Student Show To Benefit Local Theater

DAYTON - Dayton High School senior Paisley DeSiga is bringing an improve comedy show to the Liberty Theater to raise money for the theater's new projector.

The show, "An Evening in Improv" featuring The Blue Door Theatre, the Inland Northwest's premier improv group, will be at 7 p.m., Saturday at Liberty Theater in Dayton. Tickets are $10 each or $8 for students.

"It has never before been done at the Liberty Theater," DeSiga said of her production .

D eSiga, 17, has been working since October on this production, which is her senior project. She said she goes to theater camp every summer at the Columbia Gorge School of Theatre and was inspired to help the Liberty Theater obtain the projector it has been raising money for.

"I've always loved theater," DeSiga said. "It's been a hobby of mine."

She has been involved in productions at the Liberty Theater for years. DeSiga was recently in the theater's variety show where she had a couple of solos and choreographed.

DeSiga had seen the Blue Door Theatre group perform twice before and thought it was one of the funniest shows she had ever seen. She took a chance and invited them to Dayton to perform in her show. The group has generously agreed to perform for free, but DeSiga will cover the group's travel costs. After their travel costs are covered, the rest of the money will go to the Liberty Theater, she said.

In addition to ticket sales, DeSiga said there will be donation buckets at the event as well. The theater has been raising money for a new projector so it can show its weekly movies with a better picture, she said.

DeSiga's music appreciation teacher Tabitha Bower is also her advisor on the project. The two of them were able to get some of her classmates involved, so six students will also be performing skits on Saturday night in addition to the four professional improve actors from the Blue Door.

The high school students have written the short skits that will be performed.

"We want the audience to be really involved," she said.

Some of the skits are funny, some are serious and some are dramatic. And in addition to helping out the theater, she is learning a lot about how to work with others in the theater atmosphere.

"I've learned how to talk to people," DeSiga said. "I'm learning how to direct and talk with my peers and be a leader."

Bower said DeSiga's project has been "unique" and "fun to tackle." Directing is not something the average person can do, Bower said.

"It takes someone who can handle lots of different people and aspects of the business," she said.

But it hasn't all been easy, she said. The date of the performance had to be moved a couple of times because of the date of the prom. But, other than that, it's been pretty smooth sailing, just a lot of work.

She is excited because the night before the production, the four professionals from Spokane will have dinner with the student cast and offer pointers on acting and how to make theater a career.

After DeSiga finishes her senior project and the year at Dayton High School, she plans to attend Walla Walla Community College to study culinary arts. But, she also plans on continuing to participate in community theater productions, she said.