Dave Herbelin

Meet Dave Herbelin, Olympic Theatre Arts’ Executive Director.

Olympic Theatre Arts, Sequim’s nonprofit community theatre, is located in the heart of Sequim at 414 North Sequim Avenue. Olympic Theater Arts, also called OTA, is a source of connection and creativity for Sequim.   

OTA focuses on providing opportunities to anyone interested in any portion of theatre arts. The doors are open to volunteers to act, direct, design, construct, write, or manage our productions. The theatre runs with a small staff of four part-time employees, and all other positions are volunteer.

OTA allows Sequim residents to make their theatrical dreams a reality. We have something for everyone. The OTA Youth Program entertains, educates, and inspires young thespians and provides opportunities not currently in the schools. OTA is also a creative space for local bands, storytellers, and other performers to share their craft.  The theatre has been here for over 40 years.  

We believe in raising the bar high for OTA productions and guest experience.  We listen to the community for what they want in a theatre and try our best to provide that.  Word of mouth is powerful. It can work for you or against you. We allow our work ethic and quality to speak for itself and hopefully the word spreads.  

Prior to living in Sequim, I was born and raised in southern California.  I was involved with PuzzleMazement Escape Rooms and Edutainment Arts in southern California.  I consider Solvang, California as my hometown.  It’s where I spent my “Wonder Years” and I learned lessons there that shaped me into who I am today.  

I am a collaborator and creator.  I have been a professional actor for the past 20+ years, and an entrepreneur for the past 15 years.  I’ve been in the profession of making people smile. I am drawn to teams working toward a creative goal, usually for entertainment.  

There’s always a bit of a story about how people first came to Sequim.  In 2017, my father told me he was moving to Sequim.  I asked him where that was and he said, “I don’t really know, but I hear it’s great!” My family accompanied him on his first trip to Sequim and we fell in love with the area. Previously, we had traveled three months around the United States trying to find a new home.  No other place we found compared to the wonders of Sequim.  

What I like most about Sequim is the small-town living within a loving community.  What do I feel makes Sequim unique?  The prospective for Community. My wife and I loved our professions in southern California, but we never felt a sense of belonging with the people around us.  Sequim seems to welcome people to join and share who they are with each other. Homes, businesses, and social groups provide opportunities for anyone to be a part.  

What makes Sequim suited to my line of business?  I would have to say Potential. I was a professional actor. My wife played with fire-breathing dragons and pirate ships. Both of us knew how to manage and entertain thousands of people. However, our skill sets didn’t at first appear to translate to the Sequim job market.  We knew moving here we had to either find jobs that didn’t fit us or create our own niche. Luckily, I was hired on at Olympic Theatre Arts which was perfectly fitted to my background.  My wife is still looking.  However, we fell in love with people involved in the lavender industry in Sequim.   Their willingness to share and help others matched completely with our desire to collaborate.  As such, we have developed our own lavender farm, Old Barn Lavender Company.  

For more information about Olympic Theatre Arts and to purchase tickets for a show, go to https://www.olympictheatrearts.org/.

Olympic Theatre Arts
 414 N Sequim Ave
 Sequim WA
 (360)683-7326