle Reyes), as he is worried he “isn’t black enough for her.”

“You’re black because you’re born black. It doesn’t come with an instruction manual; just be yourself,” Fischer tells Johnson.

His relationship with Fischer unfolds as his birth mother Jasmine Jones (played with an excellent turn by Vanessa Harris) enters his life for the first time.

The film is aesthetically appealing and looks better than its budget might indicate. The most riveting scene in the film comes as Johnson is pulled over by a law enforcement officer late at night, and the flashing lights dance in the background like flames on a fire.

Chapman shows much promise in his first feature, proving capable of balancing comedic and dramatic beats throughout the film. — Jacob Threadgill

Daughters of the Sexual Revolution: The Untold Story of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

Inspiration can come in many guises.

According to legend, the genesis of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders stemmed from a 1967 football game at the Cotton Bowl when Cowboys general manager Tex Schramm spotted a local exotic dancer, Bubbles Cash, as she made her way down a staircase while in a miniskirt and holding two spindles of cotton candy as if they were pompoms. An idea struck Schramm. Several years later, the Cowboys introduced its new cheer squad of scantily clad, buxom young women. The documentary Daughters of the Sexual Revolution: The Untold Story of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders chronicles how the original DCC became iconic of the freewheeling 1970s and early ’80s, bringing the allure of sex continued on page 36

You People

First-time director Laron Chapman mixes in comedy to make important subject matter more approachable and makes a $40,000 budget seem larger for his passion project, You People.

Chapman, who also wrote the script, taps into issues of identity surrounding race, gender and sexuality by using his own experience as a biracial gay man

You People | Photo deadCenter/ provided O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8

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ARTS & CULTURE

A Shot in the Dark | Photo deadCenter/ provided

continued from page 35

to the seemingly non-erotic world of NFL football.

Documentary maker Dana Adam Shapiro, in his first work since 2005’s excellent Murderball, details the cheerleaders’ ascent through terrific archival footage and a host of interviews with various ex-DCC members and other principals. One of those interviewees, former Cowboys Cheerleaders director Suzanne Mitchell, emerges as a key force in transforming the squad into a pop culture bonanza.

Decked out in knotted half-shirts, short shorts and white vinyl go-go boots, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders inhabited a space where America’s social landscape was being shaped by both the women’s liberation movement and the sexual revolution. Mitchell, the only female executive in the Cowboys front office, presumably would have been a champion for feminism, but the DCC were also derided as midriff-baring pawns of a leering patriarchy. “A lot of women didn’t like us,” recalls one excheerleader. Love ’em or hate ’em, the Dallas cheerleaders were an unequivocal phenomenon. The proverbial dam broke in 1976 during Super Bowl X. A TV cameraman, cutting away from the Cowboys-Steelers matchup, captured the knowing wink of a Dallas cheerleader. “After the wink,” recalls a former Cowboys broadcaster, “all hell broke loose.”

It wasn’t long before the DCC were appearing in everything from posters and calendars to appearances on TV’s The Love Boat and Family Feud. The mega-celebrity obscured the fact that squad members were subject to strict rules governing life off the field, all for a meager $15 per game (before taxes).

Despite some chatter paid to the American heartland’s curious intersection of religion and sex, Daughters of the Sexual Revolution is unsurprisingly (perhaps fittingly) skin-deep. But with its quick edits, brisk pace and visual wit, the documentary is fun and consistently entertaining. — Phil Bacharach 36

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The World Before Your Feet

In 2010, Matt Green relinquished his engineering career, opting instead to walk 3,000 miles from New York to Oregon. Finishing his countrywide stroll still left a hunger in his shoes, as subsequently, Green resolved to cover every street of New York City’s five boroughs. A chronicle of Green’s urban journey, Jeremy Workman’s The World Before Your Feet is an intimate panorama of humanity shot through Green’s exhaustive experiment.

Green, and by extension Workman, discards any needless injection of grandeur at the film’s onset. Green muses at the monetization of his quest before shrugging the notion off and walking on. Far more concerned with moments and history, the film is an endearing collection of beautiful vignettes. While some of the work’s movements concern themselves with mortality and nationalism, others entail the city’s local color and microscopic nuances. Omitting so much as a recognizable glance of Times Square, Green and Workman capture the city’s complexity beneath its popular veneer.

Illuminating the subtlety and depth of everyday interactions, the frame maintains a second-person perspective. Green facilitates conversations without forcing a trajectory, yielding a natural dialogue absent from many similar documentaries. The film’s catalogue of information is eclectic yet accessible, and Green’s discussions bound between the machinations of modern New York and musings on Americana.

Green’s disregard for a “purpose” within his work is troubling, and a white man roaming New York fawning over architecture and other civil quirks can feel a bit superficial. Workman proves he is not oblivious to this notion — through an encounter with Garnette Cadogan, a fellow walker and commentator, Workman puts a sincere effort into capturing the actual composition of New York rather than some pristine, white fantasy.

Gradually, the film considers the

biographical implication of Green’s journey. The amount of life he encounters often leaves him wondering if his endeavor will ever conclude; the city is a cyclone of narrative “layers,” as Cadogan suggests, changing faster than Green could ever walk. Eventually, the cause for the trek itself becomes far less interesting than Green’s compulsion. The World Before Your Feet’s reflection on urban life is a pleasant reprieve from the frequent severity of contemporary documentaries. — Daniel Bokemper

A Shot in the Dark

Anthony Ferraro is an impressive young athlete: driven, tenacious, eager to learn, and blind. The 17-year-old New Jerseyite is the focus of A Shot in the Dark, a documentary that details Ferraro’s senior year in high school as he seeks to win district, regional and state tournaments.

You get the impression that director Chris Suchorsky (he also produced the picture with Ferraro’s older brother, Oliver) had set out to make a feel-good sports story, and certainly Anthony is worthy of inspiration. But like the most successful documentaries, A Shot in the Dark stumbles into more interesting stuff when real life strays from the assumed narrative.

For the most part, the film is conventional storytelling to a fault, a perfunctory mix of interviews, wrestling action and scenic shots of the Jersey shore. But the movie does not flinch from ugly tones. Because his disability means that opponents must maintain touch-contact with him throughout a match, it leads to plenty of grousing from competitors, both on the mat and in the bleachers, that Ferraro exploits his blindness for a competitive edge.

Hey, don’t forget this is Jersey. “People that are hating on him because of the way he has to wrestle, that’s hard for him to deal with,” says his wrestling club coach, Mike Malinconico. “That bugs the shit out of him, and it should.

He’s been dealing with the haters of the world since he started.”

There’s no ambiguity where the filmmakers stand on the issue. When a spectator complains that Ferraro has an unfair advantage, the hater is identified as “random douche” in a caption at the bottom of the screen. Ferraro is not the stoic type. The constant taunts spur the young man’s periodic lapses into self-recrimination and self-pity.

High school coach Pat Smith muses that Ferraro has a “big emotional disadvantage” because his lack of sight compels him to pay too much attention to what he overhears.

If only the documentary had more fully explored Ferraro’s unguarded moments. Music cues hammer what viewers are supposed to feel. And some of the interviews are terrific — Malinconico deserves a spot in the next Kevin Smith movie — there is also a fair amount of filler. We probably don’t

need Ferraro’s fellow wrestlers to explain how it sucks to lose, and references to Hurricane Sandy and a blizzard flit by without context. A Shot in the Dark earns a takedown but could have gone for a fall. — Phil Bacharach

Purple Dreams

In 2015, drama instructor Corey Mitchell won the first Tony Award for excellence in theater education.

Acclaimed for his efforts to challenge and strengthen students through his productions, Mitchell achieved national recognition for his adaptation of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.

Joanne Hock’s Purple Dreams traces the trials of Mitchell’s endeavor, focusing on individual dilemmas and moldbreaking behavior of students at Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Purple Dreams covers the weeks prior to the musical’s first public performance. At-risk students populate the production’s ensemble, and the film often captures the blight and decay of urban North Carolina, but Hock hones in on the teens’ resolve to fight society’s presumptions.

The filmmaker’s intuition is on point; the stories cover a broad topical spectrum. One thread follows Brittany, an 18-year-old on the cusp of being forced out of the curriculum. Despite her stuttering academic performance, The Color Purple instills a sense of empowerment within Brittany, pushing her toward a collegiate trajectory she never thought possible. Hock promotes the power of the arts throughout her documentary, illuminating opportunities without hindering Purple Dreams’ flow.

Unfortunately, everything beyond the film’s first hour feels rushed, almost as if the students’ tales end after their first successful production.

Hock’s examination becomes glossed and almost seems truncated by its conclusion. Though the film would likely do well to not push the length of something like Hoop Dreams, it seems an additional 20 minutes might have allowed the piece to fully actualize.

Perhaps propelled heavily by Mitchell, Hock’s comedic timing is exceptional and her humor is refreshing without compromising moments of sincerity. Hock’s ability to convey triumph over consequences is masterful and would readily translate to a narrative feature.

Purple Dreams is a testament to the power of theater and a champion of creativity. Despite peculiar pacing near the film’s end, it maintains a sense of gravity and importance throughout, and Hock displays a knack for harnessing emotion through precise storytelling. — Daniel Bokemper

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ARTS & CULTURE

Listening lesson Javier Bardem lets the people of Bartlesville do the talking in Thy Kingdom Come. By Ben Luschen

Javier Bardem is the star of Thy Kingdom Come in the sense that he is far and away the most famous person in each scene. The Academy Awardwinning, Spanish-born actor shares all of his shots with some of Bartlesville’s oldest, poorest and sickest people.

But Bardem’s comparative fame and priestly role does not tower above the rest of the project. Instead, the opposite happens. Bardem disappears into the background as the compelling personal testimonies and gripping realism of everyday Oklahoma townsfolk take a captivating lead.

Thy Kingdom Come makes its Oklahoma debut noon Saturday at deadCenter Film Festival inside Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16, 150 E. Reno Ave. A second screening begins 1:15 p.m. Sunday at the theater.

The film takes almost entirely unused footage shot for Oklahomaborn director Terrence Malick’s 2012 feature To the Wonder and stitches it together to form one of the most unlikely — and best — documentaries about small-town life on the fringes of mainstream society that has ever been made. Bardem’s character goes everywhere from local trailer parks to Osage County Jail, speaking with people from all different walks of life. The film also stars Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Olga Kurylenko.

For the filming of To the Wonder, legendary New York-based photojournalist Eugene Richards was hired by Malick to go around Bartlesville (a town in which the director’s family once lived and To the Wonder’s shooting location) and meet real people with Bardem, who was in character as a priest secretly struggling with his own faith. The priest visits the members of his parish who wish to see him, but at the same time, he’s hoping their stories can somehow help him rectify his religious path.

The footage, used only fragmentally in the final cut of Malick’s movie, was intended to give the fictional film an added layer of authentic local flavor.

But as soon as Richards began filming in Bartlesville and saw how comfortable people were sharing their life stories with Bardem in his priestly collar, he knew he had tapped into something special.

“We knew right away that it was something that we hadn’t seen before,” Richards said in a recent Oklahoma Gazette phone interview. “Something about sitting down with people and how simple it is and how powerful the story is.”

The subjects of the film knew they were shooting a fictional movie.

Richards told them that they could respond in any way to Bardem — with stories from their real lives or something completely fabricated. Without exception, the resulting interviews were not only true stories but often soul-bearing testimonies.

“It’s simply that idea that no one ever talks to them very much,” Richards said. “If you ask people to tell about themselves, they will. They didn’t create fictions.”

Reaching out

Richards was first contacted about working on To the Wonder in 2010. He had previously met Malick at a grant function, and they had discussed his experience as a photographer and his past experience working with priests and social workers.

Meeting Bardem for the first time in Bartlesville, Richards was not sure what to expect. But any apprehension he had before talking to the actor was quickly disarmed by the Bardem’s serene nature.

“I never met an actor before, and he’s always touted as one of the greatest — if not the world’s greatest — actor,” Richards said. “But instead, you meet this preposterously handsome man who is just as calm and nice as you can be.”

If you ask people to tell about themselves, they will. They didn’t create fictions.

Eugene Richards

One of the things that threw him for a loop was Bardem’s eagerness for instruction. Before they went out filming, Richards and a local Episcopal priest took the time to speak with Bardem about how a priest or social worker acts in the field, emphasizing the importance of listening and not exaggerating any emotions.

Richards said it was clear that Bardem took the advice to heart. The people in the film knew he was an actor, though their familiarity with his work varied by person. But his patience and willingness to listen seemed to make his identity irrelevant to the interview subjects.

“There was no performance to it, and the people knew it — that this guy was actually listening to them,” Richards said.

But playing a role while interacting

A Special Evening with

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Thursday, June 14 7:00 PM The Paramount Room 701 W. Sheridan Ave. (Film Row), OKC right Actor Javier Bardem speaks with an Osage County Jail inmate during the filming of Thy Kingdom Come. | Photo provided

with real people was not always easy for Bardem. One interview Richards said the actor had difficulty with was in the home of a former Klansman who openly spoke racist rhetoric.

Even situations when Bardem particularly enjoyed the company of his subjects could lead to challenges. In one scene, he lifts a wheelchair-bound nursing home resident named George from his chair and lays him down on the grass to gaze up at the clouds. That action, Richards said, was frowned upon by the facility’s management and nearly got the crew in trouble.

One older woman Bardem and the crew spoke with fell, hit her head and died only a couple of days after they spoke with her.

“Javier, at one point, actually thought about leaving the film,” Richards said. “I don’t want to speak for him, but he was having difficulty with the idea of going from being a fictional performer to meeting real people. It’s a pretty big jump.”

For the sake of the film and the people of Bartlesville fortunate enough to speak with the actor, it was good that Bardem decided to stay on the project.

Richards said the actor did a lot more than play a role. He was a real emotional outlet for so many people without one.

“A good priest listens first and doesn’t impose,” Richards said.

Getting made

Richards didn’t begin his To the Wonder work assuming that he would end up making a film of his own from the footage he gathered. It would have felt incredibly presumptuous to approach Bardem about collaborating as a completely inexperienced film director.

Thankfully, it was Bardem who first suggested out loud that the material they were gathering could serve a great purpose — something that could show actors how these kinds of people actually spoke and acted and how that varies from how they are normally portrayed.

When filming was over, Richards made repeated polite requests for the rights to the film but was routinely denied by Malick’s company. Still, he never relented, and eventually, the

company sent him the raw footage.

“They probably just got tired of me,” he said.

Richards immediately began stitching together his own edits with the footage, though he still did not have the rights to use it.

“I knew I shouldn’t have done it because it wasn’t my material,” he said, “but I began to get a sense of what you could do with this material.”

He sent a rough cut to Malick’s company in an attempt to show them what could be done with it. At first, they hesitated but eventually reached an agreement.

Richards said Malick’s company approves of the film and only wished to make it clear in Thy Kingdom Come that Malick intends to go back and do a recut of the film at some point in the future.

Bardem, Richards said, was thrilled to see his work come together as its own film.

“He was ecstatic,” he said. “I don’t know what he had in mind [for the film], but he said it was the film that he had wanted to make.”

Though their filming had a fictional premise, Richards’ photojournalism background likely contributed to Thy Kingdom Come’s documentary feel. He made a point to shoot everything as it naturally unfolded.

“There’s nothing that’s preset or organized or lit,” he said. “It’s all exactly what happened.”

Thy Kingdom Come is a chance to step out of one’s bubble and peer directly into parts of society that are often neglected.

It is a humanizing process that drives home the idea of everyone having their own crosses to bear.

“These people aren’t unusual; they’re just not,” Richards said. “Maybe we want them to be, but they’re not.”

Visit thykingdomcomefilm.com.

Reception to follow, featuring book signings, music and Short Order Poems

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For more information on the events at OCU visit okcfilmlit.org or call 405-208-5707

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YUKON (Main Office) 710 S Mustang Road Yukon, OK 73099

EDMOND 2529 S Kelly Ave, Ste. E Edmond, OK 73013

Thy Kingdom Come Noon Saturday, 1:15 p.m. Sunday Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16 150 E. Reno Ave. deadcenterfilm.org| 405-246-9233 $12

Complete program schedule at www.kgou.org O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8

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ARTS & CULTURE

Local premiere

Oklahoma City filmmaker Laron Chapman makes his directorial debut at deadCenter with You People. By Jacob Threadgill

Oklahoma City-based filmmaker Laron Chapman has watched deadCenter Film Festival grow over the years, which culminates as his debut feature film You People premieres at deadCenter opening night June 7 with an encore June 10.

Chapman was born in Hutchinson, Kansas, before his family relocated to Oklahoma City when he was around the age of 5. He is a graduate of Putnam City High School and the University of Oklahoma with an emphasis in film and media studies.

You People was shot in Oklahoma City at the beginning of last year with the timeline geared around submitting for deadCenter, Chapman said. The Eyecatcher Film Festival in McAlester and Fly Film Festival in Enid have since picked up the film. “deadCenter is where I wanted to debut; it just made sense,” Chapman said. “To have secured that and received two great time slots opening and closing night is a big deal. It’s validation for me because it means all that hard work that we poured into it paid off.”

Chapman worked as a production assistant on the set of Oscar-nominated August: Osage County and on reality television shows like American Idol and The Pioneer Woman.

The journey to director’s chair began during a trip to Austin Film Festival, where he participated in writers’ workshops that gave him the confidence to start working on a deeply personal script.

Chapman, who is biracial, wanted to explore the issues associated with identity he struggled with growing up, saying that he often heard he was “too black to be white and too white to be black.”

“I’ve been told by many people that I don’t fit the description for what most people will say a black male is, and I’ve always thought that was interesting

because I didn’t think there was any specific place for that,” Chapman said.

Chapman uses real-life experiences, like being profiled in a grocery store by a local law enforcement officer and conversations about race with friends to create an exaggerated version of himself in the main character named Chad.

After initially starting a script that was a straight drama, he found that it was more successful in communicating its message by introducing some levity.

“It was very confrontational, and I realized that it wasn’t working. It felt too antagonistic, and I had to ask myself, ‘Would I want to watch this film if I was on the receiving end?’” he said.

“Everyone can laugh at themselves.

Stereotypes exist, and there is something ridiculous about them that lends itself to comedy.”

Chapman’s finished script attracted producers Wendy Parker and Sha’ree Green of WeerNProduction. He launched a successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, and started preproduction of the $40,000 budget film in the summer of 2016, but there was one question: Who was going to direct?

Despite never sitting in the director’s chair, eventually Chapman took over the role after being talked into it by those around him. “‘Do you want someone else to take it and make it something else?’ they told me,” Chapman said. “‘If this is based on your life, then who better to give people the little nuanced gestures that no one else will know?’”

Chapman said his experience paid off in a scene in which a local law enforcement officer pulls over the main character late at night that is based on his own experience. “[The officer] profiled me for fitting the description of a suspect who as-

Director Laron Chapman works with lead actor Joseph Lee Anderson. | Photo provided

saulted someone at a party. I was coming home from work. I had an alibi and had my employee badge, but he was so certain that I was me. … At one point, he made me get out of the car; he roughed me up a little bit. It was a jarring moment in my life. I knew it had to be written into the film somewhere, and it’s the one that resonates the most.”

The film was shot over a month in January 2017 and features noticeable Oklahoma City landmarks such as a dinner scene at Café do Brasil, a night out at Angles bar and the campus of the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics subs in for a college campus.

“I had to be location scout too,” Chapman said. “To my surprise, everyone said yes. I don’t think that would’ve flown in New York or LA, but here, everyone is eager to have their business showcased in a film.”

In addition to being picked up by two other Oklahoma film festivals, Chapman said he has submitted the film to at least 30 other festivals across the country and is waiting to hear back.

“I’ve had people email or message me that they relate to the main character just from watching the trailer, and they’re excited to see it,” he said. “That’s really encouraging, and I hope that it lives up to the promises.”

You People premieres 8:30 p.m.

Thursday at Harkins Theatre Bricktown 16, 150 E. Reno Ave. A second showing is slated for 6 p.m. Sunday at Harkins.

Chapman will participate in the filmmaker’s panel discussion at the ACM@ UCO lounge 10 a.m. Friday.

Visit deadcenterfilm.org.

You People 8:30 p.m. Thursday, 6 p.m. Sunday Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16 150 E. Reno Ave. deadcenterfilm.org | 405-246-9233 $12

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Final destination

deadCenter Film Festival ICON winner Ryan Merriman wants to advance the film industry in Oklahoma. By George Lang

A quarter century ago, Ryan Merriman earned his first acting role on The Mommies, playing the son of comedian Caryl Kristensen on the sitcom based on Kristensen’s standup act with Marilyn Kentz. Merriman was just 10 years old at the time, which makes the Choctaw-born actor a film and television veteran at age 35.

So when Merriman is honored with the 2018 Oklahoma Film ICON Award along with Emmy Award-winning actress Alfre Woodard and virtual reality filmmaking pioneer Kim Voynar at deadCenter Film Festival ThursdaySunday in downtown Oklahoma City, it feels a little premature to the actor.

“It’s kind of like, I feel undeserving, you know? I’m still a 35-year-old man, but I look back and I’m like, I’ve been doing this for 25 years almost,” Merriman said in a recent Oklahoma Gazette phone interview. “So it’s just a blessing and an honor, obviously. It’s just cool to be recognized obviously in your home state, but it just feels like … there’s got to be somebody who deserves this more, but man, what an honor.”

Merriman, who appears in Oklahoma City-based director Ryan Bellgardt’s The Jurassic Games at the festival, is being humble. The Mommies only lasted two seasons, but it launched Merriman on a prolific and varied career, leading to roles alongside Michelle Pfeiffer in The Deep End of the Ocean and Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford in 2013’s Jackie Robinson biopic 42. He also starred in Final Destination 3 and spent several seasons on the 1990s paranormal series The Pretender and on the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars.

For The Jurassic Games, Merriman plays the host of a dystopian reality TV

series in which contestants compete for their lives in a simulated fight for survival against dinosaurs. His work with Bellgardt (Gremlin, Army of Frankensteins) required a great deal of interaction with placeholder objects and green screens, which were ultimately replaced with computer-generated tyrannosaurus rexes and other CG objects.

Such acting is not without its challenges, but Merriman soon found that Bellgardt was a great partner in bringing those scenes to fruition.

“Ryan (Bellgardt) would say, ‘OK, you’re talking to a drone, so look into the camera, and it’s, like, flying around,” Merriman said. “He would kind of tell you the visual. He had so much visual explanation that it wasn’t that bad.

“He would say, ‘OK, this will be like a hologram, and you’ll zoom in and you’ll see the dinosaurs, which are red dots.’ He would just tell you everything before you started shooting. But it is tough; you’re looking at crosses and dots and stuff like that, but it makes it that much more fun when you see the finished product.”

Home advantage

Merriman’s career frequently takes him far away from home, but his experiences with The Jurassic Games illustrated for him the ways in which Oklahoma location shoots can double for nearly any environment, locale or ecosystem.

“It’s funny when you watch the film,” he said. “You don’t realize there’s, like, six different climates here. There’s swamps, there’s desert, there’s mountains, there’s prairies, there’s cities, there’s small towns. There’s so many avenues to shoot here, so for me, it was cool to be a part of something that could showcase the backdrop of Oklahoma,

you know, and showcase the kind of talent and what people can do. I mean, if you did this in L.A., you would need five million dollars, 10 million dollars.

For what they did with the budget, it was unbelievable. It’s like a calling card, like ‘This is what you can get in Oklahoma.’”

Working in Oklahoma also means being close to home and family. Since his 2014 marriage to Kristen McMullen, Merriman has split his time between Oklahoma and Los Angeles. It was a conscious decision to stay grounded in his home state while maintaining a foothold in the industry.

“I try to split it 50-50,” he said. “So, I’m usually in L.A. during January, February and March, then I’m back home April, May and June, and then July, August and September are a tossup. But I’m a workaholic, so I’ll go wherever you want.”

Merriman completed work on the film Sunny Daze with Third Watch/Sons of Anarchy actor Michael Beach and Lonny Chavis of This Is Us about a month ago, so he is now in the Oklahoma phase of his year. He prefers his time in Oklahoma over his California existence, mainly because the people he loves are here.

“I have a house here with my wife, and my whole family is here — my mom, my dad, my grandma, all my cousins,” Merriman said. “I try to go to L.A. only for work now. It’s not my place. It’s not my ‘happy place.’ [Oklahoma] is what makes me happy, you know? I mean, all my best friends are here and my family, and that’s really what it’s all about. My job is a little different than everybody else’s, but I still love coming home.”

That is where The Jurassic Games comes back into full focus. Merriman hopes that, through is work on Bellgardt’s film and hopefully through future Oklahoma-based projects, he can act as a kind of film ambassador for the state, helping foster more film business on his home turf.

“There’s kind of a couple of doors here in Oklahoma that I’d walk through,” he said. “I would love to direct if somebody brought something to me, and of course, I love being in front of the camera. I mean, I grew up on sets, so there’s so much knowledge I could bring to the table if need be. And I’d just like to see what happened in Atlanta and Baton Rouge, where we have these huge tax incentives. … There’s so many ways to pump the business that I love into the place where I love to live.”

He also considers deadCenter Film Festival as an important factor in the formula that could bring more film work to Oklahoma, not just for himself but for other people trying to build a thriving industry to the state.

“I’m excited,” Merriman said. “I’m excited for The Jurassic Games, and I’m excited for deadCenter. The ICON award is just icing on the cake.” deadCenter Film Festival will honor Ryan Merriman with a 2018 Oklahoma Film ICON Award. | Photo provided

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HONEY

an immersive performance June 14-16 and 21-23 A collaboration with Fresh Paint Lab, inspired by narratives of desire and intimate moments between strangers.

Tickets available: oklahomacontemporary.org oklahomacontemporary.org | 405 951 0000 | @okcontemporary 3000 General Pershing Blvd. | Oklahoma City, OK 73107

GRADUATE OPEN HOUSE

JOIN US JUNE 12TH

TUESDAY, JUNE 12TH, 5:00-7:00 PM. AT THE KRAMER SCHOOL OF NURSING GRADUATE APPLICATION FEE WAIVERS FOR ATTENDEES If you are looking to pursue a graduate degree, we invite you to join us for an information session to learn about the outstanding opportunities and boundless future that only Oklahoma City University can provide!

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AT OKCU.EDU/GRADUATEOPENHOUSE OR CALL 405.208.5094

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J u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

calendar are events recommended

by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

Books Amy Herman Book Signing the author and art historian will autograph copies of Visual Intelligence, her new book about perception and communication, 6:30-8 p.m. June 6. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. WED Anita May Book Signing in her new book Patriot Priests: French Catholic Clergy and National Identity in World War I, the local author examines the relationship between faith and war, noon1:30 p.m. June 9. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. SAT Brunching with Books a book club meeting every other week, with reading selections chosen by group preference, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays.

Buttermilk Paseo, 605 NW 28th St., 405-605-6660, buttermilkokc.com. SAT

Happenings 9th Annual Wines of the West pair locally produced wines with the fare from a variety of food trucks and shop in area boutiques in OKC’s historic Stockyards City 20, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. June 9, Stockyards City, 1307 S. Agnew Ave., 405-235-7267, stockyardscity.org/wines-of-the-west.html. SAT Annie Oakley Society Luncheon honors Mo Anderson of Keller Williams, Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby and local winner of America’s Got Talent Darci Lynne Farmer for their contributions to the American West, 11:30 a.m. June 6. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. WED Beats & Bites an evening outdoors full of live music, food trucks, vendors and more, 6-11 p.m. June 9. Riverwind Casino, 1544 W. State Highway 9, 405322-6000, riverwind.com. SAT Board Game Day enjoy local craft beer while playing old-school board and arcade games with friends, 5-8 p.m. Sundays. FlashBack RetroPub, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-633-3604, flashbackretropub.com. SUN Boozy Bouquets create custom flower crowns and try locally-brewed craft beer, 2:30-4 p.m. June 10.

Twisted Spike Brewing Co., 1 NW 10th St., 405-3013467, twistedspike.com. SUN

Five Hundred Poor celebrate the release of author Noah Milligan’s latest short-story collection, which focuses on indigent and disenfranchised characters, 6:30-8:30 p.m. June 6. Commonplace Books, 1325 N. Walker Ave., 405-534-4540, commonplacebooksokc.com. WED

Bricktown Throwdown bring your A game for an indoor and outdoor fitness competition in downtown OKC, 5 p.m. June 8-9, Chevy Bricktown Events Center, 429 E California Ave., 405-236-4143, chevyeventscenter.com. FRI-SAT

Mary Leader the award-winning poet will read from her latest collection, She Lives There Still, as well as earlier works, 2 p.m. June 10. Norman Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org. SUN

Hideaway Hula Hoop Party learn to hula-hoop then enter a hula-hooping contest; bring your own hoop or purchase a hand-crafted one, 5 p.m.-2 a.m.

June 9. Hideaway Lounge, 4418 NW 39th St., 405917-7011. SAT

Mid-Oklahoma Writers a meetup for local writers featuring guest speakers and literary discussions, 7-9 p.m. Eastside Church of Christ, 916 S Douglas Blvd., 405-732-0393. WED Reading Wednesdays a story time with naturethemed books along with an interactive song and craft making, 10 a.m. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. WED

Film Double Feature Movie Night bowl a few games while watching two movies back-to-back, 7 p.m.midnight Wednesdays. Dust Bowl, 421 NW 10th St., 405-609-3302, dustbowlok.com/okc. WED Finding Nemo (2003, USA, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich) a clown fish voiced by Albert Brooks searches the ocean for his missing son in this animated adventure, 1-3 p.m. June 9. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu. SAT

In the Groove for Possibilities an evening of dancing with hits from the ’70s, ’80s and more; dress from your favorite era for a costume contest, 7-10 p.m. June 7. Will Rogers Theatre, 4322 N. Western Ave., 405-604-3015, willrogerstheatre.com. THU Industry Flea an open-air market featuring local vintage shops and artisans with food trucks and live music, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. June 9. Industry Flea, 399 NW 10th St., industryflea.com. SAT June Flower Power Market features vendors selling hand-crafted and vintage items as well as food and art, 6-9:30 p.m. June 8. Stash, 412 E. Main St., 405-701-1016, stashok.com. FRI Love is Payne: Martin Trivia Game Night a guys vs. girls trivia competition testing your knowledge of the classic sitcom with ’90s-themed lip-sync and costume contests, 8-11 p.m. June 10. Dunlap Codding, 609 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-607-8600, dunlapcodding.com. SUN Mysteries of the Mansion Tour a unique tour that explores behind-the-scenes history and spaces not typically on a regular tour with interesting stories of the mansion and the Overholser family history, 7-9 p.m. June 21. $20. Overholser Mansion, 405 NW 15th St., 405-525-5325, preservationok.org. THU New Legislation Who Dis a show of live music, spoken word, & comedy providing voter registration forms and a variety of political speakers, 5-10 p.m.

June 6. Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo St., 405-5219800, saucedonpaseo.com. SUN OKC Vintage Flea Market get your shopping done at the flea market with antiques, collectibles, vintage, crafts and more, 9 a.m. June 9-10. Plaza Mayor, 7000 Crossroads Blvd. SAT-SUN Open Fiber Night a weekly crafting meet-up for knitters, crocheters, spinners and weavers, 5-8 p.m.

Thursdays. Yarnatopia, 8407 S. Western Ave., 405601-9995, yarnatopia.com. THU OPERA Spirit, Mind & Body Faire attend lectures on metaphysical topics, visit with psychics and mystics and shop vendors selling oil, crystals and other items, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. June 9, noon-6 p.m. June 10. Biltmore Hotel, 401 S. Meridian Ave., 405-9477681, biltmoreokc.com. SAT-SUN

Boss Baby Cookies are for closers!

Against all odds, Alec Baldwin infantilizing his iconic Glengarry Glen Ross act to voice a briefcase-toting tot in this family-friendly, Oscar-nominated film has sold well enough to satisfy an $80,000 BMW-driving alpha male, with a sequel in production and a spinoff show streaming on Netflix. See where it all started 9:45 a.m. Monday-June 15 at Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16, 150 E. Reno Ave. Tickets are $2. Call 405-2314747 or visit harkins.com.

Monday-Wednesday, ongoing Photo provided

The Other Bees – Native Bees in Oklahoma explore the lives of the Mason and Leafcutter bees and build bee nest boxes to encourage these gentle but important pollinators to come to our gardens, 11 a.m.-noon June 9. $10/person, $15/couple (pay on-site). CommonWealth Urban Farms, 3310 N. Olie Ave., 405-524-1864, commonwealthurbanfarms.com/ garden-school. SAT Pick-A-Tune with Lucas Ross want to learn to play the banjo? Here’s your chance! Banjos are provided, 2-3 p.m. June 9. American Banjo Museum, 9 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-604-2793, americanbanjomuseum.com. SAT Pineapple Party bring a pineapple-related item to this summer kickoff party with drinks, dancing and records spun by DJ Literate, 10 p.m.-1:30 a.m.

June 9. Fassler Hall, 421 NW 10th St., 405-609-3300, fasslerhall.com. SAT The Purple Rain Happy Hour a celebration of Prince’s 60th birthday featuring his music, 5 p.m.

June 7. The Queen Lounge, 2306 N. MacArthur, 405606-8616. THU

Red Earth Festival a weekend of children’s activities, entertainment, food trucks, a parade, art market, a powwow and more, June 8-10., June 8-10. Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, 405-602-8500, coxconventioncenter.com. FRI-SUN Soil: the Key to a Healthy Garden an interactive program teaching the basics of compost creation and soil testing, 1-3 p.m. June 9. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT Southern Thunder Car Show an automotive event presented by the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, with door prizes, a cash drawing live entertainment and more, 8 a.m-2 p.m. June 9.

Walnut Square Shopping Center, 2219 SW 74th St, 405-843-7474. SAT Ukelele Festival several ukulele soloists and ensemble acts, including Can’t Stop Singing, the La-ti-das, The Misspent Ukes and Well Now, Margery, burger truck from El Reno are scheduled to appear, noon-5 p.m. June 10. Arcadia Round Barn, 107 OK66, 405-396-0824, arcadiaroundbarn.com. SUN Urban League of OKC Young Professionals Rooftop Party wear an all-white outfit to celebrate the launch of a new organization for professionals between the ages of 21 and 40, 4-8 p.m. June 9.

Allied Arts, 1015 N. Broadway Ave., 405-278-8944, alliedartsokc.com. SAT World War II Program historian Joe Todd talks about D-Day, women in World War II, the USS Oklahoma, and shares the story of The Man Who Never Was, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. June 6. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org/historycenter. WED

Food Asian Night Market Festival learn about the art, fashion and cuisine of Asian cultures with vendors, food trucks, martial-arts demonstrations, a pho eating contest and kids’ activities, Sat., June 9, 6-11 p.m.

Super Cao Nguyen, 2668 N. Military Ave. SAT Automobile Alley Walking Food Tour take a guided food-centric tour through a district that was once home to early pioneers and evolved into an auto-dealership hub, Every other Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. through Nov. 24. Automobile Alley, 1015 N. Broadway Ave., 405-488-2555, foodiefoottours.com. SAT

Tracy K. Smith To celebrate 20 years of its Thatcher Hoffman Smith Poetry Series, Oklahoma City University will host Poet Laureate of the United States Tracy K. Smith for a book signing and reading. Smith, who currently teaches creative writing at Princeton, won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2012 for her David Bowie-referencing collection Life on Mars. Oklahoma State Poet Laureate Jeanetta Calhoun Mish will introduce Smith, and the two will discuss the role of poetry in modern society. The free reading and reception begin 7 p.m. June 14 at The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave, on Film Row. Call 405208-5707 or visit okcufilmlit.org.

June 14 Photo Rachel Eliza Griffiths/ provided

Best of the West Brunch this annual event combines food from Humankind Catering with artwork from Jenny Gummersall, Pam Husky, Jack Fowler and many more, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. June 10. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com. SUN

The Music Video: Filmmaking is Collaborative a camp for ages 13-15 to experiment with various film making techniques in order to create a music video together, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. June 5-8.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. TUE-FRI

The Egg Came First - Why a Dozen Eggs Should Be the First Item Added to Your Grocery Cart Every Week! an informative discussion of eggs as a powerhouse of nutrition from protein, vitamins, and minerals to unique nutrients such as choline and lecithin, 3-4 p.m. June 10, Natural Grocers, 7013 N. May Ave., 405-840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. SUN

OKC Drag Queen Story Hour children and their families are invited to a story and craft time lead by Ms. Shantel and followed by a dance party, 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Sunnyside Diner, 916 NW Sixth St., 405-778-8861. SAT

Paseo Farmers Market shop for fresh food from local vendors at this weekly outdoor event, 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays. SixTwelve, 612 NW 29th St., 405-208-8291, sixtwelve.org. SAT Belle Kitchen’s 3rd Annual Summer Kids Camp offering a full, fun week of daily two-hour classes to our budding chefs with age-related classes to educate, entertain and excite, June 11-15. Belle Kitchen, 7509 N. May Ave., 405-430-5484, bellekitchen.com/product. MON-FRI

Youth Art on Stage students are taught the basics of acting and creative storytelling along with collaborative scenery design/construction and the creation of individual props, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. June 12. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. TUE Children’s Garden Festival inspired by A.A. Milne’s classic children’s book Winnie the Pooh, this 10-day festival features crafts, story times, beekeeping and gardening lessons and displays created by local artists, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through June 17. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. FRI-SUN Family Sign Language Class a six-week course for parents and children, 1-2:30 p.m. June 9. Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma, 600 NW 23rd St., 405-600-9981, dsaco.org. SAT Farm Camp learn to grow vegetables, harvest herbs, collect eggs and care for goats, dogs, chickens, ducks and horses at this camp for children age 6-12, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. June 4-29. 4C Ag Service, 18750 NE 122nd St., 405-990-7791, 4cagservice.com. MON-FRI Summer Brain Quest Party! activities based around the popular trivia game as well as food and a caricature artist help kick summer off in a fun way, 9-10:30 a.m. June 8. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. FRI Infant Massage a four-part class focusing on the power of positive touch between caregivers and babies, 6-7:30 p.m. June 12. Thrive Mama Collective, 1745 NW 16th St., 405-356-6262. TUE

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

OKC Thunder Breakaway Camp a basketball camp for children age 6-14 focusing on fundamentals and teamwork, Through June 7. Pioneer Cellular Event Center, 900 N. 7th St., 580-774-3700, pioneercellulareventcenter.com. TUE-THU Poptacular Paper! a camp for ages 6-7 to learn about the art of paper and different styles of pop art and optical art, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. June 12-15. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. TUE-FRI Sign & Stroll join Leaps and Bounds OKC for a reading of Our Day at the Zoo and learn sign language for animal names, 11 a.m. June 9. The Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington place, 405424-3344, okczoo.com. SAT STEAM Learning Journey Thick Descruotuibs offers real hands-on projects that help us examine, verify and connect learning with daily life. STEAM advocates that science learning should be fun and hands-on experiences, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. June 11-15. Neighborhoods in Action, 1124 N. Douglas Ave., 405-3970584, thickdescriptions.org. MON-FRI Summer Camp Contemporary children in grades K-9 can learn about clay, robotics, hip-hop and many other artistic topics in a variety of camps, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. through June 20. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. MON-WED

Performing Arts Always...Patsy Cline a tribute to the legendary country singer’s friendship with a fan, featuring many of Cline’s best-known songs, 8-10 p.m.

Thursdays-Sundays, through June 30. The Pollard Theatre, 120 W. Harrison Ave., 405-282-2800, thepollard.org. FRI-SAT An American in Paris a musical about an American soldier and a French girl yearning for a fresh start after the war, 7:30 p.m. June 5-7, 8 p.m. June 8, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. June 9, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. June 10.

Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-2972264, okcciviccenter.com. TUE-SUN The Tony Show the City Cabaret OKC celebrates the Tony awards with an evening of showtunes from winning musicals 8-10 p.m. June 7-9. Carpenter Square Theatre, 806 W. Main St., 405-232-6500, carpentersquare.com. THU-SAT O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8

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ANS J o H N ev - 9 JuN e 6

List your event in

CALENDAR Gravity Recital the annual recital for students of Gravity Studio,recommended 3 p.m. June 9. The Douglass These Dance are events at Page Woodson, 600 N. High Ave., 405-601-1989,

by Oklahoma Gazette editorial facebook.com/thedouglasspagewoodson. SAT

staff members. For full calendar listings,

A Night’s Dream a comedy by goMidsummer to okgazette.com.

Shakespeare about two couples dealing with love and all that comes with it, May 31-June 23., Through June 23. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. THU-SAT

owleS eRik keN13 - 16 JuN

Mr. Iris Comedy Show family-friendly laughs for diners age 16 and older, 6-8 p.m. June 9. Bistro 46, 2501 NE 23rd St., 405-595-3904, bistro46okc.com. SAT My Fair Lady in this hit Broadway play,Eliza Doolittle learns to behave like a high-class lady under the instruction of Professor Henry Higgins, June 1-10, 7:30 p.m. June 8-9, 2 p.m. June 10, Mitchell Hall Theatre, 100 N. University Drive, 405-974-2000, uco.edu.

l o o dH u l ANdy w 0 - 23 JuN e 2

FRI-SUN

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OKC Tap Fest this three-day tap-dancing festival features classes, video presentations, live performances and a “tap jam” session, June 8-10.

Metropolitan School of Dance, 414 NW Seventh St., 405-236-5026. FRI-SUN

Active Apex II Show & Skate Contest a skating competition and show with artist vendors and live performances by Theone, OGToniD, Ellesse and more, 9 p.m.-midnight June 9. The Venue OKC, 1757 NW 16th St., 405-283-6832, thevenueokc.com. SAT OKC Dodgers vs Salt Lake baseball game, 7:05 p.m. June 13-15. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 405-218-1000, okcballparkevents.com. WED-FRI Beer + Yoga drop-in yoga class with an alcoholic kick; BYOM (bring your own mat), 10-11:30 a.m. June 10. The Bleu Garten, 301 NW 10th St., 405-8793808, bleugarten.com. SUN Global Running Day with The Pack celebrate Global Running Day with an all-ages 3-mile run through Mesta Park, 6-9 p.m. June 6. The Bleu Garten, 301 NW 10th St., 405-879-3808, bleugarten. com. WED OKC Margarita Madness 5K Run must be 21 or older to participate in this 5K night run focused less on agility and more on margaritas, June 9. Boathouse District, 725 S. Lincoln Blvd., 405-552-4040, boathousedistrict.org. SAT Wheeler Criterium a weekly nighttime cycling event with criterium races, food trucks and family activities, 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Wheeler Park, 1120 S. Western Ave., 405-297-2211, okc.gov. TUE

YESON788 LEGALIZE MEDICAL CANNABIS

JUNE 26th YES ON 788

JUNE 26 26

Yoga Brunch Revival a yoga class for all skill levels led by Tennille McCallister and followed by a potluck brunch with a cash bar, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. June 10. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-887-3327, theparamountroom.com. SUN

Visual Arts Sketches New work from Norman Artist Todd Jenkins. Contemporary Metal Sculpture., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, through June 30. CMG Art Gallery, 1104 NW 30th Street, 405-808-5005, cmgartgallery.com. FRI-SAT

J u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Space Burial an exhibit using satellite dishes as a burial object for a space-faring culture and facilitates the dead’s afterlife journey, through Sep. 2. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

TUE-FRI

Transitions features graffiti and street art that celebrates Native American culture by artists Yatika Starr Fields, Hoka Skenadore and Josh Johnico, through June 30. Exhibit C, 1 E. Sheridan Ave., 405767-8900, exhibitcgallery.com. THU-SAT

Arjan Jager, Jeff Sparks, & Greg White an exhibition featuring the works of three OKC-based illustrators, June 7-July 8. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 405-525-3499, dnagalleries.com. THU-SUN Jeff Tabor Recent Paintings features art by Jeff Tabor including media such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache and printmaking, through July 1. Norman Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., 405307-9320, pasnorman.org. FRI-SUN Live Painting see Steven Grounds and April Holder create art on the spot, 5:30-7:30 p.m. June 9. Exhibit C, 1 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-767-8900, exhibitcgallery. com. SAT

Reflection: An Exhibition of Glass and Light featuring works by artists Rick and Tracey Bewley using glass and light to creative reflection of colored geometric shapes mixed with metal structures, Through Aug. 24. Oklahoma City University School of Visual Arts, 1601 NW 26th St., 405-208-5226, okcu.edu. WED-FRI

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June 16 Photo Paige Powell/ provided

Apichatpong Weerasethakul: The Serenity of Madness features films by award-winning artist Apichatpong Weerasethakul, who was born in Thailand and earned a master of fine arts degree in Chicago., through June 10. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa. com. SAT-SUN

Porcelain Art Exhibit World Organization of China Painters presents a free tour for the member porcelain art exhibit, Through June 22. Porcelain Art Museum, 2700 N. Portland Ave., 405-521-1234, wocp.org. WED-FRI

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Paseo Fairy Ball Once upon a time, about 17 years ago, in fact, children began wearing homemade, fairy taleinspired costumes to a colorful, whimsical twilight dance party. The tradition continues this year, and some of those original children might return with little fairies, imps, dragons and elves of their own. The magic begins 7 p.m. June 16 in Crown Jewel Amphitheater at First Christian Church, 3700 N. Walker Ave. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

Call 405-525-2688 or visit thepaseo.org.

Sojourning features fiber installations by Chiyoko Myose, a Japanese artist, expressing her experiences living in a foreign country, June 2-August 12.

Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SAT

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by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date.

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MUSIC The Coathangers play at 89th Street - OKC on Sunday. | Photo Jeff Forney / provided

event

squeaky toy on a recording,” Kugel said, laughing. “Somebody told me that. It’s just an element of surprise. People in the audience are not used to a serious band being playful with life in general as well as music because the song is actually quite serious for me, the message behind it. It’s about losing everything and just being like, ‘All right. Fuck you, fuck it; I don’t need it,’ you know? And that was the best way to make a serious song, with this squeaky toy, because everyone smiles when they hear that thing go off. There’s joy in pain.”

The Coathangers’ tendency to temper the clear feminist anger expressed in many songs with a silly sense of humor has confounded critics and journalists writing about the band for years. A Creative Loafing article from 2007, for example, quotes Atlanta music execs fretting over whether the breakout band was a novelty act because of the flippancy of early eyebrow-raiser “Nestle in My Boobies.”

Seriously punk

The Coathangers make a stop at 89th Street - OKC after releasing their first live album. By Jeremy Martin

After more than a decade of punk rocking, the ladies in The Coathangers are more thoughtful about their rage.

“I think we had a point where it was a little bit mellower and had a little bit more melancholy feeling about stuff, and then with the election and with the changing of the country, I think we got all fired up again,” said guitarist Julia Kugel. “But I think now it’s a more careful way of expressing and speaking. Whereas before, I would just say, ‘I wanna fucking break your face,’ maybe I would use my words now, kind of delve into why I would want to get violent with someone. That’s the cool thing about hearing the early records; you’re just basically expressing how you feel, and now 10 years later, you might be wondering, ‘Well, what’s the solution?’ I could sit here and yell about how I’m angry, but that’s maybe not as productive. Now I try to be more productive and find answers.”

Kugel and her bandmates, drummer Stephanie Luke and bassist Meredith Franco, recently revisited their entire discography in preparation for recording their first live album. Released June 1, Live’s setlist covers The Coathangers’ career from the band’s 2007 self-titled debut (“Tonya Harding”) to last year’s Parasite EP (“Captain’s Dead”). Capturing what Kugel calls the “raw and energetic ferocious nature of [their] live shows,” the album offers the best recorded example of what to expect when The Coathangers take the stage 7 p.m. Sunday at 89th Street – OKC, 8911 N. Western Ave.

“That record is how we perform live,” Kugel said, “so before and after, that’s pretty much who we were. It’s just cool to get it on record what we sound like as opposed to in the studio. … In the studio, it’s hard to get worked up enough to be, like, wild because you’re in a more sterile environment and everyone is kind of on guard because you feel like you’re doing something that’s forever.

So in live shows, you sort of relax and interact with the audience, just doing your thing.”

While fans have long known about The Coathangers’ fierce live performances, Kugel said the band has just recently become comfortable with the idea of being recorded in concert and with a camera crew shooting live footage for music videos.

“We had some in-studio performances, but just like bootlegs, not anything official, which is crazy, but we never really enjoyed that before,” said Kugel.

“I think it took us this long to get comfortable with being filmed because even when people take photographs all up in your face at shows, it kind of distracts you from the show, so I think we had to wait this long in order to do it on our own terms with people that we know and were comfortable with in order to make it really authentic. We’ve never been, like, publicity hounds or showoffs.”

But knowing their performances were being recorded for an album was also intimidating.

“We were, like, terrified, deer-inheadlights sort of thing, and when we listened back to it, the first night was sort of mechanical,” Kugel said. “But then the second night, we tightened up our set and we were a little bit hungover, which I think sometimes is good because you’re not thinking about everything so much, thinking about how this is forever. … All the better versions were from night two.”

Kugel and her husband, Scott Montoya, mixed the album together, a process she said changed the way she thought about the band’s upcoming album, scheduled to be released next year.

“You never really sit back and take a look at yourself, not often, and listening to it for a week straight, 10 hours a day, it really pumped me up for the new record,” Kugel said. “Every song on the new record is intentionally written to be played live. Before, we would have one or two songs that were kind of like, you know, ‘This is for the record, but we’re probably never going to play this live.’”

Concertgoers might get to hear songs from the new album at Sunday’s show.

Spending so much time listening to herself live has also helped Kugel take a more relaxed approach.

“We couldn’t redo anything,” she said. “Everything bled into everything else. You can’t redo that solo. It’s done.

Which is, I think, a way to come to terms with [being] a perfectionist. I’m always going to want to sit in there, mixing, so it was really nice to let go of that control, to sort of be like, ‘This is what it is, and that’s OK. That’s OK that there’s a dead note in one of the things.’ It’s pretty therapeutic.”

Live features Kugel playing guitar and, on album closer “Squeeki Tiki,” a dog toy.

“We’re the only band to play a

Every song on the new record is intentionally written to be played live.

Julia Kugel “People have to put us in some sort of box, you know?” Kugel said. “If it’s a novelty box, that’s fine; people have to categorize. I think all in all we’re just a punk band, and yes we are girls, and yes we make fun of stuff because we believe if you’re too serious you’re just going to implode, and that’s fine; whatever. …

That’s why it was so important to do this record, a live record, to be like, ‘This is what we’re like, guys. If you wondered what you’re going to get, you’re going to get it. And you’re going to get a squeaky toy and you’re going to get some yelling and you’re going to get some singing, and just fucking relax. Be cool. You either like it or you don’t. It’s that simple.’ Even that label, ‘punk,’ has become, like, ‘Well, you’re not punk,’ or, ‘You’re not punk enough.’ It’s like, ‘Well, fuck you. You can be punk then, and I’ll just be fucking whatever.’”

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9705 N May Ave Ste.120 | The Village, OK 73120 woodsmantrading.com | 405-286-0614 6/2/18 Mon-Thurs 1:08 PM 9AM-6PM | Fri-Sat 9AM-7PM

Eating good OKC rapper-producer WoRm welcomes friends to the table on his new album To Go Plate. By Ben Luschen

Like the name suggests, WoRm stays hungry. But with each release in his Chicken N Waffles album series, the Oklahoma City rapper-producer is inching his way up the local hip-hop food chain.

WoRm, born Sherman Johnson, is about as versatile as they come in the local rap scene. His lyric- and beatcrafting talents are of equal caliber, but it’s also becoming increasingly difficult to pin his style down as any one particular kind of sound. One day, he might be crafting a classic boom-bap beat for fellow emcee and frequent collaborator L.T.Z. The next day, he’ll be building something that could easily blend in with contemporary radio.

The broad spread of WoRm’s interests shows up on To Go Plate, a 14-track effort released on the last day of April.

The project is a sequel to Chicken N Waffles, his solid summer 2016 mixtape.

Fans of WoRm’s previous work are sure to love To Go Plate. If the new project differs in any way from its predecessor, it’s with marked progression in production complexity and an impressive influx of assisting collaborators.

To Go Plate’s featured artists (let’s call them dinner guests) include the likes of L.T.Z., Chris Savage, Grand National, Trip G, Tony Foster Jr., Fresh and many more. In facilitating these guests, WoRm shows off a knack for understanding complimentary styles, conforming the sound so that each vocalist slides comfortably into a lyrical pocket that fits them.

At this OKC rap banquet, WoRm is developing the menu, cooking the food, setting the table and fixing the plates.

But when the feast begins, he knows

above WoRm was inspired to create feature-filled To Go Plate by both DJ Khaled and The Social Experiment’s Surf album. | Photo provided

when to step away and let his guests shine. That’s the mark of a good host.

Oklahoma Gazette recently caught up with WoRm to learn more about To Go Plate. In an email Q&A, topics ranged from his earliest hip-hop inspirations to recording “Serious,” his recent collaboration with Peyton Benge, in a single afternoon.

Visit soundcloud.com/bigwormsdq.

Oklahoma Gazette: What got you started with rapping and music?

When did all of that begin for you?

WoRm: Man, ever since I was a kid really. I always wanted to rap but didn’t know how to get started, but one Christmas, when I was 10, my parents gave me $50 and I saw this Mixman DJ toy in Toys “R” Us (RIP) that I had to have. And from there, I would make beats on that thing and figured how to record my voice to the beats I made.

I feel I make the best music when it’s not just me.

WoRm OKG: When did work begin on To Go Plate? What was the earliest concept you had going into this album?

WoRm: Actual work began around Christmas of 2016. My little brother (Trakstar Tre) gave me a record player for Christmas and my dad provided me his collection of records. I started sam-

pling from then and making songs and beats. But most of the beats I made around that time went to LTZ’s Sophisticated Slabs. But I had always wanted to try my hand at what Chance [the Rapper] did with Surf (his 2015 album with the band The Social Experiment) or what DJ Khaled does, but actually make the beats and mix it.

OKG: This album has a lot of outstanding collaborations. How did you go about selecting who you wanted to be on the album, and how well do you think it all came together? Is collaborating something you enjoy?

WoRm: I tried not to force anything when it came to collaborating. I’m a fan of everyone on this project so I know their sound and know what they would sound like on the beats I made. So if I was making a beat and heard their voice or thought it was a good idea for them, then I sent it. After I trimmed down some of the songs from what I started off with, I felt it coming together nicely.

And collaborating is dope to me because I feel I make the best music when it’s not just me.

OKG: Is there any song on the album that has an interesting behind-thescenes story to it?

WoRm: I don’t really have much of any cool stories other than “Serious” was made in like two hours. I’d seen Peyton [Benge] perform a few times around the city and thought, ‘Yo, I gotta work with him.’ His singing voice is dope. So we had a session planned; we started from scratch. I went through my loops that come with GarageBand (but I was using Logic Pro) and started to build around that. Then Peyton started humming “It ain’t even serious.” I was like, ‘Yeah, I like that. That’s the hook.’

OKG: Why did you want to name the album To Go Plate? What’s the meaning behind that?

WoRm: It’s a sequel and a pick-up from my previous album Chicken N Waffles.

I wanted to stay in that idea. Also, I been cooking up hits!

OKG: Did you handle all of the production, or did you bring on any other help? Is there any kind of feel in particular that you were going for?

WoRm: I produced the whole album with the exception of “Easy,” which was produced by my little brother Trakstar Tre. This project was meant to be like a family affair, and I wanted to give him the opportunity to be on the project.

OKG: Do you have any production or rap influences or inspirations?

Who would they be?

WoRm: Man, I have a bunch of influences from Big K.R.I.T., Kanye [West], J. Cole and 9th Wonder. Big K.R.I.T. and J. Cole, of course, with them being rapperproducers as well as Pimp C. Musically, in my opinion, I feel like they can provide more and it adds to their artistry.

OKG: Any big projects coming up later that we should know about?

WoRm: As far as projects, I’m working on a multitude of things. I am executive producing Changing Frequencies, Marrell Jones, Trakstar Tre, L.T.Z., and $onrae’s upcoming projects as well as working on my solo album The Recipe and the sequel to To Go Plate, which will be called Leftovers.

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LIVE MUSIC

FOOD. SPIRITS. MUSIC.

Live Music Calendar 2018

June 6/2 Felina & The Feels 6/9 Kalyn Fay & Abbigale Dawn

TORY LANEZ 06 20

6/30 Mallory Eagle & Tanner Fields OklahOma Singer/SOngwriter SerieS brOught tO yOu by the blue DOOrS PrOject

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PIXIES W/ THE WOMBATS

OH WONDER

These are events recommended

by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

Wednesday, Jun. 6 All Our Exes Live in Texas, The Blue Door. FOLK

W/ MEGAN SLANKARD 08.05.18

RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE

sOb x RbE

June 22

YEllOW HOusE REvisiTEd COdY CAnAdA, JAsOn bOlAnd & MiKE MCCluRE

June 24

WEllREd COMEdY TOuR 08.21.18

June 27

sHAKEY GRAvEs

FALL 2018 LAKE STREET DIVE

09.27.18

FATHER JOHN MISTY

10.11.18

DAWES

11.06.18

TICKETS & INFORMATION AT

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J u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

June 29

AdAM & KizziE AlbuM RElEAsE sHOW

405-70-TOWER | 425 NW 23rd St. OKC

Cadillac Blues Assembly, Friends Restaurant & Club. BLUES Celtic Jam, Full Circle Bookstore. FOLK

Buckethead, Tower Theatre. METAL

Charles Burton Band, Myriad Botanical Gardens.

Styx/Joan Jett/Tesla, Chesapeake Energy Arena. ROCK

Friday, Jun. 8 Curse the Fall/Mudd Flux/Wood N Bone, 89th Street Collective. METAL Erik the Viking, Anthem Brewing Company.

BLUES

The Coathangers, 89th Street Collective. PUNK Electric Jam with Aaron/Gonzo/Mad Dog, Still Working Bar. ROCK John Fogerty/ZZ Top/Ryan Kinder, Zoo Amphitheatre. ROCK Speak, Memory/The Reptilian/Edhoculi, Opolis.

ROCK

Monday, Jun. 11

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Alex Culbreth, The Deli. FOLK

Fetal Autopsy/Malicyde/Depraved, Snug Bar. METAL

Jason Hunt, Sean Cumming’s Irish Restaurant. FOLK

Hans Gruber/The Big News, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. PUNK

Tuesday, Jun. 12

Jerry Redd/Caught Stealing, Blue Note Lounge.

ROCK

The Bacon Brothers, Tower Theatre. ROCK Russ, The Zoo Amphitheatre. HIP-HOP

Levi Parham, The Blue Door. SINGER/

SONGWRITER

Packing for Pluto/Tyler Sexton/Santiago Ramones, Kendells. ROCK

Wednesday, Jun. 13 SOB x RBE/Trip G, Tower Theatre. HIP-HOP

Perdido, Rococo. JAZZ Ravens Three, Full Circle Bookstore. FOLK

Saturday, Jun. 9

Tickets and Info TOWERTHEATREOKC.COM @towertheaterokc

The Romantics, Riverwind Casino. ROCK

Brian Gorrell, Saints Pub. JAZZ

Ritualz/Esoterik/Black Magnet, The Root. ELECTRONIC

Best Concert Venue

PET, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK

Sunday, Jun. 10

June 12 June 13

Michael Summers, UCO Jazz Lab. JAZZ

Gutter Villain/Chokehole Stab/The Killings, Snug Bar. PUNK

THE bACOn bROTHERs

TOAD THE WET SPROCKET

June Carter Cash/Larry Darnell/Merique, Rodeo Opry. COUNTRY

Soul Crisis/Arkhon/Less Than Human, The Ruins Live. ROCK

Goya/Redwitch Johnny/Turbo Wizard, 89th Street Collective. METAL

07.17.18

Jack Waters & the Unemployed/BC & the Big Rig, Belle Isle Brewery. ROCK

Duane Mark, Lost Highway. FOLK

Druids, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK

W/ SASHA SLOAN

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June 16 Photo provided

Thursday, Jun. 7 07.01.18

W/ WILDERADO

Plain White T’s If you’ve ever been in a long-distance relationship or just had a BAE you started missing after seconds apart, you’ve probably used your own shirt to dry your eyes during one of the countless times sweetly earnest smash hit “Hey There Delilah” played on the radio (“Oh it’s what you do to me.”) See the Chicago band play this hit and others (“Rhythm of Love,” “1,2,3,4”) under the stars with someone you aren’t afraid to show your smoochie face. The T’s go on at 8 p.m. June 16 at Starlight Amphitheater at Frontier City, 11501 N. Interstate 35 Service Road. The show is free to attend with $39.99 park admission. Call 405-478-2140 or visit frontiercity.com.

Casey & Minna, Anthem Brewing Company. FOLK Cosmic Wool/St. Monroe, The Deli. ROCK Curtis Grimes Band, Whiskey Barrel Saloon.

COUNTRY

Dead Aces/Zin Babies, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK

Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date.

Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible.

Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail to listings@okgazette.com.

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

Hi-Fi Hillbillies, Bedlam Bar-B-Q. ROCK

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

free will astrology Homework: Confess your deepest secrets to yourself. Say them out loud when no one but you is listening. Testify at Freewillastrology.com.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) According to my analysis

of the astrological omens, you would be wise to ruffle and revise your relationship with time. It would be healthy for you to gain more freedom from its relentless demands; to declare at least some independence from its oppressive hold on you; to elude its push to impinge on every move you make. Here’s a ritual you could do to spur your imagination: Smash a timepiece. I mean that literally.

Go to the store and invest $20 in a hammer and alarm clock. Take them home and vociferously apply the hammer to the clock in a holy gesture of pure, righteous chastisement. Who knows? This bold protest might trigger some novel ideas about how to slip free from the imperatives of time for a few stolen hours each week.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Promise me that you

won’t disrespect, demean, or neglect your precious body in the coming weeks. Promise me that you will treat it with tender compassion and thoughtful nurturing. Give it deep breaths, pure water, healthy and delicious food, sweet sleep, enjoyable exercise, and reverential sex. Such veneration is always recommended, of course -- but it’s especially crucial for you to attend to this noble work during the next four weeks. It’s time to renew and revitalize your commitment to your soft warm animal self.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Between 1967 and 1973,

NASA used a series of Saturn V rockets to deliver six groups of American astronauts to the moon. Each massive vehicle weighed about 6.5-million pounds. The initial thrust required to launch it was tremendous. Gas mileage was seven inches per gallon. Only later, after the rocket flew farther from the grip of Earth’s gravity, did the fuel economy improve. I’m guessing that in your own life, you may be experiencing something like that seven-inchesper-gallon feeling right now. But I guarantee you won’t have to push this hard for long.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Mars, the planet that rules

animal vitality and instinctual enthusiasm, will cruise through your astrological House of Synergy for much of the next five months. That’s why I’ve concluded that between now and mid-November, your experience of togetherness can and should reach peak expression. Do you want intimacy to be robust and intense, sometimes bordering on rambunctious? It will be if you want it to be. Adventures in collaboration will invite you to wander out to the frontiers of your understanding about how relationships work best.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Which astrological sign laughs

hardest and longest and most frequently? I’m inclined to speculate that Sagittarius deserves the crown, with Leo and Gemini fighting it out for second place. But having said that, I suspect that in the coming weeks you Leos could rocket to the top of the chart, vaulting past Sagittarians. Not only are you likely to find everything funnier than usual; I bet you will also encounter more than the usual number of authentically humorous and amusing experiences. (P.S.: I hope you won’t cling too fiercely to your dignity, because that would interfere with your full enjoyment of the cathartic cosmic gift.)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) According to my analysis

of the astrological omens, a little extra egotism might be healthy for you right now. A surge of super-confidence would boost your competence; it would also fine-tune your physical well-being and attract an opportunity that might not otherwise find its way to you. So, for example, consider the possibility of renting a billboard on which you put a giant photo of yourself with a tally of your accomplishments and a list of your demands. The cosmos and I won’t have any problem with you bragging more than usual or asking for more goodies than you’re usually content with.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) The coming weeks will be a

favorable time for happy endings to sad stories, and for the emergence of efficient solutions to convoluted riddles.

I bet it will also be a phase when you can perform some seemingly clumsy magic that dispatches a batch of awkward karma. Hooray! Hallelujah! Praise Goo! But

now listen to my admonition, Libra: The coming weeks won’t be a good time to toss and turn in your bed all night long thinking about what you might have done differently in the month of May. Honor the past by letting it go.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) “Dear Dr. Astrology: In

Adams. 5. “Working hard and working smart can sometimes be two different things.” - Byron Dorgan. 6.

“Don’t stay in bed unless you can make money in bed.”

- George Burns. 7. “Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.” - Mark Twain.

the past four weeks, I have washed all 18 of my underpants four times. Without exception, every single time, each item has been inside-out at the end of the wash cycle.

This is despite the fact that most of them were *not* inside-out when I threw them in the machine. Does this weird anomaly have some astrological explanation? Upside-Down Scorpio.” Dear Scorpio: Yes. Lately your planetary omens have been rife with reversals, inversions, flip-flops, and switchovers. Your underpants situation is a symptom of the bigger forces at work. Don’t worry about those bigger forces, though. Ultimately, I think you’ll be glad for the renewal that will emerge from the various turnabouts.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) “There isn’t enough of

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) As I sat down to

potential new power spot is an imaginary ten-foot-high, electrified fence. It’s composed of your least charitable thoughts about yourself and your rigid beliefs about what’s impossible for you to accomplish. Is there anything you can do to deal with this inconvenient illusion? I recommend that you call on Mickey Rat, the cartoon superhero in your dreams who knows the difference between destructive destruction and creative destruction. Maybe as he demonstrates how enjoyable it could be to tear down the fence, you’ll be inspired to join in the fun.

meditate on your horoscope, a hummingbird flew in my open window. Scrambling to herd it safely back outside, I knocked my iPad on the floor, which somehow caused it to open a link to a Youtube video of an episode of the TV game show *Wheel of Fortune,* where the hostess Vanna White, garbed in a long red gown, revealed that the word puzzle solution was USE IT OR LOSE IT. So what does this omen mean? Maybe this: You’ll be surprised by a more-or-less delightful interruption that compels you to realize that you had better start taking greater advantage of a gift or blessing that you’ve been lazy or slow to capitalize on.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You’re in a phase

when you’ll be smart to bring more light and liveliness into the work you do. To spur your efforts, I offer the following provocations. 1. “When I work, I relax. Doing nothing makes me tired.” - Pablo Picasso. 2.

“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” - Ann Landers. 3.

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” Aristotle. 4. “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” - Scott

anything as long as we live,” said poet and short-story writer Raymond Carver. “But at intervals a sweetness appears and, given a chance, prevails.” My reading of the astrological omens suggests that the current phase of your cycle is one of those intervals, Aquarius. In light of this grace period, I have some advice for you, courtesy of author Anne Lamott: “You weren’t born a person of cringe and contraction. You were born as energy, as life, made of the same stuff as stars, blossoms, breezes. You learned contraction to survive, but that was then.” Surrender to the sweetness, dear Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Between you and your

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes /daily text message horoscopes.

The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

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puzzles New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle 21

By Andrew Chaikin | Puzzles Edited by Will Shortz | 0603

ACROSS 1 New Hampshire’s is 21

kilometers long 6 Simultaneously 13 Actress Rivera 18 Layer of the earth 19 Knight in a medieval romance 20 Monopoly pieces 22 21 25 But nevertheless 26 Chicken choice 27 Practices crystal gazing 28 LAX listing, for short 29 Where the Bactrian camel is native 31 Leave unsaid 32 Scenery chewers 33 Former Nebraska senator James 34 21 40 One might be cast in a Harry

Potter film 41 Famous writer who entered

West Point at 21 42 Alias of rapper Sean Combs 43 Sadat and Arafat, e.g.

47 Polling abbr.

48 Certain dumbbell weight: Abbr.

51 21 59 What a hungover person might

have had 60 Who said, “The opposite of

love is not hate, it’s indifference” 61 Line of work: Abbr.

62 Crunchy sandwich, for short 63 Pick, with “for” 64 Prefix with cycle 65 Replicas 70 Doing evil 74 21 76 Moreno and Hayworth 77 B&B 78 Old British firearms 79 What “you know you make me

wanna” do, in a classic R&B song 82 Loos 83 Dirección toward sunset 87 21 96 Out of Africa author Dinesen 97 21st-century currency 98 Competitor of Allure 99 ____ bean

100 The Stones’ “Aftermath” and “Flowers” 101 The U.S.S. Maine sank in its harbor 103 M*A*S*H actor David Ogden ____ 105 Agent, informally 106 21 110 Action hero Steven 111 Shape of every Baha’i temple 112 Component of natural gas 113 Without smiling, say 114 “Workers of the world, unite!”

and others 115 Hurdles for aspiring DAs

DOWN

1 Pens 2 Erstwhile 3 Raiders’ org.

4 One covered with food stains, say 5 Hellion 6 Transport “to Sugar Hill way up

in Harlem” 7 Sad, in French or Spanish 8 “____ that somethin’?”

9 Bit of a scolding 10 End of an illness?

11 Fu ____ 12 Memory trace 13 Inferior in quality 14 Harleys, e.g.

15 Suffix with señor 16 Sent an important message, once 17 In sum 18 Settlers of the Yucatán Peninsula 21 Summer Olympics host after Atlanta 23 Showcase 24 Something a sea star can regenerate 30 So much fun 33 Nonpoisonous, as mushrooms 35 California town whose name is

Spanish for “the river” 36 Put in (for) 37 Sets of points on graphs 38 Davis of old Hollywood 39 He lost to Dwight twice 44 Time span with a tilde 45 Little girl, in Italy 46 Parts of “at” symbols

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51 Clowns 52 Twist open 53 Brand of wafers 54 Dossier contents 55 Lots 56 You, in Yucatán 57 Italian city where St. Valentine

was born 58 Movers and shakers 66 White’s co-author of The

Elements of Style 67 Query from Judas 68 Witty zinger 69 Guardian Angel Curtis ____ 70 Capital of Belarus

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71 Unfriend?

72 Otherwise 73 Start for every Perry Mason

title, with “The” 75 Old civil rights org.

79 Guzzles 80 Unlike dial-up internet service, informally 81 How one might wish 84 Ogle 85 Bars 86 Tick away 88 Almost 89 Sirs, to Brits 90 Smarts 91 Bygone Cambodian leader

with a palindromic name 92 George, Jane or Judy, on old TV 93 Contents of a saucer, maybe

Account EXECUTIVES Saundra Rinearson Godwin Christy Duane Kurtis DeLozier

94 21 Grams actress DuVall 95 Niblet 101 Get better 102 Scandium’s is 21: Abbr.

103 Sonic the Hedgehog creator 104 Retired fliers, for short 107 ____ Fridays 108 Witch 109 “Huh?”

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publisher Bill Bleakley

VP, CORPORATE AFFAIRS Linda Meoli

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Oklahoma Gazette is circulated at its designated distribution points free of charge to readers for their individual use and by mail to subscribers.

The cash value of this copy is $1. Persons taking copies of the Oklahoma Gazette from its distribution points for any reason other than their or others’ individual use for reading purposes are subject to prosecution.

Please address all unsolicited news items (non-returnable) to the editor.

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I M P E A C H E D M I X C D M Y H A T

P A P A

S L A M

T I R E

E V E R

R E L Y

H M U T E I N I F A C T M O L H I R E U S K S M P A C K H M U C E B A S N A R E D E B U M A L T T R I N O P P E

Z E S T S S K Y E C Z A R

3701 N. Shartel Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73118-7102 Phone (405) 528-6000 Fax (405) 528-4600 www.okgazette.com Copyright © 2018 Tierra Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Phon e: 405 -528 - 6000 | E- mail: advertising @okga zet te .com

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FOR SALE • Full size Tempur-Pedic bed • 14 cu.ft. Frigidaire • Grasshopper Diesel Mower, 61” deck • Patriot chipper/mulcher • Craftsman Pro 38” spindle wood lathe, mounted • Office desk & swivel chair • Patio furniture

Weatherford in Oklahoma City OK seeks Operations Supervisor for specialized wireline ops.

Requires Bach. in Industrial, Mech. or related Engineering field + 3 yrs. as Engineer performing land & offshore logging, high pressure/ underbalance well entry operations in both horizontal & vertical well bores, logging in hostile well environments utilizing Memory Logging & conventional wireline conveyance, & interpreting & evaluating both Open Hole & Cased Hole well integrity logs. Emp will accept 5 yrs. exp. in lieu of Bach + 3. Please apply on-line at www.weatherford.com under Careers and reference Job ID #71525.

Contact: Tony 405 396-3373

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Oklahoma Natural Gas Company, a division of ONE Gas, Inc., was founded in 1906, and is the cornerstone of one of the oldest corporations in Oklahoma. We are the largest natural gas distribution company in the state, providing clean, reliable natural gas to more than 847,000 customers.

We are currently hiring for a Maintenance Specialist II Meter & Reg Repair Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Performs assessments, tests, repairs, and adjustments for performance compliance accuracy on all types of positive displacement and turbine meters.

Analyze, evaluate, repair, and test positive displacement and orifice meters.

Operate and maintain proper equipment including but not limited to: Preliminary and final meter tests Proper adjustment and operation of prover (as specified by position) Maintain prover calibration adjustments Operate tools and equipment including but not limited to: Forklifts (as specified by position) Screwdrivers/wrenches (manual and pneumatic) Provers High-pressure air guns Paint booth (as specified by position) Hoists (as specified by position) Train Maintenance Specialist I; monitor adequacy of meter repairs to ensure quality.

Post information to various records including but not limited to: Meter record cards Repair logs Regular and reliable attendance is required in performance of job.

Employee may be required to perform additional duties as assigned.

As a premier employer in the communities where we do business, we offer competitive compensation, career development and excellent benefits, including three weeks of vacation, stock award programs, and a 401(k) match, and many more.

Please visit www.onegas.jobs to view additional details about the job requirements and to register and apply for this position. Requisition 521 Only applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be considered. Only those applicants considered for an interview will be contacted.

OKG

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

@okgazette O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 6 , 2 0 1 8

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