After a successful weekend of murder mystery dinner theater shows in Tenino and Olympia, Tenino Young-at-Heart Theatre (TYT) is preparing to hold its first ever gala to raise money for its 2024 summer production.
The “Hearts for the Arts Gala” is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 11, at Hillside Farms in Tenino, with doors scheduled to open at 6 p.m. The event will include “a sumptuous dinner, silent and live auctions, and much more!” TYT said in a news release. The Crowded Kitchen will cater the event.
Tickets are $45 each and can be purchased online at https://rb.gy/uqqro.
TYT, a nonprofit founded in 1990, puts on an annual summer production in the Tenino High School commons and hosts several smaller shows, such as dinner theater events and readers theater shows, throughout the year.
Last weekend’s dinner theater production, “Séance,” took place at the Olympia Elks Lodge and the Lady of the Lake restaurant in Tenino, with a show in Olympia on Saturday and a show in Tenino on Sunday.
The production centered around the murder of “Madame Zodiak (played by Bri Hines), world-famous astrologer” and attempts by her husband Taurus (played by Ian Montgomery), assistant Gemini (played by Holly Burkevics), heckler Dr. Leo Turnbull (played by Tim Butterfield) and security officer Cope (played by Noah McKenzieSullivan) to find the culprit.
TYT’s next scheduled production is the Rodger and Hammerstein musical “State Fair,” to be performed at Tenino High School this summer.
The nonprofit purchased a 0.78 acre property near Tenino High School in 2021 to eventually house a community arts center and theater, according to previous Chronicle reporting. The group released its first plans for the new building in September 2022 and is currently raising money to fund the first phase of construction.
Once built, the arts center will be the group’s first permanent residency.
For more information on TYT, visit https://teninoyoungathearttheatre.org/.
