"Oliver!" at Kitsap Forest Theater (8 dates)

Oliver! runs Saturday and Sunday for four weekends: July 25, 26,  August 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16; 2026 – 2:00 pm. 

Tickets available at https://foresttheater.com/tickets

A beloved tradition in the greater Seattle arts scene since 1923, the Mountaineers Players invite you to experience theater as it was meant to be—alive, immersive, and surrounded by nature. Each spring, summer, and fall, audiences gather beneath towering evergreens at the Kitsap Forest Theater, where stories unfold under an open sky and the scent of cedar and fir fills the air.

As one of the oldest nonprofit theater groups in the country, the Players perform in the heart of a breathtaking 460-acre Rhododendron Preserve near Bremerton. Here, a natural amphitheater carved into the forest hillside offers terraced seating beneath a canopy of giant trees, while lush ferns line the stage like nature’s own footlights. It’s not just a performance—it’s an escape into a world where art and wilderness meet.

Make a day of it. The forest trail to the theater opens at 1:00 pm—arrive early to claim your perfect seat and enjoy a leisurely picnic among the trees. Before or after the show, hike the “Big Tree” trail to stand in awe of one of the largest Douglas firs on the Kitsap Peninsula. Younger adventurers can explore and play at the Tree House structure near Kitsap Cabin, making it a magical outing for all ages.

Oliver!

Consider yourself at home with Lionel Bart's classic musical based on the Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist, last performed at the Kitsap Forest Theater in 2004. This Tony and Olivier Award-winning show is one of the few musicals to win an Academy Award for Best Picture and is widely hailed as a true theatrical masterpiece by actors and audience members alike. This well-crafted tale of love, hope and dreams engages audiences with its pathos and drama, while delighting everyone with its outstanding musical theater classics such as Food, Glorious Food, I’d Do Anything, Where is Love?, Consider Yourself, Who Will Buy and Reviewing the Situation.

The streets of Victorian England come to life as Oliver, a malnourished orphan in a workhouse, becomes the neglected apprentice of an undertaker. Oliver escapes to London and finds acceptance amongst a group of petty thieves and pickpockets led by the elderly Fagin. When Oliver is captured for a theft that he did not commit, the benevolent victim, Mr. Brownlow takes him in. Fearing the safety of his hideout, Fagin employs the sinister Bill Sikes and the sympathetic Nancy to kidnap him back, threatening Oliver’s chances of discovering the true love of a family.

Oliver! is a musical theatre masterpiece, perfectly showcasing the talents of a large ensemble cast as they bring these classic characters and score to life.