A ‘Door’ opens

“A-N-O-N-Y-M-I-T-Y,” the 30-something woman begins to read aloud from a sheet of paper she’s just inserted into her typewriter. “What she wanted most of all, what she would willingly travel to the ends of…”

Driven to distraction by the sounds emanating from neighboring apartments, what Mallory really wants is some peace and quiet to work on her “Great American novel.” Eventually the sheet is unceremoniously ripped from the typewriter and joins its crumpled brethren on the floor.

Mallory and her eccentric neighbors will come to life Oct. 5 when Edmonds playwright Jeff Stilwell’s latest comedy, “A Warp-ed Door,” opens the inaugural season of Edmonds Repertory Theatre (ERT).

Stilwell has earned critical acclaim from reviewers in the region for his previous plays, most recently taking two awards at the Kaleidoscope 2007 competition for his play “Traffic Stop.” But playwright isn’t the only hat at ERT that Stillwell wears — he’s also ERT’s founder and managing director.

The concept of ERT came to Stilwell while working with his wife, Manya Schilperoort, as co-owners of Kindred Circle Art Gallery in Edmonds. As co-founders and coordinators of the Third Thursday Art Walk, the couple watched as the event helped to launch the careers of several local artists. Stilwell wondered “if we’re doing it with visual art, why can’t we do it with performance art?”

Stilwell eventually connected with ERT’s artistic director David Bailey and technical director Ryan Jay Quimby to help launch ERT. Focusing on the development of Northwest playwrights, the company plans to stage five productions this year, so far scheduling Stilwell’s “A Warp-ed Door” and “An Edmonds Christmas” while scripts are being reviewed for the remainder of the season.

ERT also distinguishes itself in the theater community for its unique mission. ERT members, which now number more than 100 and include civic and business leaders and private citizens, are the “guarantors of quality,” said Stilwell, judging each production on its artistic, technical and business merits.

By rating the production, the company’s members find that “it raises the bar on their expectations” for community theater, Stilwell said. “When the community rallies around and behind a theater with such strength and dedication, it pushes that theater up to greatness — at that point they stand back and say, it’s really great isn’t it? And you know why? Because we built it that way. That’s exactly what I want.”