ASHTABULA - - Straw Hat Theatre will open it's 41st summer season with the musical classic "The Wizard of Oz" June 8.
The production will play on the Straw Hat stage June 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22 and 23. All shows begin at 8 p.m.
Written by Elizabeth Fuller Chapman from the story of L. Frank Baum and directed by Linda Fundis of Austinburg, Straw Hat Theatre's musical production of the show will introduce children to all the beloved characters that grown-ups remember from their own childhood.
Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion will skip along the yellow brick road in search of the magical wizard of Oz. But when they finally get an audience with this great and mighty man, he tells them that he won't grant their wishes until they first bring him the broom of the wicked witch of the west!
Straw Hat Theatre first began in 1967 when the Ashtabula Fine Arts Center and the Ashtabula Playhouse announced that a summer theater program would be started to bring the theater experience to the youth in the community as performers, technicians and audiences.
The first season was held in a circus tent with patrons seated on red circus folding chairs at Lake Shore Park. Following in 1968, the summer theater moved to a new location, at Walnut Beach, on a piece of land leased by the arts center from the city of Ashtabula. A permanent structure was built with funds donated by the Ashtabula Foundation and the Summer Arts Festival.
In 1980, through the generosity of the Civic Development Corp., Straw Hat Theatre made it's final move to the grounds of the Ashtabula Arts Center.
Straw Hat Theatre is located at the Ashtabula Arts Center, 2928 West 13th St. Tickets can be purchased by calling the arts center at (440) 964-3396. Tickets can also be purchased at the door if seating remains available. Patron seating $12, adults $10, seniors $9 and students/children, $8.
Art on display
The Ashtabula Arts Center's art gallery exhibit for June will feature works by area artist Kevin White. The show will be on display
beginning Tuesday and will run through June 29. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibit can also be viewed before theater performances and during intermission. Admission to the exhibit is free.
An opening reception will be held June 8 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Visitors can view the exhibit and meet the artist. Light refreshments will be served.
White suffered a spinal cord injury as the victim of a drunk driver. The accident left him a quadriplegic, dependent on a wheelchair and with very limited use of his hands. White had attended art school prior to his accident, with the intention of working toward a career in art. With encouragement and support from Services for Independent Living, Kevin began to pursue his dream.
With the use of a personal computer, White designs and creates his art with special equipment that coordinates the computer cursor with his head movement. When SIL encouraged Kevin to sell his art at it's annual disability fair, he sold seven pieces. He recently displayed his work at the Willoughby Artsfest where he sold five pieces. White continues to set new goals as an artist and his dream is to one day have a piece of his art in a museum.
White resides at Broadfield Manor Nursing & Convalescent Home in Madison.
You can visit his web page at www.donsphotos.com/kevinwhite/
Star Beacon Print Edition: 6/1/2007
