Ferris grads start theater company

Two 2003 Ferris High School graduates have created a theater production company run entirely by area high school students and recent graduates.

The Theatre Collaboration Project, launched by Jillian Boshart and Cory Watkins, will perform a musical at Ferris starting tonight.

“Last summer we were in the process of writing and filming a movie. This is a lifelong dream of Jillian’s,” said Watkins.

This year’s project is the presentation of Jason Robert Brown’s “The Last Five Years.” The story spans five years of characters Jamie and Cathy’s relationship. In the show, Jamie and Cathy each tells their side of the story about dating, marriage and eventual divorce.

Boshart and Cody Wymore, a Lewis and Clark High School student, class of 2005, taught themselves the lyrics by listening to the soundtrack. The two of them make up the cast, along with a 20-person crew.

Boshart and Wymore know each other from working together with the Box ‘N Hat Players, a springboard for the dramatic talents of some of the city’s best young performers. The group performs in productions for Spokane Civic Theatre, Spokane Children’s Theatre, Theatre Arts for Children, Valley Repertory Theatre, and Spokane Theatrical Company.

Watkins is the technical director and lighting designer for TCP. She has acted in the past but prefers to work behind the scenes.

Watkins said that auditions were held at area high schools in May for the orchestra for “The Last Five Years.” All the orchestra members are in high school except for the cello and piano players, who have graduated.

In the fall, Watkins will return to Western Washington University and Boshart to Weber State University, in Ogden, Utah.