A PICASSO To Perform At Bellevue

This October, Theatre33 will present Jeffrey Hatcher's A Picasso, an intimate two-character drama that imagines a gripping encounter between one of the 20th century's most celebrated artists and a woman working within the machinery of Nazi-occupied Paris.

A Picasso places audiences inside a vault beneath the streets of Paris, where Pablo Picasso has been brought for questioning. Waiting for him is Miss Fischer, a German cultural attaché with an unusual assignment.

She needs Picasso to authenticate three paintings believed to be his.

What initially appears to be a simple matter of authentication soon becomes something far more dangerous.

Picasso discovers that the paintings have been confiscated and are destined for an exhibition of so-called 'degenerate art'-an exhibition whose purpose is not celebration, but destruction. Suddenly, determining whether a painting is genuinely a Picasso becomes a question with consequences for both the art and the people in the room.

From there, Hatcher creates a constantly shifting battle of wit and will. Artist and interrogator challenge one another over authenticity, politics, artistic responsibility, compromise and the value we place on art when those in power decide what is permitted to exist.

But A Picasso is not simply Picasso versus the Nazis.

As the confrontation deepens, Miss Fischer's own complicated relationship with Picasso and his work emerges, blurring the apparent division between admirer and adversary. The play reveals that she grew up surrounded by Picasso's paintings and once deeply admired his work, giving the encounter an unexpectedly personal dimension.

Performed in the intimacy of a 50-seat black box theatre, the production brings audiences unusually close to the confrontation, where a change in tone, a hesitation or a single word can alter the balance of power.

Christophe Peyras stars as Pablo Picasso opposite Ines Kreitlein as Miss Fischer. The production is directed by Greg LoProto.

Performance Schedule:

Friday, October 16 - 7:00 PM
Saturday, October 17 - 7:00 PM
Sunday, October 18 - 2:00 PM
Thursday, October 22 - 7:00 PM
Friday, October 23 - 7:00 PM
Saturday, October 24 - 7:00 PM
Sunday, October 25 - 2:00 PM

Performances will take place at Theatre33 13243 NE 20th St, Bellevue, WA 98005. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at theatre33.ludus.com. With only 50 seats available per performance, advance reservations are recommended.

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