LBCC Sanctuary Stage: Get Involved Developing Original Plays

From the creators of the play "Little Shop of Horrors" performed last spring comes original plays by LBCC faculty—writers, directors and producers—Dan Stone and Tinamarie Ivey.

Since their 2010 arrival to LBCC, Stone and Ivey have created original community engaged plays focusing on specific groups of people who have a story to tell.

"We identify micro-communities in a larger community, the issues they face, and create a story about them," said Stone.

The LBCC theatre department created a program which focuses on such community engaged projects called Sanctuary Stage. It's a chance to highlight diversity, struggle, and acceptance in the community through original works.

This Veteran's Day, exclusively at the Russell Tripp Theatre on campus, "Tango Mike" will be performed. The plot is based on six months of interviewing vets in Albany, Corvallis, and Salem who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. The men and women interviewed served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam. Interviews included spouses and children who co-suffer.

The project hits close to home for Stone who served with the Navy in Panama in the early 90s. He has talked to students who quit school because instructors didn't understand their needs.

"As a vet, Dan has the unique perspective into the lives of his students who are returning from duty," said Ivey. "The hearing and telling of stories can have a tremendous significance for the community identity."

Common ground from the experiences of vets interviewed helped create the play through their descriptions, images, phrases, and community dynamics. Some of those interviewed will be part of production.

"Tango Mike" is a generational story about an Iraqi vet and his estranged Vietnam vet father. Both with PTSD, the father has dealt with his and the son has not.

"It's a fictional family in Albany. They buy all their beer at the Dairy Mart and they buy all their fishing tackle at Bi-Mart," said Stone.

The play is funded by ticket sales, donations from co-curriculars, and a grant from Linn County Cultural Coalition. Ivey is producer, costume designer and co-director. Stone is co-director and playwright.

Their second project in the works, "Bridges," will be exclusive to the city of Independence and performed at the Riverview Park Amphitheater in July 2015.

Stone and Ivey were approached by the Mayor of Independence, John McArdle, last year to create the play. Stone will be the playwright and Ivey will be the director.

"We were quite honored by the invitation and impressed by his initiative," said Ivey of McArdle.

Also a community engaged play of a micro-community, it will be based on the Latino community. Independence has a 38 percent Latino population, many that don't speak English, and their voices will be heard after months of upcoming interviews.

Last month they received a $10,000 Cultural Trust Grant from the State of Oregon to produce "Bridges." Stone and Ivey are currently reaching out to begin the interview process.

"It's essential that we let the community tell us what their story is, not the other way around. We don't come into the community with an idea of what the play is about, the community tells us and we're always in awe of the generosity and trust," said Ivey.

Students can get involved as volunteers or interns. Each spring, opportunity to enroll in the course Community Engaged Theatre (TA255) is available for a chance to participate in the development of projects. On the 2016 agenda is a play based on logging families in Sweet Home.