QUILTERS STITCHES PAST TO PRESENT

FROM IMAGINATION THEATER

An old friend is returning to town. The musical "Quilters," originally presented in Placerville in 1987, will be back in March 2011 as a production of Imagination Theater, in conjunction with Ensemble Theatre Company. The director, Chrissie Addison, was in the original cast and can’t wait to share her new vision of this regional theatre favorite. Written by Barbara Damashek and Molly Newman, "Quilters" is the story of the courageous women who moved west to help settle this country, recording “the pieces of their lives” through the work of their hands. Their quilt blocks are first presented individually to represent episodes in their lives; the blocks eventually form a quilt that combines all of their stories into one.

In the 1987 production, construction of the various quilt blocks was done by local quilters, who donated their time. Chrissie intends to again tap into this rich source of talent for the quilts, but she wants to add another element. Since the finished quilt is called the “legacy” quilt, Chrissie wants it to be made from donated fabric. If someone has a favorite scrap of cotton (or other soft, non-synthetic fabric), that they would be willing to part with, she hopes they will let it be used for the construction of the quilts. Donated materials could be yardage, but it could also be skirts, tablecloths, aprons, or anything that could be cut up and re-used. Just as women of the prairie did, today’s quilters will be stitching together used fabric which is not only “green,” but authentic in living history.

Even though auditions are not until late October, Chrissie and her staff are already hard at work on all that goes into mounting a major musical. They would like to begin collecting fabric on March 15th, so the quilting volunteers have plenty of time for their creations. Collection will continue until there is enough fabric for the quilts needed. Fabric can be dropped off at the Imagination Theater office or at the Mountain Democrat on Main Street in Placerville. What’s more, if there is a story behind the fabric donated, please share that, too, by including a short note. For more information, or if you’d like to volunteer to work on "Quilters," email Chrissie Addison at foothillsinger@comcast.net .