The Art of Living
by James Roland
If you’re ever cruising east on Highway 20 through Washington’s Cascade Mountains, try to keep it below 65 mph. Otherwise you might sail through the town of Twisp without seeing it, or worse, without stopping.
Turn left at the Les Schwab tire store, park anywhere on Glover Street, and you will be easy walking distance from the river, the grocery store, three taverns, two art galleries, one pub, and The Merc Playhouse.
The Merc gets its name from its original function as the Twisp Mercantile, circa 1924. Carolanne and Egon Steinebach bought the building ten years ago when they discovered its fantastic acoustic qualities. The couple was having a conversation in the old store when Carolanne turned to face Egon and realized he was twenty feet away, but sounded as if he was standing right beside her.
The two of them brainstormed the idea of converting the building into a theater. To save on costs they used as much of the pre-existing materials as possible, even tearing down the mercantile shelves and reconstructing them into seat risers. With hard work and bargain-priced lights from across the border in Canada, they opened their first show in 1999.
Now with the help of donations and ticket sales from summer vacationers, The Merc Playhouse puts on two professional-quality plays each summer. Actors travel from Seattle and live in Twisp while performing, which is how I discovered this artistic alcove.
Kate Parker starred in The Merc Playhouse’s most recent production The Innocents by William Archibald. This stage adaptation of the Victorian novel The Turn of the Screw was filled with chilling moments, strong performances, and the atmosphere of old black and white haunted house films.
I drove out to visit Kate (an old college friend) and watch the play but was completely unprepared to encounter Twisp and its inhabitants. It has all the charm and friendly feel of a small town (and I do mean small with a current population of 938 people) mixed with the sophisticated air of an arts-and-culture community.
You can chat religion and philosophy with the Merc’s resident actor Damon Abdallah, then join him later that night at the local tavern to swig Budweiser and munch Tater Tots.
This seems to be no contradiction in the town of Twisp; the main focus is life, in all its facets. Hard work, swimming, cheap beer, fancy wine, art, hiking, . . . no matter how white collar or low brow, it’s all a part of living.
And to find it, all you have to do is slow down.
A RedFence video spotlight about The Merc Playhouse:
For more information:
The Town of Twisp
The Merc Playhouse
Twisp River Pub
