Regional Theatre of the Palouse

Regional Theatre of the Palouse (RTOP) is an established non-profit theater company based in Pullman, Washington. It was founded in 2007 by award winning Managing Artistic Director John Rich. Its mission statement explains its goal: "make a positive difference in the Palouse region by providing an outlet for creative expression through theater arts". RTOP provides theatrical entertainment in the form of plays, musicals, and theater workshops in eleven cities spanning Washington and Idaho. It acts as a safe and trusting outlet for actors, directors, producers, and stage technicians of all ages who live in the region. Productions occur primarily in Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum, however, smaller productions take place in communities across the Palouse, extending theatrical entertainment for the first time across the entire Palouse region.

History

In February, 2007, Regional Theatre of the Palouse launched its web site. The news of a new theater company spread quickly. "The Wizard of Oz", RTOP's first production, premired August 24 2007, in Beasley Coliseum [http://www.nwmarket.com/index.php?page=search&mode=3&byline=&pubdate=&enddate=&s=RTOP&Submit=Search Northwest Market - Lewiston, Clarkston, Moscow and Pullman Classified Listings ] ] . In October 2007, a Musical Review was held at a local venue, under the title "Oktoberfest", where songs from different musicals were performed live and German food was served to the audience.

RTOP Productions

Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum
*The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum; Director: John Rich (August 2007)
*Fiddler on the Roof by Jerry Brock; Director: John Rich (September 2008)

Musical Reviews
*Oktoberfest by Nancy Downen Wexler; Director: John Rich (October 2007)

RTOP Production Stages

Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum

Previously known as Friel Court, the Beasley Coliseum opened in 1973 in Pullman, Washington. It is a multi-purpose facility on the Washington State University campus. It holds as many as 12,500 people in total, although the seating only allows up to 2,500 during RTOP productions.

Cities Served by RTOP

RTOP provides theater entertainment and draws talent from eleven cities in the Palouse region.

*Pullman
*Moscow
*Colfax
*Palouse
*Uniontown
*Garfield
*St. John
*Tekoa
*Troy
*Genesee
*Deary
*Potlatch

References

External links

* [http://www.rtoptheatre.org Regional Theatre of the Palouse official web site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/rtoptheatre Regional Theatre of the Palouse on MySpace]
* [http://www.uiargonaut.com/content/view/3615/38/ RTOP article in The Argonaut]