“Many Moons” Program

Occasionally, when one of those ‘small world’ connections surfaces, I am asked, “How do you happen to know ‘so-and-so’?” It’s usually a visitor from the more populated outer world who asks — a visitor not acquainted with the nuances of small-town living. I am always tempted to say, “Let me count the ways.”

When you live in a small community like ours – and I’m speaking of the entire Peninsula here – for any length of time – and I’m talking several years or more – it becomes difficult to say exactly how you “know” others who live here. If I were to have a check-list of possibilities, it would have to include dozens of categories beginning with former student, parent of former student, works or has worked at the bank (or the pharmacy or the post office or Jack’s or…), comes to Vespers, friend of a friend, is a shirt-tail relative, etc. The possibilities are limitless.

I was reminded of this fabulous perk of living in an area where ‘everybody knows your name’ when Nyel came home from the library yesterday with the books he went after plus a program from a long-ago Peninsula Players production of “Many Moons.” Librarian Beth Watterberg had run into it among her souvenirs and loaned it to Nyel for a little journey back in time.

“Many Moons” Cast

The date isn’t on the program, but we think that it was in the Fall of 1991 that we were in that play at the Inn at Ilwaco. It was directed by Coleman White who moved to Port Townsend many years ago. Alan Greiner did lighting and makeup and has also lived elsewhere (Switzerland) for many years. Sarah Anderson (Taylor), who was a sophomore at Ilwaco High School, was stage manager.

I played opposite Scott Cowell – I think for the first time; we played Mammy and Pappy Yokum later in “Lil Abner” – and I don’t remember feeling at all weird that Scott was many years younger than my own son. Scott is still very active in theater in Raymond. Ditto (active in theater) Judy Johnson, who played the nurse; she is still front and center in many productions of the ‘new’ Peninsula Players, still based in Ilwaco.

And, I could go on. Every single person involved in that long-ago production was a community member already known to us in some other way. And, with only one or two exceptions (Neolae Archer and Martha Sommer who now manage that great box office in the sky), we are still in touch with most of them, not through theater but… let me count the ways.