August Frank/Inland 360
Jonson Brotnov, playing Shrek, poses for a photo during rehearsals for the Lewiston Civic Theatre’s Acting Out Youth Company production of “Shrek The Musical Jr.” in Lewiston.
Among the shows coming to area stages this month are:
“Master Harold … and the Boys”
Idaho Repertory Theatre, the professional summer theater in residence at the University of Idaho in Moscow, will present six performances of “Master Harold,” by South African playwright and novelist Athol Fugard, starting Friday.
The play is a coming-of-age drama based on Fugard’s relationship with two waiters he grew up with in his mother’s apartheid-era tea shop.
“ ‘Master Harold’ makes it appear as though the hard work of conquering racism is past us,” director Baron Kelly, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor, said in a news release.
His hope, Kelly said, is that viewers “realize that the monsters have escaped again, that this play not only depicts our past but our possible future as well.”
Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and July 12-13 and 2 p.m. Sunday and July 14 at the Forge Theater, 404 Sweet Ave., Moscow.
Tickets, free for UI students and $6-$26 for the public, are at uitickets.com.
The Idaho Repertory Theatre’s second show of the summer, “Love and Baseball” also begins this month, with performances at 7:30 p.m. July 26-27 and Aug. 2-3 and at 2 p.m. July 28 and Aug. 4, also at the Forge Theater. More information is at uidaho.edu/events.
“Shrek the Musical Jr.”
Two different groups will perform this show later this month after more than 100 children, ages 8-17, signed up for the Lewiston Civic Theatre’s Acting Out youth program.
“We have two great casts,” director Amy Baker Stout said. “Both sessi
August Frank/Inland 360
Jonson Brotnov appears as Shrek in the first session of the Lewiston Civic Theatre Acting Out Youth Company's production, starting July 12.
Adventure, hilarity and heartfelt moments ensue when the eponymous ogre, Shrek, and his companion, Donkey, set out to rescue Princess Fiona in the story based on the DreamWorks Animation film and the book by William Steig.
Shrek and Donkey are played by brothers Jonson and Jalen Brotnov in the first production and brothers Paul and Frank Lane the final weekend; Alexandra Brinegar and Micah Grow appear as Fiona.
“(Audiences) should come see it twice, because both camps are really great, and I know all of these participants will be going to see each other,” Stout said.
August Frank/Inland 360
Acting Out Youth Company participants perform the song “Freak Flag” during rehearsals for the Lewiston Civic Theatre production of “Shrek the Musical Jr.”
The camp has grown every year since returning after the pandemic, she said, attracting both returning students and newcomers.
“That’s always great when new people want to get involved,” she said. “We love that. They make such great friends, and it’s a real bonding experience.”
Performances are at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays July 12-14 and 26-28. There are no shows the weekend in between, when the second cast will be rehearsing for its weekend.
Tickets, $12-$20, are at lctheatre.org, at the door or at the box office, (208) 746-3401.
Regional Theatre of the Palouse’s Summer Musical Theatre Camp productions continue this month, with “Hollywood Premiere” from Monday through July 12 and “Broadway Show Review” from July 15-19 at the RTOP, 122 N. Grand Ave. More information is at rtoptheatre.org/programs/#summer-camps.
Nikoe Valentine
Eve, played by Allison Voigt, hugs Jake, played by Alden McCarthy-Scheef, during a scene from "Moving On," debuting at the Gladish Centre for the Arts on July 20.
“Moving On”
Pullman’s Gladish Players bring this new show, by an anonymous Northwest playwright, to the stage for the first time later this month.
Director Aryn Vance, who worked with Pullman High School Drama the past five years, brings her skills to the Gladish Players as the group continues its inaugural season with this story about a newly divorced woman returning to her hometown.
After some guidance from the author, Vance said, she and her cast explored how to bring the story to life — not adding or taking anything away, but deciding how best to convey the emotions in a scene.
“We get to create a world from scratch,” she said. “We’ve got to be able to create these moments of intimacy and love, find what that is together.”
The plot follows Eve, now a single mother, as she and her son, Jake, build new relationships, including with each other, after moving from Denver to an unspecified small town that could very well be on the Palouse.
“We’re giving it that small-town, golden hills aesthetic,” Vance said.
Gladish Centre for the Arts Executive Director Kristin Lincoln previously explained the Gladish Players’ mission includes providing a platform for new writers, and this show is an example of that, Vance said.
Championing new writers includes giving them the option to share their work anonymously, she said, “without the pressure of being part of it.”
“It’s a really fun original piece,” Vance said. “It’s new, it’s fresh, it’s got some moments of dialogue that are really fun and witty.”
It also includes some intense moments of conflict with adult language, she said, so parents should see the show before deciding whether to bring their children.
Performances are 7:30-9:30 p.m. July 20 and 3:30-5:30 p.m. July 21 at the Gladish Community and Cultural Center, 115 NW State St.
Tickets — $12 for adults, $8 for ages 12-17 and free for kids or college students with ID — are at bit.ly/movingonplay.
“Oklahoma”
Look for a feature story about Troy Community Theatre’s production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic musical “Oklahoma” in a future edition of Inland 360. The show runs July 24-27 at the Troy City Park gazebo. Ticket information is at troycommunitytheatre.com.
