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Bits ‘n’ Pieces: In play, there’s lots of doctors in the house

The Columbian
Published: October 13, 2011, 5:00pm
3 Photos
Drs.
Drs. Fred Coleman, left, Rebecca Hoffman and Mike Wilmington. Photo Gallery

The audience will be well-covered should a medical emergency occur during one of this weekend’s performances of the musical “Meet Me In St. Louis.”

The show at the Washburn Performing Arts Center, 1201 39th St., Washougal, stars three Vancouver doctors.

“I call that a blessing,” said director Noah Scott, 29, also of Vancouver. “If anything ever happens, we’re set.”

Mike Wilmington, who plays Mr. Smith, is a pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente. Fred Coleman, who plays Grandpa, is a physician at Legacy Health. And Rebecca Hoffman, who plays Katie, has a private medical practice in Clark County.

“We didn’t plan it that way, with three doctors,” Scott said. “It’s a community production, so we get all kinds of different people. We also have nurses, teachers, people from all kinds of backgrounds.”

Both Wilmington and Coleman have children who attend the Metropolitan Performing Arts Academy of Vancouver, which is producing the show. The kids are performing with them.

“These doctors have busy lives, but this is also a way for them to spend time with their kids,” Scott said.

The play will be Hoffman’s first with the group, he added.

“Meet Me In St. Louis” is based on a 1944 Judy Garland film and a 1990s Broadway musical production. It has 48 cast members and tells the story of a 1904 family and its strained dynamics.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and students. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday.

Sales of artist’s work benefit Winter Hospitality Overflow

Artist Heidi Hansen knows firsthand the good a charity like Vancouver’s Winter Hospitality Overflow can do.

The 47-year-old Vancouver painter and her young son ended up homeless after economic and family problems became overwhelming some years back, she said.

“We ended up going from house to house, but by the grace of God it was a tremendous experience meeting great people, despite all the hardships,” Hansen said.

That experience, coupled with her background as a child and family therapist, have influenced her painting — and helped her decide to permanently donate 20 percent of the profits from her work to the Winter Hospitality Overflow shelter.

“It seems to be a project that’s just a part of my soul,” she said.

Hansen’s paintings cover four general themes: children’s illustrations, dog art deco, impressionist, and Northwest plants and animals. She tries to add a calm feel to her work, she said.

“I try to do art that will tweak the psychology of the viewer in some positive, meditative or thoughtful way,” Hansen said.

Hansen’s work is available through her new online store at http://www.heidiartgallery.com.

Bits ’n’ Pieces appears Mondays and Fridays. If you have a story you’d like to share, call Courtney Sherwood 360-735-4561, or email features@columbian.com.

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