Christmas-themed ‘This Child’ opens at NIC
COEUR d’ALENE – Playwright Tim Rarick can remember marching single-file, led by a nun from his Catholic school to North Idaho College to watch his first play in the mid-1950s.
“Even though I was a young boy, I still remember what an impression it made on me,” said Rarick, who will open the second season of his own Christmas-themed play, “This Child,” next Thursday at NIC. “It planted a seed in me that day.”
Rarick loved the arts, although he chose to major in English in college. He was teaching high school literature in Springfield, Ore., when the theater director was in an accident and Rarick was asked to fill in for him.
“Reluctantly, I said yes,” Rarick said. “I took over the theater class and found it to be a wonderful way of seeing the literary world come to life on stage.”
Rarick returned to school and earned a master’s degree in theater from the University of Oregon. He later took a break from teaching to write plays full time and for 10 years, Rarick made a name for himself by writing, producing and directing a series of plays for Grubstake Productions Inc., an Idaho nonprofit arts organization.
In 1987, Rarick became the theater director at NIC. Although he kept writing plays throughout his tenure at the college, his retirement in 2003 allowed him to focus on writing again.
In 2005, he partnered with colleague Justin Van Eaton, manager of Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center at NIC, to create a Christmas production different from the traditional holiday classics seen in community theaters this time of year. The play premiered to audiences last season and received positive reviews. In addition, it is currently being produced by former NIC set designer Jack Green at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Whidbey Island, Wash.
“We’re lucky this year to have the experience under our belt, as we did learn a few things from last year,” Rarick said. “We have a core of returning cast members along with many new actors and actresses, which create a mixture of energies. It’s impossible to create the same chemistry from year to year, but each year will be significantly better in terms of creative experience.”
“This Child” was written based on a true story about Rarick’s mother, which he learned of while researching his family genealogy. The play centers around the life of a 7-year-old girl named Moira whose family began to crumble after the stock market crash in 1929. Her father was hospitalized and her mother was fighting depression. A group of nuns decided to bring Moira into their school and ask her to participate in their Christmas pageant, as a way of caring for the girl and helping boost her self-esteem without offending her mother.
Rarick not only wrote the play, but will be directing it and co-producing it with the help of Van Eaton, the NIC Theater Department and staff of NIC’s Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center. Community members, current NIC students and former students also are involved.
Nearly half of the cast of 25 are children. The actress who will play Rarick’s mother as a child is 9-year-old Chloe Rhodes of Newman Lake, who played the role of Moira last year as well.
Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. next Thursday through Dec. 22 in Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center. A 2 p.m. matinee will be held Dec. 23.
Admission is $11 for adults and $9 for children 12 and younger. The play is recommended for children 5 and older. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at the NIC TicketQuik Box Office inside Boswell Hall.
Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the NIC Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center. Additional donations will be accepted through the NIC Foundation.