Archives

Churchill Readings at the Hoffman Center

Staged reading of Churchill speeches on November 14

The Hoffman Center in Manzanita will present an evening of readings from the speeches of Winston Churchill, Sunday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.

 Most of the addresses were made to the British and American people between 1938 and 1941, when the balance of power in the world was threatened by Nazi Germany. Churchill’s father was British, his mother American, and in his talks he called on both peoples to respond to the threat.

 Readers will be Dave Bell, Lynn Hadley, Stewart Martin, Peter Nunn, Ahna Ortiz, Margaret Page and Richard Speer.

 “Many feel these are the words that saved western civilization. They are surely among the most honored and respected in the history of the English language,” said director Richard Speer. “I hope that all will take from the readings an appreciation of the heroism and courage of the man who made them and the people who first heard and then responded to them.”

 Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, famed politician, statesman and orator, served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1940 to 1945, and from 1951 to 1955. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953. Ten years later, he became the first person named an Honorary Citizen of the United States.

Admission to the event will cost $10 and tickets will be sold at the door.

Local resident and national actor Liz Cole directs and acts in staged reading of Vesta

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

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.