Drama and music take center stage on the North Olympic Peninsula this weekend. Holiday deorations are also beginning to light up local displays, while libraries offer books and puzzles for cozy indoor entertainment.
• The Sequim High School Operetta Club will present “Pride and Prejudice” with performances at 7 p.m. tonight and Saturday and a matinee performance at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The play, based on the novel by Jane Austen, will be on stage in the auditorium at Sequim High School, 601 N Sequim Ave., Sequim.
Tickets are $15 per person, $12 for Associated Student Boday and children 12-years and younger.
The story follows Elizabeth Bennet, a bright, lively young woman navigating love, class and reputation in the Regency Era of 19th-century England.
Misunderstandings and pride cloud judgments when the wealthy and seemingly arrogant Mr. Darcy enters her life.
As secrets unfold and true character is revealed, Elizabeth and Darcy confront their own prejudices to find love and understanding.
• “Uncle Vanya” by Anton Chekov will be staged by Saltfire Theatre at 7 p.m. tonight and Saturday and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the 4-H Building at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 4907 Landes St., Port Townsend.
Tickets are $25 per person at www.saltfire theatre.org/tickets.
The comedy, Saltfire’s 10th production, is directed by Ki Gottbeerg from the new translation by Annie Baker.
• The Port Townsend Youth Theater will open its production of “Winnie the Pooh” at 7 p.m. Friday and matinee performances at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the Erickson Building at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 4907 Landes St., Port Townsend.
Admission is by donation at the door.
The production, in collaboration with OCEAN K-12, invites the community to join Pooh Bear, Piglet, and their friends in the Hundred Acre Wood for a whimsical journey through friendship, fun and imagination.
The play, directed by 12th-grader Luca Tapogna, features 14 students in third- through 12th-grades.
“This is a wonderful celebration of youth leadership, teamwork, and heart,” says Danny McEnerney, the founder of Port Townsend Youth Theater. “These kids have chosen to spend their time working on a project that gets no school credit, and is simply for the art and fun of it. I’m proud of them, and of our mentors for letting these kids show the world “what they got.”
For more information, visit www.ptyouththeater.org/pooh.
• The 100% Totally Improvised Musical will be on stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Studio Bob, 118½ E Front St., Port Angeles.
Tickets are $20 per person at the door.
This is the same show that premiered at Peninsula College in March, only it’s not the same show.
Every performance is based on a new premise offered by an audience member.
The narrators then roll with the premise and the cast will begin improvising as the live band tosses out musical numbers from a variety of genres.
The cast includes Lara Starcevich Mark Valentine, Marva Holmes, Tara Dupont and Susan Cates; all members of the Improv without a Net troupe
Other improvisers will include Steve Boutelle, George DeLorey and Daniel Brown.
The live band is comprised of Al Harris on piano, Frank Piccolo on drums and Kendall Melton on bass.
These professional musicians will provide music to accompany the actors when they periodically break out in song.
For more information, email Starcevich at laras@pencol.edu.
• The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio will perform for two shows Saturday in the Thomsen Club at Field Arts and Events Hall, 210 W. Front St. in Port Angeles.
Doors open at 5 p.m. for the 6 p.m. show and at 8 p.m. for the second show at 8:30 p.m.
Tickets are $55 to $65 dollars per person at www.fieldhallevents.org/tickets.
The soul-jazz trio plays a rhythm-based repertoire rooted in the 1950s, 60s and 70s soul-jazz, funk and blues styles.
The Thomsen Club offers a dinner and jazz club experience upstairs at Field Hall; drinks and a dinner menu are available to order.
• The Community Chorus of Port Townsend and East Jefferson County and RainShadow Chorale will present “Messiah” in concert at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the auditorium at Chimacum High School, 91 West Valley Road, Chimacum.
Tickets are $20 per person at www.brown papertickets.com or at the door.
The Community Chorus was formed in 1975 for the express purpose of performing Handel’s classic oratorio and has performed it every five years since, with the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s an honor to belong to an organization that is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and a pleasure to bring Handel’s masterpiece to life once again,” said Linda Atkins, the community chorus’ president.
The chorus has joined with RainShadow for this 50th anniversary performance.
The combined ensembles will put more than 100 vocalists on stage along with a select orchestra for the weekend concerts.
Laurie de Leonne, RainShadow’s artistic director, will conduct both the singers and the orchestra.
For more information, call 360-643-3345 or 360-385-1912 or visit www.ptchorus.org,
• Locomotive Breath will present a tribute to the music of Jethro Tull from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at The Oasis Bar and Grill, 301 E. Washington St., Sequim.
• The Key City Ramblers will perform for dancing from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday at the Elks Lodge #2642, 143 Port Williams Road, Sequim.
• The Port Angeles Friends of the Library will host a Bag of Books sale from 10:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today and from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Port Angeles Main Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., Port Angeles.
Bags will be provided, and customers will be able to purchase as many books they can fit into the bag for $5.
Customers also may bring their Friends of the Library canvas tote bag and fill it for $3.
The Friends of Library’s book bags also will be available; customers may buy a bag for $8 and fill it for free.
Proceeds will benefit special programs hosted by the North Olympic Library System.
For more information, visit www.friendsofthe librarypa.org.
• The North Olympic Library System will host “Puzzle and Problem Solve” at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the temporary location of the Sequim Branch Library, 609 W. Washington St., Sequim.
The game and hands-on activity program, geared toward students in kindergarten through sixth-grade, will include Tangram tiles, weaving puzzles, the “Tiny Polka Dot” game and circle art.
For more information, call the library at 360-683-1161, email discover@nols.org or visit www.nols.org.
• The Christmas lights on Railroad Bridge will be lit from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and daily through New Year’s Eve.
Parking is available at the Dungeness River Nature Center, 1943 W. Hendrickson Road, Sequim.
The center will not conduct its annual lighting ceremony this year as part of an effort to limit large gatherings on the bridge.
For more information, call the center at 360-681-4076 or visit www.dungenessrivercenter.org.
