Eastern Oregon Regional Theatre Brings Sweet Story 'Fireflies' to Baker City Stage

Eleanor Bannister just wants to keep her life simple. A retired school teacher who taught everyone under 50 in her small Texas town, Eleanor lives in the house left by her parents, never married, no kids. Then Grace Bodell shows up at the door with a warning about a drifter targeting single women in rundown houses, and simple gets complicated.

That's the premise of "Fireflies," Eastern Oregon Regional Theatre's newest production, running March 26–29 at the EORT theater at 2101 Main St. in Baker City.

Director Jamie Adams has been waiting a long time to bring this one to the stage. "It's a very sweet show based on a book I read 20 years ago," Adams said. The book, Annette Sanford's "Eleanor & Abel," was published in 2003; the stage adaptation, titled "Fireflies," premiered in 2017.

The cast numbers just four. Lesley Gaunt plays Eleanor Bannister, the retired schoolteacher at the center of the story. Sue Samet takes the role of Grace Bodell, Eleanor's best friend and concerned neighbor. Tina Ota plays Eugenia, the police officer. John Van Lith plays Abel, the mysterious drifter at the heart of the story's tension. For Van Lith, this production marks his first play ever.

Samet's connection to the material runs deeper than her role on stage. She bought a copy of "Eleanor & Abel," read it, then donated it to the Baker County Public Library after discovering the book wasn't available anywhere across the entire Sage System. Anyone who wants to read Sanford's source novel before or after seeing the show can find it there now.

Performances run Thursday through Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday, March 29, at 3 p.m. Opening night on March 26 carries a special ticket price of $10. After that, tickets are $13 for adults, $11 for seniors and $8 for students. Tickets are available online at easternoregonregionaltheatre.com, by phone at 541-532-9652, or at the door before each performance.