SEQUIM – It looks like a publicity stunt, but the promoters swear that was not at all what they had in mind.
Olympic Theatre Arts, Sequim’s community playhouse, was shut down by city Public Works Director James Bay last week.
With demolition going on in one part of the building at 414 N. Sequim Ave., public occupancy was unsafe, Bay said.
OTA general manager Lee Harwell and a raft of volunteers promptly took their show across the road to Sequim High School’s Performing Arts Center.
“Auntie Mame,” the most elaborate production in the troupe’s history, played to audiences of 300 Saturday night and 425 Sunday afternoon, Harwell reported.
Those crowds are considerably larger than what would have fit into OTA’s converted Methodist Church building.
“The support the community has shown us has been fabulous,” said OTA board vice president Elaine Caldwell.
But on Monday, she and “Mame” director Kathleen Hennen weren’t exactly overjoyed.
They were sitting outside their playhouse under a “Do Not Occupy” notice warning of a $5,000 fine and up to one year in prison.
