kitsap forest theater

Bring lunch, a nice bottle of wine, and stadium seats/cushions. There's no bad seating, and plenty of room to sit back and enjoy.Now, I've enjoyed outdoor concerts, opera, and plays... both in natural settings, and in stadiums, but the Kitsap Forest Theater offers great productions that in a milieu that's truly magical... a wonderland ensconced in a rhododendron forest, surrounded by towering firs. Each year, the theater has two offerings that run from late May through August. While I've not seen all, I still sense that at least one of the offerings is more for a broader audience that would include children, like "Narnia". Sometimes, too, there's a recent Broadway show like "Honk". And, I especially enjoy some of the older shows like "Fiddler on the Roof".Now, I mentioned stadium seats or cushions, so check out the pic that I'm posting of the seating. For me, it's a must! The seating is commodious, but rock-hard dirt. One final note, get your tickets online... it's easier that way. Know that if it rains, you can go to another scheduled performance. And, please, please arrive a half hour or so early....not for assurances of a good seat, but rather so you can easily stroll down the 1/4 mile path to the seating, and enjoy your lunch first. Oh, there's easy parking, too.

This theatre is an amphitheater in the woods. We saw a production of "Annie." The acting and choreography were great. They can make you forget you are looking at a dirt floor and bark curtains. The setting is gorgeous.Also, don't miss a walk to a 700 year old Douglas Fir tree.

Wonderful natural area turned theater set in the woods with great plays! Can get cold so come prepared!

The Forest theater is only open during summer, probably a good idea given the weather on the Kitsap peninsula. We brought food and wine, which we consumed while the play was going, very informal. In fact, bring a "stadium seat" as there is no back support on the steps upon which you sit. This all sounds somewhat amateurish, until you read about the players. They mostly come from Seattle and are without exception skilled, gifted entertainers. It is almost like going to the Paramount or Fifth Avenue theater for $13.00. I guarantee you will enjoy your afternoon. WARNING, It is a bit of a hike"through the woods" to get to the theater. If you are truly disabled, there is a way to drive/be driven to the theater.

This is an outside theater for plays. A walk through the woods gets you to a rustic amphitheater in the woods. The hike is downhill, but to get back to your car again, it's all uphill so if you can't hike, there is a shuttle service available. There are no chairs...just the ground to sit on so taking a cushion or stadium seat is a good idea. It can be cool in the shade or on a cloudy day, so coats and blankets are good to take too. Also take an umbrella if there is any chance of rain. Snacks or lunch is a fun idea too! We have been to their annual summer play several times...I always look forward to it. It is usually a good family play so is a fun family outing.

For a very minimal ticket price, you can enjoy outdoor community theatre at its best. These are family productions which attract volunteers who are professionals in their fields of costuming, directing, acting, and musicians, etc., as well as bringing in new talent from the area, including up and coming child and teenage talent. I was swept away watching Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and most recently, The Secret Garden. Looks like it will be an annual event for me and my family! There are shuttles for people not able to use the stairs to get down into the theatre or back up again.

This place is magical! We have been coming to shows here from Seattle for several years with our kids, and always are amazed at the quality of the performances combined with the unique surroundings. Apparently, the facility had quite severe sound issues for its shows last week, this is highly unusual and was obviously resolved in the performance of The Secret Garden we saw yesterday. Amazing sets, Incredible period-costumes and the performances, especially the singing of some of the leads, were out of this world and brought me to tears as I followed the story. We see a lot of musical theater in Seattle, and this is one of our favorites. The seating area for the audience is a bit rustic (its a 90-year old amphitheater), you should bring a blanket or cushion to sit on, although they also rent them there for a minimal fee. The weather always plays a part in the production as well, we actually saw a robin fly across the stage during this production, and the dappled sunlight shines spotlights on different cast members at just the right time. When it is very sunny (like yesterday) the audience moves around to the moving shade, make sure to have a hat and sunscreen for those days in case there is limited space to move. They have shows rain or shine, and we have been to a performance in drizzle (The Sound of Music) and just made sure to wear our waterproof gear - the rain went away and the sun came out for a very happy ending. This is one of our go-to Spring/Summer activities and is a true northwest adventure when you combine it with a ferry-ride and hike around the Mountaineers property.

The good: great location, a fresh idea - performance on an open air in Northwestern forest at its best. Costumes and props were good and immersive. I also liked how everyone was invited backstage to mingle with the actors after the performance.The bad: mediocre acting by the cast. Perhaps partially that's because we've gone a fairly complex play (Secret Garden), but 80% of the cast were below average on my scale and a couple were just bad (who decided to paint a lady as Indian fakir?). Overall, the acting does not leave too many impressions, seems like the actors mostly just read the lines with a default set of emotions, without much empathy. And then there's the singing. Two people of the whole singing cast (~15) sang well. The rest were just bad. Singing off key and in discord making my ears bleed. On top of poor sound engineering (one mic was constantly cracking and one monitor was not grounded) and poor soundtrack (please, just play the piano, leave that synthetizer effect from the 70-s alone!) that does not leave a good impression. You'd think that in 90 years they'd have honed the casting part, but it seems somewhat amateurish. Perhaps my bar is set a tad high, being new to US and used to Russian theater performance standards, but I'd expected a better performance (especially having paid ~$50 for family admission)Nevertheless, I believe in people and in all the best things in the world and I do hope that the acting will improve over time. Maybe I'll come again, for a play that's more straightforward and with less singing.Overall - definitely a fresh experience and if you are not much of a connoisseur, you'll enjoy both the performance and the scenery. And don't forget to take that trail to one of the oldest fir trees in the world!

If you are looking for a place to "unplug" your family and go NON DIGITAL, here is a place rich in tradition (over 90 years) of turning out great community theater surround by woods.If you have never been - you need to do this while your family is young enough to travel together. A real treat, and a true flavor of the Northwest.

This is a real Puget Sound gem. Combining good theater with the beauty of natural surrounding we're blessed with here seems so logical, I'm surprised more people don't know about it. The Mountaineers have run this non-profit theater and nature preserve for more than 80 years.We discovered it in 2009, when we took our then 4- and 6-year old daughters to see "Beauty and The Beast." It was their first introduction to live theater, and we couldn't have asked for a better one. The place itself is breathtaking, nearly 700 acres of old-growth forest. You hike down a little (1/4 mile?) trail through huge pines and pink rhododendrons to get to the theater (although they do have a handicapped accessible entrance at the back as well), which they decorate with set-pieces evocative of the show, so the kids are excited before they even sit down. The shows we've seen (Beauty and the Beast, Sound of Music, Into The Woods, and Fiddler on the Roof) have all been first-rate. We see a lot of theater, and these shows have been better than almost any community theater I've seen, and much of the professional stuff I've seen, especially the singing and costumes. As I mentioned, it's a PERFECT place to take kids for theater, because if they get antsy during a 2-hour show, they aren't stuck inside, but have a whole forest to explore.They only do two shows a year, in June and August, and all of the performances are on Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. The earth benches are surprising comfortable. The place holds about 500 people comfortably, and there are usually seats available. Most folks there, including us, take a picnic lunch.After the show, our kids usually like to take one of several great hikes, including one to one of the biggest Douglas Firs in the country.It is a ferry ride away from Seattle, but we think of that as a plus. One caveat -- it can rain in June, so check the weather and bring an umbrella or poncho. They still perform, rain or shine, and one of the best shows I ever saw was in a light rain. When the sun came out at the climax of the play, it was a conjunction of art an nature that epitomized the magic of this place.