The Springville Community Theater will take people back to easier times with the Broadway musical “Oklahoma!” and community members are encouraged to get involved with the experience.

“The time seems to be right for a story about simpler times—we’re all scaling down, simplifying our lives, rethinking what’s really important—and this show is about just that,” said June Mack, director and founder of the Springville Community Theater.

Auditions for the play will be held Saturday and Sunday. The theater is looking for everything from actors to people to work the box office. Mack said she wants to find people who think working hard is fun. People auditioning will read from a provided script and sing harmonies with the piano to test their ear.

“If you are in our cast, you can expect to meet a lot of interesting and fun people,” Mack said, “and be very short on sleep, but long on smiles, by the end of the summer.”

They are looking for 40 to 80 people between the ages of 8 and 80 years old to be a part of the cast. She said a play this size takes about 300 people to produce. She encourages people to contact her if they have free time this summer and want to work with a spirited group of people.

The play will also have live music, which will include string, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments.

Mack said cast members should expect fast-paced rehearsals, and a great deal of outside work will also be expected. However, actors will only come to rehearsals when their scene is begin worked on.

The theater is working with Homestead Hollow to see how they can set the play in front of its rustic buildings. The sound, lights and building crews, which are headed up by Sean Andrews, are trying to adapt the space to allow the audience to move from set to set, instead of the traditional way of changing the scenery.

“I hope that the community of Springville and neighboring towns will have an opportunity to come together and do something exciting—something wild —something they will be very proud of,” Mack said. “It’s a great opportunity to make new friends and meet the most creative people anywhere. This area is very unique that way.”

The theater will perform “Oklahoma!” on July 30-31 and August 5-7.

Call (205) 467-3105 for more information.