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.

Footloose, the Musical opened last weekend and has three more weekends to go. Michael Moore of the Kitsap Sun quoted director Ken Michels in his recent preview of the show: ". . . the strengths of Footloose are its heart and its balance of music and dance with drama and comedy." "It's got everything," he said. "It's a great show, and it adds to the experience of coming to this special place." 

Here is a perspective from new Player Carol Stanley about her experiences being involved for the first time in a Mountaineers Players show:

"When I first decided to audition for Footloose I thought I was crazy to be driving all over Seattle just for a show. However after the first weekend at the theater I instantly knew why so many people come back year after year. The theater is so beautiful and it is amazing to be a part of such a great history of shows."

"What I have enjoyed most about Footloose is the talented and dedicated cast. Most weekends after a long rehearsal we all agree to put in extra hours [practicing] in the yurt. We practice until the late hours without any complaint. We are all invested deeply in the show. I know I've only known these people for a few months but I feel I have made some amazing friends. I guess it takes living, working, and most importantly playing with others that makes for an amazing cast. I can't wait to share all of our hard work with the rest of the world."

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.

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!

The Mountaineers Players' production of Fiddler on the Roof opened to rave reviews on Memorial Day weekend. Here are some of Michael Moore's comments from his Kitsap Sun review after watching the show this weekend:

"I enjoyed the innovative ways director Craig Schieber's production dealt with the limitations presented by doing the show outdoors, in broad daylight, without any special-effects bells and whistles. I also liked a number of the performances, many of which were by first-time Mountaineers filling the iconic roles of Tevye the milkman, his family and his neighbors in workaday little Anatevka, a borrowed-time little burg about to be ground under by the expulsion of Russia's Jews in the early years of the 20th Century. And much of the singing — both by soloists in the beloved songs and by the nearly choirlike ensemble pieces — was everything I could've asked for."

". . . the Mountaineers' "Fiddler" made good on the promise of those key numbers . . .  They were helped immeasurably by the costumes supplied by Barbara Klingberg, which were the special effects in the "Tevye's Dream" sequence, which featured blue-clad "ghosts" coming out of the woodwork and the richly upholstered Fruma Sarah (Marlene Anderson) "soaring" above the host, simply by standing on a chair on the KFT stage's shelf, behind all the deceased."

"The famed "bottle dance" was altered, and at least one of the more difficult stunts omitted, but the piece was still considerably powerful, thanks to what the dancers were able to do, and to the backing they received from music director Amy Beth Nolte's little band of musicians, headed up by keyboardist Debbie Valenta."

"Schieber found some unexpected dramatic kick in places I didn't expect. The wedding of Tzeitel (the wonderful Sarah Walsh) and Motel (the equally charming Buddy Todd), and the subsequent trashing of the festivities by the Constable (Jerry Dreessen) and his Czarist henchmen, has seemed trite and melodramatic in other productions I've seen, but were emotional and effective in their forest incarnation. Schieber and Caridi also upped the ante in the "Chava" sequence ("Little Bird") by having Tevye's daughters (Walsh, Lani Smith as Hodel and Amberlee Williams as Chava) alongside their younger selves, portrayed in a lovely dance sequence by Layla and Maya Markovich and Jasmine Harrick)."

"Stephen Wall, as Tevye, handled most of the acting, and all of the singing, with aplomb, and was especially effective in his more emotionally demanding moments, but also cranked up the comedy at times, especially in his exchanges with the jilted Lazar Wolf (a fine Tod Harrick)."

"His was probably one of the two best voices in the show, along with Jenny Dreessen as Tevye's wife, Golde. Their duet, "Do You Love Me?", was perfectly wrought, with just the right balance of heartiness and humor. All three daughters sang beautifully, as well, as did Todd (in "Miracle of Miracles"). And the whole company made the show's two most reflective numbers, "Sabbath Prayer" and "Anatevka," particular favorites of mine."

Congratulations to the production staff, musicians, sound, cast and crew for a terrific opening weekend.