Catch a performance of ‘The Music Man’ and you’ll be helping the Boys & Girls Clubs

The Olympia School District Players, a theater-loving group of teachers, principals, staff and families, is back this weekend with “The Music Man.”

The Meredith Wilson musical about a con man whose plans go awry is the group’s 25th musical — and its first presented by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County.

“ ‘The Music Man’ was our second show back in 1994,” said Colleen Powers, who co-founded the players. “We wanted to do something that was traditional and iconic for our 25th show. It’s something that people know and love and sing along to.”

The popular musical, which won five Tony Awards in 1957, tells the tale of traveling swindler Harold Hill (Olympia High School choir director Dan Schwartz), who finds himself in love with small-town librarian Marian Paroo (Nadine Bozeman, formerly the choir teacher at Jefferson Middle School).

The cast also features McKenny Elementary principal Michael Havens as the mayor of River City and longtime players Dave Rorem, Martha Rorem, Mike Stewart and Megan Temple — all of whom appeared in the 1994 production.

Powers and Kathy Dorgan, both retired Olympia High School teachers who are co-directing this year, wanted a show with broad appeal to draw attention to the Boys & Girls Clubs, which stepped in to present the show after the Olympia School District Education Foundation decided to take its fundraising in another direction.

The foundation recently announced a new event, Taste of Olympia, which will raise money for foundation grants that support field trips, workshops, arts programs and other enrichment programs as well as its new Mental Health Initiative, which aims to support students and the community in dealing with stress, developing compassion and more.

“The Taste of Olympia is a new opportunity to celebrate the foundation’s work and encourage support for what we do,” Katy Johansson, the foundation’s executive director, told The Olympian. “We felt a different event would help not only elevate interest in the foundation, but also build support for the new initiative.”

The players’ musicals have raised about $500,000 over the years, Powers estimated. The earliest shows were fundraisers for district arts programs, before the foundation got involved in the mid-2000s.

This year, it’s the Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County’s turn to benefit from the proceeds.

“We felt honored to be asked to be part of it,” said Chris Woods, the clubs’ chief executive officer, who was a teacher and administrator in the Olympia School District for 18 years. “It’s a partnership that made a lot of sense to us.”

For now, the partnership is a limited one. “We’re very excited about the possibility of continuing with this great tradition,” Woods said, “but we’ve agreed to get together after the play and talk about the future of the play and the program.

“Maybe we could grow it,” he added. “Maybe it could be a community event beyond the Olympia School District to reach other parts of Thurston County.”

‘The Music Man’

• What: Meredith Wilson’s classic is the Olympia School District Players’ 25th musical and its first presented in partnership with, and as a fundraiser for, Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County.
• When: 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (Feb. 27-29), and 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29, and Sunday, March 1
• Where: Olympia High School Performing Arts Center, 1302 North St. SE, Olympia
• Tickets: $9-$14; available in advance at brownpapertickets.com/event/4496700
• More information: 360-956-0755, bgctc.org/events/

Taste of Olympia

• What: The Olympia School District Education Foundation, which has presented the OSD Players musicals for more than a decade, is this year focusing its fundraising efforts on a new event showcasing local restaurants, performances by Olympia students, and music from Nana’s Pantsuit.
• When: 6-10 p.m. Saturday, April 25
• Where: Student Union, South Puget Sound Community College, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia
• Tickets: $90-$115 through March 15, $100-$125 thereafter
• More information: 360-596-6110, tasteofolympia.com
• Also: The event is open only to those 21 and older.