Actress showcases women who shaped West

Actress Melinda Strobel will celebrate Women’s History Month, performing her new production, “Western Women: Pioneers and Prostitutes,” at North Idaho libraries throughout the month of March.

The one-woman show will look at the split personalities of women in Western history. The performances will introduce attendees to a variety of women who helped shape the American West. Among them are Berthenia Owens-Adair, the first woman doctor in Oregon; stage coach driver Charley Parkhurst; and Idaho’s own Molly b’Dam’, the legend of Murray.

Performance dates and locations include: St. Maries Public Library, 822 W. College Ave., on March 1 at 7 p.m.; East Bonner Library, 1407 Cedar St. in Sandpoint, on March 2 at 7 p.m.; Post Falls Public Library, 821 N. Spokane St., on March 3 at 7 p.m.; Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave., on March 4 at 7 p.m.; Boundary County District Library, 6370 Kootenai St. in Bonners Ferry on March 5 at 7 p.m.; and Pinehurst-Kingston Library, 107 Main Ave. in Pinehurst, on March 6 at 6 p.m.

Strobel studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and has a degree in theater from Willamette University.

All shows are free and open to the public.