Uncategorized | April 19, 2010
From a SCPR press release:
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Horse Barn, the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site will host the spring production of Tom Northam’s whirlwind musical-comedy, “A Bag Full of Miracles.”
Produced by The Unexpected Company Senior Community Theatre, “A Bag Full of Miracles,” will run April 30 and May 1,2,7,8 and 9. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased at the Laramie Plains Museum Carriage House, Eppson Center for Seniors and First Interstate Bank.
The horse barn, designed in 1910 by Laramie’s architectural firm Hitchcock & Hitchcock, was one of the first new major construction projects of the University of Wyoming after acquiring the grounds from the former Territorial Prison.
UW adapted the land for use as an experimental stock farm so a majestic horse barn was built for its Percheron draft horses, as well as saddle horses. This impressive barn included a show ring, animal wash stalls, carriage house, grooms’ lockers and an office. Eighty years later, in 1990, the horse barn hay loft was converted into a theater.
“The 100-year-old horse barn provides a pleasant ambiance for a unique theatrical experience and we invite all to enjoy this opportunity.” says Deborah Amend, superintendent of the Wyoming Territorial Prison Historic Site.
“A Bag Full of Miracles” centers on Maggie Hill, an unmarried, newly-retired school teacher with a meager pension, and Lady Anne Windesmeer, a recent widow who has been swindled by an unscrupulous lawyer.
Brought together by their common financial straits, the two seniors convert Lady Anne’s San Francisco home into a bed and breakfast, which becomes the setting for a cast of characters that bring with them hilarity, intrigue, romance, warmth, and a twisting chain of events that will shake up the audience in more ways than one.
They’re also sure to leave the theater humming the memorable songs woven throughout this funny yet sensitive look at senior life.
This production is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council, through funding from Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art, and through the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site. For more information, contact Susan McGraw 307-745-8352.
The Wyoming Territorial Prison and Horse Barn Theater, is located at 975 Snowy Range Road in Laramie.
The Wyoming Arts Council believes that experiencing the arts should be accessible for all, including people with mental and/or physical disabilities, older adults, military/veterans, people living in institutions and those who lack access to the arts due to geographic isolation, cultural difference and economic hardship.
