Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest, May 13-16

Leavenworth's annual Spring Bird Fest starts this week, with many different arts and science activities and performances to choose from.  Below are the Icicle Arts related events happening throughout the festival:
*  Thursday, May 13, Float and Draw with Lori Aylesworth, sign up through leavenworthspringbirdfest.com

* Music, Magic, & Masterpieces on Friday, May 14 at 7:00 p.m. at Barn Beach Reserve in Leavenworth. This spectacular showcase features After School Arts Program students, Cascade High School’s Dance Team, Steinway and Sony Masterworks artist Andrew T. Miller with Seattle-area musical theater artists Sandy Fedasch, Roy Wilson, John B. Cooper, Holly Chase, Emily Dale, and Haley Rathburn, and award-winning Seattle-area magician Bruce Meyers. Tickets are $10 general admission, and are available online or by calling (509) 548-2278. Proceeds benefit Icicle Arts’ After School Arts Program.  Support your kids' arts education - reserve your tickets now!

* May 7 to 28, Birds Take Flight – A Student Art Exhibit at Icicle Arts Gallery, gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or by appointment.

Saturday, May 15:
* Free performances at the Gazebo, Noon to 3pm, featuring the Academy of Dance and Performing Arts, Mission Improv, The Magic of Bruce Meyers, and Edelweiss Dance Acadamie
* A Create Your Own Bird Whistle Workshop: This family-friendly workshop takes place at Barn Beach Reserve from Noon to 4pm in the sun room. $10 per person includes supplies. Maximum enrollment 30 people. Register now by calling (509) 548-2278 or e-mail info@iciclearts.org

* Sunday, May 16, Songbird Music & Dance Concert at Icicle Creek Music Center’s Canyon Wren Recital Hall at 2pm, featuring the Icicle Creek Piano Trio, Marlin Handbell Ringers, and local guest dancers. Tickets are $10 in advance – (509) 548-2278 or online, and $12 at the door, benefiting Bird Fest.

To learn more about Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest, visit iciclearts.org and leavenworthspringbirdfest.com

Icicle Arts programs are made possible by support from members like you. Members receive the monthly e-newsletter featuring local arts events, exclusive invitations to members-only events, and many other great benefits. Visit iciclearts.org or call (509) 548-2278 to learn more or join.

Cherry Orchard Recap

Jan Johnston's production of The Cherry Orchard took a lot of hard work and time, but thanks to all the dedicated actors and crew, the show turned out great!  The play was funny at times and sad at others, but had a memorable impact on audiences.  It especially related well to the fruit orchard country we live in, even though Chekhov's play was written over 100 years ago and took place in Russia, where I didn't even realize they grew cherries!  Overall, the acting was exceptionally well done and the set design and costumes were very professional and realistic.  We appreciate everyone who attended and helped out during the course of the two weekends!  Here's the press from the Wenatchee World.
-Jennifer Hutzel

Earth Day Fair 2010

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Leavenworth Community Earth Day Fair! There was a huge turnout and I think everyone had a great time.  Here are some pictures from yesterday's fun:

This Weekend: The Cherry Orchard

Inside The Cherry Orchard

Upcoming production The Cherry Orchard, presented by the Wenatchee Valley College Drama Department and Icicle Arts, premiers Friday, April 16.  This was the last play written by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov and originally premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre on January 17, 1904, just seven months before he passed away due to illness.

The Cherry Orchard, directed by Leavenworth resident and WVC drama faculty Jan Johnston, includes local college students and members of the community alike. Featured actor and Leavenworth resident Jeanine Salter, who has been extensively involved with Leavenworth Summer Theater (acting and directing) since 1997, will play Madame Ranevsky. Salter’s directing credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Showboat, The Sound of Music, Kiss Me Kate, A Christmas Carol, and most recently, The Pirates of Penzance.  A few of her stand-out performance roles with LST include: Golde (the Momma) in Fiddler on the Roof, Gretchen in The Student Prince, and the Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol. Jeanine has also been active in other theaters here in the Upper Valley, performing in Apple Blossom Musicals as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, Jack’s mom in Into the Woods, and most recently, Penny Sycamore in You Cant Take it With You with Music Theater of Wenatchee. Jeanine achieved her BFA in the professional actors training studio at the University of Illinois and performed in Chicago and Sacramento before making the Pacific Northwest her home.

Another Leavenworth resident, David Brameld, who also has experience in many Leavenworth Summer Theater productions including Kiss Me Kate and A Christmas Carol, will portray Leonid Gayef, the sister of Madame Ranevsky. These two characters are joint owners of the Ranevsky country estate and cherry orchard in Russia, which is the setting for the play.

Icicle Arts and WVC Drama Department present The Cherry Orchard, on April 23 and 24 at 8:00 p.m. at the Campus Theater at Wenatchee Valley College, 1300 Fifth Street. Tickets are $5 for students and seniors, and $10 for adults, available only at the door.   
-Jennifer Hutzel

Looking Good!

Our office renovation is almost complete!  The new room has been painted, along with the outside and surrounding walls.  The bathroom renovation, which involves new vanity and light fixtures is now in process. The sink has been installed and tested and one of the walls is now orange!

Icicle Arts & WVC Drama Dept Present "The Cherry Orchard"

Icicle Arts and Wenatchee Valley College’s Drama Department are pleased to present “The Cherry Orchard,” on April 16, 17, 23, and 24 at 8:00 p.m. Performances take place at the Campus Theater at Wenatchee Valley College, 1300 Fifth Street. Tickets are $5 for students and seniors, and $10 for adults, available only at the door.

Anton Chekov’s “The Cherry Orchard,” originally written as a comedy, deals with the serious themes of personal relationships as well as the changing class and economic structures in pre-revolution Russia. The wonderfully complex characters grapple with these issues to create a humorous yet haunting masterwork. Their struggle to save the cherry orchard from the axe will be a familiar one to residents in the Wenatchee Valley.

Icicle Arts and Wenatchee Valley College’s production of “The Cherry Orchard” is directed by Leavenworth resident and Wenatchee Valley College drama chair Jan Johnston. Before moving to Leavenworth in 2000, Johnston spent 30 years working in theater. She taught at Northwestern University of Louisiana, Southern Illinois University, and University of Washington, as well as working professionally as a costume designer and makeup artist. She has directed and designed costumes for Leavenworth Summer Theater, and will be directing their upcoming production of “The Sound of Music.” It has been a long-time goal of Johnston’s to present “The Cherry Orchard” to our community as the themes of this masterwork ring true to many of us in this economically-challenging time. With generous sponsorship from Icicle Arts and Wenatchee Valley College, this dream has become a reality.

Wenatchee Valley actors Jeanine and Kent Salter, Maren Cagle, David Harvill, David Brameld, Nellie Fishburn, Ken Sinko, Issac and Zeke Reister, Ted Fredericks, Mandi Wickline, Mary Resk, Maynard Johnson, and Bo Davis complete the all-star cast of this classic play.

Icicle Arts programs are made possible by support from members like you. Members receive the monthly e-newsletter featuring local arts events, exclusive invitations to members-only events, and many other great benefits! Visit iciclearts.org or call (509) 668-4663 to learn more or join.

Work in Progress

The new construction project is coming along well and the walls are now officially up.  The office is a bit dusty and messy but we are still here!  The next step is a door, windows, and some paint and we'll be good to go.