Театр Olympic Theatre Arts представляет комедийную адаптацию «39 шагов» с участием четырех актеров и десятками ролей

Olympic Theatre Arts spoofs Hitchcock’s ‘The 39 Steps’ Published 1:30 am Friday, September 4, 2026 SEQUIM — Olympic Theatre Arts is adding some extra flair to the comedic stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s spy thriller “The 39 Steps.” Director Ron Graham presents the show as a play within a play where four actors decide to stage the film as a play and perform the roles themselves, including two actors — Colby Thomas and Deanna Eickhoff — who must make several quick changes on and off stage. “I counted a number of times and I think (they are) playing somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 to 25 characters each,” Graham said. The comedic thriller runs weekends through Sept. 13 on OTA’s Main Stage, 414 N. Sequim Ave., with shows at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $25 and available at olympic theatrearts.org or by calling the box office at 360-683-7326 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, or from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays. OTA adapts Patrick Barlow’s stage adaptation of Hitchock’s film, which is based on a novel by John Buchan. In “The 39 Steps,” Richard Hannay, an ordinary man played by Matt Forrest, goes to see a vaudeville show and meets Annabella — one of three women played by Nikki Forrest, Matt’s real-life wife — and discovers there is a plot to steal information harmful to the British government. Through the story, Hannay is wrongly accused of murder and goes on the run while trying to clear his name and keep the secret from getting out of the country. Graham said the stage show is the same basic premise as the film except the adaptation takes on the notion that only four people would be in the show. Eickhoff, who also is OTA’s operations manager, said she was drawn to the role, referred to as a “clown,” because of the number of characters she’ll play. She said it tests and expands her acting abilities to try different accents and perform quick changes. “It’s incredibly fun for the audience and us,” she said. “I really enjoy organized chaos.” Graham said the quick changes are a throwback to OTA’s production of “Greater Tuna” many years ago as one character goes off stage, changes and comes back within a few seconds as somebody entirely different. “They’ve provided a great deal of input in terms of how their characters react, how their characters talk, how they walk, how they are, everything about them, to create a new individual, which is my preference in doing a show,” he said. Graham said with the approach of a perceived impromptu play within a play, they’re using a lot of OTA’s archives for costumes and staging. “We’re making sure (costumes) fit and basically using what’s available,” he said. The show has comparable humor to Monty Python, Graham said, for its non-traditional casting choices, and for using unconventional items for props. One scene he highlighted is an airplane chase, reminiscent of Hitchock’s later film “North by Northwest.” Because of the nature of the show, actors must rely on lighting, sounds and other actors to create the illusion of what’s happening, Graham said. There are some homages to other Hitchcock movies, he said, but not to the point of overshadowing the production. “I don’t want to have people looking for the Easter eggs,” he said. “I think they’re obvious enough that anybody who’s a Hitchcock fan will get them, and we may have actually added a few.” For the show, Courtney Thomas serves as assistant director and Amber Tjemsland as stage manager. ________ Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at [email protected].