One stage, two musicals and a cast preparing to become entirely different characters before the evening is over will give Southern Oregon audiences something a little different to experience this October.
Auditions have wrapped, the cast has been chosen and rehearsals are moving ahead for “Two Great Musicals, One Great Show!,” an upcoming production that will combine the one-act musicals “Fairhaven” and “In Time” into a single evening of live community theatre. Rather than presenting one traditional musical from beginning to end, the production will give audiences two separate stories while asking many of the same actors to transform themselves into different characters for the second half of the show.
That means the person audiences meet in “Fairhaven” may return later with a different name, personality and place in an entirely new story. For the actors, it creates the challenge of learning multiple roles, musical numbers, movements and characterizations. For the audience, it adds an entertaining twist to the evening as familiar faces reappear in unexpected ways.
The recently completed auditions brought together a mixture of experienced performers and newcomers who will spend the next several months preparing for the October performances.
Erik Rose will portray Director Marcus in “Fairhaven” before returning as Editor in “In Time.” Brooklyn Morrison will make the transition from Milly to Skye, while Naomi Drevenstedt will portray Stella and Colette. Michael Shomler will appear as Conner and Jake, Peter Goodwill will perform as Benedict and Daniel, Steve Roby will take on Malcolm and Lewis, and Anne Turner will portray Char and Wendy.
Michele Spohn has been cast as Associate Brisk, Thomas Dale will portray Henry, and several performers will move between named characters and ensemble responsibilities. Rebekah Goodwill will portray Bertha and perform with the ensemble, Noah Dale will appear as Ralph and in the ensemble, Kara Dale will portray Aiden and join the ensemble, and Madison Heth will appear as Angel/Guard and as an ensemble performer.
The actors, however, represent only part of what is happening as the production begins taking shape.
More than 25 people are currently involved in bringing the two musicals to the stage, turning the next several months into a coordinated community effort involving acting, music, choreography, costumes, scenery and production work. Sets must be constructed, costumes designed and fitted, songs rehearsed, movements coordinated and scripts memorized before the house lights can dim and the first performer walks onto the stage.
It is the kind of work audiences rarely see but that makes live theatre possible.
The production team is now moving “full-throttle,” according to organizers, as cast and crew members begin working both independently and together. Music directors and performers will develop the musical portions of the shows while choreography is rehearsed and refined. At the same time, set builders and costume designers will be creating the physical world surrounding the performers.
Combining two one-act musicals into a single program also gives the production its own personality. Instead of spending an entire evening inside one story, audiences will get two theatrical experiences, with the company promising a mixture of humor, emotion and music intended to send theatergoers home “happy and humming.”
There is also a distinctly local character to the undertaking. Community theatre depends on people willing to contribute evenings, weekends and countless rehearsal hours long before an audience arrives. With more than two dozen people already participating, the October production is becoming as much a collaborative effort behind the curtain as it will be a performance in front of it.
The company presenting the production is a nonprofit, faith-affirming theatre organization, and the upcoming performances provide an opportunity for families, friends and local theater supporters to spend an evening enjoying live entertainment while supporting community performing arts.
Tickets for the October performances are already available, giving audiences plenty of time to make plans before opening night.
For now, the seats are empty and much of the scenery has yet to take its final form. Over the next few months, however, scripts will become conversations, rehearsed notes will become songs, costumes will find their characters and two separate stories will gradually become one complete evening of theatre.
By October, the work of more than 25 local performers and production volunteers will come together under the lights.
Two musicals. Two sets of characters. One cast and crew.
And one October show designed to give Southern Oregon audiences twice the story in a single night at the theatre.
