What Is Island Theatre? Three Ways We Bring Theatre to Bainbridge Island
For more than thirty years, Island Theatre has been bringing people together around plays — not in grand theaters with elaborate sets, but in libraries, living rooms, and intimate community spaces where the words and the performances take center stage.
We're a volunteer-driven, community theater organization based on Bainbridge Island, Washington. We believe that theatre doesn't need a big budget or a big stage to be powerful. It needs a compelling play, talented people willing to give voice to it, and an audience ready to listen.
Three Ways We Do Theatre
Island Theatre runs three distinct programs, each offering a different way to experience and participate in live performance.
Island Theatre at the Library
Every other month, we present a fully staged reading at the Bainbridge Public Library's community meeting room. These are not stripped-down rehearsals — they're complete performances by skilled local actors, directors, and artists, presented in an intimate setting that puts you close enough to see every expression and hear every nuance.
Admission is free. We rely on donations from our audience to continue these productions.
Recent productions have included Reckless by Craig Lucas, directed by Pete Benson — a bittersweet fable that drew full houses and sparked lively post-show conversations. Each production is selected for its dramatic depth, literary quality, and resonance with our audience.
Learn more about Island Theatre at the Library →
YoHo — Island Theatre at Your House
Three times a year, Island Theatre moves into private homes for YoHo — an evening of potluck dinner and communal play reading.
Guests arrive at 6pm, share food and conversation, then gather to read a play aloud together. Roles are distributed around the room. There are no costumes, no memorization requirements, no performance pressure — just voices, a script, and the remarkable experience of a story coming to life in real time.
YoHo plays have ranged from A Doll's House to Angels in America to contemporary works that don't often reach regional stages. Discussion follows the reading, and dessert and coffee extend the evening.
Anyone can host a YoHo. Anyone can attend. No theatre experience required.
The Ten-Minute Play Festival
Each August, Island Theatre presents the Ten-Minute Play Festival (TMPF) — a juried showcase of original ten-minute plays written by Kitsap County playwrights, performed at the Buxton Center at Bainbridge Performing Arts.
The TMPF is one of the only opportunities in Kitsap County for playwrights — experienced and emerging alike — to have their original work fully staged, directed, and performed for a real audience. The plays are selected by a panel of theatre professionals from open submissions. Writers from across the county submit their work each winter, and ten plays are chosen for the August production.
The festival runs over one weekend, with four performances total. It has been a launching point for new playwrights and a showcase for the remarkable depth of creative talent in our community.
Learn more about the Ten-Minute Play Festival →
Our Philosophy
Island Theatre was founded in 1994 with a specific purpose: to produce adult-oriented theatre that wasn't finding a home on existing Bainbridge stages. Plays that challenge. Plays that provoke. Plays that trust the audience to engage with difficult material and complex ideas.
That hasn't changed in thirty years. We select work based on literary and dramatic quality, not commercial appeal. Our audience expects to be challenged, moved, and occasionally unsettled — and they show up for it.
We're a volunteer organization. Everyone involved — directors, actors, board members, crew — gives their time because they love theatre and believe in what we're doing. The only thing we ask of our audience is their attention.
Get Involved
There are several ways to participate in Island Theatre:
Attend a performance. Island Theatre at the Library events are free and open to the public. Check our upcoming schedule and join us.
Join a YoHo. Reach out to our YoHo coordinator, Kristi Helgeson, to learn about upcoming readings or express interest in hosting.
Submit a play. If you write plays and have a connection to Kitsap County, watch for our annual TMPF call for submissions each winter. The deadline is typically February 14th.
Join our mailing list. Stay informed about upcoming productions, submission deadlines, and events. Email us at [email protected] with "Mailing List" in the subject line.
Support our work. Donations allow Island Theatre to continue bringing free theatre to the community. We're grateful for every contribution.
Find Us
Island Theatre at the Library: Bainbridge Public Library | 1270 Madison Ave. N | Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Ten-Minute Play Festival: Bainbridge Performing Arts — Buxton Center | 200 Madison Ave. N | Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Contact: [email protected]
Island Theatre has been part of the Bainbridge Island arts community since 1994. We're glad you found us.