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SIUSLAW
NEWS
Siuslaw Valley Senior News:
The Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
FAX: (541) 997-7979
pressreleases@thesiuslawnews.com
WEDNESDAY
A
14
•
2015
PLACE
to
call
High hopes as CROW
seeks new nest for children’s
theater program
HOME
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
Artistic Director
and Founder of
Children’s
Repertory of
Oregon
Workshops
Melanie Heard
(left) joins board
member Polly
Fleming in look-
ing through
Fleming’s
cramped closet
of costumes.
Exclamations of
“How did we
get three Peter
Pans?” and
“Where did that
come from?”
accompanied
their search. A
new building,
which CROW
hopes to fund
through the
community and
grants, would
allow Fleming to
design, store
and fit costumes
on location.
PHOTOS BY RYAN CRONK/SIUSLAW NEWS
C
hildren’s Repertory
of Oregon Workshops
(CROW) is in the
process of launching a large-
scale fundraising campaign to
create a permanent perform-
ing arts facility for youth.
Melanie Heard, artistic director and founder
of CROW, has high hopes for the project, which
would include purchasing and renovating a
building to use for auditions, rehearsals, voice
and dance lessons, prop and costume storage
and set construction.
“We’ve located a building already that will
meet most of our needs. … It’s fabulous
because it has space for the artistic needs that
we have such as classes and workshops and
summer camps and rehearsals,” said Heard.
On Saturday, Jan. 17, there will be an infor-
mational meeting at Siuslaw Public Library’s
Bromley Room to talk about the building proj-
ect. The meeting will run from 4 to 6 p.m. and
also will introduce the upcoming “Share Your
Heart” fundraiser, to take place Feb. 13.
Heard said, “People are very supportive of
CROW. I think they see the value, which is a
good thing.”
CROW aspires to obtain
$75,000 in direct donations
from the community, and
will then apply for match-
ing grants from large local
and national foundations.
“We’re hoping that this
first fundraiser will gener-
ate enough community
buy-in that we can then go
to some of the large foun-
dations that are looking for
exactly our kind of proj-
ect,” Heard said.
“This is the first time
CROW has ever tried to do
anything like this — to
raise this amount of money.
So we don’t really know how long it’s
Fleming currently
going to take or when this will happen.
makes and stores
We would like it to happen soon so we
costumes and props in
can begin our exciting projects. We
her home. She uses
have so many cool things planned. The
recycled and “upcy-
sooner the better, but we’re also realis-
cled” clothing and
tic,” she continued.
materials to make the
The community is already a big sup-
costumes by hand.
port to CROW.
Her request with the
“We have a wonderful relationship
new building would be
with the Siuslaw School District,” said
a place to sew and fit
Heard. “We also have a wonderful part-
costumes. “It would be
nership with John Flaherty of the
nice to be able to work
Florence Playhouse. He is very gener-
on stuff for the current
ous to the kids and lets us use the
show while there,”
Florence Playhouse for the purpose of
she said. And in the
summer camps.”
future, Heard envisions
Heard added, “We are so grateful,
Fleming teaching
but I think it’s time for CROW to take
CROW youth sewing
the next step and have our own space.”
and other life skills.
The building would help Heard and
“Absolutely,” Fleming
CROW benefit the community.
said. “I’ve had friends
CROW students currently perform
ask and suggest that.
portions of their play at senior centers
That would be great.”
in the area.
“We would like to expand that program. I
believe that the kids have a lot to learn from the stories and build literacy and engage the sen-
seniors and the seniors have a lot to learn from
iors,” said Heard.
the kids. And I think it would be really neat if
CROW also would like to implement an anti-
we set up kind of a program where they could
bullying theatrical program for the middle and
go in more regularly and sing songs and read
high schools. The new building’s rehearsal
space would
CROW’s “Little
help get the
Mermaid Jr.”
program going.
cast members
“Building lit-
wear costumes
eracy is impor-
made by Fleming tant to me. I
for last year’s
would like to
show. Its next
grow that
production,
through the
“Once Upon A
arts,” Heard
Mattress,” is set
said. “I have a
to premiere in
program in
April at the
mind where
Florence Events
children would
Center. A new
write stories
space would
and we would
allow for more
take several of
rehearsals and
our older kids
prep time.
and adult actors
COURTESY PHOTO
into the schools and act out their stories —
make them come alive — which will increase
the excitement about writing and reading. Those
are three things I’m thinking of, and I can’t do
them from my living room.”
Space is the biggest thing CROW seeks with
its new building.
Currently, CROW students audition and
rehearse at Siuslaw Middle School. Set con-
struction takes place in volunteers’ homes and
garages. A packed storage unit holds most of
the props. Board member Polly Fleming has a
full-scale costume shop in her home.
“I have to pull everything out to get to what
(I want.) There’s stuff under those layers that I
totally forgot I have,” Fleming said. “It would
just be easier. It wouldn’t be quite so packed in.
If we had an ‘under one roof’ type space, I
could have materials and stuff I was working on
down there.”
A new space would give CROW more time
to focus on the needs of its students.
See
CROW 2B
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
JANUARY