The Actors Theater of Orcas Island will present the world premier of  Whither the Wind Blows, for two weekends August 4-6 and 11-13, 2022 at the Orcas Grange. The play, written by Rick Gossett, from Seattle, is directed by Tom Fiscus. The story, narrated by Tony Lee, is set in a Scottish Hebrides fishing village in the 1930s. Only the fish buyer boat and the mail connect the village to the outside world.

Keen McKeg (Larry Hampel) and his wife Ona (Suzanne Gropper) live there with their 18 year-old son, Jon (Moose Kinsey), whose aspirations are to be a writer, not a fisherman. However, the loss at sea of his older brother a few years before brings Jon’s plans into conflict with his father’s fisherman ethic and the family’s needs. Add in the influences of Keen’s friend, Dorf (Lew Thomas), the village priest (Tom McDonough) and the town “witch”, Soji (Aaimee Johnson) and a powerful, moving story of loss and
hope emerges.

The play will follow a special concert of Hebridean and Celtic music beginning at 7:30 pm performed by a group of local musicians, led by Dave Zoeller. Tickets are $10, and can be purchased at Darvill’s Bookstore, at the door or by clicking the link above.

In view of the resurgence of Covid infections and the need to keep the actors safe, audience members will be required to wear masks throughout the performance. Actors Theater appreciates your patience in helping everyone stay healthy.

Photo’s from a rehearsal of Whither The Wind Blows:

The Actors Theater of Orcas Island invites you to celebrate the holiday season with us as we enjoy the beloved American holiday classic, “IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE”. This heartwarming story of renewal is presented as a 1940’s radio broadcast with sound effects performed live on stage. With the help of an ensemble and an angel named Clarence, George Bailey learns all the ways that we are tied to those around us. This show is suitable for all ages but see the note on vaccinations below.

Four performances will be at the Grange beginning Thursday, December 9 through Sunday, December 12th at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 16. Tickets are available at Darvill’s Book Store, at www.orcasactors.org. and at the door.

To keep our cast, crew and audiences safe, everyone who attends must be fully vaccinated and will be required to wear a mask while inside the building.

After almost two years without any theater, The Actors Theater is reopening at the Grange with “Savannah Sipping Society” a laugh-out-loud comedy starring Dorrie Braun, Diane Craig, Suzanne Gropper and Melinda Milligan with cameo’s from DD Glaze and Annette Mazzarella.  A detailed description of this play is included below. Savannah Sipping Society opens at 7:30 pm on Friday, September 3rd with seven performances until closing on Sunday, September 12th.  Savannah Sipping Society is directed by Doug Bechtel.

The continued COVID problem has forced us to establish some additional rules:   First, EVERYONE who attends MUST BE FULLY VACCINATED.  Secondly, everyone will be required to wear a mask while inside the building.  As usual, we will have juice and cookies available but you will need to go outside the building to enjoy them.  The entire production crew has been fully vaccinated and will wear masks.   Our actors will not wear masks unless they approach within six feet of the audience.  We will move our first row of seating from its normal position 6 feet from the front of the stage to 9 feet from the stage.

Tickets continue to be $10 and will be available at Darvill’s Book Store, online by clicking the link to the left and at the door.

For more information, contact Doug Bechtel at (360) 317-5601.

Click here to view some photos of Savannah Sipping Society

What is Savannah Sipping Society all about?

In this delightful, laugh-a-minute comedy, four unique Southern women, all needing to escape the sameness of their day-to-day routines, are drawn together by Fate—and an impromptu happy hour—and decide it’s high time to reclaim the enthusiasm for life they’ve lost through the years.  Randa, a perfectionist and workaholic, is struggling to cope with a surprise career derailment that, unfortunately, reveals that she has no life and no idea how to get one.   Dot, still reeling from her husband’s recent demise and the loss of their plans for an idyllic retirement, faces the unsettling prospect of starting a new life from scratch—and all alone.   Earthy and boisterous Marlafaye, a good ol’ Texas gal, has blasted into Savannah in the wake of losing her tom-cattin’ husband to a twenty-three-year-old dental hygienist.  The strength of her desire to establish a new life is equaled only by her desire to wreak a righteous revenge on her ex.    Also new to town, Jinx, a spunky ball of fire, offers her services as a much-needed life coach for these women.   However, blinded by her determination and efforts to get their lives on track, she over-looks the fact that she’s the one most in need of sage advice.  Over the course of six months, filled with laughter, hilarious misadventures, and the occasional liquid refreshment, these middle-aged women successfully bond and find the confidence to jump-start their new lives.  Together, they discover lasting friendships and a renewed determination to live in the moment—and most importantly, realize it’s never too late to make new old friends. So raise your glass to these strong Southern women and their fierce embrace of life and say “Cheers!” to this joyful and surprisingly touching play!  Those who saw our production of Dixie Swim Club several years ago will understand the humor of these playwrights.

Playfest 2020 becomes PlagueFest 2020

The Actors Theater of Orcas Island will present a “Stay At Home”  version of our well known Playfest.

After nearly fifteen years of successful Playfests a number of issues resulted in the 2019 Playfest being cancelled.  Rather than let the Covid 19 Pandemic Shutdown prevent a Playfest this year, we  decided to find a way to put on the Playfest.

So, armed with enthusiasm, gentle prodding from several of our friends and a donation to pay for the commercial version of Zoom, we decided to present several plays from last year’s submissions that could be successfully presented while maintaining social distance.   Several elements, like auditions, sets and sophisticated light and sound had to be eliminated.

We selected four plays, four playwrights, four directors, eighteen actors and one techie to rehearse and record the plays using the Zoom platform.

“Cast On, Bind Off” by Brad Brown is directed by Melinda Milligan. Actors are Bella Schermerhorn, Bev Leyman, Pam Evans, Pat Ayers and Lesley Liddle.

“Second Thoughts” by Miguel Villarreal is directed by Suzanne Gropper.  Actors are Frank Michels, Larry Hampel, Aaimee Johnson, Luann Pamatian and Don Yearly.

“Visiting Aunt Lucy” by Jackie Bates is directed by Tom Fiscus. Actors are Paula Capitano, Tom Fiscus, Leah Jensen, Bella Evans and Ed Wilson.

“In The Hall Of The Mountain Wizard” by Evan Wagoner-Lynch is directed by Lynda Sanders.  Actors are R. Travis King, Maddie Olson and Stephanie Wright.

We are currently assembling the various plays into an evening of “Stay At Home Entertainment”.

CLICK HERE on or after the 19th to watch the video of Plaguefest 2020 on YouTube.

Contact Doug Bechtel at 360-317-5601 or doug@orcasactors.org if you have any questions.