Stella Lyders, as Miss Adelaide, poses on the hood of the car, surrounded by the Hot Box Girls, all cast members of Ponderosa Players' “Guys and Dolls.” (Courtesy Bethany Thompson)

Ponderosa Players, a Central Oregon youth theater company that launched in 2023, has performed its first three productions to a sold-out crowd.

Co-founders and directors Kisky Holwerda and Dash Conant expect tickets to sell out for their fourth show, “Guys and Dolls,” which will be performed Wednesday through Saturday at The Hayshed, an outdoor venue north of Tumalo.

The production, described as a “delightful mix of nostalgia and modern flair,” couldn’t be more polar opposite of the company’s last production, a high school edition and new release, “Ride The Cyclone,” staged in February.

“Guys and Dolls” was first performed on Broadway in 1950 and has since enjoyed several Broadway and West End revivals, firmly cementing it in repertoires of regional theaters across the country. It follows a colorful cast of gamblers, showgirls, and straight-laced missionaries as they navigate love, luck, and the occasional illegal dice game, according to a press release.

“It’s a classic for a reason,” Conant said in the release. “‘Guys and Dolls’ has been revamped countless times and it’s because it has the whole package — a captivating love story, side-splitting comedy, and a long list of songs that will stick in your head in the best way.”

The variety in the style of productions allows the cast of 20 local students, aged 11 to 18, the opportunity to stretch their abilities and expand their repertoire. It’s typically performed with a cast of 40 to 50 people and includes large, flashy dance numbers.

Holwerda said, “It’s easy when you’re a theater kid to get wrapped up in what’s new and what’s exciting. It’s been fun to teach them…”

“…A different style,” Dash continued.

Fostering the next generation

The small cast was intentional. And the show allows the young actors to put their own spin on characters, such as a “1950s gambler, which is the exact polar opposite of a 17-year-old Central Oregon teen,” Holwerda said.

“They’re having to do the work of essentially what is usually three or four actors,” Conant said. “They spend a lot more time on stage. They have to learn more material. They have to be more versatile.”

The small cast also accommodates the company’s programming structure, which involves a master class taught by a visiting artist and grants students the chance to work with and learn from an industry professional.

Allen Fitzpatrick was selected as the visiting artist. He’s a 50-year industry veteran who has been cast in nine Broadway shows and shares an Emmy Award for his contribution to “Passion, Live From Lincoln Center,” in which he appeared opposite Patti LuPone.

“He was on the original tour,” Holwerda said of Fitzpatrick. “And he’s played every single male role in ‘Guys and Dolls.’”

The variation in age of the cast also allows younger students to lean on and learn from the older, more experienced actors. Some are on the cusp of graduating high school and preparing for collegiate-level studies in the industry, while others are performing in their first show, Holwerda said.

“One of our youngest performers is one of the main gamblers and then one of our oldest performers is also one of them. So you have this dichotomy of the younger (actors) with the older (actors) working together and I think it’s really encouraging,” Conant said. “We always want to encourage the kids that nothing is off-limits to them.”

The Hayshed

Like some of the other venues in Central Oregon, The Hayshed has presented challenges with its lack of wing space. It doesn’t even have a curtain. But the co-directors have leaned into the challenges of the space, shooting for what Conant calls “outdoor gambling den vibes.”

The set is like a puzzle, built to accommodate the various locations of the storyline, with a desk built like a Murphy bed, they said.

The actors have also been taught to break the fourth wall as they dance down the aisles and through the audience and interface with the audience, a method of acting that is foreign to many of the students at their first introduction to the concept.

Those interested in watching the student cast bring “Guys and Dolls” to life will want to jump on purchasing tickets. At the time of writing, the premiere and matinee shows of the five-show production had sold out. Approximately 10 tickets for the other performances remained.

If You Go

What: Ponderosa Players presents “Guys and Dolls”

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday

Where: The Hayshed, 65125 Hunnell Road, Bend

Cost: $25 adults, $15 youth and accessible pricing

Contact: ponderosaplayers.com or 541-410-1487