» Arts and Entertainment

Thursday, June 25, 2009 | No comments posted. ‘Witness for Prosecution’ goes into final weekend

After spending many evenings with a rich old woman, a young man becomes the chief suspect in her murder. The stage is set for a twist-filled trial when the prosecution calls a surprise witness: the defendant’s wife. “Agatha Christie’s ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ stands out as one of the most famous works from one of the most published authors of all time,” according to director Jeff Norris.

Not only a stage play, “Witness” became a movie which received six Academy Award nominations.

“A wonderful cast, an unusual set, and a departure from the normal will leave you guessing,” says Norris. Produced by Lorna Salt, the cast includes Paul Hay, Linda Sack, Richard Robinett, Don Williston, Larry Doss, Sallee Belonga, Wayne Robbins, Andrea Bowdin, Motts Thomas, John Hubbard, Bill Binnewies, Carolyn Sampson, Gareth Williams, Cindy Hay, Darwin Noorda and Cynthia Trapane.

“Witness” plays at the Sprague Theater at 7 p.m., Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, and the final performance is at 2 p.m., Sunday, June 28. Tickets are available at Bandon True Value, Bandon Mercantile or by calling the theater box office at 347-7426.

Art 101 offers Art Night Out Every Thursday is Art Night Out at Art 101, a new gallery south of Bandon in Laurel Grove.

“Leave the kids at home and join us at Art 101 every Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. for a night filled with live music, gourmet desserts, a gallery talk and art making,” said Angela Haseltine Pozzi, Art 101 director.

The gallery provides the art supplies. Novices, beginners or professional artists are welcome. Cost for the evening is $15 per person, or $25 per couple.

Thursday Night Out is a workshop for adults. Children are welcome at the gallery any time except Thursday evenings. 

On Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m., Art 101 invites the entire family to its art making station during Family Art Day. For $5 each, supplies and instruction are provided for the afternoon.

For information or to make reservations, drop by or call. Art 101 is located 8 miles south of Bandon in the purple building with orange signs.  ‘Meet and Greet’ at 2nd Street Gallery: glass blower

The “Meet and Greet the Artist” series continues Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28, at 2nd Street Gallery, 210 Second Street in Old Town Bandon. The series features a different artist on summer weekends through September.

This weekend, glass blower Kyle Kraiter will be featured. Kraiter studied glass making at Wanganui Polytechnic in New Zealand. After completing his studies, he traveled to many destinations around the globe, blowing glass in seven different countries. He has worked in small private studios making decorative ware as well as the Boda factory, bringing famous Swedish design to life. He has also spent time in architectural studios making large installations for palaces, homes and hotels.

Kraiter will give a talk on glass blowing at 6 p.m., on Saturday, June 27, at the gallery. The talk is free and open to the public.

The first miniature and small painting show runs throgh June. It showcases 116 works by 47 local artists. The gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, pick up a copy of the full summer schedule at the gallery, call gallery director Richard Rahmlow at 347-4133, or e-mail info@2ndstreetgallery.com.Amy Moss Strong 6/22/09 Run the full New Artists release this week, and I’ll cut it down by at least half for subsequent weeks.

New Artists murder mystery lets the audience guess

“Motives, alibis, and clues — that’s what a detective has to work with. The motives in this case are obvious; the other elements aren’t yet,” is how Detective Mike Davis begins to explain how the case will be investigated.

But this is not an ordinary mystery; it is a Billy St. John comedy, whodunit titled “Murder’s In the Heir,” which will be staged as a theater-in-the-round at the newly remodeled Bandon’s Harbortown Events Center in Old Town.

“Essentially, the board game Clue has been turned into a play,” commented New Artists Productions co-founder Anita Almich, who with her husband Dan is directing the play.

“Almost every character in this entertaining mystery has the weapon, opportunity, and motive to commit the unseen murder.”

Each of the heirs to the tyrannical billionaire Simone Starkweather (Destyni Fuller) has the means and the motive to do away with her. Starkweather gathers her family and employees to announce the contents of her will. Her lawyer, Lois van Zandt (Autumn Moss-Strong), reveals that Starkweather has bequeathed vast fortunes to her befuddled niece Fiona (Emily Wampler), her playboy son Jordan (Russel Hay), her great-niece Paula (Tessa Fuller) and her granddaughter Simone III (also played by Destyni Fuller), as well as to her many servants. Starkweather’s secretary (Hayley Chandler) assists van Zandt in carrying out her duties.

Then van Zandt delivers the bombshell. Within hours the will is to become invalid and replaced by a less generous one. Of course, the rejected heirs are not pleased, so it’s not surprising when they roam the old mansion carrying such items as an ax, a gun and poison. Predictably, the lights go out, and Simone is discovered murdered, while her dedicated nurse Miss Withers (Zeta Hay) suffers a blow to the head. Simone III is determined to find her grandmother’s killer, so she hires detective Mike Davis (Jeneveve Winchell).

The servants, including Minerva the cook (Kinzi Silburn); Mrs. Trent the housekeeper (Kayla Dugan); Nancy, a household maid (Frances Merriam); her sister Lucy (Paige Smith); and Bensonhurst the butler (Lee Anna Saunders) are caught up in the fray of murder and the comedy of story.

All the while, Rufus, the handyman, (Thaddeus Miller) who is never where he is supposed to be, adds comedic levity to the tension of the story, according to a press release.

“Each of the three performances will have a different killer, so patrons who enjoy one performance can see it again and be surprised in an entirely different way,” said Almich. “Naturally, part of the fun is for the audience to accumulate clues throughout the show as they try to guess who the killer is.”

Only three showings of “Murder’s In the Heir” will be staged at the Bandon Harbortown Events Center with curtains at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, July 17 and 18, and at 2 p.m., Sunday, July 19. Doors open one hour prior to curtain.

Advance ticket purchases are recommended, as only 60 tickets will be sold per performance to accommodate the theater-in-the-round staging. Tickets, priced at $15 for adults; $12 for seniors and students (K-12), include a decadent dessert and beverage at intermission.

Tickets are available at Bandon True Value Hardware, Chetco Federal Credit Union, or by calling Anita Almich at 347-2517. Bandon’s Harbortown Events Center is located at 325 Second Street, in Old Town Bandon.

This special summertime event for New Artists Productions is a fundraising opportunity to pay for an educational field trip to Eugene the first weekend of August.

“We are planning to take 15 students for a two-day theatrical opportunity to see two plays, a musical concert, attend a production workshop, take theater tours, and participate in a meet-and-greet with cast members from “Oklahoma” at The Hult Center and “A Connecticut Yankee” at the John G. Shedd Institute.

“Plus, six of our students will perform in the Public Jam event at The Hult Center on Aug.1. They will be singing songs in tribute to Irving Berlin for the audience.”

“We are very excited about this opportunity and it is our plan to include this trip as a regular event in coming years,” said Almich.

Elsewhere

Sawdust season under way

Sawdust Theatre presents its summer melodrama “The Pride of the Sawdust League, or Three Strikes and You’re Out” at the theater in Coquille. 

Based on a real baseball team that played in Coquille, the play centers on the Coquille Loggers and fictionalizes the lives of a few Coquille residents.

The play runs through Sept. 5.

Show times are at 8 p.m. Saturdays; 3 p.m. Saturdays, June 27 and July 18; 8 p.m. Fridays, July 31 through Sept. 4; and Friday, July 3.

Tickets are $12.50 and available by calling 396-4563.

Langlois, PO library events

Songs and Tales Around the Campfire will be held at 6:30 p.m., Friday, June 26, at the Langlois Library.

Everyone is welcome to tell or listen to tales and songs, according to organizers. Those attending are asked to bring their own chairs and blankets; the event will be canceled if it rains. For more information, call  the Langlois Library at 348-2066. The event is sponsored by the Langlois and Port Orford public libraries.

An all-day science festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, July 11, at the Port Orford Community Building. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry will bring the spirit of its museum to the southern Oregon coast with science equipment and demonstrations.

The event is free and is sponsored by the Port Orford and Langlois libraries and the Friends of Port Orford Library.