Wrinkles of Washington! - What and Why?

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Wrinkles:
What and Why?

WHAT?

Wrinkles of Washington! (WOW!) is a non-profit organization established in 1994 and is comprised of seniors (age 55+) from Thurston, Lewis, Mason, Grays Harbor, Pierce, Kitsap and King Counties, and to say that people come from miles around to join in our performances is to put it mildly! We perform throughout the year in a variety of shows, with music, singing, dancing, and comedy for the enjoyment of young and old alike.

WOW! not only puts on a major Fall production at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, and a Spring Show at various high school performing arts centers, but we also offer road shows, performing in all the above counties. In the summer of 2000, Wrinkles was invited to provide lead performers at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.

In the Spring of 1994, an idea born of a need to raise funds for Senior Services of South Sound germinated from a tent to annual performances at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. That idea was Wrinkles of Washington!

The founders decided to produce Sentimental Journey, so notices were posted for tryout dates. Four people showed up at the first audition, but by the following week, the number had increased to 25. As it does in cities like Olympia, Tumwater, and Lacey, the word got around, aided by publicity spots and stories in local newspapers. A third audition was held and 20 more persons were added to the talent pool. Into rehearsal for a revue, and by show time, there was a cast of 80, sporting an average age of 69. There were singers, dancers, and actors ready to display skills that for many had long been dormant. and in so doing made the first of many generous donations to SSSS.

There have been a multitude of other important events, as well. For instance, in November, 2001 WOW! performed for hundreds of veterans and their families at the 1st Annual Veteran's Appreciation Day Dinner Tribute held at St. Martin's College. WOW! performers have been prominently featured at the 2001 and 2002 Overlake Hospital Active Senior Fairs in Bellevue. The Olympic Torch Bearers were honored as the torch passed through Tumwater on its way to Salt Lake City. In January 2002 WOW! virtually took the 2001 Fall show Stars and Stripes Forever on the road with a major production at the Bishop Center for the Performing Arts at Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen. It was a major task to take the show on the road, but the reception made it all worth while.

The 4th anniversary of the West Woods Assisted Living Center in Olympia, and the 16th Annual Washington State R.E.A.C. Convention, hosted by the Buckley Eagles #1387 Aerie and Auxiliary are on the list for performances in 2002. In addition there will be soon be a return to Overlake Hospital for the Mended Hearts group. And the list of road performances continues to grow!

These road shows, or "gigs," are an integral part of the WOW! entertainment package, and interested persons are encouraged to explore their endless possibilities. These are small shows for special events, personal, corporate, or what have you. If you have an interest in such activities, please check out our Gigs link, and appropriate arrangements can be made.

You are also invited to peruse our Fall Shows and Spring Shows links for a brief glimpse of stage productions since our creation in 1994. Each show was a huge success, meriting standing ovations from enthusiastic audiences at each and every performance.

WHY?

The purpose of WOW! is threefold. It is first an entertainment group that loves to perform! It provides South Sound seniors the opportunity to get out and get with it in ways that might not otherwise be available to them. WOW! participants have varied in age from 55 to 91. Wrinkles of Washington! provides an unparalleled opportunity to sing, dance, and entertain in the company of delightful and similarly motivated people.

Second, WOW! shows, big and small, provide the residents of the South Sound and surrounding areas the opportunity to see what seniors are up to, and perhaps be infected by our enthusiasm. We can prove to all that seniors are not to be set aside to rock their way to oblivion, but can make a major contribution to the community in which we live. We entertain not just for seniors, but for the benefit of the entire community. If we have fun doing it (and we do), that's just more icing on an already lavish cake.

Third, and perhaps most important, is our commitment to charitable causes. Wrinkles of Washington! was created in 1994 in response to funding needs for Senior Services for South Sound. To help meet that challenge, Michele Penberthy, who was then on the Board of SSSS, volunteered to direct the first WOW! production, Sentimental Journey. It was such a resounding success the commitment was made to do a major show each September, with nearly all proceeds donated for local charities. Our success in this regard has been phenomenal. As of 2007, WOW! has contributed nearly $200,000 to Senior Services for South Sound, plus a substantial amount to other charitable causes as well.

That is what we are. That is what we do. And that is why we do it.