Polk County Education
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 31, 2017 13A
‘This Girl’ takes audience on journey
Fantastical fable is story all can relate to, regardless of age or place in life, guest director from Portland Jen Rowe says
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — Western
Oregon University’s theater
department’s production of,
“This Girl Laughs, This Girl
Cries, This Girl Does Noth-
ing,” is a fantastical fable
that depicts three sisters and
their journeys through life.
“It reminds me that life
has befores and afters,” said
guest director Jen Rowe.
“That every day is a chance
to start a new opportunity, a
new journey. That we are
blessed with joy and fulfill-
ment in our lives.”
In the play, the audience
is introduced to a family
faced with heartache and
deep depression when the
mother dies suddenly. The
father finds solace in a new
marriage, but to make the
marriage work, he must set
his three young daughters
free to find their own way.
“There’s a way of demo-
nizing the father and say he
abandoned his children in
the woods,” Rowe said.
“Then there’s a way of say-
ing, although they’re young
in this story, this father rec-
ognizes the resilience in
each of them and chooses to
let them go and grow up and
start their life journeys.”
With the news in the
world today, Rowe said
trusting and letting go of
children is a big ask.
Instead of going home,
the three sisters, played by
Lindsay Spears, Natalie Do-
erfler and Chynna Shurts,
live up to their father’s ex-
pectations, each experienc-
ing the world on their terms.
The play itself presented
many challenges to both
Rowe and her cast of 18 stu-
dent-actors. One reason is
because the script has no di-
rection and very little re-
strictions.
“It’s ver y ensemble,”
Spears said about the play.
“Everybody has such a big
part in it. We all come to-
gether to create these crazy
images. There’s a scene to-
ward the beginning where a
lighthouse crashes into the
ocean and becomes a sub-
marine.
We all got to come togeth-
er to create this scene with
people rather than with
props.”
The production is a col-
laboration between the di-
rector, cast and crew, Rowe
said.
Dorian Parker, who plays
the mother, said Rowe
would often ask the cast to
take 20 minutes and figure
out part of the scene.
“We’ve done a lot of work
as a group together to be-
come really tightknit and a
hive-sort of mentality,” she
said.
The story is about lifting
each other up rather than
tearing each other down,
Doerfler said.
“The entire show is about
emotional honesty,” said
Mindy Mawhirter, who plays
the stepmom. “These are
real people who have real
experiences. Even though
they may be fantastical, it’s
about the real people having
real experiences.”
Actors encourage people
to come with an open mind.
“Any part of this journey
can help anyone with their
journeys as well,” Meghan
Doerfler, who plays the sun,
said, adding that the story is
relatable to an audience of all
ages, not one specific age
group.
“My boss was asking me if
his kids can come,” Meghan
Doerfler said. “My grandma
was like, ‘Well, do you think
I’ll enjoy it?’ Yes, 100 per-
cent.”
Rowe said that is one thing
she enjoys about this fable.
“I think this would be a
wonderful show for kids,”
she said. “As a show produc-
er, this is the only show that
hasn’t had a recommended
age limit of above 16. This is
a departure for me, which is
EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer
Gabriel Elmore, with guitar, and Chynna Shurts sing during a rehearsal of “This Girl,” which runs through Saturday.
See the show
What: Western Oregon
University Theatre De-
partment presents “This
Girl Laughs, This Girl
Cries, This Girl Does Noth-
ing,” by Finegan Krucke-
meyer.
When: Wednesday
(today), Thursday, Friday,
and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Matinee performances at
2 p.m. on Thursday and
Saturday.
Where: Rice Auditori-
um.
Admission: $14 gener-
al; $10 seniors and facul-
ty; $8 students.
really exciting for me as a di-
rector. It’s a script that speaks
to me. I feel like it would
speak to me at any age.”
“This Girl …” is a limited
run, opening Wednesday
(today) at 7:30 p.m. and run-
ning through Saturday.
!
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Las
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EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer
Chynna Shurts, as Beatrix, is reaching the end of her fantastic journey warming the
lives of all those around her and learning more about who she is as a woman.
355 N Pacific Ave.,
Ste A
Monmouth
503-838-4268
June 4 Polk Flea Market 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. Polk County's
oldest and largest market with 183 tables selling antiques, col-
lectibles, tools, etc. 520 S Pacific Hwy W. Rickreall
June 3 Monmouth Community Breakfast. 8:30 am – 10:30
am. Monmouth Senior Center. 180 S. Warren St.
June 9 GRADUATION! Central High School, 7 pm. Panther
Stadium. CONGRATS GRADS! From the Monmouth Business
Association.
June 10 & 11 Summer Rickreall Gun Show. Buy ♦ Sell ♦
Trade ♦ Guns ♦ Knives ♦ Ammunition ♦ Lots of Collector Items.
Saturday, June 10th, 9am - 5pm, Sunday, June 11th, 9am -
3pm. Adults $6.00. Kids Under 12 FREE. Parking FREE. Food
Available Onsite. Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center,
520 S. Pacific Hwy. Rickreall.
June 10 The Smith Fine Arts Series presents: Multiple
Grammy Award winning pianist and composer Danilo Perez will
join forces with WOU’s own Western Hemisphere Orchestra.
Perez’s tireless work includes serving as UNESCO Artist For
Peace, Cultural Ambassador to the Republic of Panama, and
Artistic Director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. He has
toured and recorded with legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Joe
Lovano, Tito Puente, Wynton Marsalis, and Wayne Shorter.
June 10, 7 pm. Rice Auditorium, Western Oregon University.
Corner of Knox and Powell Streets Monmouth, OR For tickets
call Sandy at 503-838-8333. $25 in advance (plus a $3 handling
fee per transaction) $11 students. $28 at the door.
June 13 Last Day of School for Central Grades K-11.
DRIVE SAFE! Be watchful for kids this
summer.
June 14 Flag Day!
June 18 Don’t Forget Dad! Happy
Father’s Day from the Monmouth Business Association.
www.windermere.com
503-838-1141
297 N Pacific
Monmouth
800-732-0173
464 S Pacific Hwy
Monmouth
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Call us to update!
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503-623-2373
503-838-3467
Wednesday, June 14. 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
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Monmouth). Topic: Business Strategies & Re-
sources. Lunch: $12.00 boxed lunch from Three
Legged Dog. Lunch orders must be received by noon 6/13/17. Fee
incurred unless cancelation received via email to
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503-838-4268. Join us in June to learn and discuss business strate-
gies and resources to help strengthen your business or organiza-
tion.
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165 E. Main St.
Monmouth
Thirsty Thursday — June 15
June 18
Thirsty Thursdays are held the third Thursday of
each month from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM at member
locations. Registration is requested to help the
host site properly prepare. Attendees are
encouraged to bring a small giveaway (less than $10) to promote
your business or organization. This month June — Airlie Winery,
15305 Dunn Forest Road, Monmouth
503-838-1773
410 E. Main St.
Monmouth
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