Woodinville Repertory Theatre Shuts Down for the Year

Following a series of issues involving the loss of their long-time venue, proposed permits and fees, the Woodinville Repertory Theatre has decided to cancel its upcoming October production and turn its attention to securing a venue for next year.

"We're done for the rest of this year," said Hjalmer Anderson, co-president and artistic director for Woodinville Rep.

The problems for the theatre began when they were after 10 years. The theatre then thought they had secured a , but were later informed by the city that they'd have to pay for a $4,600 land use permit, an amount the group would have trouble covering.

"Our budget usually for one show is about $4,000," Anderson said.

Being asked to pay for the permit was especially troubling for the group because they had already invested in making improvements to their new space.

There was some help for the group, however. The Woodinville Repertory Theatre had recently secured a $30,000 grant from 4Culture, a King County organization that supports local cultural efforts, for equipment and other improvements. Of that funding, the group could use $2,000 to pay for permits.

The group then engaged the city to try and reduce the permit fee. At their Aug. 13 meeting, the City Council agreed to reduce the fee to $1,866. However, given the length of time it takes to apply for the permit, and given that the permit is only good for one calender year, the Woodinville Repertory Theatre has decided to cancel the remainder of this year and aim for a January return.

"We will be back in January," Anderson said.

Where is still up in the air, though. The land use permit and other fees involved in using the Denali space could still be too much for the group, though they definitely want to find a way to make it work.

"We're not going to give up on Denali," Anderson said. "We've invested in that space, both of us."