Theater company mines state history for production

Back in 1911, two miners hoping to strike it rich bagging bat guano from a cave in Lovelock accidentally stepped into it when they uncovered one of the largest repositories of ancient Native American artifacts in the western United States.

Digging through 6 feet of the rich fertilizer, the would-be entrepreneurs began uncovering bows, arrows, clothing, pottery and some well-preserved duck hunting decoys fashioned from reeds and bird feathers. In all, approximately 10,000 artifacts dating between 2,000 B.C. and 1800 A.D. were pulled from the cave.

This colossal find, which later attracted the attention of world-renowned archaeologist Mark R. Harrington and Nevada Gov. James Scrugham, has become the impetus for the Rainbow Company Youth Theatre's "Uncovering Nevada's Past" one-act play scheduled for performance Friday through Sunday at the Historic Fifth Street School.

This year's production marks the 19th year that the theatrical ensemble has presented plays highlighting Nevada's rich historical past.

Following this week's performances, the Rainbow Company will take the 45- to 50-minute production on the road to some 30 elementary schools throughout Southern Nevada, primarily aimed at fourth- and fifth-graders, to augment their studies of Nevada history.

"I am passionate about history, having grown up in Rhode Island, one of the original 13 states" says Karen McKenney, artistic director of Rainbow Company. "If I can get 10 kids excited in school about history, then we've succeeded."

McKenney and her small cast of actors will have their chance to get students excited about Nevada's past when they perform before anywhere from 45 to 300-plus students at each school.

"This is an incredible experience working with fantastic professionals," says Josh Stackhouse, 18, who will play three characters in the production. "I think it will be very educational and very funny."

Stackhouse, who is performing for the first time with Rainbow Company, says the short one-act play has honed his skills as an actor by teaching him to react quicker on stage.

"I get a little nervous," he reveals. "But I make the butterflies fly in formation."

In the aftermath of the Lovelock cave discovery, Gov. Scrugham invited Harrington in 1925 to take a look at another potential Native American habitat in Overton, site of today's Lost City Museum.

Upon excavation, Harrington discovered nearly 50 prehistoric structures dating to several ancient cultures, including those of Pueblo Native Americans. Artifacts from these various cultures were strewn throughout the area for several miles.

This was the good news. The bad news was that plans for the construction of Hoover Dam were rapidly developing, and soon rushing waters of newly created Lake Mead would bury the treasure fields forever. The race to collect and tag whatever artifacts they could while time allowed was on.

This sense of urgency in a race against the clock and the excitement of unearthing such treasured artifacts helped inspire J Neal in writing the original music and lyrics. He composed three numbers for the production.

In one song, "You Go First," Neal created a little tug-of-war sequence between the two miners who first stumbled upon the dark Lovelock cave.

"It was like a child's game," Neal says. "One would say, 'You go first.' Then the other would say, 'No, you go first.' And so on and so on, and that became the song."

Compared to other plays the Rainbow Company performs throughout the year, "Uncovering Nevada's Past," while not an expensive production to undertake with elaborate costumes, is every bit as challenging, McKenney says.

"You have to pace yourself," she says of the short time frame of each performance. "The actors have to constantly adjust their skills to each performance. Also, the whole production has to be able to be packed into the back of a not-so-generous pickup truck. And the equipment has to be light enough for the cast to carry."

"You really get to find your stride by doing so many shows," says Kearsten Kuroishi, who will play seven characters in the play. "You can also find more nuances in each performance."

McKenney, who has been involved in the Nevada historical series since its inception in the early 1990s, says she usually starts researching next year's production in June and finalizes her script shortly before the first performance each February. But she also leaves plenty of room for improvisation .

"Hopefully, we are entertaining, educational and reasonable priced," McKenney says. "I wish we could do more shows."

For more information on "Uncovering Nevada's Past," visit www.artslasvegas.org.