Leading Local Theatres Collaborate During 2010-2011 Season

By: Mar. 01, 2010
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Exciting collaborations are underway as The 5th Avenue and ACT Theatre join resources to co-produce a regional premiere, and The 5th also teams up with Village Theatre, Broadway Across America and Seattle Theatre Group to bring a Broadway hit to Seattle and offer special ticketing prices to their subscribers in the upcoming 2010-2011 Season.


ACT Theatre will partner with The 5th to produce Vanities, a new musical adaptation of Jack Heifner's acclaimed comedy-drama with music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum and a new book by Heifner. The show will be co-produced by the two theatres and staged at ACT for an extended run in the winter of 2011 and offered as part of each theatre's season ticket package. The musical will be directed by The 5th's Executive Producer and Artistic Director, David Armstrong. The two theatres will share expenses and revenue, with joint creative decisions being made by both artistic staffs. This collaboration will also include the region's first dual ticketing platform, selling tickets in real-time at both theatres for one production. The show will feature a cast of Northwest actors in a production created by ACT's technical staff. The musical's authors will be actively involved in the production which will serve as another step in the development of this new musical, which premiered at the Theater Works in Palo Alto in 2006 and was subsequently produced at the Pasadena Playhouse in 2008 and at New York's 2nd Stage Theatre in 2009. This is the first co-production of what is intended to be an annual partnership between ACT Theatre and The 5th Avenue Theatre.

"It has always been an objective to include musical theatre in our building and as part of our seasons," says Kurt Beattie, ACT's Artistic Director. "This collaboration provides both organizations room to grow ascetically and artistically. The 5th brings its considerable expertise in musicals, while our theatre delivers intimate theatre experience with an eye to the contemporary condition."

"The mission of The 5th Avenue is to celebrate our great indigenous art form - the Musical -- in all of its many aspects," says David Armstrong. "This partnership with ACT allows us to explore some of the amazing smaller scale musicals - classic and new-that will be more perfectly suited to ACT's stage rather than The 5th Avenue's."

Also in 2011 from February 22 to March 13 the Broadway smash hit Next to Normal comes to The 5th, making its triumphant return to Seattle after beginning life at Issaquah's Village Theatre. The musical garnered three Tonys on Broadway in 2009, including one for Best Score, recognizing both the music of Tom Kitt and the book and lyrics of Brian Yorkey, who was Village Theatre's Associate Artistic Director for six years. Originally developed under the title Feeling Electric, members of Village Theatre's new works program Village Originals had a chance to see the show as both a staged reading in 2002 and workshop production in 2005. Now thanks to special partnerships with Village Theatre, and Seattle Theatre Group/Broadway Across America, season ticket holders at Village and The Paramount Theatre will have a chance to see the show at The 5th at a special reduced rate.

"We are excited that the groundbreaking musical we developed with Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt in Issaquah will come back to Seattle on a full Broadway tour at the wonderful 5th Avenue Theatre," says Robb Hunt, Village Theatre's Executive Producer. "As fellow members of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, we have been looking forward to this possibility, and we celebrate our respective place in the development of the art form."

Season subscriptions to The 5th's 2010-2011 Season will be available on Monday March 8, over the phone by calling 206-625-1900/toll-free 888-5TH-4TIX (584-4849), in person at the box office at 1308 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, or online at www.5thavenue.org.

The 5th Avenue Theatre is Seattle's premier musical theater. In 1980, the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre began producing and presenting top-quality live musical theater for the cultural enrichment of the Northwest community. The 5th Avenue Theatre maintains a subscription audience of over 25,000 and an annual attendance of more than 287,000. It ranks among the nation's largest and most respected musical theater companies. The Theatre is committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its Educational Outreach Program which includes: The Adventure Musical Theatre Touring Company, The 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Student Matinee Program and Spotlight Nights. Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, the exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. Today, under the leadership of Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, Managing Director Bernie Griffin and Producing Director Bill Berry, The 5th Avenue Theatre continues to achieve the highest standards in all aspects of artistic endeavors and facility operations, while preserving its artistic, architectural and historic legacy. Visit www.5thavenue.org.

Special thanks to The 5th's 2011 Corporate Co-Sponsors Safeco Insurance and US Bank.

ACT-A Contemporary Theatre is located in the heart of downtown Seattle and serves a population of curious, open-minded, and brave audiences. It is the only local theatre dedicated to producing contemporary work with promising playwrights and local performing artists since 1965. A theatre of new ideas, ACT serves as a cultural engine that makes plays, dance, music, and film that touch us. Because contemporary life demands examination, ACT is driven to inspire and strengthen our diverse community through works that advance our understanding of human life. ACT is an interactive community where artists and the public witness, contemplate, and engage in dialogue on today's thought-provoking issues, ideas and art, presented with intelligence, insight, and humor.

The remainder of ACT's 2011 season will be announced late summer 2010.

Village Theatre-The mission of Village Theatre is to be a regionally recognized and nationally influential center of excellence in family theatre:

To promote a season of top quality productions
To commission and produce new musicals that achieve national exposure
To train young people in theatre skills for career opportunities and enriched lives
To develop a broad-based appreciation for live theatre
To promote positive values through art
STG is the 501c3 non-profit arts organization that operates the historic Paramount and Moore Theatres in Seattle, Washington. Our mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region's cultural identity while keeping these two landmark venues alive and vibrant. STG presents a range of performances from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and jazz to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows-at both historic theatres in Seattle and venues throughout the Puget Sound and Portland, Oregon.

Broadway Across America is owned and operated by British theatre producer John Gore (CEO) and entertainment industry veteran Thomas B. McGrath (Chairman). It presents first-class touring Broadway musicals and plays, family productions and other live events throughout a network of 43 North American cities. BAA is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse live theatre for productions on Broadway, across America and throughout the world. BAA most recently produced the Broadway productions of Hair, West Side Story and Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Upcoming productions include Minsky's, Promises, Promises, Million Dollar Quartet and the West End production of Breakfast at Tiffany's. Touring productions include Nickelodeon's Storytime Adventures featuring Dora the Explorer and Dreamgirls. For more information or to purchase tickets through an authorized agent go to www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.

 



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