Scarves and mugs of steaming hot cocoa are the order of the day for veteran actors Bette Lu Krause, Robert Scherrer and teenager Aarin Hoygaard as they huddle backstage at the River City Playhouse in Ilwaco next to one of the two heaters in the “green room.” As Peninsula Players gear up for their covid-delayed musical they are raising funds to install a better heating system.

ILWACO — Peninsula Players have significant cause to celebrate the upcoming opening of their latest musical, “A Bag Full of Miracles.”

If You Go

“A Bag Full of Miracles”

A three-act musical comedy by Peninsula Players

7 p.m. March 25-26, April 1-2, 8-9; 2 p.m. March 27, April 3 and 10.

River City Playhouse, 127 Lake Street S.E., Ilwaco.

Tickets: $15 from Okie’s Thriftway in Ocean Park, Stormin’ Norman in Long Beach, the Olde Towne Café in Ilwaco, and at the door if available.

Gala reception opening night March 25; doors open at 6:15 p.m.

Firstly, they are delighted to be returning with the three-act comedy. It was ready for its first performance when covid restrictions began in March 2020 and prevented it going ahead.

And secondly, they are part way toward paying for heating improvements in the chilly changing room at the rear of the River City Playhouse in Ilwaco.

During the two-year covid “break,” leaders worked to raise $4,000 from donations and through the South Pacific County Community Foundation grant catalog.

Director Rita Smith, while delighted with this success, said the latest bid for installing a ductless heating system with accompanying electrical work is $7,500. “So, we still need $3,500,” she said. A grant proposal has been submitted to another foundation.

The troupe had previously installed better heating to the auditorium on Lake Street so audience members in the 100-year-old building weren’t huddled together for warmth.

But in the “green room” — theater lingo for the backstage preparation area — actors changing into their costumes still shiver. The two small heaters are proving expensive.

Robert Scherrer, the assistant director, fields complaints. “I have heard people say, ‘Turn off the fog machine.’ We don’t have a fog machine, it’s just our breath!” he joked.

Performing live again

“A Bag Full of Miracles” will be performed with recorded music — the first time the Players have tried that approach in recent years. Smith, the director, and Bette Lu Krause portray two ladies who have been cheated by an unscrupulous attorney. The cast has had to change since spring 2020 because of moves and life changes. Barry Sears, who has played in several Ilwaco and Astoria shows, including the Players’ “Black Comedy” in 2018, has stepped up to play the villain. Kevin Perry has added a second role and his wife, Deborah, a stalwart with the troupe’s make-up, will appear onstage. Joining the cast are Nancy McAllister, Ed Ahlers, Pepper Weldon, Skyler Asher, Natasha Beals, Michele Gutierrez, Gretchen Goodson and Suzanne Knutzen.

Krause is pleased to be back performing to live audiences. She and Smith are half of a musical group called the Oyster Crackers which staged virtual concerts during the covid shutdown and has recorded a CD.

But she is ready for some heat at the theater — and soon. “The costume changes are quick, but the cold makes them even quicker,” she laughed.

• Full details about the show will be featured in the Coast Weekend magazine inserted in the Chinook Observer March 23.