‘Miracles’ on stage at River City Playhouse
Uplifting Ilwaco musical
opens on Friday
BY PATRICK WEBB
Play director Rita Smith wants to off er a
gift to the community.
Because the pandemic kept people
home for so long, she wants to off er an
opportunity for a night out.
“It is a great musical for everything
that everyone has been through. It’s uplift-
ing!” Smith said. The show is “A Bag Full
of Miracles” at the River City Playhouse
in Ilwaco, Washington, and features a cast
from Peninsula Players.
“We are happy to be back,” said Smith.
“We feel like we have been doing this
musical for three years ,” she added. The
production was set to open in March 2020
when the pandemic caused the cancella-
tion of many live events. ”We had to can-
cel three days before we opened,” said
Smith. “It was a sad day. It was going to be
fi nal dress rehearsal. Instead, it was ‘pack it
away,’” she added.
The change did off er one positive deci-
sion, however. The theater had been
looking to switch from having to rely
on long-time accompanist Barbara Bate,
instead staging a production with recorded
music. Theater board members had pur-
chased what Smith calls a “production in a
packet.”
Unlike traditional restrictive theater con-
tracts, it came with a one time fee, unlim-
ited scripts, suggested rehearsal sched-
ule, costume specifi cs, instrumental music
and recorded vocal demonstrations of the
songs. “We were very fortunate that way,”
said Smith. “We didn’t have too many out-
of-pocket expenses because it was already
paid for,” she added.
During the past two years, the Penin-
sula Players have raised money for bet-
ter heating inside parts of the theater. As
rehearsals resumed, some roles had to be
recast because actors had left the commu-
nity. “We got new people on board and
Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian
ABOVE: From left, actors Nancy McAllister,
Kevin Perry, Suzanne Knutzen and Gretchen
Goodson stand around a cake. BELOW: Aarin
Hygaard, 14, right, Deborah Perry, center,
and Pepper Weldon, 9, sit on the edge of the
stage for a portrait during a rehearsal.
See Page 14
SUNDAY
AFTERNOON
Live
An energetic
amalgamation of all the
popular styles of the
1920’s/30’s - jazz, a little
blues, a bit of swing, a
pinch old time gospel,
and even classic show
tunes - all immersed
in an early 20th
century New Orleans
sound.
TRAY DAHL AND THE
JUGTIME RAGBAND
‘A Bag Full of Miracles’
Sunday, March 27, 2022
3:00 PM 4:00 PM ( Doors open at 2:30pm)
A three act musical comedy by the Peninsula Players.
Raymond Theatre • 323 3rd Street Raymond, WA, 98577
Saturday and Sunday, as well as April 1 and 2, 8 and 9 at 7 p.m. Matinees on Sunday, April 3
and 10 at 2 p.m. at River City Playhouse.
Admission is $15. To purchase tickets, visit Okie’s Thriftway in Ocean Park, Stormin’ Norman in
Long Beach and the Olde Towne Café in Ilwaco. Tickets can also be reserved through Rita Smith at
360-244-3517 or at raskimball@gmail.com. A gala reception will follow opening night on Friday.
Sponsored by:
Beryl Adams
In Memory of Janet & Don Furfiord
Bank of the Pacific
Les & Vivian Edersheim
THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022 // 11