CLEARLAKE
Freaky Friday
Once again the Lower Lake High Drama Department is excited to perform its annual Spring Musical “Freaky Friday” Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. This year’s musical will be performed in the Cornelison Event Center on the Konocti Education Center campus.
This year’s cast is 22 members strong with ages ranging from 10 to 18 years old. The cast includes: Samantha Hughes, Evelyn Campbell, Liberty Fuchs, Malajiahna Robinson, Josh Fortanel, Analeya Cabreros, Deyonsa Yiggins, Cole Doud, Stacy Lopez, Kai Weldon, Joseph Bickham, Abby Tucker, Johnathan Lopez Workman, Amethyst McCoy, Matthew Kincaid, Kea-Lani Cabreros, Shane Bishop, Joseph Hughes, Hailey Prince, Kaycie Meckfessel, and Raelyn Guerra.
“We have an extremely young cast. Only five of the actors have ever been in a Spring musical before. However, this cast is so talented, no one will be able to tell the difference!” exclaimed Director Tracy Lahr.
Freaky Friday is a new musical based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney film. It is a heartfelt, comedic, and unexpectedly emotional update on an American classic.
When an overworked mother and her teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to make it right. By spending a day in each other’s shoes, Katherine, played by Samantha Hughes, and Ellie, played by Evelyn Campbell, come to appreciate one another’s struggles, learn self-acceptance, and realize the immeasurable love and strong bond between a mother and daughter.
Tickets are $10 for students, $11 for senior citizens and $12 for adults. Tickets are available at the door. This is a show that you don’t want to miss. It’s fun for the entire family!
— Lower Lake High School Drama Department
LAKEPORT
‘Taming of the Shrew’: auditions
The Taming of the Shrew is a story about a power struggle, a battle of the sexes in which an ambitious man tames his female bride to be. But, what if it were told the other way around? What if women wield the power and the men are expected to conform?
This production of The Taming of the Shrew will feature what we are calling “gender switched casting.” Female actors will be auditioning for roles traditionally cast as male. Male actors will be auditioning for roles traditionally cast as female.
Auditions will be held at the Mendocino College Lake Center, 2565 Parallel Dr., Lakeport, CA on Thursday, May 16 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 18 at 2 p.m.
Audition materials can be found at lctc.us under the Shows and Events tab.
Exact rehearsal times are role dependent. Rehearsals begin Tuesday, May 28 and will occur at the Lake Center, the Work Right Building at Lampson Field, or at Library Park, all in Lakeport, Monday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and four Saturdays TBD.
Performances are Saturday July 27 and Sunday July 28 at 6:30 p.m. in Lakeport, and Friday August 2, Saturday August 3, and Sunday August 4 at 6:30 p.m. in Clearlake.
Please come prepared to read and with a list of any conflicts you may have.
This is a joint production between Mendocino College Lake Center and Lake County Theatre Company, in cooperation with the City of Lakeport, the City of Clearlake, the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce, & the Lake County Friends of Mendocino College.
For more information, contact Charise Reynolds at 707-278-962.
— Lake County Theatre Company
STATE
Survey shows CA farms face worker shortages
Despite taking a variety of steps to alleviate chronic shortages of agricultural employees, California farmers and ranchers continue to report problems in hiring enough people for on-farm jobs. A survey released April 30 shows 56 percent of participating farmers had been unable to hire all the employees they needed at some point during the previous five years.
The voluntary survey of 1,071 farmers and ranchers, conducted by the California Farm Bureau Federation in collaboration with the University of California, Davis, also indicated worsening problems the past two years. Of those farmers reporting employee shortages, at least 70 percent said they had more trouble hiring employees in 2017 and 2018.
“The survey shows farmers have tried and are trying all the tactics available to them, such as increased wages, changes in farming and cropping patterns, use of the existing H-2A visa program and automation where appropriate,” CFBF President Jamie Johansson said. “The missing element is an improved agricultural immigration system, to match willing employees with farm employers.”
The great majority of California farmers responding to the survey—86 percent—said they had raised wages in efforts to hire enough people. Sixty-one percent reported they had hired a farm labor contractor to recruit employees. More than half reported they have started using mechanization and of those, 56 percent said it was due to employee shortages. Thirty-seven percent said they had adjusted cultivation practices, for example by reducing or delaying weeding and pruning. About one-third, 31 percent, said they are switching acreage. More farmers have also sought to hire people via the H-2A agricultural visa program, but only about 6 percent of surveyed farmers said they had enrolled in it.
In terms of the proportion of farmers reporting employee shortages, the 2019 results are similar to a CFBF survey in 2017, which showed 55 percent of farmers experiencing shortages.
A full survey report is available on the CFBF website at www.cfbf.com/2019survey.
— California Farm Bureau Federation
