Over the years, various volunteers have worked miracles to keep Drama Dock alive.

They’ve put on musicals, held fundraisers and brought dozens of children to the stage — a move that almost always guarantees a full house.

Now, the celebrated community theater group is marking its 35th anniversary with a production of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” one of the most popular off-Broadway musicals in theater history.

And once again, the volunteers at Drama Dock are hoping for a miracle or two. They want the show — billed as a fundraiser and starring four of the Island’s best thespians — to bring in some revenue.

Elizabeth Ripley, a Drama Dock board member and both the director and one of the actors in the four-person musical, said the theater group is not on the financial brink, as it has been in the past. At the same time, she said, none of its shows so far this season have run in the black.

“People aren’t coming to the shows. And I understand why … It’s the economic downturn that’s hitting us like everybody else,” said Ripley, who’s been involved with Drama Dock for three years.

“But if we want to see Drama Dock be here in the future, the community has to become more of a part of Drama Dock. … It’s not our theater. It’s the community’s theater,” she said.

Like nearly every community theater group, Drama Dock has struggled over the years to make ends meet. Sets, costumes, scripts and production rights all cost money, Ripley said.

Six or seven years ago, Drama Dock was teetering on the edge financially, when Lisa Breen — an accomplished actor and director — stepped in and worked tirelessly to turn the situation around, said Jim Roy, who just resigned as the chair of Drama Dock’s board.

“Her best idea was to do shows people wanted to see — large musicals with large casts,” Roy said.

As much as people love Shakespeare or find avant-garde plays provocative, such productions weren’t filling the house, Roy said. When Breen stepped in with her audience-pleasing productions, “It just gave us bigger houses, and we made money,” Roy recalled.

Drama Dock has continued in that vein, producing, for instance, “Oklahoma!” last season. As a result, the group ended last year with some money in the bank — enough to enable it to weather this season, despite the lack of revenues, Ripley said.

At the same time, the group hopes this weekend’s performances will once again remind Islanders just how much there is to love about high-quality community theater. So to that end, Ripley said, they’re putting on quite a show.

Of the four actors who will take the stage, three — Stephanie Murray, Marshall Murray and Ripley — are professionals. And the fourth one, Louis Mangione, “may as well be, he’s so good,” Ripley said.

Nuns from the recent play “Nun-crackers” will pass the hat. Beer and wine will be served. Two Drama Dock stalwarts, Phil Dunn and Libby Anthony, will act as emcees. And Linda Lee will play the piano, with Karen Choo on the violin.

The musical — an exploration of the modern-day dating game by playwright/lyricist Joe DiPietro and composer Jimmy Roberts — is considered the longest-running musical in off-Broadway history. Ripley thinks Islanders will find it relevant.

“If you’ve ever been in love, if you’ve ever dated, if you’ve ever married, if you ever had children, if you ever divorced, this is a show for you,” she said.

And if the fundraiser provides the support Drama Dock volunteers hope it will, the Island’s beloved theater group will be well-positioned for a future that includes more musicals, growth and some experimentation.

Drama Dock recently launched a youth theater program, for instance, that is already pushing the envelope and has other interesting works — such as “Rocky Horror Picture Show” — in store, said Gaye Detzer, the board’s current chair.

“We want to keep Drama Dock in the black so that we can afford to take a few risks,” she said.

Drama Dock will perform “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Open Space for Arts & Community. Tickets, $20 for general admission, $15 for Drama Dock members and $10 for seniors and youth, are available at Vashon Bookshop, Books by the Way and at the door.