Late April and all of May brings a new arc of five separate theater productions in the Gorge, similar to the local theater scene’s offering of six concurrent productions over a three-week period in late winter.
More will hit the stage in June and July, and auditions are set for another show (details below).
Getting things started last weekend was the Hood River Valley High School Drama Department, presenting the annual Student Directed One-Acts Festival. Directors this year were Freye Chase, Sofie Larsen-Teskey, Kendra Wilkins, Sullivan Cannon, George Lowell, Emily Liri, and Aleeyah Enriquez.
Adult Center Theater
A production of four one-acts, “Parents and Their Adult Children,” runs April 26-28 and May 3-5 at Hood River Valley Adult Center. Proceeds benefit Meals on Wheels. Tickets at the door are $10 for evening shows, and 2 p.m. matinees on April 28 and May 5.
Irene Fields directs 10 actors who handle parts in the four plays: “Hotel Lobbyist,” “Mimi and Me,” “Diner With Dad” and “Old Flames.”
Actors include Lois Bancroft, Michael Beckner, Roger Blashfield, Sandy Camillucci, Lorre Chester-Rea, Gary Fields, Harold McBain, Kirby Neumann-Rea, MaryAnn Pauline, and Leticia Valle.
‘Dancing’ and ‘Nunsense’
Plays for Non-Profits continues its 2019 season with two productions in May, at two venues: “Broadway Dancing Through the Decades” and “Nunsense: The Mega-Musical” will happen at Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River (CCA) and The Dalles Arts Center (TDAC).
Here are the schedules:
“Broadway Dancing” — May 4, at 7:30 p.m., at CCA; May 5, at 1:30 p.m., at CCA; May 17-18, 7:30 p.m. at The Dalles Civic Auditorium; May 19, 1:30 p.m. at The Dalles Civic Auditorium .
Susan Sorenson directs the show, which benefits Columbia Gorge Company Dancers.
“Nunsense the Megamusical” — May 9,10,11, at 7:30 p.m., at TDCA; May 25, at 7:30 p.m., CCA; May 26, at 1:30 p.m., CCA.
Bill Weiler and Charlotte Arnold direct the sequel to “Nunsense” (presented in Hood River last year) with the original five nuns and some new characters at Little Sisters of Hoboken. Look for ballet and tap dances and songs ranging from chants to soul. The Next Door, Inc., is beneficiary.
CGOA: ‘Magical ‘Thinking’
“The Year of Magical Thinking,” by writer Joan Didion, gets a new treatment from Lyle actor Deborah Langlois, May 10-11 and 16 and 18, 7 p.m., at Riverside Community Church.
Admission by donation; gorgeorchestra.org.
Big Britches Productions’ second show will be Larry Shue’s “The Foreigner,” directed by Bruce Ludwig, May 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m., and May 12 and 19 at 2 p.m. at Bingen Theater.
In the cast are Andrew Cushman, David Dye, Emily Fitzgerald, Bob Fox, Ryan McEuen, Kathleen Morrow, Catherine Simms, and Zachary Tynismaa.
Order tickest at bigbritches.org.
Volunteers are needed for a variety of functions, including ushers and bartending. If interested, contact Ludwig at bruce@bigbritches.org
HRVHS fall show
Local youth will be auditioning in May for “Newsies,” the fall 2019 production of Hood River Valley High School drama department.
Watch for a “Save the Date.”
‘Shrew!’ auditions April 26-27
Actors are invited to audition for “Shrew!” Auditions at Hood River Library on April 26, 6-8 p.m. and April 27 from 4:30-6 p.m.
For a copy of the script and a list of audition scenes, email director Tom Burns at tburnshr@gmail.com.
“Shrew!” is an updated version of “Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare.
Twelfth Night’ April 23
Hood River Library hosts a free performance of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at 6 p.m., by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival. Birthday cake to be served after the show, as part of the library’s Shakespeare Week events.
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