Veteran Local Actors Form New Production Company and Will Perform the Play “Still,” Beginning March 20, Plus, ReUse Depot Session Wednesday

Kevin Dwyer | Posted on March 16, 2026 |

Veteran community theater actor Jeff Brown and a couple of friends have founded a new theater company on Bainbridge Island called Sharp Tack Productions.

The new troupe’s first show – “Still” by Lia Romeo – will open on March 20 and run for three successive weekends at Sidequest Stage (formerly Rolling Bay Hall) on the island. It’s located kiddie-corner from Bay Hay & Feed. The shows will be staged on the weekends of March 20 – April 5, with evening performances starting at 7 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. The play runs for about 70 minutes, Brown said. Tickets can be purchased at www.sidequeststage.com

So how did all of this unfold? Brown huddled with theater pals Ruth Bookwalter and Terace Yeatts before deciding to hatch a new production company on the island.

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“I have been active in the Kitsap theater community for many years,” Brown said. “While there are opportunities in the many theaters around the County, we felt that by forming our own production company we could choose works that might otherwise get overlooked. Our guiding principle is finding new or rarely seen scripts that speak to our community in this time and place, thereby serving the audience and offering opportunities to actors, directors, playwrights and craft technicians.”

Brown, who’s lived on the Island since 1998, looks at Sharp Tack Productions as “a live art form – its immediacy is what gives it its power. Every performance is a unique, shared experience between the performers and the audience,” he explained. “In an age where technology seems to be replacing humans, theater remains an experience that cannot be outsourced. Actor and audience are engaged in the moment in a fresh, lived experience with the potential to transform, entertain, and enlighten.”

The new theater company sees its market niche in what Brown characterizes as “new and rarely produced scripts that focus on contemporary themes through individual stories,” he said. “Our first production – “Still” (by Lia Romeo), is a case in point. It tells the story of a couple who are re-connecting after many years, but now find themselves on opposite sides of the political divide. Through humor and story-telling, we see them grappling with the desire to connect while balancing personal values. It’s a story many folks are wrestling with today.”

Adds Brown, “Our company name is Sharp Tack Productions, (which) suggests works that are ‘sharp as a tack’. In sailing a tack is a change in direction, so our plays might change an audiences’ thinking. Tacks also hold things up (for reflection) or pierce things (like illusions, or hearts).”

The new production company is self-financing its first production, “Still,” but like other small non-profit theater companies on Bainbridge, such as Island Theater and Ovation, it will eventually seek donations – in addition to drawing resources from ticket sales – to finance future projects.

Sidequest Stage, where Sharp Tack Productions will perform it’s plays, was started by local comedy actor Kate Henderson, who serves as its General Manager, in December of 2024. Read a story on Sidequest that previously appeared in The Island Wanderer: https://theislandwanderer.com/side-quest-stage-at-rolling-bay-hall-a-new-local-arts-venue-for-comedy-theater-and-interactive-adventures/

ReUse Depot to Kickoff its First Community Meeting on Wednesday March 18 at BARN

Backers of ReUse Depot – a new “Library of Things and ReMaker Space” on Bainbridge is holding its first Public Information Session on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the Upper Level Great Room at the BARN, 8890 Three Tree Ln NE, Bainbridge.

The meeting includes a reception at 6:30 p.m. with light snacks, followed by an informational slide show and Q&A, said Gilian Engelson, one of the Depot’s organizers. “Help us imagine what this can be. Spread the word,” she said.

Library of Things: A lending library for building/yard tools, games, sports equipment, craft supplies, household items + more!
ReMaker Space: Dedicated to the reuse and repair of donated materials, exchanges and events.

Engelson said ReUse Depot’s wish list includes: