Free and open to the public, the musical variety show “Fascinating Rhythms” will highlight the talents of the cast in selections from “The Producers,” “Cabaret,” “Sweet Charity” and “Chicago.”
Admission is free with general seating. Reservations are available for groups of 12 or more. For information and group reservations call (509) 358-7676. Donations to support the program will be accepted at the door. Organizations and individuals interested in sponsoring On Stage! should contact Lorna Walsh, at (509) 358-7565.
Guest artists will include the Celtic Nots, a local folk music group; Annie O’Neill, jazz vocalist; the O’Neill Sisters; and children from the Columbia Ballet Theatre. For the first time, family members will perform with the cast, joining their sons, daughters, siblings and parents.
“This performance is an opportunity for the cast to display their talents and abilities and the accomplishments they are achieving on the road to recovery,” said Donna Douglass, director of the On Stage! program. “In addition, this event educates the public through reducing stigma and dispelling the myths that are so often associated with mental illness.”
Emcee for the evening will be Rick Hornor, chair of the Whitworth College Theatre Department, who will be joined by WSU Spokane Chancellor Brian Pitcher in the awards ceremony that closes the performance.
The show is co-directed by Douglass and Katherine Crow, produced by Douglass and choreographed by Crow.
A recovery program serving mental health consumers, On Stage! is housed in the Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research and Training at WSU Spokane.
The mission of On Stage! is to promote recovery in persons with a serious mental illness through innovative performing arts and wellness programs that improve quality of life, reduce stigma and develop research studies that promote and enhance the potential for recovery. It is the only mental health recovery/performance program in the Northwest to focus on musical productions.
The program is supported by the Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research and Training;
The institute works to conduct research, training and technical assistance so that all people in
Web sites:
On Stage!: https://www.spokane.wsu.edu/research&service/WIMIRT/
Note to Editors:
Media are welcome to attend upcoming rehearsals at the Met,
- Tuesday, May 17 – 1-4 p.m.
- Monday, June 6 – 1-4 p.m. or dress rehearsal at 5 p.m.
More about On Stage!
On Stage! is an innovative performing arts recovery program serving adults with severe and persistent mental illness in the public mental health system in
To fulfill its mission On Stage! has five major goals: promote normalizations and recovery; provide social and emotional support; respect diversity; encourage innovation and research; and educate the public about mental illness.
On Stage! is staffed by two part-time employees: Donna Douglass, a special educator, board certified music therapist and founder/director of On Stage!, and Katherine Crow, assistant director and choreographer with a degree in dance.
In 1997 On Stage! was implemented in
The program offers two activities: a musical theatre company, Theatre Extraordinaire, and acting classes taught by theatre students from
