PORT ANGELES — Ghostlight Productions, a local nonprofit musical theater company, has purchased the building at 124 E. First St. — formerly the McCrorie Building — next door to the Lincoln Theater in Port Angeles.
The production company is remodeling the Lincoln Theater and the McCrorie building with the goal of bringing a piece of Port Angeles history back to life, and with it, new musical theater experiences, according to a press release.
“We hope to have it open in three to five years,” according to Ron Graham, president of Ghostlight Productions.
Building updates will include improvements to the First Street-facing facade and converting the McCrorie building into a support complex for the theater.
The 15,000-square-foot building, which has been dubbed the “Ghostlight Headquarters” for the time being, will house merchandise, a studio, educational opportunities, storage for costumes and props, and potentially a living space for traveling artists and entertainers.
The space also will include a simple performance theatre called a “Black Box theatre” that will hold up to about 100 people, with the versatility of holding many types of smaller shows and events.
Ghostlight Studios intends to relocate from its current location at 132 E. First St. to the McCrorie building in June, and Ghostlight Academy will offer its classes at the new venue. There are also plans to present the 2023-2024 “Live at the Met” season from the new site.
Finally, rehearsals for the company’s next musical, 9 to 5, also will be conducted at the new venue with the production set to hit the stage in Sequim in July.
The production company is still actively looking for funding partners to support the community restoration effort of the Lincoln Theater through The Lincoln Theater Project.
The project plans to transition the Lincoln Theater into a versatile, intimate venue for live theatrical productions, second-run films and concerts, according to the release.
Community donations to support The Lincoln Theater Project are welcome and can be made online: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/ghostlight-productions/renovate-the-lincoln-theatre.
Ghostlight Productions is a traveling theater company and nonprofit arts organization and is Lincoln Theater’s principal resident theater company. It has partnered with the project as a fiscal sponsor.
The production company intends to make the Lincoln Theater its permanent home, and the purchase of the McCrorie Building aids in securing its future of performing live in Lincoln Theater within the next few years.
“Personally I was impressed by the production quality of the first few shows I saw put out by Ghostlight, and it is what led me to want to be involved in the company,” Graham said. “Being able to design the Lincoln to our desired specifications will allow us to take our productions beyond what people have seen in the past.”
In the past year, Ghostlight Productions has offered two productions: Irving Berlin’s White Christmas this past December and Frozen, Jr. last summer.
The company’s next production is from 9 to 5 and will be performed at the Sequim High School Theatre in July.
For more information on the Lincoln Theater, Ghostlight performances, classes and donation opportunities go to Ghostlightwa.org
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Reporter Ken Park can be reached at kpark@peninsuladailynews.com.
