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About The news-review. (Roseburg, Or.) 1948-1994 | View Entire Issue (June 7, 1963)
frl., June 7, 1963 The News-Review, Rotebwrf, Ore. 5 ir i Mr 5 . vV' 4M kit UMPQUA WEST THEATER is the name given the barn the Merely Players of Roseburg have taken os their new home. It is located about two miles west of Roseburg on the Mel rose road. The group has completely remodeled the inside with a raised stage and the oddition of regular theater seats. (News-Review photos by Andy Fautheree) 111 vaFTi ,M iM) A ... 5' EVERYONE PITCHES IN in a little theater group when it comes to construction. Judy Knight orvd Connie Bakke, both east members of the group's first play "Bus Stop," now in production, take time out from rehearsals to work on the stage, which had to be com pleted before work on the sets could begin. V34IX- . - rj- ciiw lL. '!, fcj ... n iM i,V - .j 4 I J i iw J Jf AFTER AN ESTIMATED 500 to 600 man hours, the inside of the Umpqua West Theater is reody for on oudience. Seating capacity in the first permanent home of the Merely Players is 168. The stoge meosures 35-by-20 feet and plans are to extend the side areos out forther for the up-coming summer musicol, "Flower Drum Song." Clayton Buys Forest Tracts Two tracts of Umpqua National Forest timber on the Little RanKcr District were sold by the Rose burg supervisor's office Thursday. Both sold to 0. E. Clayton of Roseburg. The first was the Panther Creek Salvage Sale No. 2 47 miles south east of Roseburg on 450 acres. This was a 100 per cent Frieda blowdown tract with a total vol ume of 1,300.000 board feet ap praised at $25,439. The tract contains 1.100.000 board feet of Douglas fir and pine ap- Neuberger Asks Control On Highway Billboards WASHINGTON (L'Pl) Sen. Maurine B. Neuberger. D Ore., called Wednesday for extension of legislation to keep billboards off the interstate highway Mrs. 'Neuberger Joined Sen. John Sherman Cooper. R Ky., in sponsoring bill to eitend bill board control two years beyond June 30. In remarks prepared for de livery in the Senate. Mrs. Neu berger said 1? states already had entered into asreemenU with the federal government for billboard controls. praised at $20.60 and 200.000 feet of western hemlock and other spe cies appraised at $9 30 per thou sand. The high bidder was Clayton with a bid of $36,934. His bid was $31.05 on the Douglas fir and pine and the appraised price on the other species group. Other bidders were the Paul B. Hult Lumber Co. of Dillard. and Douglas County Lumber Co. of i Roseburg. I The second sale was the Plus four thinning No. 2 tract 25 miles 'northeast of Myrtle Creek. It is located on 22 acres Douglas fir poles and pilings ap praised at 17 cents per foot, 20, 000 feet of Douglas fir sawlogs ap praised at $26.45 per thousand and 10,000 board feet of western hem lock and other species of logs ap praised at $10.45. Total appraised value was $30,893.50. The only bidder was 0. E. Clay ton. His bid was the appraised price on all species groups. The next sales are scheduled next Monday. Involved it 178,000 lineal feet of Firm Gets Edison Award DENVER (UPI)-Portland Gen eral Electric Co. received the ! highest award the electric utilities j ! industry can bestow Wednesday i ! when it won the Edison Award i ' from the Edison Electric Insli-; tute. ! PC.E was cited for "leadership 1 in creating a model water resour-1 ces development program for the I i state of Oregon." The company! I was credited for combining its ' i hydroelectric power production with creation of public recreation al facilities, preservation of nat ural beauty and protection of fish ' and other wildlife. Canyonville Family Is Host To Visitors Mrs. Jim Sproul and children of John Day and Mrs. Ron War ren and children of Columbia City were guests of the Oscar Hover sons in Canyonville recently. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Bennett vis ited with friends and relatives in Coos County during the past week. Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Gill and daughter, Andrea, spent the week end at their cabin in Scottsburg They entertained Mr. and Mrs. Nat Coleman of Eugene and Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Hoverson while there. Mrs. Elizabeth Bennett of Eu gene was a recent visitor of the Norman Chappell's, correspondent Beth Chappell reports. Roseburg Merely Players Open In New Home By ANDY FAUTHEREI News-Review Staff Writer The Merely Players, Roseburg's little theater group, gave its first play Thursday night in its new home, the Umpqua West Theater. "Bus Stop" is the climax of some four months ot laoor in get ting the theater ready and re hearsing the play. A theater of its own is probably the fondest dream of all little theater groups. The Merely Play ers are no longer among the "have nots they have a home now. That "home" Is a barn, former ly identified as the Preschern Barn, which was formerly occu pied by a square dance group. It is located about two miles west of Roseburg on the Melrose Road. After searching throughout the greater Roseburg area for a suit able building that could fit within the group's pocketbook, it settled on a bam, which in the back of the minds of many, is almost traditionally the home for little theater groups. Barn Converted Long before a play could be pre sented before an audience, the barn had to be converted from a dance hall to a theater. This of course has meant the installation of special lighting, seating and the all-important stage. 'Baby Boom' Youngsters Now Flood Labor Force WASHINGTON (UPI) Teen agers born during the post-World War II "baby boom" flooded the nation's labor force last month to push the unemployment rate to 5.9 per cent, the government re ports. The lob picture was darkened by the problem of tecn aged job lessness, which Labor Department otticials said soared to 18 per cent in May. This was more than triple the rate lor adults and caused the over-all seasonally adjusted job less rate to rise from 5.7 per cent in April and from 5.5 per cent in May, 1902. Labor Secretary W. Willard Wirtz said in a statement issued with the job report that teen-aged unemployment could become "one of the most explosive social prob lems in the nation s History. Luckily, the barn had a h a r d finished floor when the Merely Players took it over but that was practically all that could be put into use. Everything else has been done by the members them selves, using materials begged, borrowed and donated from local merchants. The stage rises about two feet from the floor. It measures 25 feet by 35 feet and is located at one end of the rectangular theater area. The rest of the area is taken up mostly by seats, 168 in all, which were obtained from an old theater in Grants Pass. They are of the regular theater type, being cushioned on the seat and back, with arm rests between them. The group feels the added work and expense of installing these seats were worth the effort and will be a big improvement over the usual metal folding chairs used. Roots Stt Although the players have had their tips and downs since they first organized in 1959 and present ed "Solid Gold Cadillac" in the spring of I960, they feel they final ly have their roots deeply set. Several plays, dramas, comedies and musicals, have been tentative ly lined up to follow "Bus Stop," which will run again tonight and Saturday at 8:20. The next play will be the famous Rodgers and Uammerstcin music al "Flower Drum Song" to be giv en the latter part of July or the first of August. In the first part of the fall the players will present the "Rainmaker." followed by "Desire Under The Elms" and a comedy, that hasn't been decided) upon yei. Reaching into the future, spokes man and president of the group Don Bade, says it is the aim of the Merely Players eventually to set up a cultural center. It could start sometime this summer, he said. Baile, who is an announcer for a Roseburg radio station and conies to Roseburg from Holly- wuuu wnere ne nas laKcn pari in a number of movies and television R reductions, said it is the group's ope to hold classes in such fields as dramatics, dancing, art and music, stressing mainly drama tics. Summer Stock Eyed "We hope the acting classes will develop a group that could event ually form into a repertory com pany, that Is, a summer stock ler is gratifying, rewarding ant theater. This would mean that big I fun," he said. INGENUITY plays a major role when it comes to construc ting and equipping a theater with limited funds. Allen Nash is shown here fitting tin cans as reflectors and covers for special lights. name leads could be brought to Roseburg sunoorted hv casts of local people," Baile said. "This has been done in a num ber of places around the country, both in big and small communi ties, with great success," he said. "Any place the size of Roseburg needs a good solid theater. Mov ies, television and other forms of entertainment are all unique in their own ways, and each has something to offer. "For a theater to be successful, it must put on a good show, and there's no feeling in the world like that of accomplishing this feat. It takes a lot of work. "We want to instill in people what theater is really like, enough at least to have them coma out and see it. If a person can afford just a little time and effort, he can find a whole new world in theater. We're here to welcome any and everyone into the group and say 'let's work together', Baile said. "All the world loves a clown, whether its the clown of comedy or the clown of tracedv. The thea- All Welcomed Membership in the organization is a simple matter. Whether a per son has had any experience or not, he is welcome to join. Mem bership entitles a person to see all plays and attend meetings of the group, social functions and other activities. It also includes the right to vote at all general meetings on whatever business may come before the group. Of great importance is the fact that it allows the person to work closely with other members of the group in all phases of the theater. Baile points out there is much more to the theater than just get ting up in front of the lights on stage. There are the persons be hind the lights, set designers and a host of other jobs. Membership is not required to take part in any of the Players' productions. All readings are open to the public. With a new theater and a new play to their credit, the Merely Players are looking forward to a bright future. NOT THE HANDIEST, PERHAPS, but this floor-level sink was the result when the stage was built two feet above the '. old floor. However, it still serves its purpose and was a' real boon to the group as a source of water for hot coffee during the long hours spent in readying the theater for a play, as demonstrated here by Patsy Barker. wtsSBTiim'-, '. IS " am-& lists? ' 11 , I 1 ..r-.-" T" : V- r'T'll fiCiCtSiIi e zsmji Aft II I OOll WW Mora Spyder Convirtible Come hill... Monza Spydsr Club Coup or high water Vacations go smoother in a Chevrolet Corvair Bring on those mountains! They're not so high and mighty any mora when you've got Corvair' gutty six and rear-engine traction work ing on them. You scurry up the meanest grades. You move with sure-footed agility on wet pavement, muddy lanes, gravel and other would-be miseries. And with most of Corvair's weight bearing down on the rear wheels, you have an easy time steering, too. Fact is, the handling's so light we don't even offer power steering for the car. And there's more to feel good about. No prob lems with your radiator boiling over or going dry, (MEVROLJET J UUM? ATYOUR CHEVROLET DEALER S because there's no radiator. Corvair's engine is air cooled. No concern about brake adjustment, either, because the brakes adjust them selves. Nothing much to think about at all except the good time you're having (and maybe the next mountain you're going to flatten). Like to do that in a sporty bucket-sealed Monza Club Coupe or Convertible? Like to spring into summer with a 4-speed stick shift and Spyder package with iU 150-hp Turbocharged engine, special instrumentation and insignia? Your dealer's got just the Corvair and the Trade 'N' Travel deal on it to put you in a holiday mood. 'Optional at aim cort CHECK HIS TNT DEALS ON CHEVROLET, CHEVY II, CORVAIR AND CORVETTE HANSEN MOTOR CO, OAK snd STEPHENS ROSEBURG, OREGON ORchard 3-4446 t
