Actors race around stage on a glittering summer afternoon, climbing up and down the set, sparring each other and rehearsing their lines while executing carefully planned stage movements for a fight scene.
Abi Stomberg | Summer Arg
Ilsa Rose-Witt and Cory Williamson fought for a scene during the rehearsal for “Jack in the Beanstalk” June 7. The play will be performed at 6:30 p.m. June 27-29 and at 2p.m June 30, July 3 and 12. at the Hartung Outdoor Theater. Idaho Repertory Theater is celebrating its 60th anniversary on the Palouse.
It is another day on the set of Idaho Repertory Theater’s production of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” which is one of four IRT summer productions that range from a childhood fairytale to a Shakespearean comedy.
The IRT summer program includes “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “The Mystery of Irma Vep,” “Let’s Misbehave-The Music of Cole Porter” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor.”
IRT not only puts on an entertaining performance, but also allows student actors to gain experience by working in a professional setting for the summer.
“The beauty of this is that our actors who are still students at the UI have an opportunity to work with folks who have professional experience,” said Ann Hoste, the artistic director for IRT. “Four of our acting company members have worked for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, for instance.”
The theater industry is similar to how the medical field trains their students by allowing them residencies to learn beside professionals that know what they are doing. This is what IRT gives to students said Rhett Luedtke, director of “The Mystery of Irma Vep.”
IRT across the board is a great experience because it puts students on a professional timeline, professional process and a professional budget said Zac Curtis, director of “Jack and the Beanstalk.”
“It brings the professional world to them,” Curtis said.
Curtis, who is a theater professor at University of Wisconsin at Rock County and a former UI theater student, said IRT brings in many professional actors from out of town that the students can learn from throughout the summer.
UI theater student and IRT actor Josh Petty agreed that IRT gives student actors a better understanding of the professional process, and the expectations of a professional production.
Curtis said that Moscow is a great arts community and supports IRT, but definitely expects a high quality production from the cast and crew.
Luedtke said that the IRT and the UI theater department are known to produce good work throughout the 10 state American College Theater Festival regions.
“Only the better theater programs are able to make this work in the summer,” Luedtke said. “UI is blessed to have a really strong theater program, and faculty to help out and support it.”
Hoste said that UI gives IRT an infrastructure to produce these productions, such as a costume designer and costume shop, administrative assistants and the Hartung Theater.
“We couldn’t operate without the support of the university,” Hoste said. “The university is a invaluable partner in this venture.”
However, IRT relies on ticket sales and donations from business sponsors to fund actor salaries, theater technicians, and materials for sets and costumes, Hoste said.
Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at [email protected]