8 DAYS OUT STAGE REVIEW/ARTS B OIS E C ONTEM POR ARY THEATER
Carie Kawa plays Aki, an 11-year-old living in Akaigawa, Japan.
A NIGHTTIME SURVIVAL GUIDE For a play about monsters, A Nighttime Survival Guide boasts surprisingly few. The beasts that haunt the shadows of Boise Contemporary Theater’s latest world premiere original production are mostly imagined—fears conjured up in the minds of two 11-year-old children. Aki (Carie Kawa) and Verne (Dwayne Blackaller) are precocious pen pals who live thousands of miles apart—Aki in the small village of Akaigawa, Japan, and Verne in snow-blanketed Arco, Idaho. But despite the distance, the two share a number of similarities: “We both live by old dead volcanoes, we’re both 11 and we’re both half-American,” Verne enthuses. But the main thing that unites the two characters is the fear of being abandoned by their fathers, whose jobs have placed them at the mercy of Mother Nature. Whether talking in hushed tones over the phone or Skype-ing online, Verne and Aki help each other tackle their inner fears by assembling a Nighttime Survival Guide, a notebook full of accumulated wisdom on how to conquer the darkness and defeat Japanese folklore A Nighttime Survival Guide creatures called Yokai. runs through Saturday, These monster puppets, March 2. dreamed up by the delightfully BOISE CONTEMPORARY warped mind of Boise artist Bill THEATER Carman, are the highlight of the 854 Fulton St., production. Whether it’s a slimy 208-331-9224, green Kappa that ambles out of bctheater.org a nearby creek and totters on its webbed feet under a giant head full of water, a lumbering red Akaname with an unraveling tongue that sponges up filth in dirty bathrooms, or a spider-like wristwatch that scuttles creepily about Verne’s bedroom, the creatures all provide lessons about growing up. But aside from the well-constructed monster puppets, the play suffers from a few aesthetic hiccups. Scenic designer Michael Baltzell’s sparse, wood-hued set, which boasts an arching bridge connecting the children’s bedrooms, feels too austere for the magical subject matter. Costume designer Star Moxley’s duds also feel out of place in this world—the kids are clad in bright, contemporary clothing, but the play’s narrator and prop handlers have an antiquated, steampunk feel. Thankfully, these small inconsistencies are only apparent in the play’s first act, which drags its feet through lots of superfluous but well-acted prattling between Aki and Verne (“I noticed the letter you sent smells like vinegar, what’s up with that?”) By the time the second act rolls around, the pace and narrative move at a faster clip, soaring to a stirring finale that’s guaranteed to get eyes welling. A Nighttime Survival Guide is no Monsters, Inc. But it is a touching tale of the power of friendship that Boise audiences of all ages are likely to enjoy. —Tara Morgan WWW. B OISEWEEKLY.C O M
ANNA MARIE BOLES: CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS—This exhibit in the Hemingway Western Studies Center explores place, time and distance using all manner of cartography equipment, including aerial flyovers, digital photography, atlases and Google Earth. See Picks, Page 15. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. FREE. Gallery 1 Liberal Arts Building, Boise State University, Boise, artdept.boisestate.edu. TREY MCINTYRE PROJECT AT BOISE ART MUSEUM— The energy and movement of contemporary dance combine with the kinetic nature of White Elephants, a sculptural installation by artist Billie Grace Lynn, for this exclusive sneak preview of new work performed by Trey McIntyre Project. Cash bar (no ATM on site). Purchase tickets online. 5:30 p.m. $15-$20. Boise Art Museum, 670 Julia Davis Drive, Boise, 208-345-8330, boiseartmuseum.org.
Talks & Lectures THINK AND DRINK: EXPLORING BOISE 150 THEMES—John Bieter, David Lachiondo, Lisa Brady and Kent Neupert discuss Boise 150 themes at several locations as part of Boise Sesquicentennial Celebration’s series of signature events. See Picks, Page 14. 6 p.m. FREE. Leku Ona, 117 S. Sixth St., Boise, 208-345-6665, lekuonaid.com; Berryhill & Co. Restaurant, 121 N. Ninth St., Boise, 208-387-3553, berryhillandco.com; Payette Brewing Company, 111 W. 33rd St., Garden City, 208-344-0011, payettebrewing.com.
Odds & Ends ONE-STOP VALENTINE SHOP—Sample and purchase Valentine gifts from the likes of Sweetly Sinful, Bricolage and Cake Ballers. Food from Burgerlicious and live music from 7-9 p.m. See Picks, Page 14. 6-9 p.m. FREE. Crooked Fence Brewing, 5242 Chinden Blvd., Garden City, 208-9012090, 208-890-4120, cfbrewing. blogspot.com.
SATURDAY FEB. 9 Festivals & Events ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION—Learn blacksmithing, pottery throwing, wool spinning, scarf making and fire dancing. 9 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE. Puffy Mondaes, 200 12th Ave. S., Nampa, 208-407-3359, puffymondaes. com. CASINO NIGHT FUNDRAISER— Help Stage Coach Theatre raise funds for equipment and improvements to its new location. It’s a Mardi Gras-themed night, so dress the part. Try your hand at a variety of Vegas-style gambling tables. At the end of the night, winners use their play money to participate in the live auction to win raffle prizes. 7 p.m. $15. Stage Coach Theatre, 4802 W. Emerald Ave., Boise, 208-3422000, stagecoachtheatre.com.
BOISEweekly | FEBRUARY 6–12, 2013 | 17