Dangerous Women take the stage with “Common Ground”

LEAVENWORTH — Dangerous Women, the Central Washington based theater collective, will debut their new production, “Common Ground,” on May 16-17 at Icicle Creek Center for the Arts’ Snowy Owl Theater.

“Common Ground” explores historic women in science, portrays the pageantry of nature, and examines the diverse belief systems “that fuel our choices on Earth.” According to Creative Director Rhona Baron, the production has been created to spark dialogue, entertain and educate audiences in humorous and surprising ways.

“All scenes are researched original works created by the cast,” said Baron. “We utilize art forms like drama, art, dance, hip hop, instrumentation, singing, pole, Indigenous story-telling/drumming and spoken word to bring the wonder of Earth to life.”

Dangerous Women’s groundbreaking work samples cultures, time-lines, art forms and philosophies to bring universal stories from women’s history to life.

Featured performances will include the ancient Sumerian priestess and astronomer En Heduanna, portrayed by Cascade High School graduate Anna Sandberg in a piece written by Susan Butruille. Another performance introduces Oceana, an abstract character exploring women’s influence in early 1900s ocean sciences, portrayed by pole artist Shelly McDaniel.

In a scene written by Baron, Danzas Multiculturales will perform a Monarch butterfly dance highlighting the threatened status of local butterfly populations.

The production is set at a fictional, magical camp called “Camp Trailblazer,” with staging developed by theater artist Kmbris Bond.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Dangerous Women, which is supported by funding from around the state.

Performances are at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on May 16 and 2 p.m. on May 17. Tickets are available at icicle.org. More information about Dangerous Women can be found at dangerous-women.org.