Southern Oregon playwrights, performers and musicians will take center stage in Grants Pass this October when Clarion Theatre Company presents two original musicals developed within the region, bringing separate stories and creative styles together for a five-performance engagement at the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center.
Clarion Theatre Company will present “Fairhaven” and “In Time” as a double-feature Oct. 16, 17, 18, 23 and 24. Both productions are original one-act musicals written by local playwrights, giving audiences an evening devoted entirely to theatrical work created and performed by members of the Southern Oregon arts community.
The unusual pairing grew out of Clarion’s audience selection process last year. Theatergoers were asked to choose among several new musical scripts, but the response did not produce a definitive selection. Clarion subsequently worked with the writers to develop two of the productions as one-act musicals and place them together on the same program.
The result brings two markedly different stories to the Grants Pass stage.
“Fairhaven,” written and directed by John Sleadd, follows residents living under the rigid indoctrination of an organization identified as the “Creative Counsel Control,” or CCC. The dystopian musical represents another original work from Sleadd, a five-time Clarion playwright, while also marking his first time directing one of his own productions.
The second musical, “In Time,” was written by local playwright Maxwell Bruhn and follows a young man confronting the collapse of his expectations while discovering that the direction of his life may not be within his control. Audiences received a brief preview of the work last fall, but the October production will provide the official debut of the main character’s complete story.
The productions are being brought to the stage by an ensemble combining experienced area performers with actors making their first appearances. Rehearsals began in early August as the company started developing the characters, musical scores and staging required for the two separate productions.
The cast includes Steve Roby, Anne Turner, Brooklyn Morrison, Erik Rose, Madison Heth, Micheal Lee Shomler, Michele Spohn, Naomi Drevenstedt, Peter Goodwill, Rebekah Goodwill, Kara Dale, Noah Dale and Thomas Dale.
Presenting two locally written musicals during the same performance gives Southern Oregon audiences an opportunity to see original theatrical material move beyond the writing and development process and into full production. Rather than staging established works already familiar to theater audiences, Clarion’s October program places regional playwrights and their stories at the center of the production while drawing on local performers to bring both works to the stage.
“Fairhaven” and “In Time” will be presented at the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center on Oct. 16, 17, 18, 23 and 24. Additional performance information and tickets are available through Clarion Theatre Company.