This music is HARD. I would have made that word super big bold type and RED to emphasize how hard it is. And these kids are doing it right…. kids and young adults ages 13-20 years old. They GET it.

I know, I know…. some of you think I’m taking this far too seriously but I’m telling you this show and this music has thoughts, emotions and ideas that run deeper than the Marianas Trench (look that one up geography fans!). There is so much more going on in this show than one realizes and by the time you’ve finished listening (or watching) the show you feel elated, exhausted, overjoyed and overwhelmed.

Music really has that kind of power. The audience who saw the show tonight understands what I mean by that.

I am SO proud of the kids involved in this show. They have come so far in so many ways. They sing, they dance, they act, they live and breathe it. I’m blown away by what I saw/heard. I cannot get over it. I am so impressed.

Seriously…. one or more of these kids will be on Broadway someday. They’re THAT good. This is the ALL-star team of teens and they are going to make it.

Come see the show. You only have 5 more chances. I promise you, you won’t regret it.

CSTOCK Live Community Theater in Kitsap County WA has a rich and longstanding tradition for producing shows that appeal to family audiences.

So it’s not surprising to discover that many of the shows performed by CSTOCK in their theater at the Silverdale Community Center are comprised of cast members which contain entire families.

Such is the case with the recent popular run of CSTOCK’s ‘Music Man,’ the well-known Meredith Wilson hit musical of how ‘Trouble’ comes to a small Midwest town in Iowa in the form of a pool table and a musical instrument peddling flim-flam man named Harold Hill.

An hour before curtain, the ‘Green Room’ (otherwise known as the Poplar Room) is a flurry of pre-show activity. The Beddoe Family (consisting of Dad Dave, Mom Deb, and children Katharine, Calvin, George, and Henry) are busily applying make-up and doing last minute hair touch-up. George is the lone non-acting hold-out, simply content to watch his family perform and consume his fair share of cast refreshments. Henry is the show scene stealer and obvious choice for ‘Most Adorable Actor’ when he struts out on stage towards the end of the show, wearing his ‘Boy’s Band’ uniform and carrying a snare drum almost as big as he is!

The Gray Clan is an equally invested tribe, beginning with Dad Rod who serves on the CSTOCK Board of Directors and lends his vocal/acting skills as one of the four credential-chasing school board quartet members. As one of two Stage Managers, wife Maria keeps the production flowing smoothly each night as she skillfully coordinates nearly 50 cast members and navigates the hard-working stage crew through a myriad of challenging set changes. Their daughters Jenny and Kimberly skillfully portray Amaryllis, the wannabe piano player turned lisp lover, and “Ye Gads” spouting Zaneeta Shin, respectively.

This show signals the 3rd directorial outing for Chris Borer (Damn Yankees and 1940′s Radio Hour). He is the son of veteran C-STOCK legends Dale and Karen Borer. In this production, Karen lends her usual expertise in the light booth, along with younger brother Matthew, while Father Dale skillfully provides light design and performs onstage as the town ‘boob.’

Additional families include father & son, Bill and Billy Buhl; husband & wife Joe and Sharon Martinelli; brother & sister Caitlyn and Cameron McConnell; husband & wife Bob and Clarice Nash;  father & son Cameron and Wallace Ross; mother & daughter Maddie and Palmer Scheutzow; husband & wife Jess and Ann Sveen, and daughter Sarah; father & daughter Al and Alli Verhofstadt; father & son Carrey and Rand Wiseman.

It normally begins rather innocently when one member of the family gets bitten by the acting bug. A son or daughter tags along with a friend from school and auditions for a show. Next thing you know, “they’re playing for money in a pinch back suit”…(opps, sorry, just habit!) Then Dad is at the theater on the weekends, helping build sets, and Moms selling refreshments during the performances.

A great example of this during Music Man was Raoul and Rebecca Dominguiano, parents of Abigail (Wa Tan Ye girl) who attended nearly every rehearsal and performance, providing valued supervision of the show’s younger performers. No doubt Abigail’s two younger brothers will find their way up on stage in the near future!

While not everyone involved in a CSTOCK production is related, by the end of the show everyone certainly feels like one big family.

And such is the bittersweet ending to a wonderfully enjoyable and rewarding experience. For two months, you spend nearly 3 hours every weekday in rehearsals with these people. Many weekends you’re either practicing dance steps with the choreographer or building sets. Then a full week of run-through dress rehearsals, followed by opening weekend and 12 performances. You actually end up spending more time with these folks than you do your own ‘real’ family!

Then, suddenly, the show is over. The sense of loss and emptiness is pronounced, almost palpable. It feels as though a small piece of your creative heart and soul has been ripped out, joining together to become part of a larger, cherished collective memory.

And, like a moth to the flame, you audition for the next show, and start the entire process all over!

CSTOCK’s Vision Statement

To be the premier Theatrical Performing Arts Organization in the West Puget Sound.

CSTOCK’s Mission Statement

Provide educational opportunities for all ages.

Provide a significant positive cultural influence.

Provide quality community-oriented entertainment.

• Best actor/actress
• Best supporting actor/actress
• Best production
• Best ensemble
• Best set design
• Best costumes

To vote, simply GO HERE!

Granted, being involved in a local production is a big time commitment and requires a lot of work. Most of CSTOCK’s shows are large cast musicals, like ’Music Man’ with nearly 50 cast members! Add to that the production crew, costuming, set construction, orchestra musicians, parents/volunteers, etc., and you’ve got the population of a small town!

What’s so exciting to watch is how everyone works so hard and diligently together, combining their individual talents and abilities, to create and perform as a seamless ensemble.

This is no easy task, especially given the wide range of ages represented among the cast, coordinating all the various elements of the production, and the challenging logistical constraints of performing in a very small theater space.

What I personally find so rewarding is the positive affect our community theater has on our member’s self-worth and esteem, especially for the youth. It’s thrilling to observe a kid gain a greater sense of personal confidence and develop improved social skills. They also learn the valued lesson of hard work, and the satisfying reward of applause.

During the course of intense rehearsals, comradery and friendships are fostered among the cast and crew. Many of our shows have enlisted the talents of entire families, providing them with a safe and enjoyable enviroment to spend quality time together.

CSTOCK community theater offers its audience a muchly needed escape from the everyday worries and cares of  life. A show magically transports you to another time, another place, where you become wonderfully lost within the story.

Allow me to encourage you to invest in community theater and become involved here at CSTOCK, as either an active volunteer/participant, or simply a regular audience member.

For more information on how you  can be involved, go to www.cstock.org

Thanks for your helpful support!

Some local kids have been observed re-buckling their knickerbockers ‘below’ the knee! Just the other day, a parent reported finding a ‘dime novel’ hidden in the corn crib! And I even heard one of my own teenagers using the word ‘swell!’

Well, Trouble starts with a ‘T’ and that rhymes with ‘C’ and that stands for CSTOCK!

Meredith Wilson’s time-honored musical classic, “The Music Man” is opening tomorrow at CSTOCK Community Theater in the Silverdale Community Center.

The production runs for the next four weekends, February 12th through March 7th, with shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 6pm.

Tickets can be purchased online by going to www.CSTOCK.org

So grab Your ‘Libertine Man’ or ‘Scarlet Woman,’ hop in your ‘Wells Fargo Wagon,’ and come see the ‘Must See’ show of the Season!

Such is the case with CSTOCK’s current show in progress, “The Music Man.”

There are physical transformations – set design, construction, and lighting – that turn a darkened empty theater into turn-of-the-century River City Iowa.

Skilled seamstresses effectively transport the cast back to the early 1900′s through creative costuming.

Talented musicians resurrect the works of W.C. Handy and John Philip Sousa.

Dedicated actors and actresses become deeply immersed in the development of  their characters.

And, as the curtain rises, audiences become temporarily suspended in time and space.  The worries and cares of the present are replaced by the simpler days of a bygone era. Now our biggest concern is whether our boys are re-buckling their knickerbockers ‘below’ the knee, or that the town library contains a book by Chaucer!

The Wells Fargo Wagon is coming to Kitsap County WA in February, loaded with instruments, uniforms, and ‘The Music Man!’

For quite a while now (seems like an eternity to some of us!), the CSTOCK Board of Directors has been working on developing a new Strategic Plan to help shape/guide our vision/actions moving forward.

A part of that new Strategic Plan is a newly revised Vision and Mission Statements:

Vision Statement

To be the premier Theatrical Performing Arts Organization in the West Puget Sound.

Mission Statement

Provide quality community-oriented entertainment.

Provide educational opportunities for all ages.

Provide a significant positive cultural influence.

We’ll be publishing the new Strategic Plan in it’s entirety on the CSTOCK website soon. It will be under the drop-down “About.”

These are very exciting days for CSTOCK, and the future is even brighter! Partner with us and be part of our growth and success!

You can also pre-order your own holiday cheesecake and CSTOCK can get 10% of the sale!!! If you’re a Cheesecake Factory fan, be sure to get your dessert ordered now!!!!

CSTOCK’s ID # is: 10062495! If you forget your coupon, remember this number instead!

The Board had previously approved the position and had appointed Trina to fill the role, but her involvement and work to this point have been generously voluntary. Last night’s vote approved a proposed budget and job description presented by sub-committee, and made her an official employee of CSTOCK.

Trina has been a long standing veteran member of the CSTOCK community, having served in various capacities, most recently as the President of the Board of Directors. She brings a wealth of experience, passion, and creative energy to her new role as Artistic Director, and will no doubt help to guide our theater to new heights!