The Play’S The Thing For This Duo

The sets for “Oklahoma” have been struck, but theater lights still shine in the eyes of Erin Van Stone and Ben Scriver, students at Clark Fork Junior/Senior High School.

Staged at the Panida Theatre in Sandpoint, “Oklahoma” was a rousing success and drew participants from around the Panhandle.

Both Scriver and Van Stone love the theater, but with no drama program in the local high school, outlets for their talent and enthusiasm are limited.

The small stage in the lunch room is inadequate for most productions. The band and choir teacher, Anita Price, came to the position with a theater background, but was overextended with musical programs at the elementary school in Hope and the Junior/ Senior High School in Clark Fork.

“I would love there to be theater in our school,” said Van Stone, who starts her sophomore year this fall.

She is the fourth generation of her family to live in the Clark Fork River Valley. Scriver, who will be a senior, arrived here from Tacoma two and a half weeks before “Oklahoma” auditions. More than 100 people auditioned for 42 parts.

“It was hard deciding,” said Su Coffey-Berg, the director and force behind PAHS, The Performing Arts and Humanities program in Sandpoint that sponsored the production. “It came down to chemistry and to being able to count on responsible participants who understand that when you set a schedule, they need to be there. We need everyone who is in the cast to come to rehearsals so they can work together. It’s beyond just showing up. We can’t do it without everybody on stage.”

Getting to Sandpoint is sometimes a problem for actors and actresses in the Clark Fork River Valley. In earlier times, folks rode the train back and forth, but these days there is no public transportation. And with heavy summer traffic along Highway 200, it is not unusual for the 25 mile drive to take at least 45 minutes. Luckily, Van Stone’s parents volunteered to chauffeur both of them to rehearsals, the last two weeks driving almost every day.

The family is familiar with the routine, since Van Stone has appeared in many PAHS productions, starting with “Annie” in 1994.

“Oklahoma” was Scriver’s first appearance on stage in North Idaho, but he has appeared in school productions in the Tacoma area.

Temporarily living at Trestle Creek while the family built a home in Trout Creek, Mont., Scriver previously attended Tacoma’s Spanaway High School, population 1,300.

Coffey-Berg tapped Scriver for the challenging role of Jud Fry and gave him free reign to develop the character. “He’s an actor’s actor, and he came very well-prepared for the audition,” Coffey-Berg said.

Van Stone draws on her musical background when performing. In grade six, she started singing lessons at school in Hope. She recently won the Clark Fork High School Music Scholarship and has used the money to start private voice lessons with Coffey-Berg.

The lessons will end in mid-August when Coffey-Berg relocates to head the Youth Choir of the Arvada (Colo.) Center for the Performing Arts near Denver. “My entire family are in Colorado, and I’m really looking forward to the opportunities this new position presents for me. But I’d love to be invited back to Sandpoint to direct another summer program. There’s an incredible flood of talent here.”

Anyone interested in The Performing Arts and Humanities Program in Sandpoint should write to PAHS, 206 North Fourth Street, Box 106, Sandpoint, Idaho 83864.