Intrigue and espionage coming to Umpqua Community College theater

The performance will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday with matinees at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Centerstage Theatre in the Whipple Fine Arts building. Admission for all shows is $10 cash only at the door, with no advanced purchase available.

“We chose this play because it is a fast-paced comedy and is flexible for the performers we had that were excited and enthusiastic about this show,” said Bart McHenry, theater director. “This play is largely done with five actors and five chairs.”

This will be McHenry’s first production at UCC as theater director. He is excited to get the college’s fine arts program rebooted and back to the standard it once held.

“I have been performing and directing plays for most of my life and working in colleges the last 25 years,” McHenry said. “Plus, Dr. Rachel Pokrandt who is the president of Umpqua Community College has a theater degree, which goes to show the unlimited possibilities a theater degree can offer.”

Pokrandt sees McHenry as the right person to bring the community back to the theater.

“There are no other community college campuses in the state with the facilities and community support for theater that exists in Douglas County,” Pokrandt said. “UCC could be a regional draw for students who wish to pursue performing arts and Professor Bart is the right person to bring all of our community partners together to create a unique and vibrant student experience.”

As with most stage plays, there are challenges in organization and design that must be addressed.

“Our biggest and most fun challenge was to be as innovative as possible, using as minimal sets and as few props as possible,” McHenry said. “I would encourage anyone thinking about studying theater that this is a very well-rounded discipline and is almost always a fun time.”

“The 39 Steps” is inspired by a 1915 novel with the same name by Scottish writer, John Buchan, and was subsequently adapted into a film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935. “The 39 Steps” tells the tale of a man falling for a spy who is then murdered which sends the man on the run while a massive manhunt ensues.

The show stars freshmen Anna Bozovich, Kat Grammon, Porter Merrell and sophomores Tyler Burdett and Elaina Harris. Merrell will step into the role of the main character.

“I was taking photos for the school paper and saw some flyers and decided to go down and read a few lines,” Merrell said. “It was a lot of fun and with people like Professor Bart to help me. This has become like a community, like a family.”

This is Merrell’s first performance as an actor. “I am definitely going to continue joining plays and becoming part of the theater group on campus,” he said. “This has been so much fun.”