Enjoy staged reading of ‘Collateral Damage’
The nexStage Theatre in Ketchum will host a staged reading of “Collateral Damage,” a new play by Sun Valley playwright John Grabow, on Sunday, July 7, at 7 p.m.
The cast includes Keith Moore, Patsy Wygle and their son, Jamie, as well as Sara Rau and Cam Cooper. The reading is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
In the play, Air Force fighter pilot Jack Matson has returned from Afghanistan with the Distinguished Flying Cross but his homecoming has been rocky. He’s angry with the politicians mismanaging the war and the rear-echelon desk pilots running his life. Most of all, he’s angry with his family—his wife, Beth, and 12-year old daughter, Samantha, and especially his teenage son, Jack Junior, who no longer shares his father’s dream that he be the first in the family to attend the Air Force Academy and spends increasing time playing video games.
Unbeknownst to his family, Jack has been reassigned as a drone pilot, sitting in an air-conditioned trailer 20 minutes from his suburban Nevada home, staring at a video screen and hurling thunderbolts at bad guys half way across the world who never shoot back. The virtual world collides with the real world when the targeted killing of a high level Afghan insurgent results in collateral damage, the death of the target’s teenage son—and Jack realizes he does not want to destroy another family, his own.
Grabow began work on “Collateral Damage” while in residence at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. His plays have been presented in Los Angeles and elsewhere, including at the nexStage Theater. Grabow is also an attorney, most recently assisting in the successful defense of Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens in 2012 against federal perjury and obstruction-of-Congress charges. He and his wife, Laura, live in Sun Valley.
Clint Black added to concert lineup
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts has announced that country music icon Clint Black will perform Sept. 12 at 7 p.m., with tickets ranging from $40-$110 for sale now.
Black made his debut with his “Killin’ Time” album, which produced four straight No. 1 singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. In addition to his No. 1 singles, he’s amassed more than 30 singles on the Billboard charts.
Known for his more classic, traditional country style, Black has been strongly influenced by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. In his performance in Sun Valley, Black will perform an intimate show—with just four musicians on stage.
Brandi Carlile will perform Tuesday, July 30, at 7 p.m. and Josh Ritter &the Royal City Band will take the stage Wednesday, Aug. 14, at 7 p.m.
All shows are at the Sun Valley Pavilion. Details can be found online at
www.sunvalleycenter.org.
Spend some time in ‘Other Desert Cities’
Hidden secrets are unearthed and family tensions fly high in Pulitzer Prize nominee Jon Robin Baitz’s contemporary family drama “Other Desert Cities,” hailed by the New York Times as “the best new play on Broadway” in 2011.
Richmond Theatre Critics Circle award-winner and Company of Fools founder Rusty Wilson will direct the Idaho premiere of the show with a standout cast that features Keith Moore, Denise Simone, Patsy Wygle and guest actors Hanna Cheek and Adrian Rieder.
In the play, Brooke Wyeth returns home to Palm Springs, Calif., after a six-year absence to celebrate Christmas with her parents, her brother and her aunt. Brooke announces that she is about to publish a memoir that dredges up a pivotal and tragic event in the family’s history—a wound they don’t want reopened. In effect, she draws a line in the sand and dares them all to cross it.
Tickets are $35, $25 for seniors and Center members, and $10 for students (18 and under). These ticket prices do not include the “Pay What You Feel” preview (July 2), 10 for $10, and Educator Night (July 4). There is also a special rate for groups of six or more, at $25 each.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.companyoffools.org, by phone at 578-9122 or at the Liberty Theatre box office starting one hour prior to curtain.
Company of Fools’ box office is located at the Liberty Theatre, 110 N. Main St. in Hailey, with hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Lift a glass for The Center
The invitations are being readied—and tickets are now on sale—for one of the community’s favorite fundraising events. The Sun Valley Center Wine Auction is now in its 32nd year of bringing together hundreds of wine and art lovers who support the arts and humanities programming of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts.
This year’s Wine Auction boasts intimate Vintner Dinners, a Gala with a live auction and thrilling entertainment, and a Grand Tasting and Picnic Concert.
“Probably the biggest change people will notice is we’ve combined the Saturday tasting and the Picnic Concert into one event and moved the venue to Dollar Mountain Lodge,” said Christine Davis-Jeffers, the Center’s new Special Events Fundraising Manager.
Set for Saturday, July 20, the Tasting and Picnic Concert will feature music by Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds. Patrons can sample an array of wines from some of the best wineries in the West, and partake in the free-flowing wine and great food from local restaurants and chefs.
Thursday, July 18, is the night for special dinners paired with specific wines. Friday, July 19 is the night of the Wine Auction Gala under the Big Top. The Center’s Junior Patrons Circle is once again hosting their mix-and-mingle evening of tapas and wine, also on Thursday, July 18.
A special auction lot under the Big Top called “Take Part for Art” will raise money for arts scholarships for local students and teachers, proceeds of which go toward scholarships and programs year-round.
Also at auction this year will be experiences of a singular quality, from far-away trips like fishing in the Spanish Pyrenees to amazing wine and exclusive vintner lots. And, let’s not forget seven-time Grammy winner Lady Antebellum’s private concert, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity packaged with wine from leading vintners, up for grabs this year.
For more details, visit www.sunvalleycenter.org.
Rotarun fundraising begins July Fourth
See the Rotarun ski area float in the Hailey Fourth of July Parade and look for a mailer next week with which residents of the Wood River Valley can support Rotarun with the purchase of a 2013/2014 seasons pass at pre-season prices.
Pre-season pass prices are $50 for children, $75 for adults, $150 for the entire family, with prices good until November. Daily pricing for the next season will be $10 for children 6-17 years old, adult $20, and free skiing for those 5 and younger and 70 and older.
Donations can help Rotarun continue its mission of providing affordable skiing for people in the Wood River Valley.
Opening party for new Stanley library
The city of Stanley has a brand new library, and the public is invited to a grand celebration and open house Saturday, July 6.
Stanley Community Library trustees, staff and volunteers led a capital campaign to raise nearly $600,000 in private funding for the new 2,050-square-foot facility. Close to 300 individuals, businesses and foundations from around Idaho supported the project, which was completed without any tax dollars. The new library is part of a larger development, Stanley Town Square, which includes retail and office space, several condos and a café.
Stanley’s library started as an all-volunteer organization in 1979 and became a local taxing district in 1998. For the past 13 years, it was housed in a small rented house. The new facility adds shelving, work space, a fireplace reading area and a large community room, complete with a kitchen. The library is open 34 hours a week (42 hours in the summer) and provides 24/7 WiFi for locals and visitors. It has a collection of nearly 7,000 books and audio books, including a large selection of recently published fiction and nonfiction. Adult programs, such as book club discussions and lectures, and children’s services, including weekly Story Time and a summer reading program, can enrich the lives of Sawtooth Valley residents.
The July 6 celebration will run from 4-6 p.m., with a brief dedication ceremony starting at about 4:30 p.m. Appetizers, cake and drinks will be served.
“So many people helped us build our new library,” said Library Director Jane Somerville. “This is our chance to thank everyone for their contributions and to celebrate our new home.”
For more information, call 774-2470 or go to stanley.id.library@gmail.com.
Gem hounds should enjoy new guide book
Unearth your inner rockhound with help from the newly released “Gem Trails of Idaho and Western Montana,” with information to navigate Idaho and western Montana, two of the Northwest’s most popular rock and gem collecting destinations.
Author and geologist Lanny Ream provides detailed maps to each collecting site, what to find when you get there, and all the expertise you’ll need to uncover a treasure trove of exciting finds. Recommended tools, GPS coordinates and nearby attractions and facilities are also included.
Gem and mineral hunting is appropriate for all ages and makes a great family activity. You can expect to find a wide range of easily obtainable specimens, including: agates, jasper, garnet, pyrite, petrified wood and more, as well as the harder-to-find geodes, trilobites, sapphires, amethyst, tourmaline and gold. It is available at bookstores, rock shops, museum shops and lapidary shops or online.
Restaurant
announces new chef
CavaCava & Bun Valley has hired Executive Chef Andrew Nix, a graduate from the Culinary Arts Institute in Atlanta, Ga.
Nix has worked for Top Chef winner Richard Blais, chef James Beard and Iron Chef Chris Hastings. He has opened three Flip Burger Boutiques and his burgers were voted best in Atlanta and Birmingham, Ala.
Think Christmas in July
The application for this year’s Papoose Club Holiday Bazaar is now available at papooseclub.org. The form can be found at the Holiday Bazaar page under the “Events” tab, or under the “Forms” tab from the home page. The event is scheduled for Dec. 7 and 8, 2013, at Hemingway Elementary in Ketchum. Required set-up is on Friday, Dec. 6.
Try to take advantage of the Early Birds Discount—details can be found on the application. The Papoose Club is always considering new vendors and their products.
