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Be part of bringing theatre to Liberty Lake
5/15/2008
By Jennifer Ophardt
Liberty Lake VoicesTheatre is more than just acting in a play; it is a way to be a part of another world. I love using my imagination and trying to come up with creative ways to make what is pretend seem real. The whole idea of people singing when they are happy or behaving overly dramatic when something goes wrong is entertaining to me. As I watch my daughters grow, I see how they enjoy both being entertained and being the entertainer. My toddler, Elizabeth, is already a dancer and a storyteller, and I can't keep my infant, Rebecca, from giggling, smiling and/or cooing. I imagine them having just as much fun if not more being involved in a community theatre program. As a family, I picture us enjoying an evening at the theatre; listening to them giggle and watching their eyes in amazement as a world changes and people move about right in front of us and all in one room. This is why I decided to start a Liberty Lake Community Theatre. The mission we came up with is to "entertain, educate, and enrich the community through dramatic arts," involving area residents both young and old. Community theatre can provide an opportunity for diverse individuals, many in other professions, to create plays and have the satisfaction of being part of an active social and artistic community. While involved in high school and college theatre, I felt safe and comfortable in the different groups of people. I remember it as one of the most fun and memorable experiences I had growing up. A lot of people think that to be involved in theatre you have to be a good actor, but that is completely untrue. There are so many other areas to theatre, and absolutely no experience is needed. My personal goal for our community theatre would be to involve the entire community and possibly surrounding communities, with no age restrictions. Advertisement
 Some examples of things we could do within the Liberty Lake Community Theatre include plays, musicals, storytelling, concerts, pageants, physical theatre (dance, mime and puppetry), improvisational comedy and more. Since our first meeting on March 13, I have received numerous e-mails from people interested in being involved in the theatre. Unfortunately, we are not ready to put on a play yet, but I remain hopeful we could be ready sometime next year. In the meantime, there is still a lot to do. We are eager to get our non-profit organization formed, but we still need to form our board of directors and write our bylaws and articles of incorporation. We are trying to find anyone interested in volunteering to help or be on the development committee. We are also looking for volunteers to help with some of our summer events. We plan to make some appearances at the Liberty Lake Farmers Market, the Liberty Lake Community Yard Sale and a few of the Liberty Lake Pavillion Park events. We also plan on having workshops that will teach some theatre makeup techniques, including scars, bruises, cuts and more. We will provide some of these theatre face-painting techniques at some of this summer's Pavillion Park events. Donations for makeup and application supplies are now being accepted. Theatre can add to the social capital of a community, helping to develop skills, community spirit and artistic sensibilities of those involved. It can also create a place for debate, self-expression and interactivity that is important for the health of a community. When this involves children, it can disarm problems with delinquency and bring a forum for youth to have a say. We can also gain confidence in ourselves and learn to trust others. Another one of my goals is to have the City of Liberty Lake seriously consider adding a theatre structure to our community. Although a theatre is not required for performances, it would provide a facility for the performers, the technical crew and the audience, especially during the times in the year when performing outdoors is not ideal or school facilities are closed. I have expressed my desires to the mayor and mentioned my desire to speak with the committees more about the possibilities when available. I have not been contacted about this any further. Having a community theatre in Liberty Lake is very important to me and apparently many others in our community, and I would hate to see it fail before we even have our first production. To get involved or learn more information, e-mail LLTheater@gmail.com. Jennifer Ophardt is a veteran of several theatre groups and has been involved in dozens of performances of all types. She lives in Liberty Lake with her husband, Matt, and daughters Elizabeth (2) and Rebecca (7 months). She works as a graphic designer and event coordinator from her home.
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