Hoffman Center Blog

Cast members from “Cassie the Crab and Rosita the Island Girl” , the 2009 Drama Camp production.

The Hoffman Center in Manzanita will offer a three-week Summer Drama Camp for children ages 5 to 18. Led by Annie Naranjo-Rivera, the camp will be held 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays, from Aug. 2 through 20 at 594 Laneda Ave.

 Students will audition for, rehearse and perform a full-length stage production of  “A Thousand Paper Cranes.” The play tells the story of young Japanese girl and her magical wish.

 Students will learn about stage acting, projection and movement, in addition to making original costumes and artwork for the production.

 No performing experience is necessary. Tuition for the camp is $100 for the whole session. As the camp runs over the lunch hour, participants should bring a lunch.

 Naranjo-Rivera has over 10 years of experience working with children on the stage. She studied at Lewis and Clark College for her BA in Theatre Arts. She has worked with numerous children’s theaters around the country, directing, stage-managing, designing sets and props, choreographing, and designing stage lighting.

 A limited number of scholarships will be available, thanks to the support of local businesses and art lovers. Parents interested should ask when registering.

 Register now by downloading Kids Camp Registration Form, phoning 503-368-3846 or e-mailing hoffmancenter@nehalemtel.net.

Local resident, Liz Cole, is directing and plays the title role in Vesta

The Hoffman Center will present a staged reading of Bryan Harnetiaux’s play VESTA, with local resident and national actor Liz Cole directing and acting in the title role. The play will be held at 7:30pm on Friday, May 14 at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita. Admission is $10.  Listen to an interview with Liz Cole on KTIL about Vesta and Hoffman Center, on KTIL May 12.

VESTA is an intimate 90-minute drama that examines with humor and warmth an ordinary family’s struggle with end-of-life issues. The title character, Vesta Pierson, is a grandmother confronting her inexorable loss of independence as her health declines. Together, Vesta, her daughter, and granddaughter face a series of complex medical, economic, and personal issues associated with this challenging time of life.

VESTA received its first professional production in 2008 at the Capitol Hill Arts Center (CHAC) in Seattle, where it received wide critical acclaim. Currently Duke University’s Institute on Care at the End of Life licenses the play in the clinical world.

The Friday night reading will be directed by Manzanita resident Liz Cole, who will also read the title role. Liz Cole, whose professional name is Megan, has enjoyed a career that has taken her to repertory theaters across the United States. Perhaps most famously, she created the role of Vivian Bearing in the original stage productions of WIT for which she was awarded the L.A. Drama Critics’ Circle Award and the DramaLogue Award. Television credits include Seinfeld, The Practice, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek:Deep Space Nine, L.A.Law and ER, among others. For more information and a link to a demo video, go to megancole.net.

On Saturday, May 15, Bryan Harnetiaux, the playwright of Vesta, will present both a playwriting workshop and reading as part of the Manzanita Writers’ Series May Event.

Cast members from “Cassie the Crab and Rosita the Island Girl” pose for a photo on stage at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita.

Students from the Hoffman Center Summer Drama and Performing Arts Camp topped off their three-week experience by putting on three performances of “Cassie the Crab and Rosita the Island Girl” to appreciative audiences. Center board member Annie Narañjo-Rivera led the camp and directed the play.

Throughout the camp, the kids, ages 4 to 26, learned acting techniques, auditioned for roles and rehearsed their parts.

“Cassie” tells the story of the birth of the Caribbean Islands, with mystical sea creatures, fantastic adventures, and Caribbean and Latin music.