Storm causes program changes

By Rebecca Petersen | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, April 12, 2008

It’s always interesting to write this column on a Thursday (or earlier) knowing you’ll be reading this on Saturday (or later) because what’s current today will be old news by tomorrow.

In this case I’m referring to “the weather.” At 9:24 a.m. on Thursday, it’s slightly overcast, but the sun is peaking out ever so slightly from behind that cloud with “silver lining.”

Meanwhile, there’s talk at the Viking Cafe of the anticipated 15 inches of snow in the next 48 hours. I guess the point I’m making is that by the time this is published on Saturday there will be no more mystery about the weekend weather.

Here at A Center for the Arts (and with our school and community partners) we’re watching the weather very carefully.

With Children’s Theatre Company in town all week doing workshops and setting up for their production of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” we were all pretty certain that snow would not deter our goal of three performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We’re pretty certain the Thursday afternoon performance will fly. Friday morning? It’s iffy as I write this column. So the phone is already ringing off the hook ... ” Are you still planning on the Saturday afternoon performance?”

Absolutely, yes. There will definitely be a performance of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” on Saturday, April 12 at 2 p.m. at the Fergus Falls Middle School auditorium. The actors are here. The set is in place. The curtain will go up come rain, snow or sunshine.

Originally tickets at the door were going to go up in price — we typically give you a break for buying your tickets in advance of the day of the show, but since I’m guessing there’s a strong possibility that getting to the theater on Friday could pose a problem, we will honor the advance prices on Saturday – $12 for adults, $5 for students and $35 for the entire household. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday to accommodate general seating in the auditorium.

For A Center for the Arts productions this may be the last time we get to use the Middle School for awhile. Starting this summer, the Middle School Auditorium will be in the middle of all the new construction and, as I understand, probably not available again until August of 2009.

So, this summer our theater productions will be held here at A Center for the Arts and out at the Community College (MSCTC-Fergus Falls). What’s on the docket? “Wizard of Oz” and “Robin Hood” will be our summer productions. Auditions will be held in May.

It’s great to have such wonderful community partners. They make great things possible, and they make great things happen.

Thanks to partnerships in the community next weekend (April 17-22), we have a Fabulous Five Days sponsored by Fergus Falls Humanities Forum and Fergus Falls BIG Read consortium. Starting Thursday night, April 17, with the Bigwood Lecture Series and running through Tuesday, April 22, we will take “A Journey to China” with special guests and many opportunities to which the public is invited.

You will have an opportunity to attend sessions on “Writing Your Own Autobiography,” “Music across Ages and Cultures from a Cellist’s Point of View,” and “Dan Ford, Guest Author,” addressing “Flying Tigers” — his book and its history.

Special thanks to our sponsors, National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest, Minnesota Humanities Center and several community partners for making all of these programs possible and open to the public with no charge to attendees.

Rebecca Petersen is the director of A Center for the Arts in Fergus Falls.

Rebecca Petersen is the director of A Center for the Arts in Fergus Falls.