It’s safe to say Lily Johnson aced their assignment. Johnson’s play “WIP (Woman in Progress)” started as a midterm assignment for their remote college writing class. Tasked with writing a 10-minute play, Johnson came up with the idea to write a play about a nonbinary writer trying to create a completely unproblematic female character. The

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Cast members from Spokane Civic Theatre's Jagged Little Pill join host Henry McNulty to discuss the production. Written by Diablo Cody, the musical is inspired by the album by Alanis Morisette. Guests include Executive Director Jake Schaefer, Music Director Christian Skok, and actors Isabella Jimenez and John Ko. “Head Over Feet”

After receiving backlash for how its production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” was cast, Spokane Civic Theatre canceled the production and hit pause while they regrouped and worked toward a more inclusive future. Ten days after announcing the cancellation of “Hunchback,” Civic announced its next show would instead be “Jagged Little Pill,” a jukebox musical that

Playwright Bryan Harnetiaux wants to make it clear that “Squalor” is not about him. His latest work as Spokane Civic Theatre’s resident playwright, “Squalor” tells the story of William Kasinski, a mystery writer with a long, successful career that’s recently been hit with a period so slow that Kasinski begins to wonder if it might

A mother’s love can be well-meaning but overbearing. From a child’s perspective, that love can feel supportive, but also suffocating. In “The Glass Menagerie,” single mother Amanda Wingfield wants the best for her children Tom and Laura but can’t help but compare their lives to her once-privileged life, working tirelessly to set her children up

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Director Chelsea Duvall and actor Melody Deatherage joined Host Henry McNulty to discuss Spokane Civic Theatre's production of POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, written by Selina Fillinger. Playing: Now – March 8th | Thurs. – Sat. @ 7:30 PM, Sun. @

It happens every time. Whenever I watch a musical produced by a community theater, there is a moment when I think “I can’t believe that these performers live in town, that the theater isn’t bussing people in from New York City.” Knowing I could see any of these performers at the grocery store blows my

As the saying goes, “Behind every great man is a great woman.” But who’s behind the not-so-great men? The ones who always seem to be one move away from personal and/or professional disaster? According to playwright Selena Fillinger, maintaining that type of man requires seven women. In her play “POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumba**

At a time when national politics feels so tense and inescapable and grim, a play called POTUS might seem like a tough sell — even if you’re already well aware that it’s a comic farce. Then again, POTUS isn’t a purely political play. Yes, it’s set in the White House. And, yes, its all-female septet of characters includes the First

Contrary to what social media trends might imply, the #Trad-Wife movement has been around for ages. Aspiring to fit oneself into a traditional female role has been the burden of countless fictional characters of the past, such as Emma from Jane Austen’s novel of the same name, written more than 200 years ago. Modern-day playwright

Though the 1995 movie Clueless has made its own mark on the cultural zeitgeist, its source material may be even more iconic. (Ugh, as if!) Jane Austen’s 1815 novel Emma follows the rich young Emma Woodhouse. She’s highly intelligent, beautiful and spoiled by her life in the British landed gentry. Although she’s a 21-year-old who wishes to never marry,

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Spokane Civic Theatre's production of All Is Calm joins host Henry McNulty in the studio to perform selections from the show. Director Abbey Crawford and Music Director Jesse Hampsch discuss the music, their personal experience with this powerful piece of theatre, and the historical events that inspired it. Cast: Daniel Bell

In years past, winter has brought many holiday stories to Spokane Civic Theatre’s stage. From classics like “White Christmas” and “A Christmas Carol” to more modern favorites like “A Christmas Story” and “A Sherlock Carol,” many have made seeing Civic’s winter show part of their holiday traditions. This year, Civic brings a new story to

An English teacher by day, director Preston Loomer has taught Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” a number of times. Each time he revisits the novel, he feels as if it’s even more interesting and relevant with an undercurrent of modern topics in an old story. Reading the script of Nick Dear’s “Frankenstein,” a stage adaptation of “Frankenstein,

Filling the season for Spokane Civic Theatre’s main stage is a very particular process. The season opener, according to Executive Director Jake Schaefer, needs to be strong, something that makes a statement. In the winter, the show should be welcoming, usually a more traditional story, and something celebratory of the season. In the mid-winter, the

Nostalgia has a tendency to color the past in a rosy tint. That's why sometimes when we watch movies and TV shows that we loved years ago, it doesn't hit quite the same. Maybe the characters feel a little off or those iconic moments you can still quote aren't as impactful, but either way the unstoppable

Some people were born to be heroes. Brave souls who are practically destined to save the day or maybe even the world. They don’t back down from a challenge and get right back up every time they’re knocked down. Puffs are not those people. “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of

When Danny Anderson sat in the audience of My Turn Theater's 2022 production of Guys and Dolls Jr., he had no idea he'd be running the organization three years later. All he knew was that the show was a "very inspiring, joy-filled experience" that made him want to become more involved. Which is exactly what he did.

As soon as the curtain closed on their production of “Guys and Dolls,” actor Danny Anderson knew he’d be working with My Turn Theater in some capacity. My Turn Theater gives actors with physical or intellectual disabilities opportunities to take the stage. Before there was My Turn Theater, there was Out of the Shadows Theater,

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

Nicole Ostlie as Sillabub in the Civic's production of Cats. Cats was an unlikely theatrical phenomenon. The musical's primary source material is Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, a collection of quirky children's poems by T.S. Eliot, the same literary figure who gave us ominous and melancholic works like The Waste Land and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. It indulges

The art of making art Is putting it together, Bit by bit Beat by beat, Part by part -Stephen Sondheim For Spokane Civic Theatre’s this-weekend-only musical revue, Executive Director Jake Schaefer borrowed a phrase from Stephen Sondheim’s 1983 song about making art. “’Beat by Beat’ is from the song “Putting It Together” from the show

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Director and cast perform scenes from and discuss the Mozart–Salieri rivalry play Dan Bisbee, Melody Deatherage and Mitch Heid came into the KPBX studio to speak with E.J. Iannelli on behalf of the Spokane Civic Theatre new main stage production of Amadeus. The 1979 play, written by Peter Shaffer, imagines

As a professional voiceover actor, Deborah Marlowe has a leg up when it comes to mimicking regional accents. Her soothing, trusted tones can be heard nationwide, portraying dramatic characters in video games, selling breath fresheners and house cleansers in commercials, and narrating art museum tours and nature films, just to name some of her professional

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Cast members and director discuss a play about "Southie" and class identity Scarlett Hepworth, Pam Kingsley, Deborah Marlowe and Marianne McLaughlin entered the KPBX studio to talk with E.J. Iannelli about the Spokane Civic Theatre's new production of Good People. The plays opens this weekend in the theater's studio space.

The cast of "Merrily We Roll Along," a Spokane Civic Theatre production, will take the stage this weekend. When “Merrily We Roll Along,” debuted in 1934 and hit Broadway in 1981, the play, which is an inspired story about the lives and friendships of three friends over a 20-year period, flopped. A number of critics

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Directors and cast discuss the challenging Sondheim musical and perform two songs Joel Cummings, David Hardie, Jean Hardie, Henry McNulty and Kalla Mort joined E.J. Iannelli in the KPBX studio to talk about the Spokane Civic Theatre's new production of the Stephen Sondheim–George Furth musical Merrily We Roll Along, which

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE The director, music director and leads talk about the studio-sized holiday musical Kathie Doyle-Lipe, Henry McNulty, David Olson and Taylor Wenglikowski joined E.J. Iannelli in the KPBX studio to fill listeners in on the Spokane Civic Theatre's new production of She Loves Me. The musical opens in the theater's Firth

Deviating from standard holiday fare, the Spokane Civic Theatre will serve up a holiday mashup of merriment and murder when it presents the regional premiere of “A Sherlock Carol” on Friday. Civic is betting the play that mixes “A Christmas Carol” with “Sherlock Holmes” will be a winning recipe for audiences hungry for a new

If the title of A Sherlock Carol  seems at once familiar yet uncanny, that might be intentional. The play by Mark Shanahan takes two of the most popular characters of Victorian fiction, Sherlock Holmes and Ebenezer Scrooge, and creates a Christmas mash-up that riffs on both of their literary origins. Following its well-received off-Broadway premiere in 2021,

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Actors playing Tiny Tim and Sherlock join their director to preview a holiday mystery On this day before Thanksgiving, Mathias Oliver, Jerry Sciarrio and Dallan Starks sat down in the KPBX studio with E.J. Iannelli to discuss the Spokane Civic Theatre’s new production of A Sherlock Carol. The holiday murder

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE The director and a cast member offer insight into a feminist take on a classic horror tale Chelsea DuVall and Dawn Taylor-Reinhardt of the Spokane Civic Theatre’s new production of Dracula sat down in the KPBX studio with E.J. Iannelli to discuss this feminist reframing of Bram Stoker's Gothic horror novel.

Ethan Williams as Dracula fights with Bridget Pretz as Doctor Van Helsing in Spokane Civic Theatre's production of "Dracula," opening this weekend in the Firth J. Chew Studio Theatre. In the background are Shakyla Garcia Davidson as Mina Harker and Nicholas Roy Morgan III playing Doctor George Seward. Nothing is sweeter than revenge. Just ask playwright

Few sitcoms from the 1960s resonate today. Such hits from yesteryear as “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Munsters” are dated and predictable. The Addams Family, a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams, is an exception. The delightfully quirky, old money clan who revel in the macabre lasted only two seasons, 1964-66 on ABC. “The

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Creatives and cast discuss and perform songs from the Broadway black comedy Jayce Fortin, Mathias Oliver, Henry McNulty and Jake Schaefer joined E.J. Iannelli in the KPBX studio to talk about the Spokane Civic Theatre's upcoming season and its opening show, The Addams Family. The Broadway musical about the famously

TA(P) this week profiles the making of the Civic's Charlie & the Chocolate Factory This week we at Spokane Public Radio are excited to present a special episode of the Thursday Arts (P)review. Instead of our usual multi-segment format featuring artists, authors, musicians and other creatives from across the Inland Northwest, we've teamed up with the Inlander to take

(Jerrod Phelps as Willy Wonka on the cover for the Inlander) Everyone knows the story of Charlie, the Golden Ticket and his fateful visit to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. And if you don't, well, I'm sorry. It's a great story. Good news is the Spokane Civic Theatre has the play on its main stage through June

This weekend, Spokane Civic Theatre will open its studio production of “Cabaret,” John Kander and Fred Ebb’s beloved and societally confrontational tour through the seedy, vaudevillian nightlife of 1930s Berlin. Set in the aftermath of Germany’s Weimar Republic, “Cabaret” is based on John Van Druten’s play “I Am a Camera” adapted from Christopher Isherwood’s 1939

The Firth J. Chew studio in the lower level of the Spokane Civic Theatre has always been a small space with big possibilities. Over the years its interior has been rearranged for performances that faced north and east, for stages in a three-sided thrust format or in the round, and for players entering and exiting from

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Spokane Civic Theatre's latest production taps local history to tell the story of the Hutton Settlement children's home in Spokane Valley. Writer/director Tim Rarick, actors Tom McArthur (Judge Leavy) and Michael Schmidt (Gus Paulson), and Hutton Settlement Director of Community Relations & Communications, Jessica Laughery, discuss the Settlement's history

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Spokane Civic Theatre’s Susan Hardie visits the studio to discuss “The Book of Will,” Lauren Gunderson’s play about a pivotal moment in Elizabethan history when the plays of William Shakespeare could have been lost to posterity. Also in the studio are actors Jamie Flannery (John Heminges), Bridget Pretz (Alice

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Spokane Civic Theatre's Kathie Doyle-Lipe, Director of "Matilda the Musical," visits the studio with actors Eleanor Weitz (Matilda), Shelby Freesmeyer (Miss Honey), and Doug Dawson (Miss Agatha Trunchbull), and the Civic's Music Director, Henry McNulty, with a preview of the production. "Matilda the Musical" has performances Thursdays through Saturdays

Like the Roald Dahl book on which it's based, Matilda the Musical is the tale of a highly intelligent little girl with a penchant for practical jokes and, at least briefly, the uncanny ability to move things with her mind. And, just like its source material — not to mention pretty much all of Dahl's most famous

LISTEN TO THE RADIO INTERVIEW HERE Spokane Civic Theatre's summer season opens with "Spring Awakening," a musical based on the 1891 German play of the same name by Frank Wedekind, and with contemporary words and music by Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik. Jake Schaefer (who co-directs the production with Sarah Dahmen), cast members Aubrey Peterson

Opening night comes with enough pressure as it is, but the opening night of the regional premiere of a production must amplify that feeling. Spokane Civic Theatre took on the challenge, and succeeded, with its newest main stage production, the regional premiere of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” directed by Melody

A flower shop employee. A shopkeeper’s naive assistant. A clumsy jack of all trades. The younger self of a seasoned performer. University High School senior Nicholas Griep, 18, has played a variety of roles in his few short years as an actor, but none have been as challenging as that of Christopher John Francis Boone

A three-show run might not sound like much of a challenge, but things are different when it’s Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies” on stage. For one, the musical is, in a word, huge, with the Broadway production calling for a cast of more than 30. With settings like an upscale reunion and a Broadway-worthy show within a

Last year, in a slight departure from recent tradition, the Spokane Civic Theatre mixed things up by putting on a holiday production that was neither White Christmas, The Christmas Schooner nor some variant of A Christmas Carol, at least one of which had been performed in nine of the previous 12 seasons. Instead, the theater opted to stage A Christmas Story:

Listen to the radio interview here. Creative Director Jake Schaefer and Constellations director Pam Kingsley of Spokane Civic Theatre's Firth J Chew Studio Theatre arrived for their interview alongside actor and Spokane newcomer Max Elinsky, who holds a starring role in their upcoming production: Constellations. This 70-minute play begins with a simple encounter between Roland, a beekeeper,

Listen to the radio interview here. Spokane Civic Theater visits the studio in anticipation of their upcoming show "Bug". This story is set in a seedy Oklahoma City morely room and centers on the meeting between Agnes, a self-medicating divorcee and  Peter, a soft-spoken Gulf War drifter. Performance dates: September 21 - October 14, 2018.

Listen to the radio interview here. Cast members and the director of the Mary Poppins visit the KPBX studio in anticipation of the show opening Friday, September 14th, 2018.  

The East Wind must be passing through Spokane. Mary Poppins is coming to town. Or, rather, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s “Mary Poppins,” which opens Friday at Spokane Civic Theatre. The musical, which premiered in England in 2004 and on Broadway in 2006, is based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the 1964 Disney film