I love Kitsap Forest Theater because it truly feels like home. I remember vividly the first time I walked down the trail to the theater
when I was 15, and I knew then my heart had been captured forever. The cedar and the rhododendrons, the ferns and the huckleberrys, and the moss and fir growing alongside the trail to the theater makes the experience like nothing else. I've always been a nature-vibing outdoorsy person, so a place where I can combine my love of theater with my love of our PNW ecosystem is incredible. I've performed now on many stages across the country, sometimes for crowds of thousands, but none have captivated me as much as Kitsap Forest Theater. Now that I live on the Kitsap Peninsula, I plan on performing on my favorite dirt stage with my family as many times as I am able, and hope to pass on the love of this theater to future generations.
high school. I'd heard about the theater from a friend, and was lucky enough to land a role the first time I auditioned! I kept performing at KFT through high school, in Robin Hood: The Legend Continues and in Beauty and the Beast, and then was in Sound of Music and Into the Woods while I was in college at the University of Washington. I was planning on returning to the theater last spring in Beauty and the Beast once again, and while I'm sad that show has once again been postponed, I'm so happy that the incredible production team, KFT committee, and the cast members were able to pull off such a fun production of Little Women, despite the wild year everyone has had. 
Jo March is an incredible character, and I am so honored to be able to tell her story. I remember reading Little Women when I was 9 or 10 years old, and I, as so many young tomboyish outdoorsy girls do, saw myself in her immediately. Jo is a great example of how the dreams of our childhoods can keep burning through a whole lifetime, even if they change shape as we grow older. She has a fire in her, and has inspired girls to fight for their dreams for over 150 years. The songs she sings in this show are beautiful, difficult, and poignant, and I love performing them each time I get the opportunity. It's wonderful working with this team and with both casts, as we learn from each other and flesh out these characters. 
After battling cancer two years ago, I am so grateful to be cancer-free and healthy enough to be performing Jo in a way that I hope honors her character: full of exuberance and an abundant passion for life.
Footloose, the Musical opened last weekend and has three more weekends to go. Michael Moore of the Kitsap Sun quoted director Ken Michels in his recent preview of the show: ". . . the strengths of Footloose are its heart and its balance of music and dance with drama and comedy." "It's got everything," he said. "It's a great show, and it adds to the experience of coming to this special place." You can read the entire preview here.
We have some excellent talent in this show and a nice combination of new and returning Players. Don't miss out on a great summer adventure - get your tickets here.
Here is a perspective from new Player Carol Stanley about her experiences being involved for the first time in a Mountaineers Players show:
"When I first decided to audition for Footloose I thought I was crazy to be driving all over Seattle just for a show. However after the first weekend at the theater I instantly knew why so many people come back year after year. The theater is so beautiful and it is amazing to be a part of such a great history of shows."
"What I have enjoyed most about Footloose is the talented and dedicated cast. Most weekends after a long rehearsal we all agree to put in extra hours [practicing] in the yurt. We practice until the late hours without any complaint. We are all invested deeply in the show. I know I've only known these people for a few months but I feel I have made some amazing friends. I guess it takes living, working, and most importantly playing with others that makes for an amazing cast. I can't wait to share all of our hard work with the rest of the world."
Leave your comments and let us know how you enjoyed the show and the "forest experience."
Fiddler 210 Tevye
The Mountaineers Players' production of Fiddler on the Roof opened to rave reviews on Memorial Day weekend. Here are some of Michael Moore's comments from his Kitsap Sun review after watching the show this weekend:
"I enjoyed the innovative ways director Craig Schieber's production dealt with the limitations presented by doing the show outdoors, in broad daylight, without any special-effects bells and whistles. I also liked a number of the performances, many of which were by first-time Mountaineers filling the iconic roles of Tevye the milkman, his family and his neighbors in workaday little Anatevka, a borrowed-time little burg about to be ground under by the expulsion of Russia's Jews in the early years of the 20th Century. And much of the singing — both by soloists in the beloved songs and by the nearly choirlike ensemble pieces — was everything I could've asked for."
". . . the Mountaineers' "Fiddler" made good on the promise of those key numbers . . . They were helped immeasurably by the costumes supplied by Barbara Klingberg, which were the special effects in the "Tevye's Dream" sequence, which featured blue-clad "ghosts" coming out of the woodwork and the richly upholstered Fruma Sarah (Marlene Anderson) "soaring" above the host, simply by standing on a chair on the KFT stage's shelf, behind all the deceased."
"The famed "bottle dance" was altered, and at least one of the more difficult stunts omitted, but the piece was still considerably powerful, thanks to what the dancers were able to do, and to the backing they received from music director Amy Beth Nolte's little band of musicians, headed up by keyboardist Debbie Valenta."
"Schieber found some unexpected dramatic kick in places I didn't expect. The wedding of Tzeitel (the wonderful Sarah Walsh) and Motel (the equally charming Buddy Todd), and the subsequent trashing of the festivities by the Constable (Jerry Dreessen) and his Czarist henchmen, has seemed trite and melodramatic in other productions I've seen, but were emotional and effective in their forest incarnation. Schieber and Caridi also upped the ante in the "Chava" sequence ("Little Bird") by having Tevye's daughters (Walsh, Lani Smith as Hodel and Amberlee Williams as Chava) alongside their younger selves, portrayed in a lovely dance sequence by Layla and Maya Markovich and Jasmine Harrick)."
"Stephen Wall, as Tevye, handled most of the acting, and all of the singing, with aplomb, and was especially effective in his more emotionally demanding moments, but also cranked up the comedy at times, especially in his exchanges with the jilted Lazar Wolf (a fine Tod Harrick)."
"His was probably one of the two best voices in the show, along with Jenny Dreessen as Tevye's wife, Golde. Their duet, "Do You Love Me?", was perfectly wrought, with just the right balance of heartiness and humor. All three daughters sang beautifully, as well, as did Todd (in "Miracle of Miracles"). And the whole company made the show's two most reflective numbers, "Sabbath Prayer" and "Anatevka," particular favorites of mine."
Congratulations to the production staff, musicians, sound, cast and crew for a terrific opening weekend.
Get your tickets now and make your plans to attend this powerful show. Performances are every Saturday and Sunday through Father's Day on June 17th.