Polk County News 2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • November 30, 2016 See ‘Aristocats’ for one night only Dallas High’s performance aimed toward grade-school audience opens to public By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Everybody wants to be a cat in Dallas High School’s production of Disney’s “The Aristocats Kids,” taking the stage at Bollman Auditorium Satur- day. The high-energy, con- stantly moving musical tells the story of Duchess and her three kittens, who are bestowed owner Madame’s fortune in her will. Madame’s butler, Edgar, has more sinister plans and the richest cats in Paris find unlikely partners in less glamorous, but resourceful felines. The Aristocats is geared toward children, and through most of the 11 per- formances taking place this week, the audiences will be exclusively grade-school children, part of DHS’ an- nual theater outreach to younger students. Saturday’s shows are the only performances open to the public. Emily Johnson, who is a choreographer and sound tech on the show, said that presents a challenge for the cast. “In every show, you have to play to your audience,” Johnson said. “For the chil- dren’s show, a lot of it is re- ally, really young kids, and we try to make it as fun and as interesting as possible, so they can have fun.” This will be Johnson’s last production with DHS. She said it’s a bittersweet end to a high school theater expe- rience full of fun memories. DEADLINES NEWS DEADLINES For inclusion in the Wednesday edition of the Itemizer-Observer: Social news (weddings, engagements, anniver- saries, births, milestones) — 5 p.m. on Thursday. Community events — Noon on Friday for both the Community Notebook and Community Calendar. Letters to the editor — 10 a.m. on Monday. Obituaries — 4 p.m. on Monday. ADVERTISING DEADLINES Retail display ads — 3 p.m. Friday. Classified display ads — 11 a.m. on Monday. Classified line ads — Noon on Monday. Classified ads are updated daily on www.polkio.com. Public notices — Noon on Friday. CORRECTIONS JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer Actors rehearse a scene from “The Aristocats Kids.” Dallas High will perform the show on Saturday at 2 and 4 p.m. She said watching her dances — there are a lot of them, including full cast numbers — come together in rehearsal has been excit- ing. “I see people taking it in their own direction and put their own little flare into it,” she said. “That’s always fun to see that they can take something that I’ve given them and go their own di- rection. It’s really great to see that and how much fun they are having.” Grant Hess, who plays Edgar, said the mission of St. Philip Catholic Church Annual Holiday Bazaar 825 SW Mill St., Dallas Sat. Dec. 3rd 9:00am - 2pm FREE Admission •Crafted Holiday Gifts & Decorations •Homemade: Holiday Cookies, Breads and Candies •Swags • Centerpieces • Poinsettias • Wreaths Soup & Pie Luncheon served All Day Raffle & Silent Auction Tickets $2.00 each Prizes include: Coast Trip for 2; $300 Gift Card; and other cash prizes. Proceeds benefit educational scholarships, community & charitable parish activities. For more info, Janet 503-623-5693 Showtime! What: Disney's The Aristocats Kids. When: Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m. Where: Bollman Auditorium, 1250 SE Holman Ave. Admission: $4 available at the door. For more information: 503-623-8336. the play is to introduce young students to theater. “This is the only form of theater the kids see until middle school,” Hess said. “I think it’s a really good that we try to do the best we can to influence kids to join theater or show them the love of it and how fun it can be.” Hess, a senior, is plan- ning to major in theater ed- ucation at Western Oregon University. The Aristocats will be his last performance at DHS, as he will turn his attention learning about the techni- cal aspects of theater. “I have not retired.” — Clara Nimmo, Owner 223 Birchwood Dr., Dallas Behind the bowling alley, 3rd house on right, white picket fence. Hours: 8-5 T/W/Th and 8-5:30 Fri • Alterations • Dress Making • Tailoring • Repairs He said the production has given him one last hill to conquer in acting. “It’s a really fun show to end on because it’s a musi- cal, and I really love musi- cals, but it’s definitely an acting challenge for be- cause I don’t play menac- ing characters,” he said. “I’m not the scary type. This is probably one of the hardest acting challenges I’ve had.” Emmalee Jones plays one of the kittens, a feisty one, which she says fits her per- sonality. An athlete, Jones doesn’t have many opportunities to participate in theater, but says the two disciplines share some similarities. “I play soccer. Soccer is a super-team oriented sport, and theater is the same way,” she said. “You have to build those bonds, and you have to rely on everybody to do their part and do their job.” In “The Aristocats Kids,” Jones, and her castmates believe doing their job in part means inspiring the next generation of thespi- ans. “We want to show them how fun it is,” she said. David Clyne is ex officio with the Monmouth Inde- pendence Networks board of directors, not a board mem- ber as stated in the Nov. 23 issue of the Itemizer-Observer. Clyne does not have a vote. The I-O regrets the error. The Polk County Itemizer- Observer is committed to pub- lishing accurate news. If you see anything that requires a correction or clarification, call 503-623-2373 or email ementzer@polkio.com. WEBSITE The Polk County Itemizer- Observer website, www.polkio.com, is updat- ed each week by Wednes- day afternoon. There, you will find nearly every story that appears in the print version of the newspaper, as well as some items, in- cluding additional photos, that do not appear in print due to space limitations. The Itemizer-Observer is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Watch for breaking news, links to sto- ries, sports scores updates and more. WEATHER RECORDED HIGH LOW Nov. 22............. 56 Nov. 23............. 50 Nov. 24............. 53 Nov. 25............. 53 Nov. 26............. 55 Nov. 27............. 49 Nov. 28............. 52 43 44 47 46 41 41 42 RAIN .60 .32 1.70 .78 .26 .20 .03 Rainfall during Nov. — 6.75 in. Rain through Nov. 28 — 41.70 in. Thank you for supporting the Smith Fine Arts Series at Western Oregon University For the past 39 years! Remaining shows in the 40th Season: January 13, 2017 ~ Rainbow Dance Theatre February 20 & 21, 2017 ~ Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project April 15, 2017 ~ Micky Dolenz with the American Metropole Orchestra June 10, 2017 ~ Danilo Perez with the Western Hemisphere Orchestra For tickets call Sandy at 503-838-8333 smithfinearts.org Great gift idea for that certain someone!