'From the Crack House to the Opera House,' OKC performer Deonna Marie shares her story

Brandy McDonnell, The Oklahoman
Updated ·6 min read

It may be long, but Deonna Marie believes the title to her one-woman show best sums up her life story to date.

The Oklahoma City-based singer, actor and storyteller is presenting the world premiere of "The Deonna Marie Experience: From the Crack House to the Opera House, Blooming Through Brokenness" Aug. 17-27 at Factory Obscura in downtown OKC’s Automobile Alley. The show was originally scheduled to debut on Aug. 10, but was postponed after a member of the production team tested positive for COVID-19.

"I believe that my story is still being written — like all of ours. ... What I'm doing with my one-woman show is I am telling my journey from how I got on drugs until how I got clean and everything that happened in between, as much as I can share in the time," said Deonna Marie, whose full name is Deonna Marie Cattledge.

Oklaoma City-based performer Deonna Marie is currently touring with NPR’s "The Moth," sharing one of the stories from her new one-woman show. She has performed on "The Moth Mainstage" in Massachusetts, Dallas, and New York.
Oklaoma City-based performer Deonna Marie is currently touring with NPR’s "The Moth," sharing one of the stories from her new one-woman show. She has performed on "The Moth Mainstage" in Massachusetts, Dallas, and New York.

The Oklahoma City University alumnus has been sharing a story from her new show while touring with The Moth, the storytelling group featured on NPR's Peabody Award-winning show "The Moth Radio Hour." She has performed on "The Moth Mainstage" in Massachusetts, Texas and New York.

"She is just an incredible human being. She's one of those people that just being in the room with her, you can feel her energy and it just feels good to be around her," said Kelsey Karper, co-founder of the OKC artist collective Factory Obscura. "I'm really excited that we get to be the ones to show this first ... and she hopes it will then get picked up and she'll be able to take it to other venues."

Who is OKC performer Deonna Marie?

Since she moved to OKC in 2008, Deonna Marie has performed locally as a resident artist with OKC's Adèle Wolf Productions and doubled last year as the vocal coach and theme song vocalist on the upcoming Oklahoma-made movie "Cricket's Requiem."

"She has such an amazing energy. She was just a joy to have on set ... and made a massive impact on the movie," said OKC filmmaker Richard Janes, who directed "Cricket's Requiem."

"This song, 'Take My Heart With You,' that was specially written for the movie, we're hoping we'll be able to do an Oscar push for Best Original Song. ... She's not only the lead vocal, but she brought so much to it."

For her one-woman show, Deonna Marie has written and composed the music, with collaborative contributions from a team of local Black artists, including Brandon Haynes, Byron Martin, Camille Tomin and Elizabeth Spencer. Directed by Wendy Poole, the show is produced and recorded by Nikolas Thompson and Chris Cutta.

The classically trained opera singer chatted with The Oklahoman ahead of the world premiere of "The Deonna Marie Experience":

Q: How did you first come to Oklahoma City?

Deonna Marie: I came here from Grand Rapids, Michigan ... and I went to OCU. After OCU, I did some auditioning, and I was diagnosed with a vocal cyst. ... I had a 50-50 chance whether I would sing or not ever again. But I had a 100% chance, if I ever wanted to sing professionally, that I had to have the surgery and take the 50-50.

So, that was quite a ride. But I had the surgery, and, of course, I'm singing again. But it took three years, and in that three years, I decided to go to school to get my master's in voice without a voice.

Q: How did you come up with the title for your show?

Deonna Marie: I had this dream, probably a couple of months before I graduated from OCU. I woke up and I just said it: '"From the Crack House to the Opera House." That's going to be the name of my book; maybe it's a show or a movie. It's something.' ... I started writing music for it then and visualizing what it would be. ...

Factory Obscura has been a godsend, an angel with wings. They've just been beautiful to work with, to collaborate with. I don't think I've ever felt so comfortable and so supported.

Singer and storyteller Deonna Marie Cattledge will present the world premiere of her one-woman show "The Deonna Marie Experience: From the Crack House to the Opera House, Blooming through Brokenness" Aug. 10-27 at Factory Obscura in downtown Oklahoma City.
Singer and storyteller Deonna Marie Cattledge will present the world premiere of her one-woman show "The Deonna Marie Experience: From the Crack House to the Opera House, Blooming through Brokenness" Aug. 10-27 at Factory Obscura in downtown Oklahoma City.

Q: What made you want to tell your story?

Deonna Marie: I used to smoke crack cocaine with my mother. I didn't start with my mother … but I grew up around drug addiction. I was in the foster care system, and there was some sexual abuse. It was just a lot of tragedy. ...

I was able to not only get clean but help my parents and some of my uncles and aunts to get clean, as well, just on the strength of me getting clean and them seeing that it was possible. So, I was able, I believe, to help save a generation just by actually going for my dream — my dream always being — and it (still) is — that my voice would help raise the consciousness of humanity.

I knew that whatever I was going through in life, I wasn't alone. And I also knew that it wasn't just for me. So, as my life unfolds, and as doors open, I know that this was a part of the whole journey — all of it. So, if I had to do my journey again, I would do it all exactly the same. And I'm still blooming.

Q: How did you get connected with The Moth and start telling part of your story with them?

Deonna Marie: I started telling stories at OKC Improv. The first time I told my 'Jailhouse Celebrity' story was at OKC Improv, and then I heard there was some storytelling community in Tulsa — that's OK, So Tulsa. So, I went to Tulsa, and I started telling my story.

Well, The Moth had a 'Pop Up Porch Tour,' and they came to Tulsa. ... They invited me to come and pitch my story, and you just never know what happens. … It's been a really great boost of confidence for me to travel with The Moth and to tell my story on that platform.

Q: Can you tell me a little about your 'Jailhouse Celebrity' story?

Deonna Marie: I went to jail for parking tickets. ... The judge told me I had 50 tickets in the same parking spot — and he was right. I forgot about those because I was getting high in college.

When I went to jail, of course, I'm shocked, and I'm just depressed. I don't know what I'm gonna do ... and I start singing. I don't even know where it came from, because I hadn't sung anything for years. ... I was so lost in drugs. So, that's when I felt important again. I felt like I mattered, my voice mattered, and I had something special to do with it.

Q: Has moving to OKC been important for your development as an artist?

Deonna Marie: Yes. I always tell everybody, I had to be here in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City was the incubator of change for me. I came from a very rough life ... and I've seen and done some very rough things. And I had to come here so that I could be away from everything that was familiar, so I could become who I am.

So, I felt like a diamond under pressure. And now I'm ready to shine.

'THE DEONNA MARIE EXPERIENCE'

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC singer goes 'From the Crack House to the Opera House' in her show