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Show SCENE The Park Record. Editor: Scott Iwasaki arts@parkrecord.com 435.649.9014 ex.113 CALL FOR ARTISTS: UTAH PUBLIC ART PROGRAM Utah Public Art Program announces a new call for artists living in the western United States for a project with the Utah State Archives .The Archives, which is approaching its 50th anniversary, is expanding the Rio Grande facility in Salt Lake City. The Art Selection Committee is interested in commissioning public artwork for the State Archives building to enhance the experience of Archives visitors and employees. For information and applications, visit https://heritage.utah.gov/ arts-and-museums/public-art. OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC HOMECOMING PARADE The Youth Sports Alliance will present an Olympic and Paralympic homecoming parade from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, April 6, on Main Street. The event will welcome home the athletes that particpated in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. The parade will begin at 5 p.m. and autograph signings and other activities will follow. For information, visit www. ysaparkcity.org. LISTENING ROOM AT THE KIMBALL ART CENTER A listening room performance will start at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 6, at the Kimball Art Center, 1401 Kearns Blvd. The evening will feature six musicians -- singer and songwriters Kristin Lloyd, Teresa Eggertsen Cooke, Shane Jackman Molly McGinnis, acoustic reggae singer Omar Gerardo and a jazz combo presented by Park City High School Director of Bands Chris Taylor. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by visiting www. kimballartcenter.org. For information, call 435-649-8882. THIN AIR INNOVATION FESTIVAL The annual Thin Air Innovation Festival, a three day event that will feature workshops, keynote speeches, outdoor adventures and parties, will run from Thursday-Saturday, April 5-7. The Friday concert will be Citizen Cope at 7 p.m., on, April 6, on Lower Main Street. For information, visit thinairparkcity.com. ANNUAL POND SKIMMING COMPETITION The 22nd annual Pond Skimming competition will be held from noon to 3 p.m. at Canyons Village on Saturday, April 7. The event, which is part of Spring Grüv, is free for spectators and $35 for participants. Registration to participate can be done by visiting www.eventbrite.com/e/22nd-annual-pond-skim-competition-tickets-43683464418. BLUES GUITARIST LOVES TO TAKE CHANCES, C-2 www.parkrecord.com ALT-COUNTRY DUO WILL REINTERPRET SONGS, C-3 C-1 WED/THURS/FRI, APRIL 4-6, 2018 Young Parkite enjoys her role in ‘Fun Home’ Hoekstra works to find character in Salt Lake Acting Company show SCOTT IWASAKI The Park Record When 13-year-old Ava Hoekstra heard she was cast as Small Alison in the Salt Lake Acting Company’s production of “Fun Home,” she knew she had to find a way to delve into the role. “Alison and I are very different people,” said Hoekstra, a seventh grader at Ecker Hill Middle School. “She’s so masculine and I’m so girly. So it took a while for me to get into the character.” “Fun Home” is a Tony Award-winning musical that is based on an autobiographical graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. It features music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics by Lisa Kron. The musical, which will run from April 4 through May 13, in Salt Lake City, is told from three stages of a Bechdel’s life and examines her relationship with her parents and her own sexual orientation as they struggle to keep up the perfect-family façade, regardless of some dark secrets that eventually lead to her father’s suicide. “I am so happy to act and get to work with Salt Lake Acting Company...” Ava Hoekstra, Ecker Hill Middle School student Hoekstra is one of three girls set to play Alison as a child on differnt nights during the musical’s run. The others are are Natalia Bingham and Presley Caywood. “The character I play is 10 years old, but the director (Jason Bowcutt) doesn’t want me to act as if I was younger than I really am,” Hoekstra said. “He just wanted me to have a more childlike quality.” Hoekstra read the script several times and listened to the Grammy-winning soundtrack to find that attribute. “It was tough for me, but I really listened and studied to lyrics and tried to think how ‘Small Alison’ would feel during a scene or a moment,” Hoekstra said. The actress also talked with her older counterparts, Halie Olenberger and Shawnie Kennington, who respectively portray ‘Medium Alison’ and ‘Older Alison.’ “We did talk about the roles and I tried to immerse myself into character to see how I could show how Alison was before she got older,” Hoekstra said. “I even got a haircut, which helped a little.” Through the preparation time, Hoekstra found a couple of similarities between her and Small Alison. “She likes to draw and I like to sketch,” Hoekstra said. “I have a lot COURTESY OF THE SALT LAKE ACTING COMPANY The cast of Salt Lake Acting Company’s musical “Fun Home” includes Park City resident and Ecker Hill Middle School student Ava Hoekstra, sitting in the chair on the left. The production will run from April 4 to May 13 in Salt Lake City. of sketches in my binder and on my homework.” One of the most difficult concepts for the actress to grasp was the relationship of Small Alison and her father Bruce, played by Benjamin Henderson. In once scene, the two get into a violent argument while drawing a map. It’s a pivotal scene where the audience begins to see how flawed Bruce is. “It is hard for me to see the dad get so upset with Alison over the draw- ing, and it just didn’t make sense for me,” Hoekstra said. Luckily Hoekstra had a good working relationship with Henderson, who helped her with the tense scene. “Ben and I were in a show called ‘Heart of Robin Hood’ together at the Hale Center, so it’s kind of easy to act with him,” she said. “He’s also an acting teacher, too, so he gave me and the other kids in the play some tips.” Salt Lake Acting Company Executive Artistic Director Cynthia Fleming is delighted to have Hoekstra and the other two girls portray Small Alison. “They were the first ones to be cast,” Fleming said. “I was just blown away that we have three young women in Utah who can play the role. It’s a testament of the talent we have in the state.” Fleming, who saw “Fun Home” on Broadway in 2015, and again in Las Vegas in during its 2016 tour, knew from the start that she wanted to proPlease see Hoekstra, C-4 |