G. William Oakley

Who was G. William Oakley?

G. William "Bill" Oakley, Jr. was a theatrical producer-director-actor and seminal figure in the revival of early American theater, melodrama and vaudeville with theaters in Colorado and Missouri.

Dubbed "Barnum of the Buttes" by The Denver Post, Oakley is best known for G. William Oakley's Heritage Square Opera House "Nostalgic Theater" adaptations of such classic melodrama as The Drunkard, The Streets of New York, and Sweeney Todd, literary works such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, and Sherlock Holmes, and original works including Call of the Yukon. In his productions, Oakley was a champion of improvisation and audience participation. His productions also featured "vaudeville olio" variety numbers showcasing the musical and comedic talents of his repertory company interspersing jokes with modern-day spoofs ranging from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet as houseflies to Michael Jackson's "Thriller".

Oakley's Heritage Square Opera House in Golden, Colorado and the historic Goldenrod Showboat at Laclede's Landing on the St. Louis Mississippi waterfront became popular icons for his brand of theater.