A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 58F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph..
Tonight
Mostly cloudy skies. Low around 45F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
CAST will hold auditions for its May play on March 15 at 2 p.m. and March 17 and 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River.
Production dates are May 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 23 and 24.
The play, "Off the Map," was written by Joan Ackermann. It will be directed by Ken McCarty.
The story follows Bo Groden as she looks back on the summer when she was 11 years old and everything changed. Serving as narrator, she sifts through the memories of an unusual childhood spent in the wilds of northern New Mexico where her enterprising parents forged a rich life off the land and the local dump. Desperate to escape as a child, longing for modern amenities and normalcy, now she yearns to go back.
This is the summer when Charley, her father, spiraled into depression. Usually able to build and fix anything, he is unable to fix himself, but the family carries on, thanks in large part to the earthy strength of Arlene, Bo's resourceful mother.
George, Charley's lifelong friend, offers watercolors and silence. Lonely for her father's companionship, Bo amuses herself by writing letters for free samples and praying for a miracle to deliver her from a mother who gardens in the nude and a father who cannot stop weeping.
The miracle arrives in the form of William Gibbs, a displaced IRS agent, who arrives in a fever and never leaves. As the artist within William emerges, each member of the family is touched and affected.
By the time a boat arrives at the end of the play, the family's sails have been filled.
This offbeat evocative comedy has a compelling and lyrical quality. Through unswerving love and compassion, the characters stumble into glimpses of self-discovery and unexpected moments of grace.
Characters include: adult Bo, the narrator of the story about her eleventh year, age 20s; Bo, the 11-year-old girl, age 11; George, Charley's lifelong friend and a Korean War veteran, age 40s; Charley, Bo's father, Arlene's husband and a Korean War veteran, age 40s; Arlene, Bo's mother and Charley's wife, age 40s; William Gibbs, the young IRS agent who comes to audit and ends up staying and changing everyone's life forever, age 28.
Persons interested in being a part of the production team can attend one of the audition times.
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