Theater steals the show in Central Oregon this week with “Steel Magnolias” premiering Thursday in Sisters, the opening of the teen production “Puffs” at Cascades Theatre and “Little Shop of Horrors” at The Greenhouse Cabaret on Friday and “The Addams Family” at Open Space Event Studios on Wednesday.

The Puffs and a certain Wizard School

Not everyone can be a certain boy wizard who confronts dark magic and restores peace to the world of wizardry.

So for everyone who was never destined to save the world, there’s the relatable story of the “Puffs.” The play, written by Matt Cox, paints a fantastical world that feels oddly familiar but is ultimately a world of its own creation.

The “Puffs” are considered the losers of the magic school. They always come in fourth place after the Braves, Snakes and Smarts and because they are frequently bullied, it’s even harder to arrive at a place of self-acceptance.

But in this hilarious and heartwarming production, the overlooked wizards eventually arrive at the realization that they’re the hero of their own story, albeit not in the way they expected.

“It’s a story about them finding out who they are in their own story,” said assistant director Christopher A. Romero, 20, who was previously a part of the teen program.

For Theryon Taylor, 17, it was easy to step into the the boots of the lovable main character, Wayne Hopkin.

“This is a kid who’s trying really hard to be a hero,” Taylor said.

A week before auditions were scheduled to begin for the fall teen production, director Mark Magness learned he had lost the rights to “Clue.” So students of the teen program gathered together to decide on a new direction.

Ella Bacigalupi, 16, who plays Megan Jones, mentioned “Puffs” and the other actors jumped on board, but it would be a race against the clock to rehearse the show and prepare for Friday’s opening.

“We didn’t have scripts. We didn’t have props. We didn’t have costumes. We didn’t have sets,” Magness said.

With a little stagecraft and a lot of determination, the 11 cast members banded together to bring the magical production to life. They rehearsed in the park, in conference rooms at the library and in people’s homes.

The challenges of coordinating the jam-packed schedules of high school students, finding space to rehearse and racing against a shortened timeline were all part of the fun, Magness said.

For the young group of actors, who represent Mountain View, Bend, Summit and Caldera high schools in addition to several homeschooled students, the challenges allowed them to quickly form a close-knit bond.

“That comes out really well on stage when we’re all playing a bunch of people who have to form this bond because nobody else likes them,” Taylor said.

“Puffs” began as a study of improvisation, an element that remains a core part of the script, where the direction sometimes reads, “Say anything you want here as long as it’s funny,” Magness said.

It’s a style that fits well with Magness’ collaborative approach to directing in which he welcomes the actors and assistant director to weigh in with their thoughts and suggestions, with an end result that is often better than the original script.

Magness said the energy, passion and joy the group of young actors has is unlike anything he has experienced while working with adults.

“You’ll just see this effervescence and this joy and this excitement,” he said, in addition to the high level of talent on stage.

Audience members may want to plan on coming to see the show more than once, as no two shows will be exactly the same. It’s made all the more accessible by the fact that tickets for teen shows are offered at a discounted rate of $25 for adults and $21 for students and seniors.

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‘Little Shop of Horrors’

Flickering fluorescent lights on Skid Row set the stage for the opening of The Greenhouse Cabaret’s third mainstage production at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

There could be no better fit for the fifth anniversary of the theater venue’s neighboring plant shop, Somewhere That’s Green, than “Little Shop of Horrors,” a sci-fi musical that features the song of the plant shop’s namesake.

Audience members will watch a threatening alien plant who feeds on blood on stage, while on the other side of the wall sits the plant shop, filled floor to ceiling with plant life.

“It’s all really industrial and grimy feeling, which is such a juxtaposition to real plants, which are right next door,” said director John Kish.

Kish has taken a darker, twisted approach to the show that has been done time and time again, leaning into its gritty nature. It’s a production that presents a lot of correlations for Kish, who acted as the lead in “Little Shop” during his first show in high school.

“It was the first time I sang in public, so the show has a lot of connections in my life,” he said.

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‘Steel Magnolias’

Silent Echo Theater Company’s contribution to this busy week of theater is “Steel Magnolias,” opening Thursday in Sisters, where it runs through Oct. 29.

“It is a busy week when it comes to theater. Everybody’s doing their stuff at once,” said Marla Manning, founder of Silent Echo Theater Company, lamenting she probably won’t be able to catch all of them herself.

Directed by Karen Sipes, “Steel Magnolias” is a based-on-a-true story dramedy illuminating the strong bonds — through marriage, illness and more — among a group of women in the South.

The quite-famous film version starring Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton and other Hollywood names has been around since 1989, but Manning will have tissues handy for those hardy souls who are perhaps unaware of its pathos and don’t show up with their own.

“It is a beautifully told story that highlights the importance of the connections that we make in this life,” said director Sipes.

“The reason, I think, the show has affected people so much is because of the relationships between these people,” agreed Manning. “The women are incredibly close, and there’s so much humor in it … but it’s really about the relationships between all of them and how they care about each other. All the bells and whistles with everything we watch, what is the stuff that we really like the most? To me, the reason people like ‘Steel Magnolias’ so much, even though it’s going to make them cry, is because of real people that are connecting, and we miss that. Don’t we miss connection?”

The show marks the first time Sisters-based Silent Echo has tackled a full-length production, as well as its first time using the auditorium at Sisters Middle School, which years ago served as the town’s high school, “so we have a high school-sized stage,” Manning said.

Diabetes is prevalent in the show and society, and after Sunday’s matinee performance, Dr. Kevin Miller, president of the nonprofit Diabetes Nation, will be on hand to discuss and take questions related to diabetes.

‘The Addams Family’

Ponderosa Players, a youth theater company launched in May, presents its inaugural production, “The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy,” starting Wednesday at Open Space Event Studios.

For those lucky enough to snag tickets, the five sold-out performances promise an unforgettably spooky experience with a cast of 11 actors between the ages of 14 and 18.

Directors Grey Conant and Kisky Holwerda each have over 15 years of theater experience and expect “The Addams Family” to be the first of many Ponderosa Players productions, with “Tuck Everlasting” scheduled to follow in June.

The new theater company is intended “to create an educational environment for young people through empowerment, engagement, and the expansion of their knowledge of theater,” Conant said in an email to The Bulletin.

What: “Puffs”

When: 7:30 Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; additional performances 7:30 Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday till Oct. 29

Where: Cascades Theatre, 148 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend

Cost: $25, $21 students and seniors

Contact: cascadestheatrical.org or 541-389-0803

 

What: “Little Shop of Horrors”

When: 7:30 Friday-Sunday; additional performances Thursday through Sunday up until the finale on Nov. 11

Where: The Greenhouse Cabaret, 1017 NE Second St., Bend

Cost: $40, $50 front row and pay what you can

Contact: 541-699-2840, thegreenhousecabaret.com 

 

What: “Steel Magnolias”

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; additional performances till Oct. 29

Where: Sisters Middle School, 15200 OR-242, Sisters 

Cost: $30, $25 students and seniors 

Contact: silentechotheatercompany.org, silentechotheatercompany@gmail.com

 

What: “The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy”

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday through Oct 28, 2 p.m. Oct. 28

Where: Open Space Event Studios, 220 NE Lafayette Ave., Bend

Cost: $25, $15 students

Contact: ponderosaplayers.com