Coeur d'Alene High School's Theatre Department will produce an original vaudeville comedy in two acts, "Where is Charlie?"

The show will run at 7 p.m. April 23, 24, 25, 30 and May 1 and 2 in the Coeur d'Alene High School Fahringer Auditorium, 5530 N. Fourth St.

Tickets are $7/adults, $6/students and seniors, and $5 for CHS students with an ASB card. Tickets can be purchased at www.chstheater.org, or by phone at (208) 769-2999. Tickets will also be sold at the door one hour prior to curtain.

This debut production explores the original American art form of vaudevillian performance with singing, dancing, storytelling, pantomime and tricks.

"We use many clowning techniques and styles to portray a world where the main objective is to put on the show," said CHS theatre director Jared Helm in an email interview. "This play was created using an organic process to craft the story. Each night will have a flare of its own."

This is the second original production this year for the CHS theater department, three-time champions of the Idaho state drama competition.

"When creating this production I asked the students to take their inspiration from modern companies such as Cirque du Soleil - minus all the acrobatics," Helm said. "This production utilizes the majority of the cast the majority of the time. With a creative set, use of projections and media, fantasy-driven costuming, specialized sound effects, dancing, clowning, pantomime, and more, this production shines off stage."

"Where is Charlie?" follows three young ladies who wish to attend a vaudeville show. They soon discover that Charlie Chaplin, the main star, is nowhere to be found. With a little convincing, the girls decide to search for Charlie while being thrown into the depths of the production as performers of their own. Unknown to the actors on the stage, Charlie Chaplin helps guide the cast to discover that they don't need fame to be the stars of their own acts. Charlie reveals individual stardom is present within all when you trust and believe in yourself.