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G. William "Bill" Oakley, Jr. (March 19, 1937 – October 30, 2010)〔(Denver Post )〕 was a theatrical producer-director-actor and seminal figure in the revival of early American theater, melodrama and vaudeville with theaters in Colorado and Missouri. Dubbed "Barnum of the Buttes" by ''The Denver Post'', Oakley is best known for G. William Oakley's Heritage Square Opera House "Nostalgic Theater" adaptations of such classic melodrama as ''The Drunkard'', ''The Streets of New York'', and ''Sweeney Todd'', literary works such as ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'', ''Frankenstein'', and ''Sherlock Holmes'', and original works including ''Call of the Yukon''. In his productions, Oakley was a champion of improvisation and audience participation. His productions also featured "vaudeville olio" variety numbers showcasing the musical and comedic talents of his repertory company interspersing jokes with modern-day spoofs ranging from Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'' as houseflies to Michael Jackson's "Thriller". Oakley's Heritage Square Opera House in Golden, Colorado (1971–1988) and the historic Goldenrod Showboat at Laclede's Landing on the St. Louis Mississippi waterfront (1975–1985) became popular icons for his brand of theater. == Family background and early life == Oakley was born March 19, 1937 in Cherokee, Oklahoma to Eula Mae Hutson Oakley and George William Oakley Sr., an electrical engineer, and was raised in Oklahoma, Washington State and Colorado. He was graduated from Centennial High School, Pueblo in 1955 and moved to Denver in 1958 where he worked as a meter reader. In 1962 Oakley moved to Marin County, California. In 1962–63 he worked as a house parent at Sunny Hills Residential Treatment Center for Children in San Anselmo where he met Rayda Pomroy whom he married in 1963. Their son〔Trace has made a career of acting and of directing theatre productions in Los Angeles, Colorado, Wyoming and on the East Coast.〕 was born November 1963 in San Jose, California. In 1964 they moved to Pueblo, Colorado where Oakley attended Southern Colorado State College (now University) and was graduated in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater and Education. At CSU he met his mentor Dr. Dean Wenstrom who convinced him to try stage acting, which led to his first role as William of Normandy in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's ''Harold''. Oakley taught theater and English at Loveland High School, Colorado from 1965 to 1968. His and Rayda's daughter〔Regan Oakley is a graduate of NYU and Columbia University. Her teaching career in drama includes the international schools in Frankfurt, Germany; Kiev, Ukraine and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.〕 was born in Loveland in 1967. Oakley studied for his masters at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins and in 1969, completing his thesis on "The Theatrical History of Cripple Creek from 1891 to 1896". From 1967 to 1970 his career as a director and actor included Buckskin Joe in Cañon City, Colorado (1967); the Red Ram in Larimer Square, Denver (fall and winter 1969); the Oxford Hotel, Denver; and the Iron Springs Chateau in Manitou Springs, Colorado (1968, 1969, 1970) It was at the old West theme park, Buckskin Joe in Cañon City, Colorado (1967) where Oakley first developed his comic improvisation and audience participatory style of melodrama that would become his trademark. From 1967 to 1970 his career as a director and actor included Buckskin Joe, the Red Ram in Larimer Square, Denver (fall and winter 1969); the Oxford Hotel, Denver; and many of the performers would move on to the Iron Springs Chateau in Manitou Springs, Colorado (1968, 1969, 1970); and Estes Park, Colorado. Oakley's Heritage Square Opera House in Golden, Colorado (1971–1988) and the historic Goldenrod Showboat in St. Louis (1975–1984) became the most popular icons for his brand of theater. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「G. William Oakley」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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