12A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL June 17, 2015
The 'Proof' is in the relationships
for Cottage Theatre actors
BY MATT HOLLANDER
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
June 21, 2015
BY KYM POKORNY
OSU Extension Service
A
E
arlier this spring, Cottage
Theatre hit an all-time
high during its sold-out run of
“Les Misérables.” And while
patrons will no doubt notice a
dramatic difference in tone and
magnitude in its current show,
“Proof,” the intimate cast of four
delivers a powerful follow-up to
the epic Broadway musical.
“Moving from Les Mis was
a jolting difference in terms of
rhythm and pace,” said Alan
Beck, who directed both shows.
“It felt luxurious to be able to
concentrate on four characters
instead of 34 and one set instead
of 14 sets.”
Written in 2000 by Ameri-
can playwright David Auburn,
“Proof,” concerns Catherine
(Nicole Trobaugh), a troubled
young woman who has spent
years caring for her brilliant but
unstable father (Patrick Torelle).
Now, following his death, she
must deal with her own vola-
tile emotions; the arrival of her
estranged sister, Claire (Janet
Whitlow); and the attentions of
Hal (Kory Weimer), a former
graduate student of her father’s
from the University of Chicago
who hopes to fi nd valuable work
in the 103 notebooks that her fa-
ther left behind.
Although the plot centers upon
a groundbreaking mathematical
proof, theater-goers won’t need
to brush up on their algebra to
follow along. The story is about
relationships — father-daugh-
Disease hitting boxwood
shrubs in Oregon gardens
courtesy photo
From left, Hal (Kory Weimer), Catherine (Nicole Trobaugh), and Catherine’s Father
Robert (Patrick Torelle) play complex emotional roles in Cottage Theatre's 'Proof.'
ter, sister-sister, teacher-student,
etc. — and the validation we
seek through them — proof of
love, trust and sanity.
For this group of actors,
these themes strike an authentic
chord. Trobaugh and Weimer
both studied under Torelle, a
professor of theater at Lane
Community College, and Whit-
low had to leave the show dur-
ing rehearsals to deal with the
death of her own father.
“These four people had such
good instincts right from the
very beginning of this play. It
was a matter of making them
comfortable developing char-
acter and relationships,” said
Beck.
The degree of diffi culty
would seem to be the highest
for Trobaugh, 28, who must run
an emotional gauntlet over the
course of the play and some-
times during a single scene, but
she said she found it energizing
to play the role of Catherine.
“I think that an actor will use
their real emotional response to
a situation. If they can control it
and internalize it, they can bring
it out through the character. Ni-
cole brings something very spe-
cial to this role. She makes me
cry every night,” said Beck.
While “Proof” may not be the
light-hearted show that many
Join us for our
Father’s Day Specials!
seek during the summer, Tro-
baugh believes that theater-go-
ers will be rewarded with a last-
ing experience.
“So many things are strictly
about entertainment. And yes,
it is entertaining, but it will also
make you feel something. Re-
leasing that emotion is impor-
tant, and to do it with a group of
other people at the same time is
cathartic,” she said.
“Proof” continues at the
Cottage Theatre through June
28 with Thursday, Friday and
Saturday shows beginning at 8
p.m.; Sunday matinees start at
2:30.
disease that attacks box-
wood shrubs could po-
tentially become a serious prob-
lem in residential and public
gardens in western Oregon.
Boxwood blight, which fi rst
showed up in nurseries in Or-
egon in 2011, is making inroads
in the Portland area, according
to Jay W. Pscheidt, a plant pa-
thology specialist with Oregon
State University’s Extension
Service.
“The message to homeowners
is that if they notice something
unusual going on with their box-
wood they’ve never seen before,
it could be boxwood blight,” Ps-
cheidt said.
The fungus is active during
warm, wet weather, splashing
from plant to plant by rain. Even
though this spring has been
relatively dry, overhead water-
ing causes the same conditions
so the disease can spread like
any other year. Using a soaker
hose will help. The sticky fun-
gal spores easily attach to cloth-
ing, pruners or other equipment
and then transfer to other box-
woods, so avoid working with
wet plants.
Boxwood blight (Calonectria
pseudonaviculata) causes spots
on leaves and stems and even-
tually defoliates and kills the
plants. Stem lesions show up
as wide black streaks; on leaves
they appear as round spots.
There is no cure, but preven-
tion measures can help keep
the disease from spreading, he
said. The most effective method
is to inspect purchased plants
and keep them in an area away
from already planted boxwood
for two weeks or more. If the
shrubs don’t show spots, they
can be planted.
“That might be hard,” Ps-
cheidt said, “but the fungus can
be present and the plant hasn’t
shown symptoms yet.”
Boxwood blight emerged in
Europe in the early 1990s and
quickly spread. Eradication has
been unsuccessful, he said. Ac-
cording to Pscheidt, wholesale
nurseries in Oregon, which con-
sider boxwood a bread-and-but-
ter crop, have kept the disease
mostly in check with a nursery
cleanliness program adminis-
tered through the Oregon De-
partment of Agriculture. But the
disease has jumped into some
landscapes in Portland and Coos
Bay. Now that it’s made inroads
into gardens, cooperation from
homeowners is essential.
Here are Pscheidt’s recom-
mendations for preventing the
spread of boxwood blight:
Inspect new plants and isolate
them from other boxwoods for
at least two weeks before plant-
ing.
Avoid overhead watering. In-
stead, use a soaker hose.
Don’t work with wet box-
wood.
Disinfect pruners and hedge
clippers after use.
Never compost infected
plants.
If you have a diseased plant,
place it in a plastic bag and
dispose of it in the garbage bin
rather than yard debris recycling
bin.
Shady Oaks
Plants & Produce
Farm Family Fun for Father’s Day!
IALS
R ’ S
E
F ATH
D AY
S PEC
-20
J
17
UNE
SCHWEITZER’S
CASUAL WEAR
J EWELRY
K NIVES
20% OFF
730 E. Main St. • 541-942-4249
Bring Dad to the Farm for a
Farm Style Brunch
June 21st 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Menu to include:
* Biscuits & Gravy
* Hash Browns
* Ham & Eggs
* Breakfast Casseroles
*
*
*
*
Cinnamon Rolls
Apple Zuc Bread
Fresh Fruit
French Toast
Included Coffee, Tea, or Juice
$12.00 per person
Children $1.00 per year
up to age 12
Also enjoy music 11am-1pm by:
Annie Mae Rhodes Band (Weather Permitting)
For our planning please call ahead for attendance.
SEE YOU THERE!
It’s the place to be!
+Z\6R&*