Spotlight: Thanks to UI Theatre, now is the summer of our content

You don’t have to drive all the way to Ashland to see live Shakespeare – you need only head to Moscow, to the Idaho Repertory Theatre.

This professional summer theater has been a popular arts institution for 55 years at the University of Idaho. This summer, the IRT has launched a four-show season (with a couple of add-ons). Here are the main shows:

“ “Twelfth Night,” Shakespeare’s romantic comedy. At the Idaho Rep’s outdoor stage, next to the Hartung Theatre on the Moscow campus.

“ “Forever Plaid,” the popular doo-wop musical revue featuring such songs as “Three Coins in the Fountain.” In the Hartung Theatre.

“ “The Nerd,” the Larry Shue comedy about a man who gets a visit from an extremely awkward surprise guest. In the Hartung Theatre.

“ “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” the beloved children’s show by Judith Viorst. At the smaller Kiva Theatre on the UI campus.

“Forever Plaid” and “The Nerd” opened this weekend; “Alexander” opens Thursday and “Twelfth Night” opens July 10.

All four plays will be performed on a rotating basis, so call (208) 885-7212 or go to www.idahorep.org for the complete performance schedule and ticket information. The season closes Aug. 2.

In addition, the Idaho Rep will present a matched pair of two-person, epistolary-themed plays: “Love Letters” on July 31 and “Hate Mail” on Aug. 1, featuring Bill Fagerbakke and Catherine McClenahan, as benefit performances.

WSU Summer Musical

While you’re in the Palouse in July, you might want to catch the Washington State University Summer Musical run of the David Shire-Richard Maltby Jr. musical “Baby.”

This 1983 Broadway hit tells the story of three couples on a university campus, each dealing with their own blessed event. It will run July 18 and 19 and 25 and 26, 8 p.m., at Bryan Hall Theatre on the WSU campus in Pullman.

This is presented by the WSU School of Music Opera Workshop. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, at the door.

‘Great American Song Book’

“The Great American Song Book,” which had a run this winter at CenterStage, will be reprised tonight only, 7 p.m., at Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center at the Old Church, 405 N. William in Post Falls.

This is a revue of great American songs of the Cole Porter/Gershwin era, featuring a quintet of top local singers.

Tickets are $17, at the door or by calling (208) 457-8950.

‘Wheel of Fortune’ auditions

The “Wheelmobile” will be at the Northern Quest Casino today, and here’s what that means:

TV’s “Wheel of Fortune” is holding open auditions at noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m. in Northern Quest’s Pend Oreille Pavilion, for contestants 18 and over.

The procedure is complex; you can read all about it by going to KHQ-6’s home page, www.khq.com, and clicking on the “Wheel of Fortune” link. Essentially, all you have to do is show up at the Northern Quest parking lot an hour before one of the above times. You’ll fill out an application, and participants will be selected by random drawing to come to the stage and audition.

May good “Fortune” be with you.

MAC’s ‘Living Legacy’

Here’s advance notice of an exhibit being prepared by the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture: “Living Legacy: The American Indian Collection,” which opens July 19.

This display will feature many rare American Indian items from the William Morley Manning Collection. That was the original 1916 acquisition which, in effect, marked the beginning of what became the museum.

You’ll see a full Kalispel canoe, bows, arrows, snowshoes, pipes, toys and clothing. Many of these objects have never been displayed before.

Royal Fireworks

The 30th Annual Royal Fireworks Festival & Concert, one of the nation’s only Baroque-era festivals, will be held in Riverfront Park on July 27. The fireworks should be even bigger than ever this year.

As usual, the festival is seeking actors and crafts people to be part of the Riverdell Players, a roving band of people re-enacting the costumes, the styles and the crafts of 1749 England.

Anybody interested in participating should contact Ronita Taylor at (509) 226-2552 or ronitat@comcast.net.

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