Robert Gray Middle School does Bigfoot Comedy

Ian Sloan (standing) and, from left, Gwyneth Bushman, Max Fawcett and Nicole Panet-Raymond star in Robert Gray’s production of “North Woods Nonsense.”
CLAIRE OLIVER / SOUTHWEST COMMUNITY CONNECTION)

The very School that Bigfoot researcher Thom Powell teaches at will be performing a Bigfoot Comedy.

'North Woods Nonsense'
RGMS theater department presents upbeat, family comedy as its winter production
BY CLAIRE OLIVER

The Southwest Community Connection, Dec 1, 2011
HILLSDALE – Southwest Portlanders have the chance to catch a glimpse of Bigfoot in this neck of the woods, when Robert Gray Middle School’s theater department presents its production of “North Woods Nonsense,” a comedy by Andrew Ross, starting Dec. 1.

The action in this witty, upbeat comedy centers around the lobby of the rundown Lost Loon Hotel at Moose Bottom Lake, where handyman Pete has written a fictional story about Bigfoot kidnapping a local resident that ends up being published in a national tabloid.

People from all over nevertheless take the account as true and come to the hotel to search for Sasquatch on their own.

This sighting also provides the perfect excuse for Birch and Pine, assistants to inept congressman Oakley, to suggest a trip to the hotel to keep him out of the public eye. The pair is trying to keep Oakley, who is head of Congress’ parks committee, from speaking in public to prevent him from sharing his ideas of turning the Grand Canyon into a giant lake, building a mall at Yellowstone and building condos at Mount Rushmore.

Hilarity ensues with the convergence of the Bigfoot enthusiasts and the reporters hot on Oakley’s trail.

“It’s an amazingly fantabulous blow-you-away comedy the whole family would love,” said eighth-grader Ian Sloan, who plays Rep. Oakley.

Cast members said they’ve all had fun embodying their characters.

“I feel like my character is some part of me,” said eighth-grader Nicole Panet-Raymond, one of the sisters who manages the Lost Loon Hotel.

“I love my character because I get to scream a lot,” said eighth-grader Gwyneth Bushman, who play’s Panet-Raymond’s eclectic sister.
The cast has been rehearsing together since the second week of school, and its members said the group is now like a giant family.

“There’s a lot of love, and it’s a lot of fun,” Sloan said.

“Because we’ve created such a collaboration, it’s amazing to see it come together on stage as well,” Director Jules Moorhouse said. “It’s a great family show.”

“North Woods Nonsense” will open Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. on the school’s stage, located at 5505 S.W. 23rd Ave., and will continue Dec. 2 and 9 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 10 at 2 p.m.

Tickets cost $5 for students and $7 for adults and are available at the door or online through www.graypta.org. The theater and box office will open 30 minutes prior to each performance. All money raised through ticket and concession sales will support the Robert Gray PTA Theater Program.

Bigfoot takes to stage, page
Bigfoot isn’t just making an appearance on Robert Gray’s stage.

Thom Powell, a science teacher at the school, published his second book, “Shady Neighbors,” earlier this year, and the sasquatch mystery is the novel’s central theme.

Combining Bigfoot and baseball, the novel follows a rural family threatened by the imminent development of its land, according to the book’s description on Amazon.com. When the family begins to notice strange occurrences in the area caused by an unknown force, they must learn to work together with that force for the greater good.

“Shady Neighbors” is available for purchase on Amazon. Powell’s first book, “The Locals, a Contemporary Investigation of the Bigfoot/Sasquatch Phenomenon,” is a nonfiction investigation of the sasquatch legend. It is also available online.

For more information, visit www.shady-neighbors.com.
SRC: The Southwest Community Connection