Tonight, at long last, four Southern women are having people over to their veranda.
This is a first since March 2020: “The Savannah Sipping Society,” both a get-together and a play, is opening live and in person at a Port Angeles Community Playhouse tonight. The venue, 1235 E. Lauridsen Blvd. in Port Angeles, is fully girded with safety precautions.
“Savannah Sipping,” a comedy starring Mindy Gelder, Rebecca Gilbert, Lynne Murphy and Jennifer Saul, is about a chosen family of friends — sharing their fears, self-determination and favorite beverages.
Helmed by Timothy P. Thorn in his Clallam County directorial debut, the show arrives on stage at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Tuesdays plus 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 10.
Tickets are at pacommunityplayers.org and priced at $15 for adults and $8 for students. On Tuesdays, seats not already reserved online will be sold for $8 at the door. Seating will be spaced between parties at all performances; masks covering nose and mouth are required, and for theater-goers 12 and older, proof of full vaccination will be necessary for entry.
The sippers are: Randa (Gelder), a perfectionist and workaholic struggling to cope with a surprise career derailment; Dot (Saul), who’s still reeling from her husband’s recent demise and facing a future alone; Marlafaye (Murphy), a Texan who’s come to Savannah after losing her cheating husband, and Jinx (Gilbert), who offers her life-coaching services while overlooking the fact that she’s the one needing sage advice.
“Each of these women has found herself alone for various reasons without family, and together they create the family they deserve,” said Thorn. He added that his own chosen family is what brought him to the Peninsula after years working in theaters in California.
“The Savannah Sipping Society,” written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, is one of the live arts and entertainment offerings this weekend on the Peninsula.
Here’s a sampling of other activities.
• Live music has returned to Finnriver Farm & Cidery’s covered outdoor space at 124 Center Road, Chimacum.
Tonight the Sweater Weather String Band plays upbeat folk from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a $5 cover charge; Saturday it’s Backwoods Hucksters, same time, same charge. Sunday evening brings gypsy jazz with Ranger and the Re-Arrangers for $5 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
For details visit here.
• A Makers Market comes to the Pourhouse patio at 2231 Washington St., Port Townsend, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
This gathering of local artisans, open to browsers 21 and older, shows off vintage and handmade clothing and jewelry, art, crystals and baked goods.
• Tickets are on sale for Collision of Rhythm, a duo blending tap dancer Aaron Williams and beatbox-juggling Bronkar Lee, Oct. 10 at the Port Angeles High School Performing Arts Center, 304 E. Park Ave.
The Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts presents this show; patrons must be fully vaccinated; for more information see here.
• Bill Evans 81!, a modern and tap-dance celebration, has been rescheduled for tonight and Saturday at Fort Worden State Park’s JFK Building; all performances are sold out.
For information about other dance offerings at Fort Worden, click here.
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Jefferson County senior reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz@peninsuladaily news.com.
