Tiger Theatre spins musical around Fort Gibson legend.

Apr. 17—Woven through Fort Gibson's history is a mysterious grave and a legend of a woman scorned.

Fort Gibson High's Tiger Theatre marks Bicentennial week with a musical retelling of the legend, "Vivia," Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

High School English teacher Beth Brannon, a Fort Gibson graduate, wrote the story and songs.

"There's a tombstone in the Fort Gibson National Cemetery in what they call the Circle of Honor, and it just says Vivia Thomas and one date. Jan 7, 1870," Brannon said. "That's all we know."

Brannon said she did not know the story behind Vivia until students found information online. "Somehow this legend grew up. Some of my kids found online."

"Vivia Thomas was a debutante in Boston who was in love with this soldier, and he is kind of a rascal," Brannon said. "He ditches her to find adventure in Fort Gibson. She leaves Boston dressed as a man because it's easier to travel as a man. She dresses as a soldier to join the garrison at the fort."

According to the legend, Vivia finds him with a Cherokee woman and shoots him. Filled with remorse, Vivia visits his grave each night, in uniform, freezes to death and dies on his grave.

Brannon said she turned the story into a musical, including a brief introduction about Fort Gibson's founding.

"We'll do a prologue of General Arbuckle coming to Fort Gibson and building it," she said. "Then the Natives coming here, this was where Trail of Tears ended and there was a little bit of Civil War involvement here at the fort."

Fort Gibson native Brad Henderson, a worship associate at Tulsa First Baptist Church, did the orchestration.

"We've done it all from scratch," Brannon said.

She said her involvement began in November, 2022, when Fort Gibson School Superintendent Scott Farmer pondered ways to involve the school in Fort Gibson's bicentennial. She said Farmer talked with Tiger Theatre director and drama teacher, Melanie Wicks.

Brannon said Wicks "ran up to my room and I spent the next 18 months writing the script and songs."

Wicks said the work has been a humbling and meaningful experience.

"Just from the beginnings of the script, the early drafts of the script, to meeting with our orchestrator three or four times a week," she said. "It's been a labor of love and I wouldn't trade it."

She said the cast has risen to the challenge and exceeded expectations.

"I truly believe Beth has been given the gift of writing, and for her to pour her heart into this show, has really been inspiring," Wicks said.

Brannon said she learned a lot about her hometown while writing the play.

"The most important thing I found out was that we were established for peace," Brannon said. "This fort was established to create peace between the Osage and the Cherokee, because they were displaced here, and they were just trying to survive. That's what strikes me. Gen. Arbuckle manages to make peace. Because of that.

"Fort Gibson did its job. I read a book that said, had Fort Gibson not done its job the western frontier would have been on fire."