Rogue Playhouse News

4 Feb 2025

 Rogue Playhouse News

‘Holy Cannoli’ runs 3 weekends in April

Rehearsals have begun, and our spring comedy is in production. Holy Cannoli” by John D. Smitherman will run three weekends in April. Performance dates are April 11-13, 18-20 and 25-27. Mark your calendars, and prepare to laugh. ETC Extravaganza March 22. It’s a theater fundraiser at The Rogue Playhouse. It’ll be reminiscent of the Galas we have loved for so long, but this time it won’t be a ‘for members only’ event. The membership drive will be through our former “gala” mailer, going out soon. If you would like to be on that mailer list, please let us know, and we’ll add you. The mailer will tell you about this past year’s events and the season upcoming. It will include a membership form and the ballot for elections at the Annual Meeting coming Thursday, March 27.

A fundraiser at The Rogue Playhouse

So, I did say “gala,” but it’s now a theater fundraiser. This lavish entertainment event will be to raise funds for the many things on Theater’s horizon for upgrading your local community theater as we continue to foster the performing arts – with more plays, musicals, and children’s programs

“The Show Must Go On”

That is the theme for this our 19 th event in the twenty years we’ve dwelled in our permanent home gifted to us by the Masons. The first three years it was “The Chocolate Extravaganza” with the endless chocolate buffet, complete with chocolate fountain. A pot luck affair with dance band, and “Art of Kissing” and other skits. Then it advanced to a regular pot luck affair with no-host bar, and packed with performers. Covid knocked it out of the picture one year. This year it’s back, and you’re in for a fun and entertaining evening. So come and enjoy.

Planning for the future

We’ll continue the 50/50 drawing bringing us ever closer to our new seating goal for patrons’ comfort. We also are in the planning stages for phases of improvement to The Rogue Playhouse. All the more reason our new Extravaganza is so important towards helping fund plans on theater’s horizon.

Plans and Goals

We invite you to attend the Annual Meeting coming up March 27 to hear more about ETC’s plans and goals for our theater. We will also have the results of board elections that evening for positions 1-4.

Meet the board nominees

Michael Hall

Five people are up for election or re-election for these 4 seats. Current board member Michael Hall, long-time actor, director, and mentor for all. He’s done such greats as “Plaza Suite,” “Who’s on First,” and “Vagina Monologues.” And my favorites, three of the four in the “Greater Tuna” series. These last ones aren’t just comedies; they’re bust-your-gut laughing, hysterically, funny. Actors wait for Michael to say he’s directing a play. It doesn’t even matter what play; they’re in. It was my bucket list to finally take a role in a play he directed. Only took 25 years. I don’t jump into things.

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Debbie Roush

Debbie Roush is also currently serving on the board as Vice President. Another actor, director, and also teacher for the better part of her life. She’ll make the commitment fun when you make the leap to join a cast. The hardest part is just showing up for auditions. She made “Blind Dates” fun. Patrons loved “The Curious Savage.” And “The Outsider” was over the top funny.

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Sue Swan

Yours truly is running for another term. I do better in the background as Secretary or Treasurer, but I love this crazy thing called theater. Even more, the people in it. One more term would mean 31 years of service.

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Colleen Harrison

The last two nominees have been involved in Ellensburg Theater through its existence. Colleen Harrison acted and mostly directed from 2004-2008 with such directorial greats as “Don’t Dress for Dinner,” “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress,” “Rollin’ In Dough In Mistletoe,” “Someone Save My Baby Ruth,” “Thumbelina” (co-directed), and “Rented
Christmas, the Musical.” These are just the ones she directed. She’s also acted in many productions.

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Anne Tlaker-Hall

The same can be said of Anne Tlaker-Hall who has acted in and directed a number of
plays. Plus she writes scripts, like the many fun and fabulous Christmas shows, including a few Gala scripts. Too many productions to attempt to list here. I just remember laughing a lot. She’s written a serious play about the Suffragette movement that just hasn’t been able to make it to the stage yet; something about Covid-19. And a musical that just needs to be scored and will be great fun. Stay tuned.

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The membership drive is on

So don’t forget to vote. If you’re unable to attend the Annual Meeting and vote there,
and you don’t currently receive the mailer with its membership form and ballot, please just mail your membership donation by March 15 to Ellensburg Theater. P.O. Box 1324, Gold Beach, OR 97444. Be sure to include a slip of paper with your vote for four of the five nominees. Individual memberships are still $25, Family $40, Bronze Benefactor is $50-$99, Silver $100-$199, Gold $200-$499, Platinum $500-$999, and Diamond $1000 and up. Remember, your membership donation is tax deductible. ETC is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit charity for the public benefit with members.

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Lover of the arts has passed

A lover of the arts is gone. A valuable long-time supporter of Ellensburg Theater passed
away December 30. Breen Bland. There was a lovely write-up in the Reporter about his life a few weeks back, which I can’t really add to. His wife, Jeani Mercer, shared the following with me about her husband that I could include here.

Remembering Breen

“He loved the arts, including theater, of course, but he especially loved music of all kinds and liked supporting young people as they developed their artistic talent. He was a joyful, enthusiastic life-long amateur singer. We began donating to ETC a year or two into our ownership of property in Gold Beach, which began in 2005. We have long supported several local theater companies in Memphis and enjoyed going to performances here. He loved Gold Beach and was very happy to finally meet you last February (at the OAM Ambassadors of Music concert). 
The pace of life in Gold Beach suited him, especially being on the river. We both fell in
love with the Rogue upon our first sighting of it in 1999 when Virginia McKinney had Sam
Waller take us upriver. Our first salmon fishing trip with Sam in August 2003 confirmed our
love of the river and Gold Beach. Breen and Sam could talk for hours on end about nothing and everything. Gold Beach nourished his soul in a way other places did not.”
Thank you for your faithful support

Thank you Jeani. You and Breen have been supporting ETC ever since we moved into
The Rogue Playhouse. This has meant more than we can say. We’ve been fortunate to have many patrons and benefactors through our theater journey, and with support like yours, ETC strives to continue bringing our community the best of the arts we can bring together to the stage. And you’re right about this area nourishing the soul. I’ve sensed that ever since moving here in 1987, and theater has been a big part of that. The reason is the people – neighbors, the people we meet through work, and more than anything else, the people I’ve met through theater. You and Breen have been such a big part of that, even long before I met you. Your support has given me such hope that our little theater will thrive long into the future.

In the works

Plans are in the works for a summer comedy production, an August concert, a play from
Director Debbie Roush will run in September, and the holiday production will surely include a number of children; always a delight.

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