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15
washington county arts guide
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march – may 2013
Timing is everything
Hell hath no fury like a diva who’s been double-booked. The Northwest
premiere of Michael McKeever’s “Suite Surrender” will tell the tale of just such
a catastrophe in March at the Beaverton Civic Theatre.
The year is 1942, and American songstress Claudia McFadden arrives at the
PalmBeach Royale Hotel already miffed to be headlining a benefit concert with
actress Athena Sinclair.
“Claudia is demanding and egotistical, and expects people to jump when she
gives the command,” says Donna Haub, who will portray the high-maintenance
starlet. Deborah Leinen, who will be playing Sinclair, describes her character as
“every inch a diva” herself.
“They absolutely hate each other,” says director KraigWilliams. And to the
dismay of their harrowed assistants and the hotel’s general manager, the two
superstars have also been mistakenly assigned to the same suite. In classic 1940s
farce style, it will be a breathlessly fast-paced comedy.
“There’s a lot of narrowly missing each other, a lot of in and out of doors,”
explainsWilliams, who says that the hotel staff and the stars’ assistants try
desperately to keep the two hotheads from realizing they’re sharing a room.
“Perfect timing is essential,” adds Haub.
Williams has also been hard at work developing the character of the hotel’s
general manager, Bernard S. Dunlap. Aaron Morrow, who will play Mr. Dunlap,
is practicing portraying extreme stress as his character attempts heavy-duty
damage control.
“He relishes the control of every detail of the day-to-day operations of the
resort, his first and only love,” explains Morrow. “[But] his polished demeanor
quickly unravels.”
The debacle will take place on a set designed to look like an expensive hotel,
which set designer Marion Kessler is building with attention to both traditional
1940s décor, as well as its location in notoriously gaudy PalmBeach, Florida.
“Given the constraints of the auditorium, it really is epic to watch Marion’s
vision,” says Morrow. “I am really excited about the energy and realism it will
infuse for our audience.”
The cast will be outfitted in newly-made costumes inspired by vintage pieces,
crafted to reflect an authentic slice of WorldWar II-era garb. Williams’ two
buzzwords are ‘elegant’ and ‘colorful.’
“Suite Surrender” premiers March 1 and will run through March 16. For
ticket prices and show times, visit www.beavertoncivictheatre.org.
– Emily Jensen
Fast-paced comedy tries to keep rival divas apart
Put down the pillow
and walk away
slowly.
Order up! Burgerville feeds
the arts on March 21
On Thursday, March 21,
Burgerville will donate 15
percent of all sales to Work
for Art — up to $15,000 —
from all 39 of their
restaurants.
Now in its third year, the
“Feed the Arts” partnership
between Burgerville
restaurants and Work for
Art is a very effective way to
combine sustainable, local
food with arts and culture—
some of the Northwest’s
favorite things, according to
Work for Art manager
Kathryn Jackson.
Burgerville’s mission,
“Serve with Love,” is
exemplified by its focused
efforts in fostering healthy,
thriving communities—starting with its
employees, says Jeff Harvey, president
and CEO of Burgerville, who finds that
exposure to and involvement in the arts
results in more productive and
innovative employees.
Harvey puts it like this: “Like food,
the arts are where we come together
most powerfully to blend cultures,
express ideas, balance
opposing thoughts and
create healthy, lively
communities,” he said. “The
arts are not just how we
survive — they’re how we
thrive.”
That’s why Harvey, who is
serving as Work for Art’s
Honorary Chair this year, is
leading the charge in making
sure Feed the Arts raises
more money for the arts this
year than ever before. Many
of Burgerville’s 39 locations
will be going all-out
throughout the day with
various arts activities and, in
some cases, live
performances!
Now in its seventh year,
Work for Art also has plenty of
experience with creating a thriving arts
and culture community. Through gifts
made primarily through payroll
deduction, Work for Art has raised more
than $4.5 million dollars — all of which is
distributed to more than 100 arts and
culture groups based in Washington,
Multnomah and Clackamas counties.
Feed the Arts
■
Visit any of
Burgerville’s 39
restaurant locations
between 6 a.m. and
10 p.m. on Thursday,
March 21 and 15
percent of your
purchase will be
donated to Work for
Art’s Community Fund.
■
Five of the
restaurants are in
Washington County,
located in Aloha,
Beaverton, Hillsboro
and Tigard. Watch for
updates on Facebook
and Twitter: @
workforart, @
burgervilleusa.
■
For more about
Work for Art, visit
workforart.org.
If you were looking for an excuse to pick up a
Tillamook cheeseburger or cherry-chocolate milkshake,
Burgerville’s support for local arts offers a great one.