COMEDY OF ERRORS Launches Seattle Shakespeare's 25th Anniversary Season Tonight

Seattle Shakespeare Company's Artistic Director George Mount announced plans for the company's 25th Anniversary season that includes performances at the Leo K. Theatre, the return of directors Jeff Steitzer, David Quicksall, and Victor Pappas, and the mainstage directing debuts of Jane Nichols and Vanessa Miller.

"The programming for this season merged around the idea of family in its many forms" said Mount. "Everyone has a different reaction when you say the word 'family.' We first learn about the world through our families, and then discover that other families are not quite like our own. In these plays, people go to extreme measures to find, protect, and love their family members. We're calling the theme of the season 'Bloodlines.'"

For the first time, Seattle Shakespeare Company will produce one of its plays in the Leo K. Theatre at Seattle Repertory Theatre. Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors directed by Jane Nichols will open the season and run tonight, September 16 through October 11, 2015. "Personally, this is my absolute favorite play to work on," said Mount. "We spend the entire rehearsal period just trying to make everyone laugh. Jane is such a renowned clowning expert, and I can't wait to see how she brings her unique talents to bear on this play."

Bertolt Brecht's biting indictment of war, Mother Courage and Her Children will be directed by Jeff Steitzer from October 27 through November 22, 2015 at the Center Theatre at Seattle Center. "Jeff did a phenomenal Pygmalion with us in 2012," said Mount. "I'm looking forward to seeing how he approaches this since Brecht mixes up comedy with tragedy, poetry, and musical theater."

David Quicksall will direct Titus Andronicus, January 12-February 7, 2016, at the Center Theatre at Seattle Center. "David staged our gritty Coriolanus in 2012, and since this is Shakespeare's bloodiest play, I'm sure he and the cast will have great fun getting their hands dirty with this shocker." This will be the first time Seattle Shakespeare Company will have produced Titus Andronicus.

George Bernard Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession will be directed by Victor Pappas, March 22-April 17, 2016, at the Center Theatre at Seattle Center. "I'm excited to have Victor Pappas back after he staged such a delightful The Importance of Being Earnest for us," said Mount. "This play has Shaw's stinging wit and features a mother-daughter battle of wills that will have everyone thinking about the choices one makes in life."

Romeo and Juliet will be the final play in the company's indoor season. It will be directed by Vanessa Miller, May 4-May 22, 2016, at the Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center. "We'll be telling Shakespeare's ultimate family drama in a very intimate way," said Mount. "We're going to reconfigure seats on the Cornish Playhouse stage to bring everyone closer to the action."

Season ticket packages will go on sale at the end of March and range from $90 to $200 for all five indoor productions. Season ticket packages can be purchased by calling the ticket office at (206) 733-8222 or online at www.seattleshakespeare.org. Single tickets for all five productions will go on sale July 2015 and range from $27-$50 per ticket.

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2015-2016 25th ANNIVERSARY SEASON:

The Comedy of Errors
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Jane Nichols
September 16-October 11, 2015
Performed at the Leo K. Theatre at Seattle Repertory Theatre

A fast and funny comedy filled with mixed up mayhem. Searching for the family they lost years ago in a shipwreck, Antipholus and his servant, Dromio, find themselves in a strange city where nearly everyone thinks they know them. Are folks seeing double? Maybe! This comic knot of jealous wives, quack doctors, mysterious nuns, and double trouble untangles just in time with the nuttiest family reunion you've ever seen.

Mother Courage and Her Children
By Bertolt Brecht
Directed by Jeff Steitzer
October 27-November 22, 2015
Performed at the Center Theatre at Seattle Center

Blending elements of vaudeville, soapbox, and alehouse, Brecht's powerhouse anti-war play features one tough-as-nails matriarch. Anna Fierling, a sly and artful entrepreneur known as Mother Courage, strives to keep her family and her business held together while war rages all around her - a war that she profits from. Shot through with satire and peppered with music and song this is an epic theatrical experience about resilience in the face of bitter struggle.

Titus Andronicus
By William Shakespeare
Directed by David Quicksall
January 12-February 7, 2016
Performed at the Center Theatre at Seattle Center

Savage and sublime, brutal and beautiful, this blackly comic revenge story is told in extremes. General Titus Andronicus returns victorious from battle with the prisoners Queen Tamora, her lover, and her sons. Despite Tamora's pleadings, Titus hands over her eldest son for sacrifice and sets in motion a cycle of violence that races to a vicious conclusion. Yet among the bloodshed are moments of profound humanity in the anguish and loss felt by both families, illuminating the senselessness of "eye for an eye" retribution.

Mrs. Warren's Profession
By George Bernard Shaw
Directed by Victor Pappas
March 22-April 17, 2016
Performed at the Center Theatre at Seattle Center

Confronting the truth locks two strong, unconventional women in an elemental battle peppered with Shaw's wicked humor. With grit and wit, Kitty Warren pulled herself out of the London slums in order to give her daughter, Vivie, the opportunities she never had. When the two meet for the first time after many years, they both discover that neither mother nor daughter is the woman they thought they knew. A delightfully heartbreaking comedy about a shocking topic that is both timeless and timely.

Romeo and Juliet
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Vanessa Miller
May 4-May 22, 2016
Performed at the Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center

It's a story that's practically part of our DNA, and yet it still enchants us. A boy, a girl, and a love so deep that they believe they can beat the odds. Families so caught up in the past that they can't see what's in front of them. Time racing past. This time he'll know. This time she'll see. This time the lark will sing for them tomorrow. Live the romance in an up-close and intimate staging where the dancer's swirl past, the sword fighters clash, and the heartbeat of the play mixes with your own.