Teenagers’ sustainability films garner spotlight
September 11, 2012
In June, city leaders put out a call for students to create films to answer the question, what does sustainability mean to you?
Now, audiences can see the results as organizers screen a pair of films in the inaugural Sustainability Film Shorts contest. Moviegoers can see the films from noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 15 at Village Theatre’s First Stage Theatre, 120 Front St. N.
Organizers encourage attendees to arrive at noon to talk to local environmental and nonprofit partners in the theater lobby, and enjoy a snack before the event. Everybody attending the event receives a gift, and organizers also plan to award door prizes.
Huckleberry Finn comes to life on stage in Village Theatre’s ‘Big River’
September 4, 2012
Randy Scholz (left, as Huck) and Rodney Hicks (Jim) star in ‘Big River.’ By Mike Hippie/Village Theatre
The re-imagining of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” — “Big River” — sets the seminal novel to music and transports the landmark trip down the Mississippi River to the Village Theatre stage.
“Big River” debuted on Broadway in 1985, ran for more than 1,000 performances and earned Tony Awards aplenty. The show opens the 2012-13 Village Theatre season Sept. 12.
“We’re always looking for something to kick off the season that is exciting, to get people out of the beautiful September Seattle weather and get them into the theater,” Resident Music Director Tim Symons said. “‘Big River’ is a piece that’s so beautiful and all the music is in it is so gorgeous.”
The cast pairs a veteran, Rodney Hicks, and a newcomer, Randy Scholz, in the lead roles.
Eastside Baby Corner seeks 2,000 pairs of children’s pants
September 4, 2012
Eastside Baby Corner’s third annual Pants Party collection event is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 8 at its wareouse, 1510 N.W. Maple St.
Last year, the organization, which distributes almost everything needy children need from birth to age 12, collected 1,000 pairs of pants. This year, the goal is 2,000.
The community is encouraged to donate new or gently used pants for children, sizes 5 to14.
‘Big River’ ticket sales start at Village Theatre
August 14, 2012
“Big River” — “Huckleberry Finn” retold in musical form — sails to Village Theatre and opens the 2012-13 season soon.
The production re-imagines the classic tale as a musical told from the protagonist’s perspective.
The musical is scheduled to run at the downtown Francis J. Gaudette Theatre from Sept. 12 to Oct. 21. Tickets cost $22 to $63. Call 392-2202 or go to www.villagetheatre.org.
Village Theatre offers half-priced student and military rush tickets 30 minutes before shows. Village Theater also offers group discounts for parties of 10 or more.
Roger Miller — a songwriter known for “King of the Road” — penned bluegrass, blues and country songs to accompany the journey. The musical earned Miller a Tony Award for Best Score, plus other Tonys, for the original Broadway run.
Village Theatre’s ‘Lizzie Borden’ musical promises more than 40 whacks
August 7, 2012
Long before Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony turned legal proceedings into media circuses, a comely ax murderess morphed into a cause célèbre.
Lizzie Borden
Lizzie Borden captivated the Gilded Age nation after a hatchet felled parents Andrew and Abby Borden. The ensuing trial and media firestorm guaranteed the ultimately acquitted Lizzie Borden a place in history.
The original musical “Lizzie Borden” lifts facts from the court transcripts and adds a rock ‘n’ roll score. “Lizzie Borden” debuts to the public at First Stage Theatre during Village Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals. (The show opens almost 120 years to the day after the murders occurred.)
The coarse language and thumping score represent a mash-up between the 1890s and present day.
What is the Festival of New Musicals?
August 7, 2012
The summertime festival at Village Theatre is a laboratory to test original musicals before audiences.
Often, selections from the festival re-emerge later at the Francis J. Gaudette Theatre, or Mainstage, and sometimes on Broadway.
The festival introduced audiences to “Next to Normal” precursor “Feeling Electric” and “Million Dollar Quartet” before the musicals carted off Tony Awards on Broadway. “Next to Normal” also garnered the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a rarity for musicals.
The recent Mainstage productions “Take Me America” and “It Shoulda Been You” debuted to Issaquah audiences at the festival.
Underground cable issue leads to Issaquah power outage
August 7, 2012
Puget Sound Energy blamed a problematic underground distribution cable for a power outage Aug. 3.
The outage affected about 800 customers in the Issaquah area in the early evening. The outage affected customers downtown and in southeast Issaquah along state Route 900, including the Talus urban village on Cougar Mountain.
Residents reported the power going out and coming back on before the prolonged outage. Crews eventually located the problem with the underground distribution cable and restored power after a brief interruption.
The outage prompted cancellation of “The Music Man” at Village Theatre’s First Stage Theatre. Patrons impacted by the outage can get a refund.
2012-13 Business Directory
August 6, 2012
‘The Music Man’ comes to town
July 24, 2012
Josh Feinsilber (clockwise from bottom right), Emily Johnson, Dan Ostrander, Regan Morris and Taylor Stutz star in ‘The Music Man.’ By Jean Johnson/Village Theatre
“The Music Man” rolls onto the Village Theatre stage soon as young performers conjure Americana, circa 1912, and upend small-town life after a con man comes to town.
“The Music Man” follows slick, silver-tongued Harold Hill, a con man posing as a bandleader to sell band instruments and uniforms to the unknowing population of River City, Iowa, and then skip town with the money.
The hitch in Hill’s scheme is Marian Paroo, River City’s prim-and-proper librarian and piano teacher. Paroo starts to uncover the deceit just as she falls for the con man.
KIDSTAGE performers present “The Music Man” as a SummerStock production from July 28 to Aug. 5 at the Frances J. Gaudette Theatre, or Mainstage.
Under the guidance of professionals, cast members between ages 8 and 18 perform. The orchestra includes advanced student musicians, too.
Sammamish Symphony Orchestra to perform classics at POPS! Goes Issaquah concert
July 24, 2012
Listen as the Sammamish Symphony Orchestra performs homegrown classics Aug. 17 at the POPS! Goes Issaquah concert.
The concert is free for audience members, due to support from longtime Issaquah developer Rowley Properties. POPS! Goes Issaquah is meant to support arts on the Eastside and open the arts to a broader audience, including families unable to otherwise afford to participate in the arts.
