SPOTLIGHT: Carolanne Steinebach

Carolanne played the role of Dross in the the 2022 Merc Playhouse production of The Nutcracker.

We shine our Merc spotlight this month on Carolanne Steinebach, who, along with her late husband Egon, founded our beloved community theater twenty-five years ago.  Both Steinebachs had a rich history with all things theater, as well as a loving two-decade  familiarity with our valley, so on a visit, when they stepped into the then-Mercantile Store, they recognized at once the excellent natural acoustics of the place. The building went for sale; the couple made arrangements, and by 1999, Twisp could boast its own theater.

Carolanne traces her deep love of theater to a childhood where she and her brother and sister indulged imaginative play centered around a costume box from which kings and princesses and little Dutch girls emerged. Carolanne can name the plays she took part in during grade school, year by year. Years later, while living in Vancouver, she enrolled in theater school; the instructors accepted her reluctantly — their first student over the age of twenty-five — but soon recognized the wisdom of working with an experienced adult who had no professional aspirations.

The Merc Playhouse applauds one of our most ardent supporters. Carolanne has acted, directed, and instructed; she supports us with her attendance, serves on the Play Reading Committee, and is a loyal Friend of the Merc. We are honored to have our founder with us today in such active roles.
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