We have an important update about WWCA.
Western Washington Center for the Arts is in a challenging era for us. Since losing our building and moving to 624 Bay Street, we have had our ability to seat guests greatly limited and the smaller space has meant that we have had to delay some larger shows that we had been planning for and instead have had to do some smaller or more novel concepts. In the past few months, we have had to work through several different roadblocks, including an issue with our occupancy permit that we are in the process of fixing currently. Despite that, our casts and crew have taken it on as a challenge – finding new and innovative ways to do shows in the limited space, and continuing to hold to our high standards for performances and keep the quality that we have been known for over the last twenty five years.
We have had some successes with trying new things in the space – doing musical revues, radio plays, and getting to be more involved in the Port Orchard community through events like the Mosquito Fleet and the Kitsap Ghost Train. We love Port Orchard, and staying here was a major focus through all of our struggles.
In December, we will be presenting a 2-night event: A Holiday Evening with WWCA. This event will be hosted at Gathered by Josephines, in another collaboration with a local business that has been great about providing a space for our shows to continue. While the full Winter Wonderettes show did have to be delayed because of the occupancy issues, the cast will still be there for our holiday evening shows on December 19th and 20th joined by other WWCA cast members. In the past, WWCA’s Holiday Show has grown to be a big joyous celebration of the season. A Holiday Evening with WWCA will pay homage to these past shows while featuring smaller numbers performed by some of our most adored WWCA cast members.
Port Orchard has been home for us our whole existence, and we have directors now who grew up going to our childrens camps. We want to stay here and continue to provide the arts to South Kitsap, despite any problems that we have run into. All of that said, we are still looking for donations to help us find a more permanent home that meets our needs while staying in Port Orchard. And more than anything, we are looking to hire a grant writer – someone with the ability and resources to help sort and pursue grants would be a vast help for us at this time. Any leads would be appreciated.
WWCA has handled many challenges in it’s 25 year history and it’s amazing what we have been able to overcome and survive– a recession, a pandemic, losing our building– and we’re still here! We appreciate the support of our community while we manage this in between phase. We are optimistic about what the future holds for WWCA and performing arts in the Port Orchard and surrounding communities.
Thank you for your continued support! Tickets are now available for A Holiday Evening with WWCA. Come join us to celebrate the season and our love of WWCA and performing arts in Port Orchard 