Half cooked dinner, absent party hostess, and friend with an injury aren't the usual characteristics of a successful anniversary party, but it makes a humorous start the memorable Neil Simon play "Rumors" opening Friday at the Barrow-Civic Theatre.

We could speculate about what character might be your favorite between Ken, Len and Glenn.

But gossip says it could be Ernie. 

The word on the street is that Chris, Cookie, Claire and Cassie know how to keep a party hopping. But the tea might have been spilled before anyone even arrived. 

She said yes.

Oil City native Bryce Rhodes had a plan. In December he began making arrangements to take his girlfriend Hannah McQuade to the annual Franklin on Ice winter festival where he had many fond memories as a kid. 

"I thought  it would a perfect event where I could invite her to go see the ice sculptures and in the midst of it all, pop the question," Rhodes said.

In his pocket he carried a bit of ice, a diamond ring that he would present to her after they walked around checking out the sculptures. He asked her which one is her favorite hoping to get the perfect location to take a knee.

She said she really liked the lights on the trees and without hesitation he dropped and asked the her to marry him.

The Youth Theatre Program and its no-cut philosophy celebrates it's quarter of a century of giving young people something to do, train local theater enthusiasts to be actors and stage crew, create memories that last a lifetime - for the kids and the instructors, and keeps local theater in general thriving in the community.

“It creates of our future,” said Brooke Lawrie, theatre board member and youth theatre alumni. “More of our youth start here. Then they get their confidence and fall in love with theater.”
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On Thursday night, about 40 kids were working on just that. After five weeks of rehearsing songs, learning dances, memorizing lines, and working out technical cues, they were putting were putting together the finishing touches of this year’s show.

"A Mixed-Up Musical" pays homage to many of the shows that came before by including many of the characters and a few of the popular songs for shows done at the Barrow over the years. 

“I was in your shoes 20 years ago. (now) this is my home and it all started with Miss Martha and her team,” Lawrie told the young performers following their final rehearsal. 

The same time that Lawrie did her first all-youth show, Kelly Zerbe joined the production team. For two decades, Zerbe has been teaching dances to the kids, many of whom never danced before they stepped foot on the stage. 
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A few years later Jess Rodriguez came on board to assist with costumes and the tech crew. 

“We can finish each other sentences… when it comes to theater,” Heise said of the production team. 
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Having a good team is the only way to maintain the no-cut audition format that can bring in a varying amount of kids from year to year.
 
One year there was enough participants to have an entire deck of cards among the ensemble for “Alice and Wonderland.”

About a decade ago, more than hundred kids signed up to do “Jungle Book.”

​“We never saw so many sweat suits,” Heise said about the costumes that year. There were so many animal characters Rodriguez had to bring in teenage volunteers to help paint faces, and it took almost two hours to get it done.

Heisse said it is hard to pick a favorite show from the years, but remembers certain affects they were able to pull off to make a scene really jump out here and there. But she could point out memories of being invited to weddings and graduations by her students. Rodrigues toucher her hand to her heart in agreement.

And she points to Barrow regulars including the theater's lighting and technical designer Jim Amaro as reasons that go beyond just giving the kids positive reenforced memories, but as a means of teaching life skills.

Heisse says there is a good amount of talent out there that just needs harnessing and she and her crew are proud they can help.

Many of the youth theater students take on starring roles in their school productions and also landing major parts in community theaters all over the region.

The Barrow's board told the youngsters that they are future of the theater and thanked them for their hard work.

The show is this Saturday from with a matinee at 2 p.m. and an evening show at 7:30 p.m.

Last night we were among a select group of people invited to watch the final dress rehearsal of “Space Cadets.”

Attending dress rehearsals isn’t something new for us. We enjoy an ongoing partnership with the Barrow-Civic Theatre. This has afforded us the opportunity to get sneak peaks for several productions throughout the years since Eight & 322 was founded. 

Last night was a little different.  
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Last night was the first time an audience watched “Space Cadets,” a one-act youth theatre musical written by locals Emilee Weaver (script) and Aoife Salusky (music).
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Writing is hard work.

It is more than just sitting down and punching out some words into the computer or jjotting some sentences down on paper.

It takes imagination.

It takes invention.

It takes a little of yourself.

​It takes guts. 
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Sharing that writing with others takes courage to another level. It is opening yourself up to feedback that can lift you up or slam you down.
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Does the plot make sense? Will others find the jokes funny? Are the lines cohesive? Is there value in what has been written?

Now take that courage and push it further by asking others to interpret your words in action, on a stage.

​You have to trust others to see between the lines to find the intent.

Their interpretation, their understanding will become the audience’s interpretation and understanding.

It's trusting others to understand your soul.

​What if it differs from what you envisioned?

Will it be better?

What if it is worse? 

And did we mention that everyone involved is very young, mostly teenagers?

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Space Cadet on a sold out run at the Barrow Little Theatre.

​More importantly, congratulations to Weaver and Salusky for having the courage to write, the courage to share, and the courage to put their heart and soul out on display for us to share in their creative journey.

​To share in their courage.

The holidays have arrived. And it seems not a moment too soon. 

With Thanksgiving being on the later end of the calendar this year and the weather being unseasonably warm, it seems like the holidays hadn't really hit yet.

But boy, did it ever come in with a bang on Saturday in Franklin. 

The rainy forecast didn't put a damper on the schedule's earliest events at the Barrow-Civic Theatre.

The kiddos did a great job of spreading cheer both through their performances on the stage as part of the youth theatre and with Holey Jeans later in the Christmas tree filled lobby. 
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Over at the First Presbyterian Church, teens from all four Venango public high schools put on a choir concert worthy of the sanctuary full of folks gathered to hear them. 

Along Liberty Street, with crowds gathering for a parade, songs rang out from the judge's stand. 

These musical preludes really set the stage for one of Franklin's most memorable Electric Light parades.

More than 70 "Songs of the Season" entries, some from as far away as Warren and Grove City, demonstrated how this event has become a regional destination for holiday celebrating.

​Many of the larger floats were full of creativity, craftsmanship and merriment that left watchers astonished and delighted. 

The tree lighting, despite the premature lighting mix-up the weekend earlier, still carried a moment of magic as hundreds of voices joined together to countdown from 10. 

And the fireworks that followed were perhaps the greatest show ever done for Franklin's holiday kick off. 
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The cheers that went off as the final firework faded above Fountain Park really echoed between the Liberty Street buildings reinforcing the appreciation thousands were feeling Saturday night.

All that was missing was a little snow, but there's lots of time for that this winter. And plenty of time to visit downtown to make some memories.

The Franklin Fine Arts Council and the City of Franklin have planned their usual Light-Up Night for next Friday, November 23 that will include Santa, songs, the parade with a twist, the lighting of the tree and one of the best firework's displays the area experiences.

This year, Santa will arrive in a different ride than the traditional firetruck, according to Fine Arts Council president Pat Dolecki who said it's a secret, but there will be bells and an olde-timey feel.

​11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Cookie Walk at the Franklin Public Library.

11 a.m. and 2 p.m., The Great North Pole Bake-Off youth theatre, Barrow-Civic Theatre.

11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Christmas Tree Extravaganza, Barrow-Civic Theatre.
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3:30 p.m., Venango County chorus festival concert, First Presbyterian Church.

4 to 9 p.m. Food vendors on 12th Street.

4 p.m., HOLeY Jeans concert, Barrow-Civic Theatre lobby.

Schools represented were:

• Oil City 
  
• Franklin 
• Titusville 
  
• Keystone 
• ​Lakeview
  
• Cambridge Springs
  
• Warren
  
• Conneaut Area
  
• Fort LeBoeuf
  
• Brockway
  
• West Middlesex
  
• Sharpsville