IT’S A VERY BUSY weekend again for the North Olympic Peninsula entertainment scene.
In addition to Geoffrey Castle’s “Celtic Christmas,” here’s a selection of other stage events today, Saturday and Sunday.
The full stories — and more — are in “Peninsula Spotlight,” the entertainment section of the Friday-Saturday print edition of the Peninsula Daily News
‘No Exit’ in Port Angeles
By Diane Urbani de la Paz
Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — There’s no time like now to do this Jean-Paul Sartre play, the director says.
So “No Exit,” Sartre’s rough one-act ride, pulls in to the Port Angeles Community Playhouse tonight to run through just one weekend.
This is the story of three souls, whom the mysterious Valet brings inside a room in hell.
There, they confront themselves and one another. Sartre’s line, “Hell is other people,” is found here.
“No Exit” is a masterpiece, and one among the most important works of modern literature, director John Manno believes.
For him, the play’s theme isn’t hard to explain: It’s about being your authentic self.
“If you are not who you are, bravely, truly and courageously,” Manno said, “you are in hell.”
And Sartre was not gentle with his message. “He wanted to wake people up,” added the director.
Sean Peck-Collier, Stephanie Gooch, Julie Belling and Lola Hassan-Adams are the foursome planning to awaken audiences to the existentialist play at 7:30 tonight and Saturday night and finally at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Across a plain set, the story unfolds with a fresh addition: a soundtrack of original music by Neil Paynter of Port Angeles.
Admission is a free-will donation at the door of the playhouse at 1235 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
Beth Whitney in Coyle
By Diane Urbani de la Paz
Peninsula Daily News
COYLE — The “Leave Your Shoes” title has a couple of meanings, Beth Whitney says.
This name of her first album is about slipping off your shoes, relaxing and coming in to her home. It’s also about simplicity: going barefoot on the path of life.
Whitney, a singer-songwriter from Snohomish, will kick up her heels alongside her husband at 7:30 this Saturday night at the Laurel B. Johnson Community Center, 923 Hazel Point Road.
Admission is by donation to this evening of indie folk and pop music, and all ages are welcome.
Whitney taught herself to play guitar when she was just 16, after she was given an orphaned instrument from her church. She couldn’t help but write songs, too, and kept that up as she graduated high school, traveled around Africa and went to college at Spokane’s Whitworth University.
Gospel singers in Port Angeles
PORT ANGELES — A sing-along of Christmas tunes will round out the Peninsula Men’s Gospel Singers’ free matinee this Sunday.
The venue for the 2:30 p.m. concert, with 13 singers, director Lee Moseley and accompanist Penny Hall, is the Port Angeles Senior and Community Center, 328 E. Seventh St.
Everyone, senior or not, is invited to enjoy the songs free of charge, including “Sing We Now of Christmas,” “Come and See the King” and “Ave Maria,” with a solo by tenor Larry Doyle.
“Let There Be Peace on Earth,” the Singers’ signature closing song, will finish the afternoon.
To find out more about this ensemble, visit www.PMGospelSingers.com.
Singers and bell ringers in Port Townsend
By Diane Urbani de la Paz
Peninsula Daily News
PORT TOWNSEND — Singers and bell ringers from across the community will come together to share their love of music in two concerts: 7 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
The Wild Rose Chorale & Friends events will both be at First Presbyterian Church, 1111 Franklin St., with admission a suggested $12 donation.
This time around, the 10-voice Wild Rose Chorale has three more ensembles poised to join them: the teenage PT Vocal Ensemble, and the PT Youth Chorus led by by Leslie Lewis and the newly formed PT Community Bell Choir.
In this weekend’s concerts, the various ensembles will present their own sets of songs, then unite in two big finale numbers as the Holiday Community Singers get into the act.
Rebecca Rottsolk has directed this drawn-from-the-community, free-form ensemble for 10 years now.
The Wild Rose program brings together singers of all ages, Rottsolk noted.
When choosing songs for this holiday program, “we always look for something really special – something that singers will enjoy and something that has a message,” she added.
For the community singers’ finale, Rottsolk chose “Christmastime” and “Sing for Peace,” both to be accompanied by handbells and both with texts about peace and the meaning of the holiday season.
The PT Community Bell Choir formed in response to the need for handbell accompaniment in these Christmas concerts, said its director, Judy Schussler.
“Handbell music is basically like a piano score,” she added, “with each ringer providing a crucial link in the musical chain.”
Ringers must possess strong music-reading skills, a good sense of rhythm and team spirit, Schussler added.
Each ringer is assigned to two bells within the choir’s four-octave set of handbells.
