
Don’t miss a free family-friendly outdoor show in South King County parks! Burien Actors Theatre (BAT) brings Rachel Rene’s clever adaptation of Ferenc Molnar’s comedy The Guardsman to a South King County park near you through Aug. 17, 2025.
The free outdoor performances premiere this Friday night, July 25 starting at 7 p.m. at Riverton Heights Park in SeaTac (3011 S. 148th Street, SeaTac, WA 98168).
Support your local eateries by making this a dinner and a show event. Bring takeout to the performance, or dine out before or after.
In BAT’s totally tubular adaptation of The Guardsman to the early 1980s Pacific Northwest, a popular actor suspects his new actress wife is getting restless. So he takes on his most daring role yet—disguising himself as a dashing guardsman—to test his wife and win her love. The actor sweeps his wife off her feet, creates romance and drama, and nearly torpedoes their marriage in the process. The Guardsman ultimately asks the question: “Where does the acting end and true emotion begin?”
BAT is performing The Guardsman in:
- SeaTac: Friday, July 25, 7 p.m. at Riverton Heights Park, 3011 S. 148th Street, SeaTac, WA 98168
- Burien Downtown: Sunday, Aug. 3, at 5 p.m. at Town Square Park, 480 SW 152nd Street, Burien, WA 98166
- Renton: Friday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m. , park TBD – check BAT’s website after July 30 for the location
- Burien North: Sunday, Aug. 10, at 5 p.m. in Hilltop Park, 2600 S 128th Street, Burien, WA 98168
- Normandy Park: Friday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. in Marvista Park, 19990 4th Ave SW, Normandy Park, WA 98166
- Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden: Sun. Aug. 17 at 5 p.m. at Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden, 13735 24th Ave S., SeaTac, WA 98168
Bring a chair or blanket to sit on. Burien Town Square Park has some built-in concrete seating, but that seating is very limited, so plan to arrive well in advance. Burien Town Square Park is also accessible to those with mobility concerns, as it has flat, paved access to the seating area and places on the pavement for walker seating and wheelchairs.
Performances run approximately 90 minutes, and are sponsored by the cities of Burien, Normandy Park, Renton and SeaTac, as well as the Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden and 4Culture, with special thanks to Kennedy Catholic High School , Evergreen City Ballet, and the Highline School District.
For details, go to:
https://BATtheatre.org/the-guardsman-2025/.
THE CAST, DIRECTOR AND DESIGNERS
Stage director and script adapter Rachel Rene directs the talented cast of Adrian Cerrato (The Actor/Guardsman), Olivia Robinson (The Actress), Sumedha Kshirsagar (The Critic), Carrie Sleeper-Bowers (Mama), Genevieve Gay (Liesl) and Rex Waters (A Creditor/Usher). Rachel Rene was the originating adapter and director of BAT’s first parks show in 2019, and has continued in that role ever since.
The rest of the creative team for the show is: Cyndi Baumgardner, props design; and Carolann Voltarel, costume design.
ABOUT BAT THEATRE
Exciting live theater has been a tradition in Burien since 1955. Incorporated in 1980, BAT Theatre is a leading producer of quality live theater serving residents of the Puget Sound region.
BAT’s indoor season is at Kennedy Catholic High School, with plenty of free parking.
BAT gives audiences an intriguing and invigorating theater experience with unusual productions. The theater’s mission is to “welcome and embrace our shared humanity through live theater. We question norms and thrive because of our diversity and energetic commitment to excellence.”
BAT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) entity and operates on revenue from ticket sales, donations, grants, sponsorships and volunteers.
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