The Mountaineers Players have been performing at the Kitsap Forest Theater since the 1920's. There is a long history of volunteers who have loved and cared for the theater and the property "up top" where the historic Kitsap Cabin sits. Read our history to learn some of what started this wonderful and long tradition. The Players spend many weekends on the Kitsap property rehearsing and performing shows, putting on summer camps - and caring for the property. Many Players live in tents or in the dorm during rehearsal and show weekends. We eat meals prepared by volunteer cooks in Kitsap Cabin, and we socialize, sing around the campfire, hike to Big Tree, and enjoy being in the forest environment.

To keep this place functioning takes many volunteers taking on many tasks. It's wonderful how some who audition for shows later become important volunteers who help with the maintenance of the property. We would like to highlight some of our many faithful volunteers.

Erik Lam was a performer in this spring's Fiddler on the Roof. His mother and sister were in last spring's Oklahoma! Erik decided to do his Eagle Scout project on the Kitsap property and asked where he could be the most useful. We decided that a great project would be clearing out part of a theater building where the roof collapsed this spring. In addition to falling trees and branches, the roofs at the theater take quite a beating with the weather - and this roof was over 30 years old. His crew worked two full days and hauled away over 3 tons of rotten wood and other debris. They also took 890 pounds of old metal to metal recycling. They accomplished in two days what would have taken us months to do. Erik and his uncle also built beautiful new benches for the Kitsap Cabin deck. The Mountaineers Players and the Kitsap Forest Theater thank Erik and his family for their incredible work on behalf of the theater. To see more pictures from this successful work party, please visit our photo gallery.

Joe Markovich auditioned with his family for Fiddler on the Roof this spring, and if you saw our show, he was one of the bottle dancers extraordinaire. He would practice by walking down the theater trail with his bottle on his head (and no - they were not attached). Joe is also an arborist, and he immediately saw that he could be very helpful on the property. Joe has spent quite a few volunteer hours cutting down dead trees that were threatening buildings (or people) and climbing high into trees to cut off dead branches. He brought a friend, Chris, several weeks ago to continue his work. Joe and Chris, we so appreciate you taking care of this amazing property.

We have many other long-time volunteers who have spent untold hours building, repairing and taking care of this property. We could always use more help and expertise. Please contact us to volunteer your time and resources.

This summer and fall we will be putting a finish on the yurt decks and doors, cleaning and painting a building on the property, and rebuilding the roof and rafters of the building at the theater. Come be part of a decades old Mountaineers tradition and volunteer your time and efforts to keep this theater alive for future generations!

Not only have the Mountaineers Players been busy this spring and summer creating two incredible shows (Honk! & Annie), they have also been busy creating a new play area for kids of all ages.

It all started with a family whose daughter, Kamalani, auditioned for Narnia last year. Kamalani loved the experience, and her brother, Brayden, enjoyed hanging out at the theater. Her parents, Lisa Simpson and Brian Fielder, helped out behind the scenes – Lisa backstage and Brian selling concessions. Lisa became the teacher/leader of the Kitsap Forest Adventure Camp (last year and this year!). They had such a positive experience, they decided to join the Players Committee.

Noticing that the old play structure (built by volunteer parents several decades ago) was no longer safe – they volunteered to donate time and money to design and build a new one. After doing a site evaluation, they presented the Players Committee with their recommendations and design ideas. It was decided to build the new play structure on the other side of Kitsap Cabin to take advantage of the trees on the site. 

Here is Lisa's explanation for the design:

"The inspiration for the Treehouse was the Kitsap Forest itself and the imagination of theater. I watched what the kids do when they are playing in the Kitsap Forest and tried to imagine what they might build for themselves if they were lost in the woods — on a great adventure and needing a home. I thought of Peter Pan and pirates battling with swords, the Swiss Family Robinson, and Robinson Crusoe. I also thought of fairies and the magical times younger children, and we all, experience observing the creatures that live in the woods."

"It needed to have a balcony so the kids could be dramatic. It needed a crow's nest, so the kids could get up high and so the "set" would have several levels. It needed to appeal to kids that could just begin to climb up and to the older teens who still want to play a bit while they "hang out." I wanted to make something that would inspire the imaginations of all ages."

With Lisa's design expertise and Brian's carpenter skills, work was begun in the spring. They worked with other Players volunteers to clear the site, dig the holes and set the posts. The actual structure was built mostly by Lisa and Brian with others helping as needed. Lisa and Brian's donation of money was matched 100% by Brian's employer, Microsoft, and his hundreds of hours of volunteer work was donated in matching funds to the Mountaineers Players, paying for the structure as it grew. Additionally, the Walters family (Beaven, Mark, Sophie, Scooter and Maisy) who have been involved with the Players for the past five years as performers, volunteers, and serving on the Players Committee, donated money towards the Treehouse project.

Since the structure was completed in phases, kids could play on the parts that were finished while the rest was being built. During Adventure Camp the swing set and small tower was used. The taller tower was finished in time for Annie families to use. Last to be added was the suspension bridge and the climbing net. It has been a pleasure to see cast and crew kids (and their friends) climbing all over the structure while plotting their next adventure. Families attending shows are spending time at The Treehouse before and after the shows – fitting with our goal of making a trip to the Kitsap Forest Theater part of a "daycation" – picnic before the show, explore The Treehouse, see the show, hike to Big Tree, etc.

This was a labor of love (and a sacrifice) for the entire Simpson/Fielder family (including the family dog, Jack) – they spent almost every weekend of the spring and summer (and some weekdays) at the Kitsap Forest Theater working on the structure (and helping out with the plays).

Thank you, Lisa and Brian (and Kamalani and Brayden) – your thoughtfulness in design, attention to detail and masterful construction will ensure that your gift will bless generations of families. You have created a legacy that will keep on giving to kids young and old – truly inspiring the imagination of all who explore The Treehouse.

To see pictures of the build in progress, see our Photo Gallery.

For those who don't know what a hen house is doing at the Kitsap Forest Theater, a bit of clarification: The term 'Hen House' has been used to denote the women's dressing room since Music Man in 2001 when the "pick-a-little ladies" deemed it such.

The back story to the repairs on the women's dressing room roof goes back to last November when a very bad wind wipped through Kitsap Peninsula leaving scores of trees uprooted. Among the 10-20 trees that fell on the Kitsap property, one fell on the roof of the Hen House.

Last week a few volunteers (Scott & Barb Baker, Josh Brown, Craig McCoy, Olivia Hickerson, and Brian & Gala Lindvall) started the roof repair project. The Bremerton Rotary donated money to help cover the material expenses (Thank you!) and we started the tear off and replace the roof project. A few of us took several loads of old set wood to the dumpster and dump.

We will need many more work parties to complete the project, but a good amount of rotten roof has now been repaired. It takes an army of volunteers to keep this property in good repair. Please let us know if you would like to help with this project.