by Kelly Lazenby
Okay, so I admit that sometimes this column doesn’t expand too much on drama. I suppose what you could call what I write: musings? Observations? Hmm. I apologize.
You will be happy to know I will write about all things theater this month.
I am used to working with my husband at Nutz-n-Boltz in Boring and have done so very happily for seven seasons now. The two of us have our groove and know what the other person is good at, we sometimes get some great helpers, but mostly, it’s us.
Now, for the first time in two years, I am taking on a large acting role in a theater that is not my own. It is fascinating to make the switch, but it is scary. I have turned from a confident, busy person into a quiet, awkward neighbor. I feel in the way. I don’t know where anything is. I don’t really know anyone. There isn’t much time, and so I am going to have to push through my fears and work out of my comfort zone this month. It’s good for me, good for all of us, to embrace the unfamiliar. I look at it as an adventure.
One of the amazing aspects of this project is that I am involved in a contemporary play that is extremely well-written and very dark. It is an incredible theater piece and I can’t wait for a reaction from an audience. But I still feel a bit like a fish out of water.
A few miles down the same road, The Nutz-n-Boltz has their children’s show running on the weekends. I am the ‘Nut’ who is there, helping bugs with their costumes, making coffee and scrubbing bathrooms three days a week, while simultaneously working on a delicate, brilliant play in the mornings and afternoons of the same weekends.
Yes, I have bit off more than I can chew this month, I freely admit it. But opportunities come to me so rarely that I have learned to make it all work.
But the next three weeks will be a huge challenge. If you see me wandering the grocery store talking to myself, I have not gone crazy; I am just trying to practice lines.
Sorry if this ‘musing’ is all about yours truly this month, but I don’t know anyone else who loves theater right now more than I do.
June is busting out all over with some fun and fine productions: Black Swan Youth Theatre presents Disney’s Mulan: shows are June 1-2 and 8-9 at their new location, the Portland Lutheran School on SE 182nd Avenue. Tickets are $9.00 for adults and $8.00 for Students/Seniors. For show times and tickets, call 503-501-6079.
June 1 is also the opening date for Rabbit Hole at Sandy Actors Theatre. This is the beautiful play to which I am referring. Written by David Lindsay-Abaire, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama of 2007.
This is a complicated and bittersweet story of loss and healing between a couple and their family. There are a few strong words, which makes it PG-13. Tickets range from $10-15. Shows run on the weekends June 1-June 24, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00PM and Sundays at 3:00PM at the Sandy location next to Ace Hardware. Reservations can be made by calling (503) 668-6834.
Clackamas Repertory Theatre kicks off their summer season at Clackamas Community College with a play reading on June 17 at 8:00PM. Tigers Be Still by Kim Rosenstock. This comedy follows the misadventures of Sherry Wickman, a young woman who has recently earned her master’s degree in art therapy, only to find herself moving back home with her family. Tickets are $8.00 and may be purchased at the door.
Next up for Clackamas Repertory is the popular comedy by Neil Simon, The Odd Couple, which runs June 28 -July 22nd and features stellar acting talent, including Portland’s Tim True. Tickets range from $12-24 and may be purchased at the theater box office or online www.clackamasrep.org.
Start your summer off with some culture and see a show in June!
