F ounded in 1959, The Evergreen Playhouse is a veritable monument to the arts and the live theater tradition in Centralia. The Evergreen Playhouse is a volunteer organization that focuses on sharing the arts with the community through live theater. A tradition that the current Playhouse board hopes to uphold and expand.
“We were founded in 1959 basically by a bunch of people who thought that community theater was an important part of a growing, thriving community,” explains Shane Rivers, current board president. This is Shane’s first year as the president of the Playhouse board, but he is no stranger to theater or to Centralia.
Shane also teaches drama and English at Centralia High School. He is currently finishing his tenth year. Shane’s passion for sharing theater and the arts is something that bridges the work he does with high schoolers and the time he spends with The Evergreen Playhouse.
Shane explains why live theater is important and exciting. He shares, “There’s something special about seeing a live show. There’s a communion between the actors and the audience. You are sharing a moment. That makes it special. The key is to laugh when you want to, cry, groan. We want a genuine reaction from the audience. The whole reason why we do theater is for the audience.”
The board, the actors, every aspect of the theater, from the front of the house to the back, runs on the passion and time of volunteers who work to keep the theater’s rich tradition alive.
The Evergreen Playhouse is a community theater. Shane says, “A community theater is a theater that serves the needs of the community. Anyone can be a member and anyone who wants to be can be a part of the theater.”
Shows at the Playhouse run in seasons. Typically, The Evergreen Playhouse’s season runs from August through June, although the number of plays performed from year to year within a season varies. This next season the Playhouse will be featuring six different plays. “We try to do a wide variety of different shows to appeal to the community,” Shane says, “something that feels familiar. And we try to pick some plays to challenge them as well.”
In the past, the Playhouse board has selected all the shows to be featured during the season. This year, however, Shane says that the Playhouse is mixing things up a bit. “The board will announce the shows for the season in June. This year the board selected five of the plays to be featured, and the sixth show will be voted on by members of the Playhouse,” he says.
“I can’t say what the shows are that we’ve selected,” Shane shares, “but it is going to be exciting.” Shane explains that the shows for the current season were selected around a central theme. This year that theme is discovering your life’s purpose.
Becoming a member of the Playhouse has its perks. A membership costs ten dollars and allows voting privileges at the board general meeting, don’t forget that means helping to choose the sixth play featured for the upcoming season. A membership also gives you a two-dollar discount off tickets and access to the Playhouse’s newsletter.
Shane has been in two shows at the Playhouse and is the director for the latest show they will be putting on— “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” The play is the final show for the current season and will feature nine actors. It is also a musical, the only one the Playhouse is featuring this season.
“We usually rehearse for six to seven weeks, practicing four days a week for a show,” Shane says.
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is set to begin running June 3 through June 19, Fridays through Sundays.
The Playhouse features pay-what-you-can nights on select Thursdays, another way the theater is making sure they serve the community. “Pay-what-you-can gives people more options. We don’t want anyone to miss out on live theater,” Shane says.
For those interested in possibly acting in a show at the Playhouse, general auditions are scheduled for August 22 through August 26. Actors of all ages are welcome to audition. Shane says, “We had one actor who was seven and one who as in her seventies and that was in the same show. All ages are welcome.”
For those who would like to contribute to the Playhouse in other ways, the Playhouse is currently looking for board members. Members of the Playhouse board are essential to the function of committees and helping backstage at least once per production.
For anybody interested in volunteering in other ways, from set construction to scrapbooking, Shane asks, “Please send an email to the Playhouse expressing your interest.”
The Evergreen Playhouse is a staple to Centralia’s past and present. As Shane says, “This is the only place in town where you can see community theater. It is something special. We think of ourselves as a hidden gem. I don’t think a lot of people realize we are here.”
The Evergreen Playhouse
226 West Center Street in Centralia
TheEvergreenPlayhouse@gmail.com
360-736-8628
