The Enchanted Forest theme park, Salem's charming local version of Disneyland, has been a part of my life since I moved to Salem in 1977 with my wife at the time, Sue, and my five year old daughter, Celeste.
We'd go to Enchanted Forest often. After my granddaughter, Evelyn, was born to Celeste and her husband, Patrick, in 2007, it didn't take long before Evelyn was enjoying Enchanted Forest as much as Celeste did when she was young.
And Evelyn was living in southern California, close to Disneyland. Didn't matter. Enchanted Forest has a unique quality, born of the love the Tofte family has for their creation on a forested property near I-5 in the Turner area.
Whenever I've gone there, either with my daughter or granddaughter, a visit to the Enchanted Forest Theatre is a must.
Watching the show is included with the price of admission to the theme park. I never tired of sitting on the benches with a great view of the stage, munching popcorn as the actors delivered an always-enjoyable kid-friendly performance with singing, jokes, and a lot of physical humor.
Today the Salem Reporter has a story about Bentley Michaels, who has been part of a jaw-dropping 3,000 performances at the Enchanted Forest Theatre. Here's how the story by Mirandah Davis-Powell begins:
Every time Bentley Michaels finishes a show at the Enchanted Forest Theatre, he retreats to the green room to tally his performance.
It’s been a tradition at the theatre since at least 1985, when performers began writing on the walls of the backstage room. They do so to immortalize a hilarious quote from a co-star or to count the number of times they performed in a show.
On Friday, Aug. 1, Michaels marked his 3,000th performance, dating back to his first show in 2000. His tally marks on the ceiling cover at least a foot. No other Enchanted Theatre performer has ever gotten close to Michaels’ total.
The Enchanted Forest Instagram account had this to say about Michaels a week ago.
The Enchanted Forest Theatre will celebrate a major milestone this summer as long-time performer Bentley Michaels takes the stage for his 3,000th show on Friday, August 1st at 3:00 PM!
Bentley began working at the Enchanted Forest Theatre the year he graduated from high school. After spotting an audition poster — and with encouragement from a friend already on staff — he auditioned and was cast as the Giant in the 2000 production of Jack and the Beanstalk.
“This season marks Bentley’s 16th year with the theatre,” said Susan Vaslev, director of the Enchanted Forest Theatre. “He’s a tremendous asset, bringing years of experience and an ease with the playful style of comedy that audiences love here at the park.”
Bentley says the sense of connection with audiences and fellow performers keeps him coming back.
“I love working with younger performers and helping them learn this unique style of theatre,” Bentley shares. “I also enjoy seeing the families who return year after year. Every week I hear something like, ‘It’s you! We were hoping you’d be here again. You’re always our favorite part of coming here.’ That’s a wonderful feeling.”
When not performing at the Forest, Bentley works as a voice actor for film, television, radio, and video games. He is currently writing a superhero audio drama podcast set to debut this fall, featuring a full soundtrack, immersive sound effects, and a cast that includes several Enchanted Forest performers.
For more information about the Enchanted Forest Theatre or upcoming performances, visit www.enchantedforest.com.
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