The Silverdale musical theater is having a 20th birthday party next weekend.

Twenty years, five musical productions per year, more than 100 shows and an estimated audience of 100,000, staffed by thousands of volunteers over the years. Not bad for a theater run out of a community center in little old Silverdale. Remember Silverdale 20 years ago? The mall was just getting started and the population was a blip compared to what it is now.

The folks at Central Stage Theatre of Kitsap County have reason to brag about their accomplishments as they celebrate their 20th year of providing quality family-friendly community theater.

Board president Trina Williamson said it’s particularly fitting that CSTOCK is now staging the musical “Oliver!,” as that’s what the theater opened with in December 1986.

Over the years CSTOCK has stuck to its mission of supporting and educating the youth of Kitsap County in the joys of live theater.

At least half of the volunteers involved in every CSTOCK production, and they can number close to 100, are young people. They have the opportunity to be involved in every facet of production, from acting and singing on stage to playing in the orchestra, working the lights, building sets, sewing costumes and more.

The summer production is run almost entirely by young people, and the cast is all under 20.

As Williamson noted, “Our children’s program has expanded into a yearly summer production and a two-week workshop. We also feature four other shows throughout the year for all ages.”

While this hands-on involvement in theater no doubt leaves a lasting impression on the young people involved, CSTOCK also has a longer range vision that enables the young theater acolytes to carry what they have learned into the next stage of their life.

The Laura Sullivan/CSTOCK Memorial Scholarship is awarded every year to youth in the community “with demonstrated commitment to musical comedy theater.” The scholarship is funded primarily by the Sullivan family in memory of their daughter, a CSTOCK actor who, tragically, died before she could reach her full potential.

CSTOCK initiated a second scholarship in 1998 for the non-acting, technical support or musician participants in CSTOCK productions. The theater raises funds for the scholarships with two performances every season at which all the box office proceeds are donated to the scholarship fund.

This year’s winner of the Laura Sullivan scholarship is Emily Kershaw of Olympic High School, with a second place scholarship going to Andrew Pohl, who attends Bremerton High School. The technical scholarship was awarded to Carey Batschi, of Central Kitsap High School. More information on these talented members of our community can be found on the CSTOCK Web site, www.cstock.org.

CSTOCK is marking the 20 year anniversary with a gala celebration so big it’s going to take a full weekend July 28-30. The gala begins July 28 with appetizers and a silent auction in the gathering space below the theater in the Silverdale Community Center, followed by a performance of “Oliver!” with desserts at intermission.

July 29 features a semi-formal event — leave the jeans and T-shirts at home — featuring a dinner, live auction and entertainment by Daryl Spadaccini, along with a performance of “Oliver!” followed by karaoke.

July 30 it’s a family affair, with a bring-your-own-basket picnic in the CSTOCK parking lot at 1 p.m., a CSTOCK family photo, and admittance to the closing night of “Oliver!”

Look for full details of the gala schedule in next week’s What’s Up.

The anniversary is a time to look back on successes of the past 20 years, but it’s also a time to look forward to the next 20 years, or more. In the immediate future, next season’s slate of shows features “Footloose!,” “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” “Carousel,” “Musical Comedy Murders of 1940,” and for the summer production, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

“As we continue into our next 20 years I know that we have some hardships to face, but with the support of the performers, families, businesses and the community at large, CSTOCK will continue to flourish and provide quality entertainment in Kitsap County,” Wiliamson said.

Congratulations CSTOCK, and here’s to many more encores.

Kitsap Beat is a weekly feature of What’s Up. Address questions or comments to Marcie Miller at: mmiller@northkitsapherald.com or (360) 779-4464.