PORT ANGELES — So a young girl has one wish: that she and her family could celebrate New Year’s Day all year round.
When she voices this, the New Year’s Fairy appears. Using her special powers, she whisks the girl off to locales around the world where, yes, people have parties to make a new start.
This is “The 12 Days of New Year’s,” a short play to unfold this Saturday on the Allé Stage, inside Studio Bob at 118½ E. Front St.
For and by children
This story is told by and for children. Six young actors from Port Angeles will take theater-goers to China for the February Chinese New Year, to Iran for that country’s new year in March, to Thailand in April, to India for the Buddhist New Year, to Nigeria in June, ancient Egypt in July, Spain in August, Ethiopia in September, then back to India for Diwali in October. Next will be a hop over to Gujarat for November and Sikkim in December before heading back to the United States in time for Jan. 1.
Curtain times for the 35-minute performances are 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday, and admission is free. In addition, savory pinwheels and house-made soups from Cafe New Day in downtown Port Angeles will be available for purchase.
Sarah Tucker, the multifaceted artist who manages the Allé Stage, wrote “The 12 Days of New Year’s” after considerable study. She has served as children’s director of religious exploration at Olympic Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (www.olympicuuf.org) east of Port Angeles and helped stage holiday pageants there.
The fellowship asked her to create something new this year for the Sunday, Dec. 30, service, so she began to research New Year’s traditions around the world.
Every month
“I discovered that it is possible to celebrate New Year’s somewhere in the world every month if you go back to ancient Egypt for July,” Tucker said.
Besides the performance for the Unitarian Universalist congregation at
10:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Tucker wanted to do an event for the wider community.
And so this Saturday, Freja Jarvegren-Uecker, 12, will portray the girl with the New Year’s wish while Tucker’s own daughter Zoe, 13, will appear as the New Year’s Fairy.
Completing the “12 Days” cast are Freja’s sister, Astrid, 7; Zoe’s sister, Celeste, 8; Tabby Huckstep, 7; and Zeal Huckstep, 6.
This event is free to the public, Tucker noted, thanks to sponsors including Cafe New Day, Olympic Springs, Michael’s Seafood & Steakhouse, the Art Up Front Gallery and Studio Bob.
As if writing, producing and directing this children’s play weren’t enough, Tucker is also at work on a New Year’s Eve event — this time for grown-ups.
It’s the Dec. 31 party at The Loom, another venue to open inside Studio Bob. She’s been painting, spackling and otherwise decorating the space for the New Year’s Eve party with the Steve Grandinetti Band.
To learn more about The Loom, the Allé Stage and their respective events, look for the profile pages for each venue on Facebook or email Tucker at Sarah@TuckerArt.com.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
