Opening a niche business these days, especially one that relies on expendable income, is not for the faint of heart.
Rustin Klein is sure of that.
But Klein, along with his wife Yvette, are theater people. People who dream.
Now, the couple are living their dream.
The two
have opened The Everus Theatre on Bickford Avenue in Snohomish. Their mission is to provide locals with entertaining, live community theater, classic movies, music and art shows.
“We produced theater in Arizona in 1993, but this has been a lifelong thing,” Rustin Klein said. “We both wanted it.”
The first live stage production for The Everus Theatre is the Neil Simon comedy “Barefoot in the Park” which opens Friday.
Klein said he and his wife had been looking for just the right place for many years, as well as looking for investors. They found the spot but couldn’t get the financial backing. They decided not to wait any longer and invested their own money.
Their day jobs help to make it possible: Rustin works in the information technology department for the nonprofit animal organization PAWS and Yvette is a nurse.
“We decided, ‘Let’s just do it.’ If we wait for a $50,000 loan we’ll be in our 60s,” joked Klein, who is 44 and whose wife is 42.
The name Everus Theatre is a play on the combination of Rustin and Yvette’s nicknames: Eve and Rus. The theater building is 4,000 square feet in the Snohomish business park with a space that can seat about 60.
Klein called it a perfect showcase for “intimate, in-your-face theater.”
In addition to meaty shows, Klein plans to produce comedies while also holding workshops to help develop a local actors’ pool.
“I want to take the quote ‘bad habits’ you’ve had in community theater and break them,” Klein said. “I want to build a repertory with workshops, and hopefully that will blossom into a group that is seasoned.”
As artistic director, Klein will be directing while Yvette will help manage the other events, such as open mic night and classic movie night that might include a future Hitchcock festival or a Cary Grant or Clint Eastwood film event.
The Everus Theatre has already shown the cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and has other second-run movies planned.
There’s no large-scale movie theater in Snohomish, though there is the theatrical institution known as Tim Noah’s Thumbnail Theater on Fourth Street that performs live theater for children, has open mic nights, concerts, classes and does occasionally hold a free movie night.
Klein is confident the Everus Theatre will provide additional needed entertainment to Snohomish residents.
From what he’s heard so far, the community is excited for more live stage shows.
“I know what not to do. I can’t afford to make a mistake,” Klein said. “I think we have a little more than a fighting chance.”
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.
See a show
“Barefoot in the Park” opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Everus Theatre, 1910 Bickford Ave., Suite G, Snohomish. Shows are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 24. $16. Call 360-863-3183 or go to www.everustheatre.com.
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