SPRD sponsors theater performance class

Local thespians and lovers of theater are invited to join a theater performance class that begins Tuesday, October 2 at Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD). Polishing your Performance will jump-start the new Sisters Community Theatre program, a joint effort between SPRD, the Community Schools Foundation and the Sisters School District. Local residents Angela Lund, program manager, and Lisa Fetrow, artistic director, have been hired to lead the program.

Fetrow and Lund will teach the class, which will meet for seven weeks, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 7 to 9 p.m. Registration is available at SPRD for high school students and adults and costs $50. Students will learn theater games, exercises and character development, and will work on a monologue, soliloquy or short scene of their choice for a final performance at the Sisters High School Coffee House on Wednesday, November 14.

"We are thrilled about the theatre possibilities here in Sisters," Lund said. "We're already meeting people who are excited to perform as well as help backstage to put this venture together."

Lund, a former employee with the Portland Trailblazers and Portland newspapers, has a background in management, marketing, budget and program planning, and writing. She has worked for Angeline's Bakery & Cafe for seven years at the front counter and in the bakery office. In addition, she volunteers with the Sisters Arts Visioning Committee and the school district.

Fetrow, Sisters meal site coordinator for the Central Oregon Council on Aging, helped produce Sisters High School plays in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She directed and put together costumes for "Play On" and "You Can't Take It with You." Recently, she co-directed "The Orphan Train" through Bend Experimental Arts Theatre and has performed in local plays including "Quilters," which sold out during the 2009 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. Both Fetrow and Lund are members of the Bend improvisational comedy group Triage.

"This is such an exciting opportunity," Fetrow said. "Creating a program that will promote the performing arts and be accessible to kids and adults is something that is a win-win situation for our entire community."

Anne Heath, executive director of SPRD, hopes the theater program can link with and complement summer events such as the quilt show. "The theater program will encourage and welcome the talents of local citizens of all ages," she said. "The combined skills that Lisa and Angela offer are a great base to get momentum going for theatre arts in Sisters."

Lund said that since drama classes at the high school were dropped beginning this year due to budget cuts, the new program offers an alternative for students who want to continue to study theatre.

"I'm extremely excited about this school year because of the way our community is partnering with us to ensure our students have a well-rounded educational opportunity," said Joe Hosang, Sisters High School principal. "The community theater opportunity is one example that will do just that. Our students will collaborate with other students and community members to craft and ignite their creativeness and communication skills. I am so very thankful that Anne is so open to partnering with the school district and found these two very lovely ladies to help us provide an education that prepares students to enter a world that is rapidly changing."

One of the highlights of the program will be a class for a stage play in the winter. "The plan is to keep the wheel rolling and eventually offer workshops and plays all year round for elementary kids to adult, " Lund said. One key to long-term success will be securing funding for the program, she added. Anyone interested in contributing time or funds to the program can contact Lund or Fetrow through SPRD at 541-549-2091.

Registration and other information can be found at www.sistersrecreation.com.