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  • S1E19 Jackson Gifford

    S1E19 Jackson Gifford
    Dec 12 2025
    Normally, This Town OKC highlights the people with decades of experience behind the cultures. This guest, however, barely has two decades of existence on Earth. He’s here because of his potential to enhance the culture of This Town.

    Jackson Gifford is one of those people who knew at an early age what they wanted to do with their life, and that is running a professional theatre. Precocious and audacious, his personal drive took him to prestigious schools where he grew as an artist while facing the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, the first production of his fledgling professional theatre company (while still in college!) was mounted during the time of outdoor-only performances, and to a disastrous result. Undeterred, however, his Southern Plains Productions has flourished and is now in its sixth season.

    Sponsored by Carpenter Square Theatre
    Post-production by Fred O. Bishop
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    47 Min.
  • S1E18 Shannon Rich

    S1E18 Shannon Rich
    Nov 24 2025
    As the President & CEO of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame for the past two decades, Shannon Rich has overseen the creation of the Gaylord-Pickens Museum, the formation of programs to involve high school students and young adults, as well the production the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Before that, she started her career in hospitality by talking herself into a postion at the Renaissance Hotel where she worked hand-in-hand with developer John Q. Hammons in opening up several hotels in other states. Her story of why she took up golf is inspriational. Admittedly not a great golfer, she has combined her love of the game with her desire to create a women's business network and founded LeadHERboard.
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    50 Min.
  • S1E17 Mike Knopp

    S1E17 Mike Knopp
    Nov 3 2025
    It’s safe to say that one man is responsible for bringing international recognition to This Town’s river sports, and that man is Mike Knopp. Of course, he had help along the way, but from first seeing the U.S. Navy rowing team on Chesapeake Bay to finding a crew at Oklahoma State University to starting rowing teams at both Oklahoma City University and the University of Oklahoma, Mike has had a vision. Considered by many people for many years as fanatical, his vision, and persistence, has resulted in making Oklahoma City a true Olympic city.

    Softball notwithstanding, the whitewater Canoe and Kayak events of the LA28 Games will be held in This Town thanks to a guy who staged some rather wild stunts to bring awareness to the unique opportunity for the Oklahoma River.

    Post-production by Fred O. Bishop
    Sponsored by Carpenter Square Theatre
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    46 Min.
  • S1E16 Roberta Sloan

    S1E16 Roberta Sloan
    Oct 20 2025
    In theatre, the story is told in terms of acts. Legacy plays were all mostly written using the three-act structure; today’s plays have two at best. If one were writing the story of Roberta Sloan’s life, it would take at least five, if not six, acts.

    Known locally these days as the founding artistic director of Jewish Theatre of Oklahoma, Roberta was raised and educated in Chicago and eventually earned her PhD. in Theatre from the University of Michigan. Following a year in Israel and a stateside sabbatical in San Francisco, Roberta became the first female professor of Drama at the University of Oklahoma. It didn’t go well except for meeting and marrying Steven Sloan.

    The television portion of her career began at OETA, the statewide PBS station, as the cultural coordinator, host of Arts Encounters, and eventually the production director. That led to advertising agency work and an adjunct teaching job at the University of Central Oklahoma which led to a full-time professorship in Theatre where she grew a program from 7 to 165 students in 16 years.

    Chairmanships followed at the University of Central Florida and Temple University before she and Steve hit the high seas as lecturers on cruise ships. After 18 cruises to 80 countries over 6 years, she found on-camera film work in L.A. Back in This Town, Roberta helped Oklahoma City University transition to a new dean before starting Jewish Theatre of Oklahoma.

    Post-production by Fred O. Bishop
    Sponsored by Carpenter Square Theatre
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    49 Min.
  • S1E15 Peter Dolese

    S1E15 Peter Dolese
    Sep 30 2025
    Very few people in This Town have been so integral in the arts culture as Peter Dolese. Since the 1970s, he's been immersed in music, art, poetry, and food. He was in arts administration before he knew what that was, even showing obscure films for a while. Working with the CETA grant program, he made his way to volunteering with the Arts Council of Oklahoma City (1976-1989) before joining the staff and eventually retiring in 2022. During that time, Peter coordinated the Arts Commandoes and directed the Festival of the Arts before becoming the executive director. All along the way, he blew his harmonica with multiple bands. He's performed with the OKC Philharmonic and continues to play in area churches.

    In this interview, Peter expresses why the arts are essential, and he tells of his current endeavors before addressing the challenges the ACOKC faced in the wake of the Murrah Building bombing in 1995 and the challenges of moving the Festival back to Bicentennial Park.

    Post-production by Fred O. Bishop
    Sponsored by Carpenter Square Theatre
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    42 Min.
  • S1E14-pt 2 Rhonda Clark

    S1E14-pt 2 Rhonda Clark
    Sep 19 2025
    In this second part of the interview, Carpenter Square Theatre executive artistic director Rhonda Clark tells of her early days with CST, starting with the first season, and takes us through all of the moves she and the theater endured and the challenges she overcame. Rhonda also recalls many her favorite roles as an actor and her directorial highlights.

    Edited by Fred O. Bishop
    Sponsored by Carpenter Square Theatre
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    50 Min.
  • S1E14-pt 1 Rhonda Clark

    S1E14-pt 1 Rhonda Clark
    Sep 5 2025
    Rhonda Clark is a mainstay of theatre in This Town as the executive artistic director of Carpenter Square Theatre. In the first part of this two-part interview, she tells of growing up in the Ozarks and what inspired her to seek a life in theater.

    From her high school performing, to attending Northeast Oklahoma A&M Junior College, and transferring to the University of Oklahoma, Rhonda remembers fondly those fabulous years. And the stories of OU Theatre in the 1970s and of doing rep in Odessa, Texas (with most interesting travels on days off)! She also talks about doing a dinner theatre performance for an audience of two in Paducah, Kentucky (shortly before the place went bankrupt).

    Once back in Oklahoma, Rhonda tells of finding work in a variety of jobs at the Oklahoma Theater Center (later renamed Stage Center) and also performing in some traveling troupes as artists-in-residence. It was during this period that she met some other actors who would become lifelong friends: Doobie Potter (RIP), Joe Long, Albert Bostick and others.

    At OTC that Rhonda mounted a production of "Lonestar" that went on to win regional and national competitions and eventually play in Monaco.

    In part two of this podcast, Rhonda recalls her history with Carpenter Square Theatre.

    Post-production by Fred O. Bishop
    Sponsored by Carpenter Square Theatre
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    46 Min.
  • S1E13 M. Scott Carter

    S1E13 M. Scott Carter
    Aug 25 2025
    A long-time political reporter and photographer whose byline has appeared in numerous newspapers, M. Scott Carter is also an author of both fiction and non-fiction. Raised in Yale, OK, he began his journalism career at the young age of 12 with a gopher job at the Yale News where he published his first story at 13.

    Following editor positions at both Northern OK College and OK State University, he recalls keeping his metal film camera warm under his armpits in a legendarily cold football game while working at the Stillwater News Press..

    Scott worked in the media departments at the state Senate and House and shares insider observations on the different approaches to legislating in those bodies. He tells a particularly memorable story of meeting Vice-President Al Gore following the Murrah Building bombing and leaving the VP with a biological memento. He is also a professor of Journalism and tells some poignant stories of helping students find their way and, in one case, stay out of jail.

    His novel, "Stealing Kevin's Heart"."was an Oklahoma Book Award finalist, and he has written several others including the upcoming "The Capitol War" about the illegal moving of the state seal from Guthrie to OKC. In this interview, Scott tells of just some of the shenanigans that the governor and others pulled.

    Post-production by Fred. O. Bishop
    Sponsored by Carpenter Square Theatre
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    48 Min.