As If Theatre Company Offers Engaging, Challenging, and Entertaining Theater in the Heart of Kenmore.
The As If Theatre performs frequent shows at the historic Kenmore Community Club located on Brew Row. They believe that theater is community, and desire to instill hope, laughter, conflict resolution, empathy, awareness, and a deeper understanding of self and others through the art of theater. We recently sat down with Cindy Giese French, one of the founders of the theater company, to learn more.
Q: Can you tell me about As If and the story behind bringing the performing arts to Kenmore?
Cindy: We had been suggested to go look at the Kenmore Community Club to see if a show I wanted to produce would be viable. We met with the president at the time, and he said, “we’re looking for a theater company to come into this area.” My founding partner and I looked at each other, and within three or four days we had the concept and name. We thought Kenmore was a perfect location. It ended up being wonderful because there is so much parking and some incredible breweries nearby. You can have a night out in Kenmore complete with dinner and a show, and you don’t need to go anywhere else—it’s a one-stop shop.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about the processes, steps, and life of a production for As If?
Cindy: It begins with the reading of a lot of scripts. We have a brand at As If, where even if it’s serious there’s humor. It’s sort of life in a nutshell, it’s multi-dimensional, and it feels true. From there, we audition and send notices to folks in the Puget Sound area, and then we start rehearsals. Our rehearsals are about 6 weeks, and then we have 12 performances spread out over three weeks. During the life of the production, we are also having meetings with folks and designers involved in all phases of the production. For example, dialect coaches who are phenomenal and work with our actors. It truly takes a village, and we have some amazing partners and collaborators. Not to mention, the Kenmore Community Club is kind enough to let us store our risers for the stage at their facility which are unbelievably heavy, and we build the entire set at the KCC.
Q: Are there any productions that have been particularly challenging or rewarding?
Cindy: They are all rewarding for different reasons and they’re all challenging for different reasons. Our latest Fall production was so rewarding in terms of audience feedback. We had so many people coming to us and saying thank you for bringing this kind of theater to Kenmore. And in that same respect, one of the most challenging things about that show was the set itself. It’s a three-location play, but the third location doesn’t come into play until later in the show, so it necessitated a rotating set. It became this group effort in trying to figure out how to accomplish this goal. In theater, we are constantly faced with those “MacGyver” moments where you know what you want and it’s more a matter of figuring out how you’re going to pull it all off.
Q: What lessons have you taken from those experiences and what have you learned in operating in Kenmore?
Cindy: We started in 2018 and our first production was in 2019. And then we went a full year until COVID, but despite that we didn’t give up and went online to continue bringing the joy of the arts to Kenmore. And, those Zoom productions are still live on our website! Our goal when we decided to commit to creating a theater company was to give good plays a great production. If you’ve got good quality writing and good quality actors, you’re going to transcend taste, preference, and bring people together. We’re building a real community, and we do our very best to provide a professional, quality experience.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in Kenmore (besides theater production)?
Cindy: My husband and I walk with our two little dogs. If we’re not walking the pipeline, we love walking through Saint Edward State Park and walk down to the water. We also like to stop in at Patty’s Eggnest to grab breakfast to-go and walk along the Burke-Gilman Trail. Also, going to Diva and hanging out and working is amazing. I just love all of the things that make Kenmore a community.
Q: What are you most excited about heading into 2026 and beyond?
Cindy: More opportunities for classes and the dream that we can have a bigger space so we can actually utilize it fully and offer more theater, opportunities, and classes. I love the idea of making theater accessibility for everybody. We want to continue the momentum – we won the coveted Gregory Award. We were the people’s choice for the regional performing arts organization in the North. And I think it speaks to the fact that people are willing to give us a chance and make Kenmore a destination for creatives.
To learn more about the As If Theatre and check out their next production, visit>>As If Theatre.
