A New Identity for Oklahoma

HowlRound Theatre Commons: Watching the revival of Oklahoma! win the Tony Award this past May, I found myself thinking about the long-lasting impact the musical has had on defining Oklahoma identity. As a theatre artist, I know the narrative of how the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic revolutionized musical theatre, but as a native Oklahoman, I know first-hand the way it has shaped cultural identity. It has presented a romanticized history of white cowboys and hearty white women, eliminating the entire history of the state’s founding status as the “Dreamland” for black people.