After a year of not being able to gather in theaters and see live productions, Friends of Western Oklahoma State College (WOSC) Performing Arts is excited to perform “Annie: The Musical” July 30-August 1 at the Herschal H. Crow Fine Arts Center in Altus, Oklahoma. Larry Duffy, the musical’s producer, is looking forward to seeing the fine arts be emphasized in Altus and hopes that this musical can lead to more productions in the future.
Duffy started his career over 40 years ago in the music and fine arts department at WOCS. Overtime, the funding for the department started to decrease and the curriculum was cut altogether. Being a supporter of the arts, Duffy couldn’t stand to see their facility not being used and for arts not to be prevalent in Altus. 
The Western Oklahoma State College Foundation, Inc. established Friends of WOSC Performing Arts as a funding program to help support this vision for the performing arts of Western Oklahoma State College. With the combined efforts of the WOSC Foundation and Friends of WOSC Performing Arts, the goal is to bring back musicals, instrumental ensembles, additional choir activities and featured concerts to Western’s campus.
In March of 2020, Friends of WOSC Performing Arts hosted a community chorus concert to start bringing the arts back, which included a string quartet from Oklahoma City and 44 chorus members. Due to the rise of COVID-19, most people felt unsure about attending, so the concert saw a smaller attendance than what Duffy was hoping for. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic was officially declared a few days after the concert, putting a halt on live performances of all kinds.
Now a year later, Friends of WOSC Performing Arts is still pushing for ways for fine arts to be experienced in the Altus community. In June, they held a dance recital and audience numbers were already on the rise from the year before. “I think people are ready to start seeing things (in-person),” Duffy commented.
Auditions for “Annie: The Musical” took place in early June and the cast consists of around 50 people excited to bring the musical to Altus. Duffy says that working with people in the community and not students is a new area for him but he knows that his cast is full of strong characters that are working hard. Community members of all ages make up the cast and they are directed by Julie Barnett, who is known across Southwest Oklahoma in the community theater scene for her numerous directing credits. Kimberly Duffy Duerksen serves as the music director and Leah Hall, who performed in the dance recital in June, is the show’s choreographer.
Performances for “Annie: The Musical” will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 30, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 31 and 2 p.m. on Sunday August 1. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at wosc.edu/artfriends, at the Business Office on Western Oklahoma State College’s campus or by calling 580-477-7706. Support for Friends of WOSC Performing Arts is greatly appreciated as well and many levels of giving are available. Contact the Western Oklahoma State College Foundation, Inc. office at 580-477-7705 for more information about the foundation and donations.