This time next month will be opening night for The Final Toast. With all the work we have ahead of us, it hardly seems possible that we will be ready, but we will. After two full production meetings this blogger is honored and excited to be working with such a talented and capable staff.

For some of us, the last two months have been a bit challenging, but like everyone else, we adapt and punt. We have a few changes and additions. Charlotte Tiencken needed to move her directing slot to another time, and our resident director Rod Pilloud was able to step in to direct The Final Toast. We are thrilled to announce an addition to our cast: Mike Storslee has been enticed out of retirement to play the parts of Jack Dawes and Second Applicant. And costume designer Sarah Mosher has agreed to costume this show for us.

Each director develops unique ideas about how a play will look, and works to that end. With our new director came the need for a different look for the set, so Kurt Walls has come up with yet another wonderful set design guaranteed to satisfy every Sherlock Holmes fan who sees it. I will have some pictures of the set model up on the blog this week. Rehearsals begin tonight, set construction began last Saturday thanks to Brett Carr, Ryan Coleman, and Mike Westhoff, and I will begin painting this weekend.

We are finalizing plans to have our playwright, Stuart Kaminsky, join us for opening weekend in February. Stuart is a well-known mystery author, and we are working with Pierce County Library and a local book store to give Kaminsky fans some other opportunities to meet with him. And watch for a nice big spread featuring Theatre Northwest Group coming soon in the News Tribune. We will keep you posted here on the blog. Until then, tickets are on sale at the Broadway Center Box Office!