By Lyndsie Kiebert
Reader Staff
The premise of Night of the Bards is simple — Sandpoint is home to great thespian talents, so why not put them on display for everyone to enjoy?
“There’s a lot of talent in this town, and we have a few playwrights, and these playwrights — they need a venue,” said Night of the Bards organizer and playwright Ron Ragone. “What better venue can you think of than the Panida Theater?”
The cast of Eli, Eli from left to right: Tari Pardini, Alora Weisz, Miriam Robinson and Kelly Draggoo. Courtesy photo.
As a result, Night of the Bards — showing Friday, Aug. 27-Sunday, Aug. 29 at the Panida Theater — will feature five original one-act plays. Participating playwrights have also been fortunate to discover some young gems while casting their projects. Ragone said the 2021 Night of the Bards acting lineup features talents ranging from ages 12 to 80.
The event — which will feature showings at 7:30 p.m. on both Aug. 27 and Aug. 28, as well as a matinee on Aug. 29 at 2 p.m. — will serve as a showcase of all the acting and writing chops the town has to offer.
“We thought to combine both of those and put them in the best venue in town … That’s a winning combination,” he said.
Playwrights featured in the 2021 Night of the Bards include Ragone himself and his granddaughter Megan Ragone, as well as Janice Simeone, Bob Simeone and Teresa Pesce.
“Between the five of us, we hope to put on a very good and entertaining show this coming weekend,” Ragone said.
As far as the content of the entertainment, Ragone said each performance will be a stand-alone piece, taking on its own themes and genre.
“It’ll range from light comedy, to comedy-drama, to hard-hitting and very thought-provoking drama,” he said.
Tickets to Night of the Bards cost $15 for the Friday and Saturday evening shows, and $12 for the Sunday matinee. All proceeds from the three showings will benefit the Panida Theater, which is working to raise funds after a very difficult couple of years attempting to operate during a pandemic. Ragone said he hopes the community will take this opportunity to once again enjoy live theater, while also supporting Sandpoint’s best venue.
“The main intention is to get people to go to the theater again,” he said.
Buy tickets to Night of the Bards at Eve’s Leaves, panida.org or at the door of the Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. Doors open 30 minutes before the show. Learn more at panida.org.
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