The Kitsap Forest Theater is a beautiful place situated among a forest of many different variety of trees and wildlife with several creeks running through the property. Did you know that the theater property (owned by The Mountaineers) is surrounded by the Rhododendron Preserve (owned and operated by the Keta Foundation - not affiliated with The Mountaineers)? There are over 460 acres of pristine forest being protected for new generations of outdoor lovers. The Rhododendron Preserve includes "Big Tree", one of the biggest old growth firs on the Olympic peninsula and is worth the short hike to view it.
Those of us who have been involved keep coming back because of the beauty and peacefulness of this special and magical place. Since "mother nature" has her way with this property, there is much work to do before each play season to prepare the grounds and buildings for the actors, production staff and audience.
Last weekend Brian Lindvall, co Kitsap Cabin chair, spent all day washing all 44 mattresses from our bunk house (Cascade) in preparation for our first Kitsap Rehearsal weekend at the theater. Previous to that, several cast members (David Gordon & Purcelle Harris) helped Nancy Estill and Brian remove many screws that were sticking out of the 2" x 4"'s on the men's side of Cascade after the damaged wallboard was removed. The cabin is now ready for overnights for our cast and crew.
Some of the roofs on the buildings down at the theater are leaking and in need of repair. So far, we have had two work parties to deal with this huge job. Thanks to Scott Baker, Josh Brown, Craig McCoy and Gardner Hicks for taking the lead on this project. And thanks to Olivia Hickerson for helping (with her pickup) to take a bunch of trash and used roofing to the dump. Last weekend Scott and Josh cut out a large rotten part of the roof and replaced it with new plywood. We have scheduled a third roofing party on Saturday, April 21st, and could use more help.
Also, last weekend Gardner Hicks (Theater Chair) and David Jensen raked all of the audience seats in the theater. Gardner Hicks has been the super volunteer who has cared for the theater and the theater trail for over 40 years. David Jensen has taken over the task of maintaining the Theater Trail and we thank him for "stepping up" and continuing the long standing tradition of volunteerism at the theater. And we thank Gardner for his continued contributions to the care of this majestic theater.
We also continue the work on our new yurt. We found used oak flooring for the yurt, and it took three days of work to load it, unload it, and grind off all of the nails and staples sticking out of the wood. Thanks to Craig McCoy, Josh Brown, Brian Lindvall and Trey Morgan for help with all of that grinding. And thanks to Gail Foster and Nancy Estill for help in cleaning and stacking the flooring.
We are always looking for help around the property and with building and painting sets. Please consider volunteering your time and energy in the coming months. During shows, we need volunteer ushers and parkers to help - and you get to see the show for free. It is a great way to be an important part of the team.
We are a community of outdoor and theater lovers and there are lots of opportunities to join us and help out in whatever area you are able. Contact us for more information and/or to volunteer. Thanks!
The Mountaineers Players use the Kitsap Cabin kitchen during many weekends of the spring and summer show season. Volunteer cooks cook delicious meals for hungry cast and crew (who are very appreciative). We had noticed that there was water damage to the floor and that it was soft in many areas. After receiving grant money from the Keta Foundation, this project was tackled. As is typically the case, when you delve into a project, it can become more extensive that first imagined. Volunteers removed the main items from the kitchen and more experienced help was called in to deal with the floor removal.
Jim Hamilton spent three long days removing three layers of floor and repairing some damaged floor joists. Volunteers Craig McCoy, Brian Lindvall, Gardner Hicks, Olivia & Trenton Hickerson and I spent days getting rid of the huge pile of debris that was created by this demolition. In addition, Scott Baker spent a day finishing the details that had to be completed before we could call in the tile professionals, including rebuilding the cut-off pantry wall that had been water damaged.
We appreciated the volunteer help of Ezra Pergam and his team from Lile North American who spent several hours removing our old refrigerator from the cabin and transporting some wood debris from the theater to the dumpster - it took much of that time just to take apart the refrigerator to get it through the narrow cabin door. They were a great help!
The Mountaineers Players not only rehearse and perform shows at the beautiful Kitsap Forest Theater, they care for the property with volunteer labor and support from skilled helpers. The forest and weather is not easy on wood structures, and it takes time and money to keep the buildings around the property functioning.
We also had a collapsed roof this year at the end of the "long building" that also houses the women's dressing rooms and other storage. Steve and Vince have been working on this roof after volunteers helped tear down the rotten part of the structure. Steve put new studs on the walls and he and Vince are in the process of rebuilding the roof rafter structure. It was a much bigger project that originally thought.