KINGSTON — A group of North Kitsap parents are setting the stage for four nights of murder, intrigue and laughter.
It’s an odd grouping, mixing death and mystery with fun and games, but it’s been a successful recipe for the past nine years for the North Kitsap Options Parent Group’s annual dinner theater.
This year’s production is “Without a Hitch,” a Hitchcock-inspired, tongue-in-cheek mystery that draws on jokes and audience participation as much as death and danger. The dinner theater serves as a fundraiser for the Options program, but it’s also a time for the parent and teacher participants to let their hair down.
“I like to play, and this gives you an opportunity to be creative,” said Sarah Beckett, an Options parent acting in this year’s production.
The play, which includes some blue humor, is open to adults ages 18 and up. It runs Feb. 26 and 27, and March 5 and 6 at the Poulsbo Eagles Club on Lincoln Road. Show time is at 7 p.m. each night. The $40 price of admission includes the entertainment as well as a four-course meal and access to a silent auction and no-host bar.
Dorothy Michak, an Options parent and the play’s producer, said the dinner theater seats about 100 people per night and has sold out each of the last two years. The money raised through the production pays for two camping trips the Options group takes each school year.
The Options program is in its 20th year in the North Kitsap School District. It consists of a collection of teachers, parents and students who want more arts and parent involvement in education. The only membership requirement is a little volunteer work.
“We wanted kids and parents to have a voice in developing curriculum,” said Sue Dazey, an Options teacher and one of the play’s cast members. “Our curriculum is a lot more integrated, with arts and a lot of different subject areas.”
Dazey, who teaches a mixed kindergarten, first- and second-grade class, said she often brings parents to the classroom to share their expertise in various fields. She believes such first-hand knowledge benefits the students.
“We draw on our parents for a lot of what we do, according to what their talents are.”
That sentiment extends beyond the classroom, to the stage and other areas of each student’s education.
“You’re allowed to be alive,” Beckett said of the Options program. “You’re allowed to get involved in every aspect of your child’s education.”
Parents and teachers involved in the Options program, which extends through eighth grade, laud its impact on their children. They say students continue to benefit long after they move on.
“They have, from what I can tell, shone,” Michak said. “They tend to do well academically because they’ve learned how to learn.”
If you go …
Tickets for “Without a Hitch” are on sale now for $40 apiece. Discounted tickets are available for senior citizens and parties of eight or more people. To purchase, call (360) 394-6758 or visit mdt.eventbrite.com on the Web.
