Auditions set today and Monday for new performance
the Star-Tribune staff | Posted: Sunday, November 18, 2007 12:00 am
Thanksgiving came a couple of weeks early at Stage III Community Theatre.
An anonymous donation, valued at approximately $90,000, is the largest in the group's 28-year history. The gift has allowed the board of directors to pay off the mortgage on the theatre at 900 North Center Street.
The donor prefers to remain anonymous, having authorized the board to say only that the person is "one of Stage III's volunteers who did well at their day job."
The gift does come with strings n specifically, Stage III will use a substantial portion of the money which would have been spent on the mortgage to hire a professional guest director for one show each season. They will also sponsor several workshops each year, led by the guest director and other professionals, to help members improve their skills in directing, acting, and technical theatre.
"This is a gift that not only lifts a financial weight from our shoulders, but gives us a clear avenue to improve the quality of our productions," said Stage III president Beth Andress. "It's going to make a real difference that will affect all of our shows."
The form of the gift is an ongoing grant. The donor paid off the existing mortgage and now holds the mortgage on the theatre. Every six months, a committee will review the progress of the workshop and guest director programs. If the theatre remains in compliance with the requirements of the grant, the donor will forgive the mortgage payments for another six months. The grant program will be in effect until the mortgage is paid off in 2016.
The first guest director under the new program is Douglas Garland of Casper College. He will direct "Dancing at Lughnasa" by Brian Friel,an Irish drama which will be performed in January of 2008.
Auditions for the production are open to the community at large, and will be held today at 2 p.m. and Monday at 7 p.m. at the theatre. There are roles for five women and three men, ages 20 through 50.
Directing in Stage III's arena theatre is not new to Garland. He directed the group's production of "The Elephant Man" as well as Casper College's "Blood Wedding," which used Stage III's space while the college theatre was remodeled. Garland recently returned from doing research for the production in Ireland and is enthusiastic about the show, which he calls "an excellent choice for Stage III."
The show is set in Ireland in 1937 and focuses on five unmarried adult sisters, their brother who is a missionary priest recently returned from Africa, and the events set in motion by the visit of Gerry, the carefree Welshman who is also the father of the youngest sister's child.
Andress said, "Several of the faculty members at Casper College have worked with us on a volunteer basis in the past, and when this opportunity came along that lets us pay them for their skills, we wanted to offer it to them first. We're delighted that Douglas's schedule will allow him to take the position as our first Guest Director under this program."
As part of his tenure, Garland will also hold a multi-session workshop on directing. Details on the format and schedule will be posted as they become available at Stage III's website: www.stageiiitheatre.org.