Nikki Visel

Dear Readers, if you’re familiar with Dominique Morisseau’s play, “Pipeline”, currently playing at Seattle Public Theater, you know what a striking play it is. Filled with resonant themes and high intensity moments, the show can knock you off your feet. But more than anything, it’s about real people and real situations in our all too real, and all too troubled world. So, it needs to feel real. And while most in the SPT production were up to that task, there were some that I didn’t feel the commitment to being real which took me out of the piece.

The ongoing alternate-history podcast BRASS premieres its third season this month. Recorded in Seattle, Washington and featuring a veteran cast of Pacific Northwest talent, the series follows the adventures of a quartet of Victorian science geniuses and their ongoing battle against a criminal mastermind known only as the Crime Minister.

Lady Windermere's Fan at Taproot Theatre is a tapestry of tightly woven threads in which all are needed to tell the story. This show, an Oscar Wilde classic, is often produced in such a way that the humor overshadows the heart. Co-directors, Karen Lund and Marianne Savell, have instead chosen to explore the genuine fears and dilemmas that women of society faced in the late nineteenth century. With little power and few choices, these women struggled to uphold the ideals imposed by their society. Lady Windermere reminds us how easily a single decision can forever change the trajectory of a life. When authenticity is the cornerstone of a show, especially one with as strong a script as this, there is no need for a circus of distractions.

Theater Schmeater and Battleground Productions are pleased to announce the opening of BRASS: Fatal Footlights, a new Steampunk mystery/comedy/thriller with fights by Louis Broome and John Longenbaugh. Fatal Footlights will then run todays, Fridays, and Saturdays through April 30th at 8PM.

Theater Schmeater and Battleground Productions are pleased to announce the opening of BRASS: Fatal Footlights, a new Steampunk mystery/comedy/thriller with fights by Louis Broome and John Longenbaugh. Fatal Footlights will then run on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through April 30th at 8PM.

Taproot Theatre Company's Acting Studio is offering six classes for students, adults and seniors that begin in February. Elementary and high school students will build detailed characters and learn to work as an ensemble as they rehearse for a final performance in TTC's Isaac Studio Theatre. Adults will study the fundamentals of acting and make bold character decisions as they learn to play off other actors. Seniors can choose between a class that will dive into scene studies and character work or an improv class geared towards those with Early Stage Memory Loss. These classes are taught by Seattle area theatre professionals Karen Lund, Pam Nolte, Rob Martin, Nikki Visel, Lorrie Fargo and Rick Hornor. Registration forms and class descriptions are available online at taproottheatre.org or by contacting the Acting Studio at 206.529.3668 or studio@taproottheatre.org.

Autumn is almost here and Taproot Theatre is gearing up for Fall Quarter acting classes. Taproot's Acting Studio offers classes from 4th grade to adults throughout the fall and into the holiday season.

Seattle Shakespeare Company's free Wooden O productions of The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Julius Caesar start performances tonight, July 10.

Casting is announced for Seattle Shakespeare Company's free Wooden O productions of The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Julius Caesar which start performances on Thursday, July 10. Both productions will perform in park venues throughout King County (please see attached schedule) and then transfer to Walla Walla, WA as part of Shakespeare Walla Walla.

Taproot Theatre presents Le Club Noel, an original Christmas play by Seattle playwrights and performers Candace and Sam Vance. Step into a 1930's Parisian Cabaret and fall under the spell of Le Club Noel, where the band is hot and the songs sung by a beautiful chanteuse. Together they create music to awaken love in the coldest of hearts. With money scarce, and WWII on the horizon, this close-knit band of musicians reminds us that Christmas has always been a time for miracles. Associate Artistic Director Karen Lund directs Le Club Noel which opens on November 29 and runs through December 28 with low-price previews on November 22 and 23 and a pay-what-you-can performance on November 27. Early bird pricing is available for performances on December 4 and 5.

It's a very easy trap to fall into when dealing with a small town period piece, taking that wholesome and naive mentality and over infusing it into the show. Such is the issue with ReAct's current production of William Inge's 50's era tale of forbidden love, 'Picnic'. And with that over-stylization the situation becomes more comical and less passionate.

Seattle's theater simple, in collaboration with No Passport, stages Gun Control Theatre Action an evening of selected readings from 24 Gun Control Plays, performed at West of Lenin tonight, May 2nd at 7:30pm. This free event features new work by playwrights Neil LaBute (reasons to be pretty), Jennifer Maisel (The Last Seder), Oliver Mayer (Blade to the Heat), Winter Miller (In Darfur), Gary Winter (13p), Caridad Svich (The House of the Spirits) and more.

Seattle's theater simple stages Gun Control Theatre Action an evening of selected readings from 24 Gun Control Plays, performed at West of Lenin on May 2nd at 7:30pm. This free event features new work by playwrights Neil LaBute (reasons to be pretty), Jennifer Maisel (The Last Seder), Oliver Mayer (Blade to the Heat), Winter Miller (In Darfur), Gary Winter (13p), Caridad Svich (The House of the Spirits) and more.

Another favorite Lord Peter Wimsey novel comes to the stage this fall as Taproot Theatre presents Dorothy L. Sayers' classic mystery, Gaudy Night. Harriet Vane's Oxford reunion is terrorized by murderous threats from the "Poison Pen," a vicious vandal determined to destroy our heroine and everything she holds dear. Is her sleuthing enough to apprehend the villain? And where is Lord Peter when she really needs him? Producing Artistic Director Scott Nolte directs Frances Limoncelli's adaptation of Gaudy Night, which opened last night, September 21 and runs through October 20. Get a first look at the show in the photos below!

It's almost over! There's just THREE days of voting remaining for the 2011 Seattle Awards and here is the latest update! Have you voted yet, and helped to spread the word to support your favorites in the hopes that they will be the recipients of a 2011 BroadwayWorld Seattle Award? There is no time to waste, click on the voting link and make your opinion count! Below are the stats so far as of Monday December 26, 2011. Voting ends at midnight on 12/31 so time is running out.

There is no time to waste, click on the voting link and make your opinion count! Below are the stats so far. Voting ends at midnight on 12/31 so time is running out. Click Here to Vote Now!...

There's just 4 weeks left to go in voting for the 2011 Seattle Awards and here is the latest update! Have you voted yet, and helped to spread the word to support your favorites in the hopes that they will be the recipients of a 2011 BroadwayWorld Seattle Award? There is no time to waste, click on the voting link and make your opinion count! Below are the stats so far as of Tuesday November 29, 2011.

Voting is now well underway for the 2011 Seattle Awards and here is the latest update! Now, it's time for you to get out and vote for your favorites in the hopes that they will be the recipients of a 2011 BroadwayWorld Seattle Award. No time to waste, click on the voting link and make your opinion count! Below are the stats so far as of Monday November 23, 2011.