Due to imminent closing of Burien Annex, the Hi-Liners need help

Due to the Jan. 31, 2020 closing of the Burien Annex, the Hi-Liners Musical Theatre is asking for help.

But it won’t be cheap or easy for them to move.

“The hard fact is that one day on the stage at the PAC (Highline Performing Arts Center) costs the equivalent of one month at the Annex,” they said on their website.

Our friends at HMT sent out the following plea on Monday, Dec. 23, 2019:

Hi-Liners Musical Theatre is Not Closing Today, But This is an Emergency

“The closure of the Burien Annex is forcing HMT to move to the Highline Performing Arts Center. Performing there is going to be unexpectedly and enormously expensive. Without community support, it is conceivable that we will run out of money midway through the 2020 season.

But you can help:

Make a donation to offset the cost of moving Frozen JR. to the Highline PAC.

The cost of 1 day of Frozen on the PAC stage = 1 month of rent at the Annex. Buy tickets to Legally Blonde JR.
and tell everyone to buy tickets. A last minute gift idea that also helps support a theatre you love. Register for Frozen JR. auditions on January 6. We have never done a DownStage Center show on the PAC stage. Let’s make it momentous! Enroll in spring classes today. I know this is a busy time, but early registration will make huge difference.”

The Hi-Liners began life in 1966 as the brainchild of William A Moeller, a teacher in the Highline School District, as a summer program. From 1966 to 1987 the program grew, becoming a year round, district-wide performing group that entertained audiences all over the Northwest with variety shows. In 1991, when the new Highline Performing Arts Center was preparing to open, the Hi-Liners and Mr. Moeller were again called to serve with a series of popular reunion shows in celebration of the new state-of-the-art theater. In 1994 the organization again felt called to bring professional values and quality to the young people of South King County and we began presenting one MainStage production each fall.

All these years later The Hi-Liners has grown from one show per year to a full season of productions, classes, workshops and camps for students ages 3 and up. We believe that our students can present themselves professionally long before they enter the professional world. Our goal is not simply to produce the next Broadway star — our goal is to produce stellar citizens who enrich the community. Along the way, we contribute working professionals to the theatre community every year and we take pride in their successes.