The lights dim and the applause fades. The audience waits with bated breath in the seconds before the show begins. Actors and actresses wait in the wings — lines memorized and costumes perfected — their hearts beating anxiously as they wait for their turn to walk on the stage.
The University of Idaho Department of Theatre Arts works to bring a wide-range of shows to the Moscow community each semester.
Throughout the spring, the department will showcase “Up Chimacum Creek” (Jan. 30), “Present Laughter” (March 1) and “The Three Keys of Captain Hellfire” (April 19).
David Lee-Painter | Courtesy
According to directors Justin Cerne, Craig Miller and David Lee-Painter, the selection this season is astounding.
Cerne — producing artistic director for the Theatre Workshop of Nantucket — is directing the world premiere of “Up Chimacum Creek,” a play written by Ben Gonzales.
“I think it’s great for the students to be involved with a new piece. They will get to experience this work from the workshop stage to the full production. That will be invaluable for their careers,” Cerne said. “The interaction with the playwright is also great. Ten performances down the line, they might not get that opportunity.”
“Up Chimacum Creek” is a coming-of-age story that centers around a group of friends who witness a plane crash in the Pacific Northwest.
The story follows the individuals as they grow up and mature, hinting how the plane crash has influenced their lives through their decisions.
“I think what’s kind of special about this piece is we see how these people grow and change, but also how that little person inside them is still there, too,” said Olivia Longin, a UI theater performance student and an actress in “Up Chimacum Creek.” “That 10-year-old is still inside all of us, so I think everyone’s going to connect to it on that level.”
Miller will direct “Present Laughter,” a show by Noel Coward, an English playwright known for his works “Light Spirit,” “Hay Fever” and “Private Lives.”
Craig Miller | Courtesy
According to Miller, “Present Laughter” serves as Coward’s autobiographical play. The story focuses on Garry Essendine — an English playwright in the 1920s — and how he reinvents himself, while dealing with a mid-life crisis, as well as friends who consistently ask him for more than they should.
“There’s really witty wordplay, wonderful slapstick and over-the-top physical comedy,” Miller said. “Be prepared for a wonderfully funny evening of theater.”
Lee-Painter will direct “The Three Keys of Captain Hellfire,” a play by UI alumna Ariana Burns, with shanties by Shandeen, a musician from Portland, Oregon.
The play follows Wilhelmina Dowdy — formerly known as Captain Hellfire — as she and her crew return to the site where they became shipwrecked seven years ago.
“Audience interaction will be a blast,” Lee-Painter said. “It’s sort of a tour de force comic extravaganza.”
If there is one thing Lee-Painter, Cerne and Miller can agree on, it’s that there is something for everyone in store this semester.
“I’m really excited about the diversity of material,” Lee-Painter said. “I think it’s a really diverse and challenging opportunity for our students, as well as great opportunities for our audiences.”
Tickets are available a month before each opening at BookPeople of Moscow or by calling the Department of Theatre Arts at (208)885-6465.
Performances are free for UI students and $5 to $15 for the public. Matinees are “pay what you can.”
Alex Brizee | Argonaut