PORT ANGELES — A special Port Angeles Community Players performance will pay tribute to the group’s 65 years as it grew from a group of visionaries to an established community theater.
“Center Stage: 65 Years of Magic of Dreams” will trace the theater’s history and feature scenes from previous shows Saturday, Oct. 14. The celebration also will include silent and live auctions, live painting, beer, wine, hors d’ouerves and desserts.
“This event will be one like you haven’t seen before,” Players President Janet Lucas said.
Tickets are on sale now. They cost $30 per person and include one beverage. They can be purchased at www.pacommunityplayers.com; the Port Angeles Community Players’ box office, 1235 E. Lauridsen Blvd.; or Brocante Antiques, 105 W. First St.
Remaining tickets will be sold at the door, though organizers warn they expect the event to sell out.
The theater hopes to fundraise $10,000 for building improvements, such as new carpet, sound, lighting and new outdoor signs, event co-chair Barbara Frederick said.
The evening will begin at 6 p.m. for beer, wine and auctions; the show will start at 7:30 p.m.
Painting live
Jesse Espinoza will provide music, and artist Jeff Tocher will paint live during the evening. The final painting will be auctioned.
Silent auction packages include season tickets to local entertainment venues, artwork and gift certificates to local businesses, restaurants and events.
The live auction by local singer and auctioneer Charlie Ferris will feature an instant wine cellar and a handcrafted wine rack, as well as tickets to Seattle’s Paramount Theater plays: “Les Miserables,” “Aladdin,” “Book of Mormon,” “Phantom of the Opera” and the Broadway hit “Hamilton.”
“This event is our way of thanking the community for supporting us for 65 years, to our loyal season ticket holders and those who have yet to discover the wonders of live theater,” Lucas said.
The Port Angeles Community Players began in 1952 with the Noel Coward classic “Blithe Spirit,” performed in the gym of Jefferson Elementary School.
That first production included founders Betty Sleeper and Audrey Hartnagel, who wanted to put on a play so desperately they used furniture from their own living rooms and clothes from their own closets to accomplish that feat.
As gypsies, the players performed in venues such as school gyms, Peninsula College, Elks Ballroom, Harrington’s Sky Room and the Olympian Theater for 20 years while raising money to build their own theater.
Port Angeles artist and journalist Esther Webster donated property adjacent to her home (now the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center) for the construction of the building, which opened in 1971 with the Thornton Wilder classic “The Skin of Our Teeth.”
Wilder sent a telegram congratulating the group on the opening.
At the same time, the Olympian Theater on First Street was being torn down. The players were able to acquire fixtures from that building, such as chandeliers, seats and curtains, which are still in use today.
The legacy of Betty and Audrey continues in the Port Angeles Community Playhouse with rooms full of furniture and more rooms stocked with clothing.
“Betty once told me that she was beyond proud, and very humbled, that ‘just wanting to do a play’ turned into such a major and lasting part of the fabric of Port Angeles,” Frederick said.
“She would giggle at the thought of it.”
