‘The Gypsy King’ makes world debut
March 16, 2010
Village Theatre Eric Ankrim performs as Prince Alphonse in the Village Theatre production of ‘The Gypsy King.’ By John Pai
This world premiere will leave you rolling in the aisles, if it hasn’t already.
From a groundswell of passionate Village Theatre officials and test audiences, Emmy Award-winner Randy Rogel’s musical “The Gypsy King” debuts on Village’s Mainstage March 17.
It is “an airtight farce with hilarious well-drawn characters and a plot full of twists and turns that rival the classic comedies of the 1930s and 1940s,” Director Richard Gray said in a press release.
Theater officials first spotted the show at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s new works festival in 2007.
“We loved it and immediately brought it back with us to workshop further, in hopes that we would one day be able to put it up on the mainstage,” Executive Producer Robb Hunt said in the release. Read more
Ladies’ night: ‘The Women’ comes to Issaquah High School
March 16, 2010
Sylvia, played by Amanda Thornton, leaps upon Miriam, played by Becca Allen, as other cast members look on during the fistfight scene in a Reno hotel room, from the Issaquah High School drama production of ‘The Women.’ By Greg Farrar
Gather your favorite women, grab some dinner and maybe a few mocktails — or cocktails — and head to see Issaquah High School’s production of “The Women,” premiering at 7 p.m. March 18.
“We think it’s a really great show, with a lot of comedic parts,” said sophomore Audrey De Luca, who plays divorcée Countess De Lave. “It should be something everyone can enjoy.”
The production will be at Skyline High School, since Issaquah High’s theater is under construction.
The classic production is Clare Boothe Luce’s famed 1936 play, dramatizing the complex lives and interpersonal relationships among a group of wealthy Manhattan women.
The perceived perfection of their worlds comes crumbling down as scandal, lusty affairs and divorce envelop their lives, forcing them to turn to each other — and on one another.
“Everyone has experienced something like this, gossip and cattiness,” said Emily Berensohn, a sophomore who plays adulteress Crystal Allen. “You turn to your friends to get through it, but not everyone has your best interests in mind.” Read more
Rust eye gets last laugh
March 9, 2010
Teased teacher turns nickname into idea for children’s book
Steve Gritton, of Issaquah, poses with his latest children’s book ‘The Trouble with Sisters and Robots.’ Gritton wrote and illustrated (above left) the book. By David Hayes
Writers just never know where inspiration will strike for their next great novel. For children’s illustrated book author Steve Gritton, it came from an unfortunate incident while cutting shelving for a closet.
“I got a tiny sliver of metal in my eye,” said the Issaquah resident who teaches at Lake Hills Elementary School in Bellevue. “I didn’t even realize it was there until the next day, when my eye got all red and puffy.”
His sister warned him to get it removed before it rusted. Gritton said, sure enough, by the time he got to the doctor, the sliver of metal had rusted.
“Being a school teacher, once word got around about the incident, everyone on the staff started calling me ‘rust eye,’” Gritton said. “I thought that would be a neat name for a robot.”
Now, three books later, the little germination of an idea has been published into the children’s tale, “The Trouble With Sisters and Robots.”
After self-publishing his first three books, Gritton’s latest work was picked up by Albert Whitman & Co. But why a company out of Morton Grove, Ill.?
“I actually submitted the story to six publishers and they were the first to respond,” Gritton admitted. Read more
Sammamish Symphony to headline Benaroya Hall
March 9, 2010
The Sammamish Symphony Orchestra is packing it up and leaving the plateau behind for the mainstage of Benaroya Hall for a special one-night performance March 14. Read more
Sparkfarmer’s album debuts after seven years of ‘bowling night’
March 2, 2010
At left, Getty (left) flashes Dave Baumert a smile in the band’s Sammamish recording studio Feb. 4. By Christopher Huber
Members of the Sammamish-based band Sparkfarmer are the first to admit they don’t have any delusions of making it big, signing with a well-known label or touring the country in a fancy bus.
But they certainly love doing what they do.
The band, made up of longtime rockers, camping buddies and family men Dave Baumert, Getty, Steve Leigh and Tim Osborne, recently released their first CD — “Stereo Biplane.” They recorded the CD in Baumert’s Sammamish studio and Leigh produced it in Snoqualmie.
“It feels good. It easily could have languished on a shelf,” Leigh said.
The album took nearly seven years to complete — five years to record and master — and is a collection of such varying styles and sounds that Baumert and Getty said most people will have a tough time defining the band.
“If we have any dreams of success, it’s probably in the songwriting realm,” Baumert said. Read more
Bake’s Place pays tribute to radio icon Jim Wilke
February 23, 2010
Bake’s Place at Providence Point pays a special tribute to Seattle radio icon Jim Wilke on Feb. 26 on Northwest vocalist Greta Matassa’s weekly show, “Fridays in the Living Room with Greta.” Read more
Issaquah grad reprises ‘Falstaff’ role
February 23, 2010
Issaquah native Anya Matanovic stars as Nannetta in the Seattle Opera’s production of ‘Falstaff.’ By Bill Mohn
Reprising a role from her first years as an opera singer, Issaquah native Anya Matanovic will grace Seattle with her voice again in Seattle Opera’s comedy “Falstaff” Feb. 27 – March 13.
“Working with Anya is always a treat. Her intelligence and charm shine through in this role, which also showcases her beautiful voice,” Director Peter Kazaras wrote in an e-mail. “It has been inspiring to watch Anya mature and master the technical difficulties of this intricate score. I think she is a perfect Nannetta.”
While she lives in Manhattan, Issaquah is the city Matanovic said she calls home.
Billy Bob’s gives diners burger, barbecue alternative
February 23, 2010
What you’ll find at Billy Bob’s Burgers & BBQ is a great lunch hour or afternoon escape from the workday grind or a place on the weekend for sports action in the bar. Read more
Passion for trains pays off for photographer
February 16, 2010
Issaquah photographer David Honan visits the Train Depot to take more photos of his favorite subject - trains. By Greg Farrar
Trains aren’t just David Honan’s business. They’re his passion.
At 28, Honan is the winner of this year’s Trains Magazine photography contest.
“He’s just a wonderful and a very nice person,” said Bobbie Olin, an Issaquah resident who rides the bus to work with him each day. “This is definitely an honor to get selected for this as the grand prize winner.
By day, Honan works as a civil engineer for HDR Engineers in Bellevue, where he primarily designs railroads and infrastructure related to railroad operations.
“It’s been very rewarding to work on a number of local passenger rail projects, which, when complete, will benefit transit users in the region for years to come,” he wrote in an e-mail.
Honan grew up in New York, but graduated with a degree in civil engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana.
His interest in trains developed long before working with trains when he moved here four years ago, as he explained in an e-mail interview.
Q: When did you first have an interest in trains?
A: I’ve liked railroads for, literally, as long as I can remember. As best as anyone in my family can recall, it was my paternal grandfather who exposed me to trains and helped develop my interest. I have fond memories of him taking me to both the local railroad yard and airport to watch trains and planes; obviously the former made more of an impact upon me.
Q: How did you get involved in train photography?
His photo ‘Bridging the Gap’ won first place in a Trains Magazine contest.
A: I come from a family of mostly artists, so the desire to document what I see is naturally ingrained. I determined long ago that the illustration gene wasn’t passed down, and eventually, I started taking photos as a means to preserve memories of what I saw and share those memories with others.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your photography?
A: Photography gives me the desire to explore new locales and, by extension, allows me to meet new people. I would not have seen many amazing places nor befriended numerous wonderful folks if not for my enthusiasm for traveling and experiencing sights yet unseen.
Q: What is special about the locomotive and train industry, that speaks to you as an artist?
A: I’m impressed that there are always inherent challenges to constructing any railroad line. Much of my work does not showcase merely a train, but instead places the subject within the greater context of its surroundings.
Q: What do you hope others gain from your photos?
A: I would hope that viewers of my work experience the same sense of awe I feel when seeing a beautiful scene.
Q: Do any other types of photography interest you?
A: I enjoy taking advantage of unusual lighting conditions to create unique images; perfect sunlight is absolutely not a requirement for making interesting photos, and working outside that supposed requirement is always a delightful challenge.
Q: What does the honor in Trains Magazine mean to you?
A: Trains Magazine has been publishing the work of the best railroad photographers — Richard Steinheimer, Ted Benson, O. Winston Link — for seven decades, and to have my photo featured on the same pages as those legends is an incredible honor. This is without a doubt my greatest achievement as a photographer.
Q: How and where can other people see your work?
A: The March 2010 issue of Trains Magazine featuring the photo contest winners is currently on newsstands.
Honan also maintains a portfolio featuring his work on Flickr and contributes photos with a railroad in them to RailPictures.net.
The award-winning photograph, “Bridging the Gap,” was taken at 9:30 p.m. in March as an example of how engineering can create a solution to overcome an obstacle, Honan said in the description in Trains Magazine. In this case, Honan captured a train crossing the Foss River Bridge, which connects the railway over a valley in Skykomish. It was a challenging piece of engineering, because it had to keep the trains moving at a steady grade, he said of the photo.
For his photograph, Honan won a Canon EOS 50D digital SLR camera with an EF 28-135 millimeter lens. He will also attend the 32nd Winterail Railroad Photography and Railroadiana exhibition show in Stockton, Calif., on March 13. While in California, he’ll spend a day railfanning with Brian Matsumoto, from Cannon U.S.A., and Kathi Kube, managing editor of Trains Magazine.
On the Web
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/dwhonan
RailPictures.net: www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=33955
Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.
XXX unveils biggest car show schedule yet
February 9, 2010
If you have a car club and missed out getting on the 2010 calendar of shows at the XXX Rootbeer Drive-In, you’ll have to be quicker next year. This year’s list is filled. Read more
