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!