Auditions next week for Masquers season opener
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 9 months AGO
Swashbuckling co-director Clifford Bresee, pictured, took a role in the chorus in the Masquers Theater production of “Once On This Island,” the company’s 2022 musical. Auditions for the 2023-24 season opener are scheduled for next week.
FILE PHOTO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | July 18, 2023 1:30 AM
SOAP LAKE — Auditions for the Masquers Theater production of the classic comedy “Blithe Spirit” are scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday and 6 p.m. Monday at the theater, 322 E Main St., Soap Lake.
The cast will include five women and two men, all 18 years of age and older, according to a Masquers press release. Actors will be asked to do a “cold read,” using a script with no rehearsal. People who can’t attend either audition session can make alternative arrangements with director Marla Allsop, [email protected]. Allsop is a Masquers veteran and drama director at Ephrata High School.
“Blithe Spirit” is the classic 1941 comedy by Noel Coward, which follows the fortunes of the unfortunate novelist Charles Condomine, who just wanted to do some research on the supernatural for his next book.
The medium he invited to a dinner party turns out to be pretty good, so good she conjures up the ghost of his late wife Elvira. Charles has made the mistake of moving on; Elvira doesn’t like that, and she really, really, really hates his new wife.
The play set records in its original run in London, which lasted about five years. The play ran for about two years on Broadway.
“Blithe Spirit” will be the opener for the Masquers 2023-23 season, with the curtain going up Sept. 15. Rehearsals begin July 31.
The remaining plays for the new season will be announced.
The new production of “Blithe Spirit” will be the second time around for Masquers, which has been on stage since 1979. The company has produced at least one play each year since then, ranging from funny musicals like Guys and Dolls to scary musicals like Sweeney Todd, thrillers like Gaslight and Wait Until Dark, classic dramas like Our Town and The Diary of Anne Frank, original productions like Aces are Feverish.
In the last 20 years, the company has produced three to five plays per season, with the exception of shortened seasons and 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other disruptions was the cancellation of the company’s annual musical production for two years.
Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at [email protected].
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