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FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS JULY 16, 2014 | 31 Off the Blogs
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FVCC SUMMER THEATER PRESENTS ‘THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT’
Flathead Valley Community College Theatre will open its summer theatre season with the darkly comedic pow- erhouse of a text, “The Last Days of Ju- das Iscariot,” by Stephen Adly Guirgi, on July 25 and 26 and August 1 and 2 at 7 p.m.
One of the last plays that Philip Sey- mour Hoffman directed before his un- timely passing, “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” chronicles the efforts of Fabi- ana Cunningham, a defense attorney in Hope, a suburb of Purgatory, who, armed with a court order signed by God, takes up an appeal to get Judas Iscariot out of Hell after his betrayal of Jesus.
Festooned with numerous pieces of theological debate, tongue-and-cheek satire, quotations from church fathers, gospel characters and historical persons otherwise making entrances into the discussion, “The Last Days of Judas Is- cariot” is a show that demands a lot from the audience but gives it back 10-fold in enjoyment, inspiration and contempla- tion.
The play is similar in nature to Pu- litzer Prize-winning play “J.B.” as both provide objective views of their themes in many different ways. Like a trial, “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” presents historical facts and allegories, leaving it up to the audience to decide their own verdicts.
Referred to by Ben Brantley in The New York Times as “a playwright to reckon with in recent years: a fierce and questing mind that refuses to settle for glib answers, a gift for identifying with life’s losers and an unforced eloquence that finds the poetry in lowdown street talk,” Guirgis has perhaps fulfilled this definition to the fullest with the creation of this epic, heartening and tragic story.
Tickets are $5 for general admission and free admission for all students and can be purchased at the FVCC Book- store, online at www.fvcc.edu/theatre. html, or at the FVCC Theatre Box Office one hour prior to showtimes.
GLACIER SYMPHONY AND CHORALE BRINGS ON NEW CHORALE CONDUCTOR
The Glacier Symphony and Chorale announced that Micah Hunter of Ka- lispell will lead the 80-voice Glacier Cho- rale for its 2014-15 concert season. Hunt- er is only the third conductor for the 32-year-old symphony organization and he replaces Dr. James Stanard who re- tired at the end of May. Stanard had been conducting the choir since 2006 when he took the reins from founding chorale di-
rector, Shauneen Garner. At 30, Hunter is also its youngest conductor.
Hunter’s position with GSC will be part-time as the Glacier Chorale per- forms only three major choral concerts each year; a full chorale concert in No- vember, a rendition of Messiah with a small orchestra in December and a com- bined full orchestra and chorale concert in March. In prior years the chorale has performed a widely varied repertoire ranging from light operas, such as “Pi- rates of Penzance,” to the monumental choral works of “Beethoven Symphony No. 9” and last season’s “Sea Sympho- ny.” The Glacier Chorale also has a small chamber choir that Hunter will direct.
In the meantime, Hunter will con- tinue his full time job as Chorale Direc- tor of Kalispell’s Stillwater Christian School a post for which he was hired in August 2006, immediately upon his graduation from Montana State Univer- sity. At the school he is responsible for teaching choir students from kinder- garten through high school in a range of topics from general music to chamber and concert choirs, to music theory, his- tory and literature.
In addition, Glacier Chorale will hold an open audition for new singers on Saturday, Aug. 9 at the Glacier Sym- phony and Chorale office, located at 69 North Main St. in Kalispell. Hunter will schedule the audition times between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. In order to audition sing- ers must schedule a time in advance by emailing Hunter mhunter@scscougars. org.
MOUNTAIN EXPOSURE
FWP SAMPLING LAKE MARY RONAN FOR POSSIBLE PIKE INVASION
Following the recent discovery of two northern pike in Lake Mary Ronan near Dayton, fisheries managers are surveying the popular reservoir to de- termine the potential presence and dis- tribution of the voracious non-native predator.
Biologists are concerned that pike could impact the valuable kokanee salmon and trout fishery in Lake Mary Ronan. Kokanee in the lake serve as the egg source for stocking across Montana. Pike are a common gamefish that have taken over several lakes across the state due to decades of illegal introductions and are extremely predacious.
Mark Deleray, regional fisheries manager for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department, said biologists will conduct sampling with beach sein- ing and gill nets to determine if the il- legal introduction of northern pike has resulted in the establishment of a popu- lation in the lake.
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