Maryville City Attorney Doug Thomson's stepdaughter Desi Oakley has made it to the Great White Way.
Oakley, who grew up and attended school in Wichita, Kan., started appearing on stage at age 8 with the Music Theatre of Wichita.
The troupe's director, Wayne Bryan, took notice of Oakley, and by the time she was 16 the budding actress was regularly cast as the lead in various productions.
"He saw something in me when I auditioned," Oakley said. "He continued to cast me for more and more roles."
Thomson, along with Oakley's mother, Annie, married a few years ago. The couple travels frequently to see Oakley on stage.
"It's been an amazing experience to watch this all unfold," Thomson said. "I don't think her mom has missed a show."
Thomson went on to talk about Oakley's debut on Broadway.
"After it was over, there was a huge applause," he said. "And to see everyone so happy, to see the tears coming down. It was quite a deal."
Following high school, Oakley studied theater at the University of Michigan. According to Annie Thomson, the school receives more than 5,000 applications annually. Only 20 students are accepted each year, 10 boys and 10 girls.
The program is elite and regarded as one of the best musical theater schools in the nation.
"It's really neat, a great accomplishment," Annie Thomson said. "I know I just sound like a proud mom, but it's a great thing for her. I wouldn't be surprised if she keeps going for bigger and better things."
During her career, Oakley has played the lead roles in Evita and The The Little Mermaid. After graduating from Michigan last year, she headed straight for the Big Apple.
She was soon picked up by a casting agent, which led to her "universal swing" role in the Broadway production of Wicked, a prequel to the Wizard of Oz.
"My Broadway debut was the best night of my life," Oakley said. "I had so much energy and adrenaline, I felt like I got shot out of a cannon."
Being a "universal swing" means Oakley fills in for other actors both on the national tour and in New York. She has learned 16 different parts in the play — the roles of every female character in the cast.
