Artfyfulture
The Clackamas P r i n t f
Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011
aced@clackamas.edu
‘Our Town brings story
of youth and simplicity
B y M andie Gavitt
Arts & Culture Editor
Shannon O'Shaughnessy an d M ichael Lissman perform in “Our
Town” in the Clackamas Community College theater.
“O ur Town” is a play that
thrives on its simplicity and gen
uine relationship with the audi
ence in attendance. Set in the
early 20th Century, “O ur Town”
tells the story o f a small town as
it begins to adapt to a changing
world. The story focuses mosdy
on the relationships of the people
who reside in the small town of
Grovers Comers, N .H ., in par
ticular the relationship between
Emily Webb and George Gibbs,
the two m ain characters o f
the play, written by T hornton
Wilcfer.
The story is narrated by a
character entitled simply Stage
Manager, who is able to break the
fourth wall and speak direcdy to
the audience. T he Stage Manager
not only plays several roles in the
show, ne also helps to inform
the audience o f what is happen
ing in the play. T he scenery is
entirely minimal, with only a
few tables, ladders and benches.'
Instead of using props, the actors
pantomime the objects they are
interacting with.
Because the play was so sim
ple, it was easy to focus on the
excellent acting instead. T he
actors are solely what made the
play. As always the Clackamas
theater department has an excel
lent cast. “They are the bright
shiniest thing in the galaxy,” said
Director David Smith-English.
T he “Stage Manager” played
by Amanda Sutton, did an excel
lent job o f engaging the audience
and telling the story in a way that
made the play feel relevant and
Athena Folk, who played Mrs.
Soames provided m uch comedy
relief. Emily Webb, played by
Shannon (TShaughnessy, was the
sweetest character o f the whole
play. I found her innocence and
naivety to be very refreshing and
heart-warming. O ’Shaughnessy
seemed to approach the character
with a childdike innocence that
steals the show away.
T he play follows Emily Webb
and George Gibbs as . they go
from high school sweethearts to
husband and wife. The audience
got to be in on the intimate
details o f how the pair progresses
from being two kids growing up
in die same small town to lovers.
The story begins with them as
students at night talking from
their adjacent second story bed
room window. This is done with
eàch standing on ladders to rep
resent the houses locations to
each other.
In a later scene, a fetv years
later in the story, the lovers are
having a date at the small ice
cream shop, where Stage Manager
takes on the role o f the owner of
the shop. W hile helping them
selves to milkshakes, the two
discuss the possibility o f - liking
each other enough to get married
in the future. This preludes the
w edding. scene where both are
shown to have doubts but with
help they manage to keep their
cold feet under control and wed
by the preacher who is played
once again by the Stage Manager.
T he wedding scene is quite
adorable. Those in attendance
for the wedding are not neces
sarily the most respectful and
make the scene humorous. Mrs.
Soames loudly tells anyone, who
will listen about how she thinks
the wedding is one o f the nicest
she has seen.
Though the first two acts are
a whimsical form o f happy with
a child-like innocence the happy
quickly faded in the final act
with the untimely death o f Emily
Webb. W ith superb acting and a
genuine spirit; this play will break
your heart.
As is to be expected, the
Clackamas Com munity College
theater once again put on a must
see show. -
“Fall Run” shares labor of love from mother-son
pair at Alexander Gallery
B y Robert M orrison
The Clackamas Print
Another art show has come to
Alexander Gallery at Clackamas
Community College. O n Nov.
10, mother and son team Rod
and Donna Pike brought the
newest exhibit, “Fall Run” to
the college. “Fall Run,” show
ing unique folk art, can be seen
until Dec 22. The Pikes, hailing
from Molalla, obtained their
wood backgrounds working in
lumber mills. Antique collec
tors and garage sale enthusi
asts, this mother-son combo
collects items such as clap
ping monkeys and bean pots.
Rod Pike carves fish out of
soft wood, while his mother
paints them with an acrylicpaint.
They add a unique flair to the
fish by affixing strange items on
some fish, such, a real cat teeth.
“Fall Run” is made up of
approximately 20 suspended
wooden fish. Each o f these fish
was handcarved and painted,
taking approximately 20 years
to make. Some o f the fish
have unique qualities such as a
humanlike head, but others sim
ply resemble salmon or trout.
“I like the unique fish the
most,” said Charles Wilson,
C C C student. “It shows a cre
ative ability and imagination.
It was m y first time fve been
in the gallery and it was a new
experience. I liked it; the art-
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finalized the surface treatment.”
“T he artists sound like they
are happy doing what they
love,” said Trisha Scotts. “It
shows in the details in their
work. It’s amazing.” Scotts was
taken to the gallery by one of
her friends and plans to enroll
in C C C next year. According to
Scotts it was worth the visit to
the C C C Oregon City Campus.
Playing on the term “fall
run,” which is when fish
swim up river to spawn, the
art shows the theme well with
its fish carvings. The gallery
is open Monday thru Friday
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Fall
Run” is open to the public
and free to attend to all of
those who would like to visit.
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ists did a great job.” Wilson
is a sophomore, planning on
majoring in art as he works
his way toward university.
“O ne of the things I like
most about our current exhibi
tion is that it is a labor o f love. -
These pieces were not made
with the intent to exhibit. They
were also not made with the
intention to sell or make profit
from. They were made because
o f an interest in nature and a
need to explore and manipulate
materials,” said Kate Simmons
o f the C C C art department. “I
am also drawn to the fact that
these works as a whole display
a kind o f visual dialog between
a son and his mother as he
has formed them and she has
Fall Term Student
Performance Showcase
(Nov. 29 - Dec. 1)
the Osterm an Theatre.
12/5: CCC Chamber
Ensemble Fall Concert
Concert begins at 7
m. on Dec. 5 in the
iemeyer Center.
Have a gig or event coming up? Email
aced@clackamas.edu.
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1320 Main St- Oregon Ci(y 503-656-3031
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Blues Bar and Grill
14360 IHolalla Ave. Oregon Q ttj, OR
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A wooden fish hangs suspended in the
Niemeyer gallery. This is one o f the
many artistic fish made over the last 2 0
years by mother an d son D onna and
R od Pike.