Nutz-n-Boltz Theater Artistic Director Kelly Lazenby, left, and Kim Berger portray the damaged relationship between daughter Jessie and mother Thelma Cates in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Play, "Night, Mother" by Marsha Norman in 2013. 

The family of Nutz-n-Boltz Theater Company has celebrated its final curtain call, with one last production of “Villian of Virtue” this past Sunday.

Before Nutz-n-Boltz came into being, Kelly (Lucas) Lazenby was directing a show at another theater when Justin Lazenby, a newcomer to the Portland area, contacted her about helping with tech for the show. Justin ended up auditioning for the part of a sheriff, for which Kelly has joked that she dressed him up like “Woody from Toy Story,” and from there they soon found they were compatible in and out of the theater.

Twenty years ago, the new couple struck out to build a theater company that they felt fit them. What came from that was a company that many long-time actors have considered a second home and a second family.

“We started N&B because we wanted everyone to be able to experience theater — our community has no community center or performance space, and we felt a sad lack,” Kelly said. “Even if it was providing live theater to an audience, or introducing kids to live theater, we wanted to give it a shot. We were lucky to find the Grange family, who also wanted to help the community and were excited about a performing arts group using the hall.”

As one of few community theaters in the area, Kelly said Nutz-n-Boltz “always tried to present good stories told well.”

In the past, Kelly has explained this by saying “the nuts and bolts of theater is just telling a good story, so we try to do that.”

“The audience for that idea is changing,” she added. “People are looking for more of ‘event’ performances these days. If you have seen what has happened to Disney, that is what is happening to theater, too. Interest in ‘good stories’ is waning, people seem to want spectacle. But that is what our fans liked about us: we always stuck (for the most part) to traditional theater. The traditional model for our theater was a big challenge, trying to keep audiences coming. Trying to create younger audiences.”

Kelly and Justin announced earlier this fall that they had plans to retire with 20 years under their belt, then came an announcement that they’d be moving to the East Coast before the end of the year.

“Justin and I always gave ourselves a 20-year goal,” Kelly explained. “This is our 20th season — but fate stepped in and moved my husband to a new position in Connecticut. We are excited to go and explore the opposite coast.”

Family on stage and off

Kim Berger, who has been acting with the Lazenbys for 18 years, said they were the reason she’s even had the opportunity to act.

“Kelly and Justin are the ones who gave me the opportunity other theaters wouldn’t,” Berger explained. She specified that she was often overlooked for certain roles because of her body type.

Nowadays, to Berger, and many others, the Lazenbys are family.

“This has been my joy: doing theater,” Berger added.

Actor Tracey Grant feels similarly, saying that the Nutz-n-Boltz company has been her family for 12 years.

“It’s my family, my therapy, my happy place,” she explained. “Justin and Kelly create this warm environment that welcomes everybody. This is really the first place I found this sense of community outside of my actual family.”

Her first show and one that has a special place in her heart was “Inspecting Carol,” which she acted in in 2013.

“It was really hilarious, and I really got to know Justin and Kelly during that show,” Grant explained.

“I have thousands of fond memories,” Kelly said. “My daughter sleeping through a staged gunshot during rehearsal; kissing my boyfriend onstage who then became my husband; meeting so many amazing people that I now consider to be my family.”

While they didn’t have the same amount of time to get to know the Lazenbys and Nutz-n-Boltz family, actor Leo Riutzel (who plays Oxford the squire in the current show) said they’ve been grateful for the experience.

Not only is “Villian of Virtue” their first show with the company, but it’s their first acting experiences, and Nutz-n-Boltz has been “one of the kindest, most creative safe spaces to try something new.”

“It was a really honorable experience for my first experience,” Riutzel explained.

Actors Sharon Biermann and Megan Murphy Ruckman both talked about how much they’ll miss the company, especially because of how Kelly and Justin worked compassionately around families’ schedules.

“From the first moment I auditioned, it felt like family,” Biermann said.

Murphy Ruckman’s first show with Nutz-n-Bolt was in 2011, and she was actually pregnant at the time with her first child.

Then for years to come she appreciated how the company gave her a space to be able to act while also being able to be home for dinner with her family.

“Things are very family oriented and family welcoming,” Murphy Ruckman said.

“’Hell week’ here is never hell week either,” Biermann added. “There’s a lot of grace and kind words.”

“I will miss all of my theater family,” Kelly told The Post. “I will miss seeing my husband wink at me backstage. I will miss talking to you (Brit Allen, editor of The Post) about upcoming shows. Nutz-n-Boltz is in my heart. I plan to write a book about what it was like for our crazy, busy, happy, wonderful 20 years. Justin and I really had something unique. It has been rewarding because the patrons have given us so much feedback: they thank us and are excited for every new show. I know so many of the audience members now and seeing them react to the story — laughing, crying, surprised — that is huge.”

For the next act

The Lazenbys and Nutz-n-Boltz have provided hours of entertainment for people from far and wide from the stage of the Boring-Damascus Grange Hall these past two decades. They’ve produced all kinds of shows, from staged readings to full-blown musicals like the well-attended “Hello, Dolly!”

The Lazenbys have made several renovations to the Grange space over the years, being as resourceful with their nonprofit company. The theater chairs are secondhand from a movie theater and the feet of the chairs are lined with the old shag carpet that used to cover the Grange space.

“Nearly all of our shows have been my favorite,” Kelly explained. “I was really fond of all the mechanical tricks and costume changes for ‘The 39-Steps.’ I loved our sweet, wonderful production of ‘Hello, Dolly!’ I loved writing plays for the young kids. Too many favorites to name.”

Without a theater company to manage, Kelly said she anticipates that she and Justin will still find ways to be theater adjacent when they move to Connecticut.

“There is so much theater on the East Coast,” she explained. “I would imagine we will enjoy watching good theater for a while. Perhaps pick up a paint brush and help out at some point, but we have missed so much theater we are starved to SEE some.”

With the Lazenbys’ exit, Imagine Theater plans to find a home in the community.

“Imagine teaches kids theater arts and many of our theater friends are involved with them,” Kelly said. “They also like to tell stories well and we love the idea that they are creating a new era of ‘theater kids’ who will keep live theater going. We hope that the community will build them a theater of their own, or at least rally around the theater and help Imagine grow. It was only two of us — we could only go so far — but Imagine has a much bigger staff, so we are hoping they will go far beyond what we could.”

“We started N&B because we wanted everyone to be able to experience theater — our community has no community center or performance space, and we felt a sad lack. Even if it was providing live theater to an audience, or introducing kids to live theater, we wanted to give it a shot.”

Kelly Lazenby