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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2018)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • OCTOBER 10, 2018 • 5A Q&A with the director of ‘Shrek, The Musical’ Pet tips ‘N’ tales By Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe” ‘Super’ Pets D COURTESY PHOTO Shrek (Mark VanBeever) and Princess Fiona (Melissa Miller) will be on stage in “Shrek the musical” through Oct. 28. Q: What is your perfor- mance background and how did you get involved with Cot- tage Th eatre? A: Director Keith Kessler: I have been involved with Cot- tage Th eatre since 1991. I have acted, directed and written for the stage at Cottage Th eatre and I have been on several committees and the board. I was involved when Cottage Th eatre began their summer kids’ programs and have the playwright for the summer melodramas. Prior to working with Cottage Th eatre, I had the opportunity to work as a props master and assistant director/ stage manager with Ed Rago- zzino for the Eugene Festival of Musical Th eatre at the Hult Center. Q: What are the challenges to staging a show that, essen- tially, the audience knows only as an ani-mated story? A: When people know the show, it is a two-sided coin. Immediately you have audi- ence recognition and the desire for people to come and see it on stage. We are now in a time where a number of stage shows have come from movies or ani- mation that I believe most peo- ple are fascinated to see how the “next’ show for them will be accomplished. Th e other side is that you hope that you don’t disappoint the audience who have loved the animated movie: in this case “Shrek the Musical” has had such a successful track record that as a director you know that it is a wonderful script and my job is to help it come life on Cottage Th eatre’s stage. Q: "Shrek" has obviously been on larger stages when it transformed into a musical. Did you take any inspiration from prior stages of the show and is there anything particu- larly diff erent or unique about your telling of it? Seeking Instructors at LCC in CoƩage Grove We are developing our winter and spring schedule of classes. We will consider a variety of offerings, but are specifically seeking instructors for courses in wring, cooking and gardening. Interested? E-mail resume and interest leer to cg@lanecc.edu. A: I have watched the Net- fl ix version of the Broadway show and that has obviously infl uence my choices. Th ere are some diff erences from the Broadway version and what is given to us form MTI to pro- duce aft er Broadway. Knowing that I work hard at having a collaborative relationship with my actors and creative team and I want them to bring their ideas and interpretations to the stage. I believe we are better to- gether than we are alone. I also am always looking for places that I can bring my own personal touch to each produc- tion. Shows like “Shrek” have great stories and pow-erful life lessons so I am on the hunt for ways that I can emphasize those ideas and themes. Q: Th e dragon. Does it make it into the show and if it does, how? A: Yes, the Dragon appears and is brought to life through Tony Rust’s Dragon’s design, Sophie Blades and Stefh ani Anderson’s decorating, the Dragon being voiced by Ange- la Pearson and seven Dragon- ette puppeteers. It is even more wonderful than I ever thought possible and people over the fi rst weekend are really re- sponding to it as a character. Q: What should audiences be on the lookout for during the show? Any hidden gems or a particular-ly stand out per- formance? A: Our three main leads, Shrek Mark — VanBeever, Fiona — Melissa Miller and Donkey — Matt Arscott are marvelous. Josh Sayre playing Lord Far- quaad surprises everyone on his fi rst entrance. Our three Fiona’s blend so well on their song together. Th ere are many songs in the show that are the kind of songs that make you happy that you are involved in musical theatre. And fi nally, we have tap dancing rats and a singing bird that will surprise everyone. Q: Why should people come to see “Shrek?” A: It is a show that has more laughs than anyone can imag- ine. Th e music is memorable and toe tapping along with great ballads. It is a night of enjoyable entertainment at the theatre and the story is one that resonates and touches people at a heart level. People leave smiling and up- lift ed and if you come stay all the way through the song “I’m a Believer.” Shrek is playing at Cottage Th eatre through Oct. 28. For more information or to pur- chase tickets, please visit cottag- etheatre.org. Mon-Thu 9-5 pm & Fri 9-2 pm lanecc.edu/coƩagegrove (541) 463-4202 - 1275 S. River Rd. 6 -day weather forecast THURSDAY FRIDAY 70° | 39° 70° | 39° PRICES VALID NOW THRU SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13TH, 2018 Sunny Sunny SATURDAY SUNDAY 73° | 42° 75° | 42° Sunny Sunny MONDAY TUESDAY 75° | 45° 75° | 46° Sunny Mostly sunny You have a benefits budget. We have a way to make it work. Call today (541) 942-0555. PayneWest.com/Cottage-Grove Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am-6:00pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm 118 Gateway Blvd., CG (Next to Bi-Mart) 541-942-7377 ogs and cats are amazing. Th ey teach us to be kind and compassionate while wiggling their way into our hearts, making us feel loved and making us laugh. We call them family, but for many they are also our best friend. Edith’s border collie, Batman, fl ew in as a puppy on a rescue mission to help her young daughter, Kate, conquer her fear of dogs. His superhero powers worked so well that years later, Kate supplemented her college tuition with dog sitting. “Batman was our son, Ain’s, only brother,“ said Edith. “When the kids and the dog were little, my husband played ‘football’ with them. Th eir game consisted of a child kicking the ball to the other two at the other end of the yard. Dad would protect or dodge, helping both sides in the mad dash to get a touchdown. Dad would ‘throw’ the ball — and Katie would kick the ball while Batman zipped around herding them. “Th e one exception was when Ain’s turn came to kick,” Edith continued. “Batman jumped in and ‘blocked’ each of Ain’s kicks midair! He only blocked our son’s kicks … Th at beloved dog also helped my son learn soccer by try- ing to get the ball from him while Ain practiced.” On another note, Edith said the dog walked into Ain’s room to specifi cally pick out a toy Batman fi gurine — to munch on. “One time, we found Batman on the wrong side of our fence. When he heard us calling him, instead of crawling back home, he spidey-crawled like Spider-Man under the Edith, her daughter, Kate, and Kate’s fi rst child, Denali the Super Cat. neighbor's side fence. Th en he walked to their front yard and happily bounded home like, ‘Oh! Here I am! Did you want me?’ We were blessed with that spunky, fun-loving dog for 16 years,” said Edith. When Kate married, she adopted Denali, the cutest soft -as-a-bunny white and black fur ball kitten. For their “baby’s” pleasure, Kate’s iPad has a swimming fi sh app that Denali plays with for hours. He then created the game “cat tag” by stalking his par- ents, hiding, and — when he deems it the right time — he runs and pounces on his ‘prey,’ tagging them with light touches to an ankle. Th en, he zooms off . Appropriately, Kate’s superhero nickname for their fun-loving cat is “Catman.” TIPS: “While Denali was on ‘vacation’ with us, I bought him a pet stroller aft er reading about Mary Ellen Angel Scribe’s success with her pets’ stroller,” said Edith. “Well, our furry house guest loves it. I cut and fi t foam for his mattress and his comfort. He sleeps in his bug- gy through the day and enjoys snooper-vising us outside while we garden. My daughter and son-in-law were em- barrassed by the stroller, until they saw how much De- nali loves it and they are enjoying taking him out, too. Th e stroller makes their walks enjoyable and Denali naps from the fresh air. How much does he love his new stroll- er? He considers it his condo and won't sleep with his pet parents! It keeps cat hairs off their bed and it has made its purr-chase worthwhile.” Also, collapsible-canvas wagons work wonders for el- derly dogs. Adding a mattress comforts old bones and elevates the dog so they can see over the wagon’s edge. Th e wagons fold up into almost nothing for storage, and in the summer transport lawn chairs to the beach or use it to fi ll with plants at the garden store when your pet opts to stay home! And it is great for walking tired “real” children too. Share your fun, amazing or crazing pet tips and tales at an- gelscribe@msn.com or Follow Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PetTipsandTales. Adopt loving pets online at www.PetFinder.com. For spay or neutering, call the Humane So- ciety at 541-942-2789.