Truth be told, Elise Forier Edie is a little unsettled by one cast member in Living Doll, the play she's directing in the Bryan Harnetiaux Playwrights' Forum Festival, which kicks off this evening in the Spokane Civic Theatre's Firth J. Chew Studio. The female cast member goes by Cookie and has been known to give people the

  Since 1982, Bryan Harnetiaux’s name has been connected to Spokane Civic Theatre as the playwright in residence. Over the years, a number of his works have premiered at Civic, including “National Pastime,” a play about Jackie Robinson and Wesley Branch Rickey, the white president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, “York,” a show

Spokane Civic Theatre’s production of “Waitress” is likely the first production in the theater’s history that necessitates having three refrigerators backstage. Or a member of the crew – Theresa Johnson – responsible for baking five pies a week. Or real “sugar, butter, flour” as part of the props budget, which also called on the props

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Chelsea LeValley (Jenna), Troy Nickerson (Director), and Tonya Ballman-Lakewolf (Music Director) from Spokane Civic Theatre's Waitress join host Henry McNulty in the studio to discuss their upcoming production of this iconic musical about hope, resilience, and finding happiness where you are. Song: “What Baking Can Do” Performed by Chelsea LeValley Piano,

Spokane Civic Theatre connoisseurs will recognize Jamie L. Suter’s name for her work in the theater’s costume department. They might be surprised however to see her name front and center as she moves into the role of director on “The Beauty Queen of Leenane.” Suter had directed previously while living in New York and helmed

This weekend, Spokane Civic Theatre is offering a double dose of Shakespeare, kind of. On the Margot and Robert Ogden Main Stage, the theater continues with “Romeo and Juliet,” which runs through April 13. In the Firth J. Chew Studio Theatre, Civic and Ignite! Community Theatre present Paul Rudnick’s “I Hate Hamlet.” In this readers

Josh Baig was a student at Spokane Falls Community College when he first met Bill Marlowe, a longtime SFCC instructor who also headed the college's drama department until his retirement in 2016. Looking back, Baig recalls it as a pivotal time. Not only did Marlowe end up stoking his love of theater, he also cultivated in

Though they produced a staged reading of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” during the 2017-18 season, the last mainstage production of the play at Spokane Civic Theatre was during the 1996-97 season. And the last Shakespeare show, tragedy or comedy, on the mainstage was “Macbeth” during the 2000-01 season. So when Executive Director Jake Schaefer

Playwright Sarah Delappe’s 2016 debut, “The Wolves,” is an emotionally moving, award-winning story about a girl’s indoor soccer team that navigates issues of friendship, loss and growing up. Spokane Civic Theatre’s production opened March 7 and runs until March 30. While technically it’s a show about soccer, the heart of “The Wolves” lies in the

At first glance it may seem like Spokane Civic Theatre and ONE Spokane Stadium, home of the Spokane Zephyr and Spokane Velocity soccer teams, share only a parking lot in common, but dig a little deeper and you’ll see the two entities are more connected than you might think. Both the Zephyr and Velocity, part

With mistaken identities, romantic entanglements, behind-the-scenes shenanigans and lots of slamming doors, “Lend Me a Soprano” is perhaps a textbook example of a madcap comedy. “Lend Me a Soprano,” a gender-swapped take on “Lend Me a Tenor,” both of which were written by Ken Ludwig, takes place in 1934 in a two-room hotel suite, with

If you’re lucky, co-workers can turn into true friends. These are the people you work alongside day in and day out, celebrating the highs and commiserating over the lows that life throws your way. These are the people you collaborate with, take lunch breaks with and complain about seemingly endless meetings with. Sometimes, it feels

Dancers can, of course, dance without choreography, allowing the music or their own intuition to guide their moves. And choreographers can, of course, choreograph without a group of dancers, planning elaborate routines in their heads. But the real magic of dance happens when both sides come together, as dancers expertly execute the complex choreography presented

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Co-Directors Jonah Taylor and Jake Schaefer join Henry McNulty to discuss Spokane Civic Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol, opening November 29, 2024. "In Charles Dickens’ beloved classic, three spirits show Scrooge happy memories from his past, difficult realities from the present and a grim future, should he continue

Just like seeing “A Christmas Carol” is a holiday tradition for many, producing the Charles Dickens novella in some form has become a holiday tradition for Spokane Civic Theatre. A look at the theater’s online archive reveals 15 productions of “A Christmas Carol,” be it the stage play, musical, radio play or spins on the

This weekend, as in many years past, A Christmas Carol opens on the main stage of the Spokane Civic Theatre. This production makes use of the popular adaptation by Barbara Field, which has been the theater's preferred version of Charles Dickens' classic holiday tale for more than 40 years. "Civic has done all the musical

It only takes one voice to spark a change, but being the one to speak out can be daunting when facing a system built to protect itself, not the people it serves. In “An Enemy of the People,” that one voice belongs to Dr. Thomas Stockmann. Stockmann (Thor Edgell), the medical officer of a new

It’s not uncommon for directors to have multiple experiences working with a particular show. Jean Hardie, who is directing “Carousel,” the musical, opening Spokane Civic Theatre’s 77th season, for example, choreographed the show when it was produced at Civic 40 years ago. Before that, she choreographed a production while working in Montana. During that production,

When the creative duo of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had to follow the immense success of their first musical collaboration, Oklahoma!, they went with the obvious choice: a turn-of-the-century Hungarian play about an inarticulate, impetuous carnival barker who mistreats his girlfriend, commits suicide during a botched robbery and later makes a posthumous attempt at redemption

It’s not often that Spokane Civic Theatre has to list resources such as Child Protective Services, the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Hotline on its website, but it’s also not often that the theater produces a show like “Heathers.” Co-directors Heather McHenry-Kroetch and Troy Nickerson understand any hesitation people might