Spotlight: Forge Theater to debut at UI

The University of Idaho in Moscow is set to unveil a new theater space on campus this week.

The new Forge Theater will be celebrated during an open house 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The open house is free; refreshments will be served, and tours will be offered until 6:30 p.m.

According to a UI news release, the space is 2,000 square feet. It will seat up to 100, depending on how the stage is configured. It offers a digital sound system, a circuit lighting system and automated instruments.

The Forge, at 404 Sweet Ave., on the east end of campus, joins the 417-seat Hartung Theatre, built in 1973, and the Arena Theater, a 50-seat studio space that showcases student work.

After the open house, at 7:30 p.m. the theater will be christened with the first of a six-performance run of two one-act plays: “Love Improvisation,” by Steven Robert King, a UI graduate student, and “Come on Over” by Irish playwright Conor McPherson.

UI students will be admitted for free. Tickets are $10 for the general public, available at the door or in advance at BookPeople of Moscow, 521 S. Main St.

Opera house concert

The Harrington Opera House, a 100-year-old hall being restored in Harrington, Washington, is hosting its third Grand Interlude at 4 p.m. today.

The concert will feature Randel Wagner, baritone and chairman of vocal studies at Eastern Washington University; Colombian pianist Andres Jaramillio; pianist Rebecca Hardy, who has her masters of music in piano performance from EWU; and baritone Stephen Hardy.

Admission is free, but donations will be collected to purchase a grand piano for the hall.

The Harrington Opera House is at the corner of Willis and Third streets in Harrington, which is 50 miles southwest of Spokane. For more information, visit www.harringtonoperahouse.org.