Three Fun Musicals, One Great Event!

Three musicals, three stories, three styles, nearly two dozen actors, three directors—a lot of theatre concentrated into one evening.

A three-in-one evening, you won't want to miss.

Show times: July 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 25, 26 at 7:30 p.m. with one matinee on July 20.

Tickets $15 / $10 for students and seniors, available at Collage of the Gorge and Columbia Center of the Arts during normal business hours, or at the door just prior to the event.

---

For most theatre companies, the excitement and challenge of premiering a new stage work is a unique opportunity to explore and shape the unknown, to collaborate with the author in an evolving creative process, and give audiences a totally new experience. Without reference to past productions or established interpretations, actors and directors alike are both freed of expectations and daunted by possibilities.

But what if, instead of presenting a new play, there was the challenge of preparing three new plays, all musicals, each with a different cast, set, costume requirements, and storytelling style?

This July, CAST will present the world premieres of three new one act musicals: My Butterfly, Zen Boyfriend, and Junk. Hood River Valley High music director Mark Steighner, who wrote two of the shows, and co-wrote the third, is excited by the opportunity and just a little nervous about the outcome. “Of course, you never know how audiences will respond,” Steighner said. “There is no magic formula to crafting a successful musical. All you can do is try your best, make some changes along the way, and hope people will enjoy the results!”

---

My Butterfly

Book, Lyrics and Music by Mark Steighner

Directed by Richard Parker

Mark Stighner says about the show: “My Butterfly is this whacky, satiric, absurd musical that begins plausibly enough and then just gets stranger and stranger. I wrote the script a few years ago and every once in a while, brought it back out. It always made me laugh at least.” My Butterfly takes place in a remote Amazonian jungle and brings together a lot of odd characters, including a folk singer, a lost grad student and his surfer dude sidekick, some very disoriented scouts, an eco-warrior, and a very famous television personality.” My Butterfly is being directed by CAST veteran Richard Parker and features a very large cast from age 8-60.

---

Junk

Book by Madeline Gobbo and Mark Steighner

Music and Lyrics by Madeline Gobbo, Eryn Bryan and Mark Steighner

Directed by Mark Steighner

"In total contrast, Junk is grounded in reality. It is about a divorcing couple and their relationship with their younger selves. ” Junk was penned by a student of Steighner in the high school music program, Madeline Gobbo. Eryn Bryan assisted in arranging the songs and revising the script. “Madeline has written some believable, interesting characters and really has an ear for dialogue,” Steighner says, who is directing the students ’ show. “Junk is a very moving little play.”

---

Zen Boyfriend

Book, Lyrics, and Music by Mark Steighner

Inspired by "Spiritual Friends" by Mariana Caplan

The third one act musical, Zen Boyfriend, is the longest and most complex of the three shows. It is loosely based on an essay by Mariana Caplan called “Spiritual Friends,” and is about a young woman whose search for a stable relationship amongst a series of seemingly spiritual men is thwarted by their tendency to use spirituality as a shield. “’I need space’ is their mantra,” Steighner said. “Mariana tries to change herself, tries to change them, but neither approach is successful.” John Bryan directs.

As diverse as the stories are, the music is equally varied. Each show has a different feel. “Butterfly’s music is sort of ‘folky,’ while Zen Boyfriend’s music moves through a lot of styles. Junk only has three songs, but they integrate perfectly with the show and move the characters and plot along really well.”