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Show Pages Lane 's showcase well received Live theater now available in Centerville By JAMS CARTER CENTERVILLE With the opening of the Pages Lane Theatre in Centerville last November, live theater is in Davis County. Planning began about one and a half years ago when Ralph Rodgers started a school of performing arts in Salt Lake City, because there was none like it in the area. The school was received very well. Beverly Olsen, one of the adult students, knew of the need for a theater in Davis County. Approaching Ap-proaching Rodgers, she asked him about opening a small theater. Together with Margo Beecher, the three began looking at possible locations. Beecher knew of a place on Pages Lane in Centerville with the right square footage and plenty of parking space. They remodeled, including in-cluding painting and carpeting, and now the theater is open. Using classrooms that also serve as dressing rooms and contain props and costumes, the theater is operated in conjunction with the School of Performing Arts. The theater ownership is a partnership part-nership of very qualified people including in-cluding Ralph Rodgers, who has a degree in music education from the University of Utah. Rodgers is one of the most well-known well-known performers in Utah. After leaving the Promised Valley Playhouse as general manager, he was the general manager at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii for five years. Returning to Utah he opened Rodgers School of Performing Arts. Joan Rodgers also graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in music education. A BYUHawaii she was an instructor in music and has also taught piano for many years. Having performed locally for years, including the Hale Theatre in Salt Lake, and having had a children's theater group in Layton, Beverly Olsen contributes much to the partnership. Blaine Olsen takes care of the physical facility. Margo Beecher graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in English education. She has directed productions from the Promised Valley Playhouse to local church productions. She has been a teacher, worked in public relations and is coordinating the Young Women's Choir for the LDS conference con-ference in April. Rick Shaw, who is a specialist at Iomega and has his own production company recording lab, manages the technical area of lights and sounds for the productions. A theater in the round presents unique challenges with which a conventional stage does not have to contend. No elaborate sets can be used and because the audience is all around them, the actors have to move a lot more, so blocking is a challenge. It is hard to work with a large cast without making it look like mass confusion, Beecher said. The theater will be presenting two musicals this season which will also be challenging. Opening during the holidays was good for Pages Lane. The community com-munity has been supportive, with most theater-goers coming from Davis County and somt: from the Salt Lake and Ogden areas. Word-of -mouth has been the best means of advertising. At the first of a production run there have been empty seats, but into the second or third week the 279-seat theater has been filled. The challenge is accommodating ac-commodating all those wanting to attend. Auditions are open to anyon? interested, in-terested, with up to 200 people trying try-ing out for some of the plays, the response to the auditions has been overwhelming. After being open only three months, plans are already in the mill for a children's theater with Saturday Satur-day matinees. Religious in nature, Sunday firesides that are free to the public are also being arranged. A scholarship program, mainly for students in Davis County, is also in the planning stage. Expanding the performing arts school to Ogden, LaytonClearfield and to West Valley is an immediate goal and will hopefully take place in about a month. "We are excited about the undertaking under-taking and that we can add to the community good solid family entertainment," enter-tainment," Beecher said. "Families need never question whether they will see anything offensive or in poor taste. ' The remaining 1991 season is as follows: "The Curious Savage," running now through March 4; "Papa Married a Mormon," March 8 through April 22; "Little Women," April 26 through June 10; "Solid Gold Cadillac," April 30 through June 6 (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays); "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown," June 14 through Aug. 3; "Fiddler on the Roof," Aug. 9 through Sept. 30. All productions begin at 8 p.m. and run on Monday, Friday and Saturday with the exception of "Solid Gold Cadillac." The Curious Savage takes the stage Beverly Olsen and Jim Bo Lang ham it up at a rehearsal for The Curious Savage, a comedy play that runs through March 4 at Pages Lane Theatre in Centerville. The plot pits Ethyl Savage (played by Olsen) against her children, who have her committed to an asylum in an attempt to take her money. Lang plays the part of Ethyl's doctor. Performances Per-formances are Monday, Friday, and Saturday at the theater which is located at 292 East Pages Lane in Centerville. Admission on Friday and Saturday is $8 for adults and $6 for children under 12. On Monday, admission is $6 for adults and $5 for children. For ticket information, call: 298-1 302. (Clipper photo by Patrick Mitchell) w |