Mat Govich went to New York, made it to Broadway, and came back home to raise his family. This month, he’ll lead a stellar cast as Cervantes/Don Quixote in The Sooner Theatre’s first production of the season, Man of La Mancha, September 28-30 and October 5-7, 2012.

Man of La Mancha is a play-within-a-play, based on Cervantes’ “Don Quixote.” The show is a poignant story of a dying old man whose impossible dream takes over his mind. It’s All the Same, Dulcinea, I’m Only Thinking of Him, The Impossible Dream, I Really Like Him and Little Bird are some of the enduring songs of the show.

Govich was born and raised in Norman by two of the most influential voice instructors in this region. His father, Dr.Bruce Govich, a professor of voice at OU, sang the national anthem at all OU home football games for 22 years during his tenure at the university. His mother, Dr. Marilyn Govich, is still perfecting the craft for vocal students at UCO. Govich, and his sister, actress Milena, and brother, Nikola, were introduced to the performing arts at a young age.

His passion for theatre led Govich to Discoveryland, the national home to Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, where he met and performed with future Sooner Theatre executive director, Jennifer Baker, and where he met his future wife, Stephanie. He and Stephanie moved to New York to pursue their dreams, and Govich made it onto Broadway in the revival of Cabaret.

“I am thrilled my friend Mat is performing this role,” said Baker. “He was Jud to my Laurey in Oklahoma, and one of the most talented performers I’d seen. A few years ago, I heard he was coming back to Oklahoma and called him immediately to see if he would be interested in working with the community theater in his hometown. Fortunately for our community, the students he works with, and now our audiences, he said he would love to!”

“I am really impressed with the quality of theater offerings we have in central Oklahoma,” Govich said. “The Sooner Theatre has really grown under Jennifer’s leadership, and I’m excited for what we’ll be able give audiences with this production.”

Govich also teaches voice and musical theatre classes for students at The Studio of The Sooner Theatre, where he recently directed the Oklahoma and Southwest premiere of Oklahoma author Richard Rosser’s Piggy Nation The Musical, as well as The Sooner’s Young Producers production of Crazy For You, starring a cast of 13-18 year-old students at the Studio this summer. He has also been seen in many productions at Lyric Theatre, and is teaching college students of his own at the University of Tulsa.

Man of La Mancha is directed by Chad Anderson, with music direction by Dr. Les Downs. Local favorite Beth Adele will play the role of Aldonza/Dulcinea.

Performances are September 28-30 and October 5-7, 2012, with 8 p.m. curtain times on Friday and Saturday nights, and 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays. Tickets are $20 and $15, and can be purchased online at www.soonertheatre.com, or by phone at (405) 321-9600 or in person at The Sooner Theatre box office, Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m. – noon and 2-5 p.m. There is a $2 per ticket fee for all online and phone orders.

Sooner Stage Presents discounts: Seniors (65+), and groups of 10 or more receive $5 off the regular ticket price. Discounts cannot be combined.

Student Rush: College and high school students who show their valid school ID at the box office within one hours of show time can purchase tickets at 50% of the regular price for that evening’s performance. Student Rush tickets cannot be purchase in advance.

The Sooner Theatre of Norman is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Sooner Theatre offers year-round events including in-house musical theatre productions, concerts by nationally touring groups, special events, youth productions and dozens of performing arts classes at The Studio of The Sooner Theatre.

The Sooner Stage Presents series is made possible in part by the support of the Oklahoma Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Norman Arts Council, Republic Bank & Trust and Toby and Tricia Covell. This production is underwritten in part by The Hyden Fund, a charitable donor advised fund of the Norman Community Foundation.

For more information contact The Sooner Theatre, (405) 321-9600 or visit www.soonertheatre.com.