Page 9 - Reedley Exponent 4:19:18 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent BPanorama
Reedley Sunrise Kiwanis Club rewards perfect attendance See B8
Section | Thursday, April 19, 2018 www.reedleyexponent.com
A big, zany 'Noise'
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654
RCTC opens popular comedy 'Noises Off' April 27 at Opera House
The View From Here
If you want
to see what a
gifted director
can do with a
young cast, I en-
courage you to
catch “Disney’s
The Little Mer-
maid Jr.” before
its run ends on
Sunday, April 22,
at Reedley High
School’s Performing Arts Theatre.
I wrote a story for last week’s Panorama about the production directed by Sarah Wiebe, who’s in her first year overseeing the RHS drama program. The term “first” doesn’t begin to describe Wiebe’s experience.
The 2005 RHS graduate is a local theater veteran. For years, she has been involved in Reedley’s River City Theatre Company on stage and behind the scenes. She also was a Visual and Performing Arts tech for the Kings Canyon Unified School District.
And, she learned from local respected theater leaders, includ- ing Mark Norwood (who led RCTC and the KCUSD performing arts program for years before depart- ing in 2017 to join the creative team at Knott’s Berry Farm) and her father, Matt Wiebe, long in- volved in RCTC and a member
See COLUMN page B7
Sandra Juarez
advances in
Lions Club
speech contest
By Felicia Cousart Matlosz
felicia@midvalleypublishing.com
Sandra Juarez, an Orange Cove High School senior, has ad- vanced in the annual Lions Club
Student Speaker Contest to the district contest on Saturday, April 28, at Tachi Palace in Lemoore.
This will be the fourth level of com- petition in the Lions’ event. This year’s topic is “Integrity and Civility Play
What Role in Today’s Society?” Juarez first won the club lev-
See JUAREZ page B2
RC Speaker Series presents Sasha Pimentel April 19
Staff Report
Sasha Pimentel, a lauded poet who studied at Fresno State, will appear at the Reedley College Speaker Series on Thursday, April 19.
The program will start at 7 p.m. in the campus’ Forum Hall.
Pimentel’s acclaimed collec- tion “For Want of Water” most re- cently was nominated for a PEN Open Book Award for works from 2017.
Born in Manila, Philippines, and raised in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, Pimentel graduated from Fresno State’s Master of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing. She now is a tenured member of the Bilingual MFA program at the Uni- versity of Texas at El Paso.
By Felicia Cousart Matlosz
felicia@midvalleypublishing.com
In the world of the theater, the farce “Noises Off” holds a special place in the hearts of actors – and for all the “wrong” reasons.
Audiences that catch Reedley’s River City Theatre production of the popular comedy will find out why. It opens Friday, April 27, and plays se- lected dates through Saturday, May 12, at the historic Reedley Opera House.
In simplest terms, “Noises Off” is a play within a play. But, that’s like saying the film “Titanic” is just about a big boat.
“It's just a great challenge in several ways. You have to have a lot of stamina mentally and physically."
– Cast member Tidy Gill about what it takes to present the farce 'Noises Off'
Without giving too much away, a lot goes on in this Michael Frayn comedy about a fracturing stage show and its wacky cast and crew. “Noises Off” debuted in 1982 and opened on Broadway in 1983, earn- ing Tony Award nominations then and in subsequent revivals. Over the years, the show has become a favorite production for community and college theaters.
Actors adore it because they can easily relate to what happens when something goes wrong. Except in “Noises Off,” it happens on a broader scale.
Cast member Tidy Gill said that as the play unfolds, “it is a physical bit after physical bit, mishap after mishap of what is happening back- stage.”
And cast member Eric Bailey,
Felicia Cousart Matlosz
Reedley's River City Theatre Company / Photo Contributed
Reedley'sRiverCityTheatreCompanywillpresentthe popularfarce"NoisesOff"onselecteddatesfromApril27toMay12 at the historic Reedley Opera House.
The comedy features a nine-member cast. Sitting on the couch (from left) are Charlton Hughes, Stephanie Barnett and Bethany Houghton. Standing (from left) are Cyndle Cee, Tidy Gill, Larry Ham, Matt Wiebe, Joe Harding and Eric Bailey.
a RCTC veteran, put it this way with a smile: “For an actor, you al- ways strive to do such a good job. With this show, all that chaos comes across. It’s just like this is what you don’t ever want to see when you do a show.”
The key to successfully stag- ing “Noises Off” is pacing and cast
chemistry.
There are nine actors in the pro-
duction. But keep in mind, most of them also portray the characters of the play that’s within the play.
Oh, and the “play” is a British play, so there will be accents.
Got that?
Bailey plays Garry Lejeune, an
American actor who “has a high opinion of himself.
His character is dating Dotty Otley. She’s played by Gill, who just directed RCTC’s production of “Swing!” Dotty is older than Garry and has invested her own money in
See 'NOISES' page B2
Meet the 2018 RHS Pirate Pillars
Photo Contributed
By Felicia Cousart Matlosz
felicia@midvalleypublishing.com
It’s the most distinguished honor that a Reedley High School senior can earn – the recognition of being a Pirate Pillar.
The 10 seniors chosen this year for the accolade were introduced on April 10 to the Kings Canyon Unified School District trustees during their meeting at the Educational Support Center.
The Pillars are selected based on their range of activities, which include academic distinction, com- munity service, athletic success and campus spirit. In turn, those chosen express appreciation to their par- ents, family members, RHS teacher and staff members who have sup-
ported and guided them.
The 2018 Pirate Pillars are Anne
Ayers, Vanessa Barragan, Samuel Escareño Jr., Maria Josebet Luna Gonzalez, Elidet Martinez, Lorena Orozco, Gregory Quintanilla, Rob- ert Reitz, Brissa Reyes and Claire Kaprielian-Santos.
RHS Principal John Ahlin pre- sented the Pillars, who were accom- panied by parents and family mem- bers: “I have the opportunity and the honor to present tonight some fantastic students with their folks. We’re very proud of these students.”
KCUSD Superintendent John Campbell congratulated the students and their parents and families. He said the recognition was a testament to the students and their teachers and school leaders at Reedley High.
Campbell, a former Reedley High principal, said the board meet- ing that the Pillars are introduced to the trustees is “probably my most favorite board meeting” of the year.
“It’s so rewarding for us who sit up here to see these types of stu- dents come before us with such a great future, such great opportunity. It’s just a great moment.”
Here are the 2018 Pirate Pillars, in alphabetical order:
• ANNE AYERS – She will grad- uate with a 4.3 grade point average and will attend Brigham Young Uni- versity, where she will major in ex- ercise science.
Ayers said she tried to partici- pate as much as she could in activi- ties at Reedley High. For example,
she has been a member of the ac- complished Sports Medicine Team, Entre Nous and the Associated Stu- dent Body. She recently won first place at the Reedley College Tiger ROmP, which stages competitions in a variety of career fields.
Ayers also was on the junior varsity girls water polo team and on the varsity girls swim team. She also volunteers after school as a student athletic trainer.
At RHS, she has taken seven Ad- vanced Placement (AP) courses and two Honors courses. Her favorite class was sports medicine/human anatomy. Ayers also plays the piano and is involved in her church.
“I’m extremely honored to be
See RHS PILLARS page B7
Each year, Reedley High School selects seniors to be Pirate Pillars, the most prestigious honor a RHS student can achieve.
They are chosen based on academics, community ser- vice, athletics and campus spirit.
Pictured here are the 2018 RHS Pirate Pillars.
They are (from left) Samuel Escareño Jr., Vanessa Barragan, Elidet Martinez, Brissa Reyes, Lorena Orozco, Maria Josebet Luna Gonzalez, Claire Kaprielian-Santos, Robert Reitz, Anne Ayers and Gregory
Quintanilla.
Felicia Cousart Matlosz / The Exponent
Sandra Juarez
See PIMENTEL page B8