Unexpected Productions Welcomes New Ensemble Members in Seattle
New members Anasuya Basu, Lily Burnstein, Thomas Corey and others join the cast behind Seattle Theatresports.
Unexpected Productions has welcomed several new performers to its ensemble following the company's first general audition in several years. The new members will join one of Seattle's longest-running improv ensembles as Unexpected Productions approaches its 44th year of creating spontaneous theater in the heart of Pike Place Market.
More than 80 improvisers, actors, comedians, and performers auditioned in August.
“We saw an extraordinary amount of talent,” said Tony Beeman, Artistic and Education Director of Unexpected Productions. “Ultimately, we were looking for performers who connected with our artistic philosophy, complemented our established ensemble, and brought their own voices, perspectives, and creative spark to the work.”
The new ensemble members are Anasuya Basu, Lily Burnstein, Thomas Corey, Morgan Dusatko. Erin Felton, Anita Gray, Athena Kalliora, Zu Kalliora, Benjamin McCarthy, and Nicole Ruiz
Unexpected Productions helped establish Seattle's improv scene in 1983 and has grown into a nationally and internationally recognized center for improvisational theater. Its work emphasizes listening, collaboration, theatricality, and stories that are not only funny, but emotionally honest and deeply human.
“Our performers take an audience suggestion and use it to create characters, relationships, and entire worlds in the moment,” Beeman said. “The goal is not simply to find the next joke. It is to create a compelling piece of theater that could happen only that night, with that audience.”
The company's signature production, Seattle Theatresports, is one of the city's longest-running shows. Every Friday and Saturday, two teams of experienced improvisers face off in a lively comedy competition inspired by audience suggestions. Unexpected Productions also presents original longform productions, fully improvised plays, experimental formats, and work by visiting artists from around the world.
Unexpected Productions operates a year-round school offering seven levels of improv training, specialty workshops, storytelling classes, corporate and organizational training, international festivals, and the Hogan Cup, Seattle's original high school improv tournament.
“Our newest members are joining a living artistic tradition,” Beeman said. “They will help us carry that work forward while challenging us, surprising us, and adding something entirely their own.”
Unexpected Productions is located at the Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, beside Seattle's famous Gum Wall in Pike Place Market. The intimate 200-seat theater includes a full bar and presents affordable live performances throughout the week.
Today, the company's ensemble includes 64 performers dedicated to entertaining and enlightening audiences through improvisation created with truth, humor, and integrity.
Founded in 1983, Unexpected Productions is Seattle's original home for longform improvisation and the producer of Seattle Theatresports. Through performances, classes, festivals, youth programs, and professional training, the nonprofit organization brings people together through the collaborative art of improvisation.
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