Bainbridge Performing Arts

    BPA is the island’s playhouse: a 245-seat theater at 200 Madison Avenue N, north of downtown Winslow. Plays, Bainbridge Symphony, chamber nights, EDGE Improv, and a theatre school that actually puts kids on a stage. Community theater in the useful sense — not a tourist dinner show.

    This page is how to get there from the ferry. What is on this week lives on BPA’s calendar and ours. Island-wide plan: visitor guide.

    At a glance

    Address

    200 Madison Avenue N. The Playhouse, built 1993.

    House

    245 seats. Professional sound and light in a small room. Arrive early on opening night.

    From the ferry

    About a mile. Walk up Olympic Drive, then Madison north. Farther than BIMA. Near Sakai Park and Pia the troll.

    Since

    1956, first as Bainbridge Light Opera. Thirty-seven years of borrowed rooms before this building.

    Tickets

    bainbridgeperformingarts.org. Box office: (206) 842-8569.

    Directions

    Address and map: BPA listing. This page is how to visit.

    A 7:30 curtain and a last boat are a math problem.

    Check the ferry clock before you buy the ticket. An evening show is an overnight, or a very specific sailing — not a casual add-on after Bloedel.

    What is on

    BPA started in 1956 as Bainbridge Light Opera. For 37 years they performed wherever they could — a middle-school auditorium, a circus tent on High School Road, even a converted grocery store. The Playhouse went up in 1993 after a $1.2 million local campaign. 245 seats. What is on this month: plays and musicals, Bainbridge Symphony, chamber nights, EDGE Improv, Theatre School from pre-K through adults. Do not trust a paragraph on this site for tonight’s title.

    Bainbridge Performing Arts Playhouse

    Getting there from the ferry

    You do not need a car for a matinee. Come off the boat, restrooms in the terminal, up the hill. Madison Avenue N continues past Winslow Way toward the high school, the Aquatic Center, and Sakai Park. The Playhouse is in that stretch.

    Do not park in the ferry holding lot for a show. That lot is for people leaving a car and walking onto Seattle. Street and nearby lots around Madison fill on opening night. Getting around.

    Night shows and the last boat

    If the curtain is after 7, treat this as an evening out, not a day-trip squeeze. Last boats exist. Missing one is how you discover island lodging prices. Overnight options: hotels.

    Same-day pairing that works: Winslow lunch, BIMA, an afternoon show, boat. Pairing that fails: Bloedel + dinner + 7:30 curtain + a Seattle reservation.

    The Explore Bainbridge app

    Live ferry, map from the dock, itineraries. Free. Download it on the boat. explorebainbridge.com.

    Download Explore Bainbridge on the App Store Get Explore Bainbridge on Google Play

    FAQ

    Where is Bainbridge Performing Arts?

    The Playhouse is at 200 Madison Avenue N, north of Winslow Way. From the ferry it is a walk up Olympic Drive, then Madison — farther than BIMA, closer than a taxi. About a mile from the terminal, near Sakai Park and the troll.

    How big is the Playhouse?

    245 seats, built in 1993. BPA itself started in 1956 as Bainbridge Light Opera and performed in borrowed rooms for 37 years before this building.

    What is on this week?

    This page is how to get there, not the season brochure. Check bainbridgeperformingarts.org and the island events calendar for plays, symphony, chamber nights, EDGE Improv, and Theatre School shows.

    Do I need a car for BPA?

    No if you can walk a mile from the ferry or from downtown. Night shows still need a last-boat plan. Do not leave a car in the ferry holding lot — that lot is for people walking onto Seattle.

    Is there parking?

    Street and nearby lots around Madison, not a dedicated stadium garage. Arrive early on opening night. The address and map live on the BPA listing.

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