Project Veritas - O'Keefe Media Group (OMG) - James Edward O'Keefe III

[Dr. Ken]

The lack of a soul in his eyes is distracting as is the excessive blinking

[bob]

Daily Progress: Real farm gives 'Oklahoma!' a sense of place behind the music:

“['Oklahoma'] has the ability to bring people together,” Clowdus said of the show, which won a special Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for Rodgers and Hammerstein in their first collaboration. “For three hours, we can set aside our differences and be together.”

Says the dude run out of his old theater due to his divisiveness (and other sins) and cast a bunch of culture warriors to own the libs.

[Suranis]

She is pretty good. He's a plank.

[bob]

She is pretty good.

I presume you mean Julie Trammel, who plays Laurey. Trammel also played Maria in a production of "The Sound of Music" by his company.

Too also:

While in rehearsal [for A Christmas Carol], fellow cast member Julie Trammel, who is now Casting Director at [Brian Clowdus Experiences], made blatantly racist jokes throughout the rehearsal process. She consistently used Deep South Negro dialect to retell Uncle Remus stories and just to be funny. This quickly turned into a favorite pastime between the two of you during rehearsals and breaks. One night, she put a Tar Baby doll in her shirt, "gave birth" to the doll, and proceeded to parade it around for the entirety of rehearsal. You [Clowdus] and my castmates found this very funny. When I brought this to everyone's attention, she cried. You defended her and yourself saying, "I am not a racist" and followed up with "I’m not political but if it makes Gina upset, we’ll just stop."

[Suranis]

Yes I meant the woman on the instagram vid, sorry.

[northland10]

Daily Progress: Real farm gives 'Oklahoma!' a sense of place behind the music:

“['Oklahoma'] has the ability to bring people together,” Clowdus said of the show, which won a special Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for Rodgers and Hammerstein in their first collaboration. “For three hours, we can set aside our differences and be together.”

Says the dude run out of his old theater due to his divisiveness (and other sins) and cast a bunch of culture warriors to own the libs.

Who needs a real barn to get that barn feel. After doing Oklahoma we had that barn feeling for the next 2 shows in that old auditorium. Cleaning up after performances of Grease (I never anticipated when I went into teaching high school that I would be spending some nights cleaning up the kids' beer glasses and fake cigs off the floor) I would be cleaning up, and sweeping up straw. The next year it was Music Man with the bridge, the house, the library, and the town center, and more straw to sweep up.

The only reason South Pacific lacked staw is that we did it in the brand new auditorium (occupancy was not granted until 2 weeks before the show so I got to figure out how the lights worked, design the lighting, set all the lighting, and run the show, in less than 2 weeks.. from a few dial dimmers in the old one to 48 dimmers with an ETC board in the new one... fund times).

When they rebuilt the old auditorium into a new band room and band room offices, I wonder if the demo workers were constantly muttering.. WTF is with all the straw. That stuff never seemed to go away.

[Luke]

Know about that, Northland When we did The Rocky Horror Show we had to post signs and enforce NO THROWING OF RICE, the case was slipping and falling. (Rice was used in the wedding scene, we allowed toast, lighters and other non-actor hazardous audience interplay).

O'Keefe has a horrible voice, breathing would help but those soulless eyes and terrible presence are a disaster. He actually was a paid performer in the past? Looking forward to seeing a review (non paid for). Love that show, did my thesis on Oklahoma as the Dividing Line of the American Musical Theatre (the introduction of dance to further the story).

[bob]

He actually was a paid performer in the past?

"Paid" might be a bit strong:

This isn’t O’Keefe’s first rodeo when it comes to stage acting – He was the lead in George Gershwin’s “Crazy for You” in 2002 and starred in, wrote, and produced Project Veritas’ version of the music video, “Oligarchy” earlier this year. He also starred in another music video in 2011 titled, “Landrieu Dance.”

O'Keefe turned 18 in 2002, so presumably that was high school.

[northland10]

Know about that, Northland When we did The Rocky Horror Show we had to post signs and enforce NO THROWING OF RICE, the case was slipping and falling. (Rice was used in the wedding scene, we allowed toast, lighters and other non-actor hazardous audience interplay).

O'Keefe has a horrible voice, breathing would help but those soulless eyes and terrible presence are a disaster. He actually was a paid performer in the past? Looking forward to seeing a review (non paid for). Love that show, did my thesis on Oklahoma as the Dividing Line of the American Musical Theatre (the introduction of dance to further the story).

Even if O'Keefe did paid gigs, it was done by his own organization. I'm pretty sure that won't score points toward getting an Equity Card.

I was never in Oklahoma myself, tough if I was, I really would have wanted Jud (fits my voice) though I am really not big enough for the role. I was the overall director/produce for the small school but had an assistant doing the stage direction. I took care of the overall stuff, and of course, the music (and working out how we would cut down the ballet, don't tell the R&H LIbrary about that). That was one of those shows that the kids just fit their roles so well. The most memorable issue was near the end when Laurey fires Jud. At one point, she shuttered, I shuttered. That moment was really frightening and creepy. I loved it.

Jud was the stage director's son, and apparently, the cheap plastic spring knife I got for the stabbing scene was a wee bit too shiny. Mother almost freaked when she saw it glimmer in the light. At first, she thought it was real.

I guess I should stop the threadjack.

[keith]

Know about that, Northland When we did The Rocky Horror Show we had to post signs and enforce NO THROWING OF RICE, the case was slipping and falling. (Rice was used in the wedding scene, we allowed toast, lighters and other non-actor hazardous audience interplay).

O'Keefe has a horrible voice, breathing would help but those soulless eyes and terrible presence are a disaster. He actually was a paid performer in the past? Looking forward to seeing a review (non paid for). Love that show, did my thesis on Oklahoma as the Dividing Line of the American Musical Theatre (the introduction of dance to further the story).

In my youth I might have had loftier stage ambitions, but now the only role I could possibly enjoy, even aspire to, would be Riff-Raff.

[bob]

[raison de arizona]

Run while tickets remain? You betcha, as far as I can get.

In other "bombshell" news...

[pipistrelle]

The lack of a soul in his eyes is distracting as is the excessive blinking

I listened. Is it me, or is that performance, singing and acting, awful? People pay to be tortured like that?

[RTH10260]

Run while tickets remain? You betcha, as far as I can get.

In other "bombshell" news...
https:// twitter.com/EricSpracklen/status/1430309286526205955?s=20

Sounds like a nothingburger.

[raison de arizona]

Run while tickets remain? You betcha, as far as I can get.

In other "bombshell" news...
https:// twitter.com/EricSpracklen/status/1430309286526205955?s=20

Sounds like a nothingburger.

Funny how Veritas “bombshells” inevitably are.

All he can do is generate publicity. And money. He gets a lot of money.

[Luke]

Washington Free Beacon (RW, right?) had this:

Surrey With the Fringe Cast
REVIEW: James O'Keefe gets on his high horse in 'Oklahoma!'
Tim Rice • August 25, 2021 5:15 pm

James O'Keefe isn't used to the spotlight. The Project Veritas founder, known for his undercover exposés, usually needs anonymity to do his job. That was hardly the case on Saturday, as O'Keefe rode a horse up the hill of Mount Rouge Farm belting the opening bars of "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'." For the past few weeks, O'Keefe has traded his hidden camera for a body mic to star in an immersive, outdoor production of Oklahoma!, Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic tale of love and community in a territory on the verge of statehood. It's the latest offering from Brian Clowdus, a veteran director who specializes in "immersive site-specific theater."
***
An unnatural ability to withstand the heat isn't the only thing uniting the company. The actors and actresses are, for the most part, political outcasts in the theater community. Some are outspokenly pro-Trump, while others are simply wary of the leftward drift of the American theater. But they all lament the increasing politicization of the arts. "The cast just wants to create art and is tired of things being overly political," Clowdus told the Washington Free Beacon. But while the director is quick to say he's not trying to create "conservative theater," he can't help but notice some parallels between Oklahoma! and our present political moment. "It's a show about people who, against all odds, are fighting for their freedom and for what is right," said the director.

Clowdus, who was sporting a "Trump-DeSantis 2024" tank top at Saturday's matinee, is not shy about sharing his political views. But unless you know the cast members' backstories, you'd be hard-pressed to find political commentary in this production. Whatever new spin Clowdus and the cast put on the classic musical is entirely theatrical. Austin Mirsoltani brings both relatability and intensity to Jud, usually portrayed as a brooding, hulking villain. In this production, the farmhand is more a modern loner than a Western dark man, always on the verge of tears or some kind of psychotic break.

O'Keefe is a fine Curly, making up for his occasionally shaky vocals with an earnestness that brings a welcome softness to the cocky character. He plays best when putting the moves on Julie Trammel's Laurey, whether in the lighthearted "Surrey With the Fringe on Top" or the more intimate "People Will Say We're In Love." One of the more veteran actors in the cast, Trammel stands out as the tragicomic farm girl and delivers the most consistently solid performances in this production.

Oklahoma! is playing at Mount Rouge Farm Thursdays to Sundays through September 5.

More yawn: https://freebeacon.com/culture/surrey-w ... inge-cast/

[bob]

O'Keefe is a fine Curly, making up for his occasionally shaky vocals with an earnestness that brings a welcome softness to the cocky character. He plays best when putting the moves on Julie Trammel's Laurey, whether in the lighthearted "Surrey With the Fringe on Top" or the more intimate "People Will Say We're In Love."

The Free Beacon is a conservative site that, notably, in 2016 hired Fusion GPS to do some "opposition research."

[Uninformed]

"It's a show about people who, against all odds, are fighting for their freedom and for what is right," said the director.

What freedom would that be? I thought the background plot line was Oklahoma becoming a State of the Union?

[bob]

What freedom would that be? I thought the background plot line was Oklahoma becoming a State of the Union?

"Oklahoma!" is a classic Western (with songs): the freedom-loving cowboys and the law-and-order farmers (read: carpet-bagging city dwellers) have different values yet learn to peacefully co-exist.

Exhibit A: "The Farmer and the Cowman Should Be Friends":

[Suranis]

So, essentially it's an unremarkable production, notable only becasue some of the performers are notorious, with a couple of standout performances.

Could be worse I suppose, but could be a lot better for them.

[MN-Skeptic]

[Frater I*I]

Well a silver lining after all....

[Kendra]

Well a silver lining after all....

Karma.

[Estiveo]

I hope he wasn't insured.

[filly]

I hope he wasn't insured.

He'll say he was and sue an insurance company for denying the claim.

I haven't seen an answer on what state this is allegedly in.