GARDINER — This spring, it became quite clear: People were thirsty for laughter.
“Humor in Paradise,” a comedy revue to benefit the Paradise Theatre School of Chimacum, drew a sellout crowd to its June 15 premiere at the Pope Marine Building in Port Townsend.
And so the show, subtitled “An Evening of Amusing Treats by Peninsula Women,” is back this Friday, only at a bigger venue: the Gardiner Community Center, 980 Old Gardiner Road just off U.S. Highway 101.
The production, which runs an hour and 45 minutes with an intermission, has a 7:30 p.m. curtain. Tickets are $15 at the Port Townsend Food Co-op, 414 Kearney St., and at www.BrownPaperTickets.com.
No one, however, will be turned away for lack of funds, the show’s producers said.
The vignettes in “Paradise” include “Trigger Happy” by Rebecca Redshaw, “Down Home Therapy” by psychologist Marcia Perlstein and “Guilt-Free Pleasure” by Deborah Wiese.
Then there’s “Wax On, Wax Off,” a bit by Consuelo Brennan, and “Carlessness” by Mara Lathrop.
These women, who hail from Sequim, Port Townsend and Port Angeles, have cooked up their comedy to help raise money for the Paradise.
The nonprofit theater school and playhouse had to shut down last year due to Jefferson County building requirements, said co-artistic director Pattie Miles Van Beuzekom.
The Paradise is in the midst of a campaign to raise $50,000 for safety upgrades of its home, an old chapel at 161 Center Road.
So, the actors in “Humor in Paradise” also are donating their time to the cause.
They include Heather Dudley Nollette, Charlotte McElroy, Iris Bracey, Jennifer Nielsen, Kristin Wolfram and Marj Iuro.
Wiese and Redshaw, in addition to performing in the show, are co-producers of this Friday’s performance.
“So many people were turned away at the door the first time,” Redshaw said.
“What a wonderful problem to have.”
Van Beuzekom, for her part, marveled at how the women decided to give of their personal time for a second show.
“It has been such a huge success,” she added, “that we plan on making ‘Humor in Paradise’ a yearly tradition.”
To find out more about the Paradise, visit www.TheParadiseTheatreSchool.org or phone 360-643-3493.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.