Theater

Thus far, 2011 has proved to be a thriving year for the Bend theater scene. Tuesdays with Morrie goes into its final week, closing on Sunday, April 3. The Bend Experimental Arts Theatre brings the Broadway classic Guys and Dolls to the Summit High School auditorium this week. As time goes on, the theater scene continues to thrive and here are a few good bets to satisfy your need for a good story.

Tuesdays with Morrie
Cascades Theatrical Company's production of Tuesdays with Morrie continues through Sunday, April 3. Sixteen years after his graduation, Mitch, a career-driven journalist, begins visiting Morrie, his former college professor, weekly. The visits turn into a last class in the meaning of life. Runs Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm, with Sunday matinees at 2pm. Now – April 3. Greenwood Playhouse, 148 NW Greenwood Ave.

With spring just around the corner, the winter theater season comes to a close, making way for a new season of plays and musicals to get you in touch with your cultural side.
The Rainmaker
2nd Street Theater presents a warm and romantic comedy that celebrates love, resiliency and the magic of belief in something beyond oneself. When an intense drought threatens the town, Bill Starbuck, professional rainmaker, enters the lives of Lizzy and her family. The play, directed by Susan Benson, runs through Sunday, March 13. Showtimes are Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm, with Sunday matinees at 2pm. $20/adults, $18/students or seniors. Now – Sunday, Mar 13. 2nd Street Theater, 220 NE Lafayette Ave.

Here in Bend, the opportunity to catch a live opera isn't exactly plentiful. Aside from The Met: Live in HD opera performance at Old Mill Stadium 16, fans must drive to Portland to take in the sights and sounds of opera. On the other side of the spectrum, many of us probably wouldn't know an opera if a soprano wailed in our faces. Sunday, March 6 McMenamins Old St. Francis School provides the opportunity for seasoned fans of opera and newbies alike to experience the opera via a performance from Portland Opera to Go.

This weekend, 2nd Street Theatre owner Maralyn Thoma welcomed guests with an opening night champagne reception and red velvet cupcakes while expounding on the virtues of The Rainmaker.
“It’s a sweet play,” she said, handing out playbills and warm smiles. “It’ll make you cry.”
The dust bowl drama, written in 1954 by N. Richard Nash, was made famous by Burt Lancaster’s riveting rendition of the play’s charismatic con man who tries to swindle a small town’s hopes and dreams during an epic drought.
Sisters’ thespian Shawn O’Hern landed the lead role of slick grifter, Bill Starbuck.

Spin Cycle, brought to Central Oregon by Innovation Theatre Works under the direction of ITW co-founder Brad Hills and starring Chris Rennolds, another co-founder, is a play that will appeal to both baby boomers and those who enjoy a modern twist on narrative storytelling. The play, with cast member Eileen DeSandre as the elderly mother of siblings Wendy (Rennolds) and Mikey, played by Derek Sitter, uses the technique of multiple asides, where each character addresses the audience, breaking the fourth wall between “us” and “them.” Hills' light directorial hand enables each character the freedom to explore his or her own familial Sturm und Drang while literally staring right at us, causing the audience to empathize with the characters while doubting their narrative reliability.

The winter theater season has proven to be vibrant and jam-packed full of variety, just the way we like it. Whether you're looking for a one-man show with a historical twist, or a warm romantic comedy, Bend's local theater scene looks like it should be able to please you in the coming months.

The local theater scene is currently a buzz with activity. Whether you're looking for comedy, musical, Shakespeare, or classics, it seems local thespians have got the answer for your theatrical needs.

It must have been a strange year for Italian-Americans. First, a show called Jersey Shore transformed a bundle of self-proclaimed guidos and guidettes from a punch line into a serious pop culture phenomenon, all the while managing to offend people around the world. Then a string of other shows (Jerseylicious, Jersey Couture, Cake Boss) arrived hoping to capitalize on the distinct mannerisms of this same geographic subset by riding in their leopard-print wake.

Innovation Theatre Works launched its first production in its new space, the Bend Performing Arts Center. Bonnie and Clyde: The Musical, directed by Brad Hills and produced by Chris Rennolds, the founders and artistic directors of Innovation Theatre Works, is a two-person play that takes us to the steamy heart of 1930s Texas as the infamous Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker meet, fall in love, and commence with a life of crime.
Married leads Jessica and Jeremy Bernard command the stage with not only their pitch-perfect singing, but also with their ability to create empathy for two lawless characters.