Tag Archive for: Theatre

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer TYA is the irresistible story of a fourteen-year-old boy growing up in the heartland of America, based on the classic novel. Filled with foot-stomping, toe-tapping songs by Don Schlitz (“The Gambler”) and a book by Ken Ludwig, this musical adventure is a tale of thrilling escapes, comedy and inspiration for the whole family.

Set in 1840 Missouri, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer TYA is the tale of young Tom Sawyer and the neverending mischief of which he so often finds himself a part; whether it’s matching wits with Aunt Polly, tricking his friends into white-washing a fence for him or narrowly escaping the clutches of a murderous villain. Along with his best friend, Huckleberry Finn, and his love interest, Becky Thatcher, the greatest Tom Sawyer exploits are plucked from the book and plopped on the stage.

Performances are February 15-24, 2019 at Fort Vancouver High School, 5700 E 18th St, Vancouver, WA 98661.   Tickets are on sale now at journeytheater.org or by calling 360.750.8550.  Pre-sale adult tickets are $12.  Youth and senior tickets are $10. Tickets for all performances will be $4 more at the door.  Saturday, February 16 is family day with all tickets at $10.

Public Performances

Friday, Feb 15 – 7:00 pm

Saturday, Feb 16 – 7:00 pm

Friday, Feb 22 – 7:00 pm

Saturday, Feb 23 – 7:00 pm

Sunday, Feb 24 – 2:00 pm

Law
www.McKeanSmithLaw.com

About Journey Theater Arts Group

Our mission: “Growing youth in character, confidence and creativity, in a Christ centered community.”  Throughout the Portland/Vancouver area, Journey offers dozens of classes for ages 6-18, in drama, dance, voice and more.   In addition, we produce 12 Broadway style shows in four locations during the school year, improv competitions, multiple summer camps and professional-level community theater musicals for all ages in summer.  Journey is a nonprofit educational organization, with offices located at 1400 NE 136th Ave, Suite 201, Vancouver WA, 98684.  Contact at 360.750.8550 or www.journeytheater.org.

PDX Playwrights Presents 27 plays by 26 diverse, emerging playwrights – several of them from Camas and Clark County – in 15 separately ticketed events (9 different runs-of-show) in 10 days!

PDX Playwrights returns for its tenth consecutive year as Fertile Ground’s “Festival Within the Festival,” presenting works ranging from ten-minute shorts and one-acts to musicals and full-length performances. About half the shows are off-book performances, with the remainder being presented as staged readings.

All shows will be performed at Hipbone Studios, 1847 E. Burnside St., Portland, OR. All tickets are $10, available at fertilegroundpdx.org  or at the door (unless sold out).

Camas’s own Gary Corbin, known primarily in recent years from his mystery and crime novels such as Lying in Judgment and The Mountain Man’s Badge, acts as PDXP’s “Producer in Chief,” overseeing production of all 27 of PDXP’s Fertile Ground shows. He contributed a ten-minute comedy, “Streaming Jesus,” to the group’s “Daisy Dukes Shorts Night” premiering January 25, and serves as the Festival’s pass coordinator and box office guru.

Other Clark County-based PDXP contributors include Camas’s Louise Wynn, who contributed a ten-minute piece to “Daisy Dukes” entitled “Toaster,” and Vancouver’s Dale Payne, with a full-length dramatic comedy, “The Sequelz.”

In addition to PDXP contributions, Camas resident Nicole Lane acts as overall Festival Director for Fertile Ground.

Highlights of PDXP’s lineup include the return of its flagship show, the “Daisy Dukes Shorts Night,” a collection of nine “short-shorts” all inspired by a common theme. This year’s theme, “The Disconnect,” inspired nearly 30 submissions, with nine selected by a blind jury, all directed by William Barry and performed by a 6-member ensemble cast. The show runs for only two performances, including kicking off PDXP’s run on Friday, January 25 at 7 PM, and a reprisal performance on Friday, February 1 at 9 PM.

The lineup also includes the third consecutive year of PDXP’s “Crazy Dukes Instant Play Festival,” where six playwrights selected by producer Katie Bennett will develop ten-minute plays in 48 hours based on random casting assignments and four prompts obtained from the “Daisy Dukes” audience on Friday January 25. This popular show runs only once, on Sunday, January 27, at 7 PM.

PDXP also presents seven “co-produced” shows with playwrights from among its hard-working ranks of emerging voices in Portland theatre. PDXP takes care of logistical issues such as venue (Hipbone Studio, 1847 E. Burnside), ticketing and box office, concessions, promotion assistance, casting assistance, and an army of show-night volunteers, while co-producers do the heavy lifting on the creative side: writing, directing, rehearsing, and performing the show.

Co-producers in 2019 include veteran PDXP Fertile Grounders such as Brad Bolchunos, Karen Polinsky, Redmond Reams, Gary Corbin, as well as newcomers Rebecca Petchenik, Olivia MacFadden, Caitlin Beckwith-Ferguson, Tracy Locke, Johanna Courtleigh, and Dale Payne.

Playwright

About PDX Playwrights

PDX Playwrights is a group for playwrights who want to meet, hear their scripts read aloud, and share feedback in a welcoming, constructive environment. We welcome playwrights at all stages of their career, from beginners to seasoned veterans.

Typically we have about twenty people at each meeting: playwrights, actors, and friends. Plays are read aloud by whomever is at the table that night (which may include actors recruited by the playwright). Our regular readings occur on the first Tuesdays and third Tuesdays of each month and are open to anyone who enjoys hearing new stage work being read aloud.

We also hold “Fifth Tuesday” workshops when applicable. These are open to anyone interested in developing their craft learning more about PDX Playwrights.

 

Vancouver, WA — Journey Theater Arts Group presents Disney’s “The Lion King Jr,” which will run for two weekends, November 16-25 at Fort Vancouver High School.

A lively stage adaptation of the Academy Award-winning 1994 Disney animated film, “The Lion King Jr.” is the story of a young lion prince living in the flourishing African Pride Lands. Born into the royal family, precocious cub Simba spends his days exploring the sprawling savanna grasslands and idolizing his kingly father, Mufasa, while youthfully shirking the responsibility his position in life requires. When an unthinkable tragedy, orchestrated by Simba’s wicked uncle, Scar, takes his father’s life, Simba flees the Pride Lands, leaving his loss and the life he knew behind. Eventually companioned by two hilarious and unlikely friends, Simba starts anew. But when weight of responsibility and a desperate plea from the now ravaged Pride Lands come to find the adult prince, Simba must take on a formidable enemy, and fulfill his destiny to be king. With music and lyrics by Elton John and Tim Rice, additional music and lyrics by Lebo M., Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, and Hans Zimmer, and book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, Julie Taymor’s vision has been brought to life for audiences all over the world.

Performances are November 16-25, 2018 at Fort Vancouver High School, 5700 E 18th St, Vancouver, WA 98661.   Tickets are on sale now at journeytheater.org or by calling 360.750.8550.  Pre-sale adult tickets are $12.  Youth and senior tickets are $10. Tickets for all performances will be $4 more at the door.  Saturday November 17 is family day with all tickets at $10.

Public Performances

Friday, November 16th – 7:00 pm

Saturday, November 17th – 7:00 pm

Sunday, November 18th – 2:00 pm

Friday, November 23rd – 7:00 pm

Saturday, November 24th – 2:00 pm

Sunday, November 25th – 2:00 pm

About Journey Theater Arts Group

Our mission: “Growing youth in character, confidence and creativity, in a Christ centered community.”  Throughout the Portland/Vancouver area, Journey offers dozens of classes for ages 6-18, in drama, dance, voice and more.   In addition, we produce 12 Broadway style shows in four locations during the school year, improv competitions, multiple summer camps and professional-level community theater musicals for all ages in summer.  Journey is a nonprofit educational organization, with offices located at 1400 NE 136th Ave, Suite 201, Vancouver WA, 98684.  Contact at 360.750.8550 or www.journeytheater.org.

As he prepares for his starring role in the upcoming Camas Theatre production of “Macbeth,” which opens November 8, Camas, WA actor Clayton Lukens reflects on his summer theatrical experience at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Lukens was accepted into the Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute, which is a four-week summer program full show intensive for young actors. This summer, they produced “Tuck Everlasting.”

“You do a full production,” said Lukens. “Some other camps are about workshops, and this is about doing a full-scale production. We arrived and the first day we all go find our houses and the boys are housed in the colored cottages. They placed all the girls in a mansion. The first day we all walked to the beach together and we start in a circle to talk about our goals and what we are able to bring to the team.”

Each summer session has 25 students, plus the crew program with about eight youth, the institute staff and the director, Joe Barros, who has worked on Broadway several times.

“He’s [Barros] is always doing big, big projects,” said Lukens. “He always likes to switch things up.”

Being accepted into the program was a dream come true for Lukens, who found out in March he was accepted into the $6,000 camp — but he’d already been saving his money for about a year.

During application time, he filled out the basics and sent a video audition of him singing and dancing.

“And, so I brought out a friend who choreographed a dance for me,” Lukens said. “Her name is Grace Thompson. I signed my application, and was just doing Little Shop rehearsals and I was waiting. We found out March 16, which was opening day for Little Shop. The whole day I had my Chromebook open in the corner and kept refreshing. I got the email that said I was accepted. I’d been wanting to do this for over a year, and then they placed us all in a Facebook Group. We all got to know each other before we went. It was a virtual audtion process.”

The summer institute had much to do about chemistry with other people, and he was called back for two characters: Jesse Tuck, and Man in Yellow Suit. The whole plot is this family drinks the water and now will never die.

“They learn lessons that life is valuable, and some point you have to get off the wheel so others can experience it,” said Lukens. “I ended up playing Man in Yellow Suit. He wants to monopolize on the water. I was double cast, and then I played ensemble second weekend. That was hard. You have to learn two roles.”

He said the first challenge was having to memorize everything off-book before arrival, which was rough for the “in-the-moment” learner that Lukens is.

Theatre

On the set of “Tuck Everlasting.”

The institute program is pretty tough, with 9-13 hour rehearsal days, every day.

“We spend our time choreographing every scene, learning the music, learning the harmonies,” he said. “We do that for the first two weeks, and it’s very exhausting. We did this seven days a week with only two days off. On those days off, we went to Savannah, and then went to the beach on Hilton Head.”

By the time they got to opening day, he said the team felt very prepared and that they all became really good friends.

The teens did six performances in total, with each lasting 1 hour and 40 minutes — which is a short time for a musical.

“Joe completely reinvented the show,” Lukens said. “It’s very different from what appeared on Broadway. The play flopped on Broadway, so Joe fixed the dents. He incorporated 126 umbrellas into the whole show. It was amazing!”

Breaking umbrellas was a real problem.

So, what did Lukens learn the most from this?

“I think I learned that the biggest part is interpretation,” said Lukens. “It can be funny, and wild and weird, but deep down you have to be a person that the audience can relate to. They taught me how to get deeper into the character. A lot of people can fake it on stage, but making it an actual character so that he feels like a person.”

“Kris Saucedo played Tuck. He went to the program last summer, so I found him on Instagram and he’d been to the institute previously, and he had been helping promote the program. We became really great friends. The set design was amazing. It was the best set I’ve ever stepped on to. They had these umbrellas in the sky, and we had lots of trap doors on the stage. One time I sat in the trap door for four hours while reading a book. It was totally fine to listen.”

“It took us that whole year to save up for it. It was the best experience I’ve ever had with theatre. You’re just in a group of people that all want to do the same things you do. There are some days when you’re with someone for 13 hours, and you want to snap — you get so exhausted. For sure, we had our different groups, but it was just a crazy community to be around. Time moves differently there. It’s its own little world.”

Theatre

Man in Yellow Suit, played by Clayton Lukens.

To be considered for the program, you have to be in high school —as a rising freshman up to a recently graduated senior.

Ben Wolfe started the program, which has flourished through the years. He contributes so much, said Lukens, and he gives everything to that company.

One of the original producers came to the show, and the original Jessie Tuck came and did a Master Class. His name is Andrew Keenan-Bolger. He’s a big broadway celebrity.

“Clayton is an outstanding young man filled with a joy and energy that makes every room he enters a little bit brighter,” said Wolfe. “We loved working with him this summer.”
`
Go to www.summertheatreinstitute.com to learn more.

Photo Gallery

Photos by Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute.

Camas, WA — The historic Liberty Theatre turns 91 on June 14, and the operators are having a low-key celebration with a special showing of Steven Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

“This isn’t a benchmark year, so we’re not not having all the hoopla and swag bags like we did last year,” said the theatre’s operator, Rand Thornsley. “We’re having a 6 pm special showing of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ which is a community pick. We put out a poll and that was the top pick of our customers. Last year was very successful.”

For the record, “Wizard of Oz” placed second in the poll.

Thornsley’s group took over theatre operations in 2011 on St. Patrick’s Day, which is their operational anniversary, but the community is more in tune with the historic anniversary — and its opening in 1927.

This summer, the Liberty will present a Drones concert, as well as some “Beatles” programs. And, they have a few anniversary classics coming: such as “American Graffiti” to coincide with the downtown Camas Car Show in July; Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” celebrate its 6oth anniversary in July; and “Treasure of Sierra Madre,” which celebrates its 70th anniversary.

Liberty

The theatre opened in 1927.

A few fun Liberty facts:

  • It’s classic vintage, not a multiplex. “We don’t do things like Regal does. We show a lot of different movies at a lot of different times,” says Thornsley.
  • Prices are more family friendly. General admission is $4.50 and $5.50 for adults. Tuesdays are $4.50.
  • Concessions are at a price point that’s affordable.
  • The big theatre seats 300. The little theatre has 29 seats.
  • They make it all happen with a staff of five.
  • Concessions — popcorn is simple, with no artificial ingredients. It’s quality popcorn, made with sea salt, and canola oil, plus butter if you want it.

To learn more, visit www.CamasLiberty.com

Camas, WA — When Camas High School senior, Omar Shafiuzzaman, walks into the doors of London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama this October, he’ll be living his dream.

After attending a workshop last summer at London’s Globe Theatre, he knew he wanted to attend school in the United Kingdom. So, he applied to four schools in the area, and ended up being one of nine young men from all over the world to receive an unconditional offer to enter the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama’s acting program. The school has a one percent acceptance rate.

Shafiuzzaman, known for his work in Camas Theatre productions over the past few years, says the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama is the top-ranked acting school in the United Kingdom, one of the top 10 in the world, and boasts of several prestigious graduates: Dame Judi Dench, Sir Laurence Olivier, Andrew Garfield (of the “Spider-Man” movies), and Sonia Friedman, among others.

“This is everything I ever wanted,” said Shafiuzzaman. “This is the best possible outcome for me.”

Shafiuzzaman has been gaining local attention for his work in plays such as “Brigadoom,” “The Laramie Project,” and most recently, “Little Shop of Horrors,” for which he has received a 5th Avenue Award nomination for Best Supporting Role. 5th Avenue is the top Washington state acting honor a student can receive.

So, how did he get here? His acting journey started in 6th grade, but it didn’t become a passion until years later.

“It was a gradual realization to want to be an actor,” he said. “I was in 6th grade (in Las Vegas) — in my first play, which was ‘Peter Pan’. I played Mr. Darling, Wendy’s dad. Then I moved to Camas in 8th grade and started doing it more, and researched how to get the best training. Mr. Kelly at Camas has been a huge help.”

Following his year at Skyridge, he enrolled in Drama 1 Class at CHS, which is taught by Sean Kelly.

“He teaches you how to memorize lines, basic acting techniques, movements, blocking, how to connect with partners,” said Shafiuzzaman. “He teaches vocabulary for theater. For my sophomore year, I enrolled in Advanced Drama, which is independent, and you get to write your own work. You work on more advanced skills.”

Initially, he didn’t find his strengths.

Omar

At the close of “Little Shop of Horrors.”

“His first year as a freshman, he was emotionally closed off and was pretty quiet in my class, oddly enough,” said Kelly. “He didn’t take a lot of risks at first, so I think for Omar his biggest victory was overcoming this idea that he is not good enough at this, and he had major breakthroughs last year that have put him where he’s at. He has confidence in his craft. He’s meticulous. He likes to have a lot of tools at his disposal. He can really embrace the sloppiness of being human. He has the confidence and comfort level to do so. I told him to stop playing it safe, because the risks are where you have growth. He also started taking acting lessons outside of class, which I highly recommend.”

His family is very supportive, but they also keep him grounded — and he needs to find a summer job before heading to London.

“We never really had this planned for Omar,” said his mother, Kylee. “We told him to follow his dreams. And this is what he’s super passionate about. It’s exciting to see opportunities come. He’s really worked hard.”

Omar loves his craft because each acting experience is different.

“Actors are very lucky because they get to experience everything they could ever want to in life,” said Shafiuzzaman. “They can learn how to be a doctor, then they study and pretend to play a doctor. You can be a king. It’s a dream job. You can do what you want as an actor. You get to meet really smart people. You can’t just really feel emotions — there’s an intellectual side to it, as well. You have to get other people to believe you, you have to know how the world works, and be very knowledgeable about the world. You have to talk to a lot of people.”

Omar has been in six main stage productions, and two student productions, which are one acts. Plus, he did two other shows in Drama class.

“My mom helped put them up, which were cancer fundraiser shows,” he said. “We raised $6,000 last year, and $2,000 this year. One was ‘Chemo Girl’ and this year we did ‘Sillyheart.’ My favorite play was ‘Musical Comedy Murders of the 1940s.’ That was the first time I’d done a show since 6th grade. When I finally got to perform again it was exhilarating. It introduced me into the whole world of theatre. It was just amazing. I played Eddie and he was the hero of the show. He had the most lines. Ended up saving all the people at the end. My favorite character that I played was Jeff Douglas, an alcoholic man who went to Scotland with his best friend, in ’Brigadoom.’

“It’s exhausting at times because everything is out in the open. We talk about what we feel isn’t right. Theatre is the best way to express yourself. It’s a way to spur change or make a statement. There’s also the entertainment side, as well. It’s mostly a good thing that all these things are coming to light, and then we can talk and solve problems.

Omar

Omar in a scene from Camas Theatre’s “Little Shop of Horrors.”

“My friends are very, very happy for me. I live in a very supportive community of kids in the theatre group. They’re all really nice about it.”

Kelly said memorization is essential to being a good actor.

“At first, it’s very hard, and it’s really the donkey work of acting,” he said. “You just repeat the lines over and over again. And, then repeat them without looking at script. You just have to memorize it. You either do it, or you don’t. It gets easier as you do it more and more. After memorizing so many lines, then once the show is done, they go away really quickly.”

Entertainment is becoming part of the family business. He has an older sister, Sophia, attending Northern Colorado University, working on light and set design. And, Omar’s younger brother, Aiden, is involved with the Skyridge Middle School choir, and he also appeared in “Alice in Wonderland.”

During summer break, Shafiuzzaman will play a Pakistani teenager in a short film called “Death from Above.” The film talks about the Middle East.

It’s great that he’s attending such a prestigious acting school in London,” said Kelly. “The British approach is much more technical, and I think this will be a good fit for him.”

Omar

Camas Theatre director, Sean Kelly, has high praise for Omar.

 

WASHOUGAL, WA – Journey Theater Arts Group presents “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Winner of nine Tony Awards when it debuted in 1964, Fiddler on the Roof is the brainchild of Broadway legends, Jerome Robbins and Harold Prince; songwriters, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick; and bookwriter, Joseph Stein. Touching audiences worldwide with its humor, warmth and honesty, this universal show is a staple of the musical theatre canon.

Set in the little village of Anatevka, the story centers on Tevye, a poor milkman, and his five daughters. With the help of a colorful and tight-knit Jewish community, Tevye tries to protect his daughters and instill them with traditional values in the face of changing social mores and the growing anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia. Rich in historical and ethnic detail, Fiddler on the Roof‘s universal theme of tradition cuts across barriers of race, class, nationality and religion, leaving audiences crying tears of laughter, joy and sadness.  Recommended for ages 7 and up.

Performances are May 18-27, 2018 at Washburn Performing Arts Center at Washougal High School, 1201 39th Street, Washougal WA, 98671.   Tickets are on sale now at journeytheater.org or by calling 360.750.8550.  Pre-sale adult tickets are $12.  Youth and senior tickets are $10.   Our “family day” performance is May 19 at 7:00 pm with all tickets $10 in advance.  Tickets for all performances are $4 more at the door.

Public Performances

Friday, May 18th – 7:00 pm

Saturday, May 19th – 7:00 pm

Sunday, May 20th – 2:00 pm

Friday, May 25th – 7:00 pm

Saturday, May 26th – 2:00 pm

Sunday, May 27th – 2:00 pm

About Journey Theater Arts Group

Their mission: “Growing youth in character, confidence and creativity, in a Christ centered community.”  Throughout the Portland/Vancouver area, Journey offers dozens of classes for ages 6-18, in drama, dance, voice and more.   In addition, we produce 12 Broadway-style shows in four locations during the school year, improv competitions, multiple summer camps and professional-level community theater musicals for all ages in summer.  Journey is a nonprofit educational organization, with offices located at 1400 NE 136th Ave, Suite 201, Vancouver WA, 98684.  Contact at 360.750.8550 or www.journeytheater.org

Fiddler

Playing the violin.

This afternoon, a few protesters gathered in front of Camas High School to protest the current production of “The Laramie Project” by the school’s drama department. Some students interacted with the protestors, and security was called to the scene.

CHS Principal Liza Sejkora issued the following statement:

CHS Families,

This afternoon there were two individuals expressing their religious beliefs, via signs and a bullhorn, across from the Camas High School bus parking area as students were leaving for the day. This event created a commotion and, unfortunately, some strong feelings and expletives were expressed.

The CHS security team, administrators, and the School Resource Officer were on site ensuring the visitors stayed on the public sidewalk away from students. The visitors left after the CHS students departed.

This protest was likely brought to our campus in response to the CHS drama department’s presentation of The Laramie Project—the story of Matthew Shepard, a homosexual student from the University of Wyoming, who was brutally murdered in 1998. To learn more about why we selected The Laramie Project, read Director Sean Kelly’s notes.

We want you to have context about the incident today in case your student(s) have questions.

Sincerely,

Liza Sejkora
Principal

Director Sean Kelly’s Statement

I have had a difficult time trying to decide what needs to be written about this show. I suppose I need to start with a few assertions that I believe to be true: opposition to prejudice should not be a political issue, but these days it seems to be. Opposition to those who would commit violence should not be a political issue, but these days it seems to be. And most importantly, this: we desperately need to start listening to one another.

Empathy is a skill that must be practiced. The best way to practice it, in my opinion, is to listen to the stories of others’ struggles. If we consciously practice empathy while doing so, we begin to discover that we have a lot more in common than we ever imagined. It’s a lot harder to hate someone once you get to know them and what they are up against. Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten and murdered because he was gay. His story sparked a national conversation that we are still having today.

When I was a young man, I was harassed and threatened, shunned and whispered about in my hometown. Once, a couple of men in a pickup threw a 32-ounce soda at me as they drove past and yelled “faggot”. They circled the block a few times and shouted obscenities and threatened to assault me. I can’t claim to fully understand the challenges that a member of the LGBTQ community faces because I am not a member of that community, except as an ally. But my experiences as someone who was targeted by hatred based on what other people thought they saw was a revelation. How must it be to fear this every day of one’s life?

When I visited Laramie a few years ago, years after the death of Matthew Shepard, what struck me the most was how much like my hometown it appeared to be. It seemed a place that was idyllic and easy, with a beautiful view. There were places that were rough around the edges, and it seemed in every way like it could be any town in the USA. And that, I suppose, is what troubled me the most. The stories of the people in this play sounded far too familiar.

Hate groups have been reawakened. Violence and harassment have never gone away, but there has been an increase in violence targeted at minorities and LGBTQ people. We feel it everywhere we go: our relationships are strained and uneasy. Everyone is on edge about something. It has been 19 years since Matthew Shepard died, and it seems tensions around this topic are only more strained than ever. But I reassert these things that I hold true:

Opposition to prejudice should not be a political issue.

Opposition to those who would commit violence should not be a political issue.

We desperately need to start listening to one another.

Father Roger Schmitt:  “When you are called a fag, and you are called… a dyke, that is the seed of violence.”

Perfomances

“The Laramie Project” continues its performances this Friday at 7 pm, and Saturday at 2 and 7 pm.

To learn more, visit www.chs.camas.wednet.edu

Laramie

The simple set allowed free flow of discussion.

Laramie

On Saturday, November 4, 2017, the Camas High School Theatre group performed “The Laramie Project”, I attended the matinee at 2:00 pm.

There are many specific reasons that individuals join together to share in a common interaction with the arts. Be it music, painting, sculpture, film, photography, dance, theatre or other forms. Generally, the reason is the same, we expect the art to affect us emotionally. Sometimes the emotion is joy, perhaps happiness, or simply to be entertained through humor or wit. The best art tells a story about real or fictional characters, their motivations, their joys and pains, to be revealed through the senses—sound, light, color, speech, smell, taste, or form.

In the case of exceptional art, that story aspires to more than just someone else’s journey discovered through an artist’s medium. Art can attain a higher level, where if the subject is willing, the story unfolds around you in such a compelling narrative that the story is no longer a foreign entity, it enters you and demands that you become part of it. “The Laramie Project” is such an opportunity. If you let it in, you become part of the story. If you let it in, and apply introspection to the experience, you will learn about yourself. In you let it in, and act on what you learned about yourself, it will change you.

Laramie

Actor Forest Myers-Power.

“The Laramie Project” is challenging, raw, emotional material. With data, quotes, and experiences gathered over significant amount of time through observation, interview, and research. The material is then presented in a narrative that depicts just not the journey of those directly involved in Laramie and surrounding locations, but the journey of the playwrights themselves as they interact directly with the setting in space and time. Slowly building the pieces of the puzzle, and then putting those pieces into the larger tapestry of the events surrounding the life and death of Matthew Shepard.

Occasional reexamination of one’s beliefs, prejudices, and biases is a critical component to human progression. Art is often the catalyst allowing one to sort through many attributes of the human condition in rapid succession. Hate, love, guilt, passion, judgement, compassion, anger, disgust, fear, charity, hope, and forgiveness may all run their course through you in the span of just a few hours’ time.

While there are moments of humor, this is not easy or light material. Your experience with it will vary greatly dependent on your willingness to engage it and especially to honestly engage yourself. If you let it in, you will leave with a greater desire for compassion and tolerance. Even towards those things which you don’t believe and for people and cultures that you don’t understand. If we are to heal our world, our nation, our community, even our families—it will take a little more of such desire.

There will be three more showings: This Friday at 7; Saturday matinee at 2, and a final showing this Saturday at 7 pm — all at Camas Theatre (at Camas High School).

To learn more, visit www.chs.camas.wednet.edu

— by Jon Pugmire

“The Laramie Project” Image Gallery

Photos by Jon Pugmire

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Camas Theatre students are in the middle of daily rehearsals for “The Laramie Project,” which director Sean Kelly says is the “most in-depth play we’ve ever produced here.”

The play, written by Moises Kaufman, and members of the Tectonic Theatre Project, is about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student, Matthew Shepard, in Laramie, Wyoming. The three-act play is based on hundreds of interviews conducted by the theatre company with inhabitants of the town, interviewer journal entries, and published news reports.

The cast of 19, each of whom takes on multiple characters, spends their afternoons rehearsing their lines, and preparing themselves for a play that is causing most of them to look deep into human nature and behavior. We spent 90 minutes with the actors as they listened closely to instruction, and then had their own in-depth discussion about what causes people to behave badly.

“The play is about how people can rationalize, in general,” says Kelly. “The students are taking on some really deep material. It’s stretching them.”

Armita Aziza, who plays Zubaida Ula, among other characters, says the play addressed how the incident affected the town.

“Our characters address prejudice, hatred, and community,” she says.

Omar Shafiuzzaman is playing four characters: Dennis Shepard (Matthew’s father), police detective, Rob Debree, a news reporter, and playwright, Moises Kaufman.

“We’re all on stage for the whole show,” says Shafiuzzaman. “It’s very challenging to switch between these characters, and we’re learning a lot.”

Skylar Derthick plays Jeddidiah Schultz, Dr. Castaway (who operates on Matthew), and Reverend Fred Phelps, of the Westboro Baptist Church, who lead a protest at Shepard’s funeral.

“It’s tough to play all these roles,” says Derthick, who appreciates the work going into this production.

Kelly encourages the local community to turn out for their play, and welcomes a broader discussion about prejudices and attitudes. Following the play, there will be an open question-and-answer period. And, it should be known the play does contain profanity, as it reflects on real-life accounts and interviews.

“It’s easy to hate an idea,” says Kelly. “But, it’s a lot harder to hate a person once you get to know them.”

The Laramie Project Play Dates

  • November 3 @ 7 pm
  • November 4 @ 2 pm (matinee) and 7 pm
  • November 10 @ 7 pm
  • November 11 @ 2 pm (matinee) and 7 pm

Location: Camas High School Theatre

To learn more, visit www.chs.camas.wednet.edu

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