I have to say I love it when a playwright takes a genre and turns it on its head. Even more so when they have an amazing gift for words and storytelling as is very evident in Stephanie Timm's "Sweet Nothing, a (grim) fairytale" currently having its Northwest premiere at Annex Theatre from Macha Monkey Productions. With the sweetness of a fairly tale combined with the stark coldness of reality, Timm manages a haunting sensuality wrapped up in a thoroughly engaging story of lost innocence.
As always, summers in the Seattle area are a crapshoot. Will we or won't we have nice weather? If the weather lately is any indication I think we're in for some lovely days and plenty of chances to play outside. But whether the weather forces us outdoors or indoors there's always plenty of theater going on around town to take in. Here are our top 5 picks for summer theater goings on around town this year.
Using dance and theater, Sideshow explores the thrill of catching sight of the seemingly impossible and the beauty that can emerge from our most broken places. Sideshow portrays the feats and longings of a group of circus sideshow performers: A girl with jaundice whose fantasies materialize, a magnetic bearded lady, and a hunchback who possesses superhuman strength but dreams of walking a delicate high wire. Sideshow performs at the Annex Theatre, located at 1100 E. Pike Street, tonight, May 1st- May 16th, Tuesday-Wednesday at 8 pm. A preview will be held Monday April 30th at 8pm. Tickets are $5-$10. For more information, visit www.annextheatre.org.
Walkabout Theater has announced the world premiere of CROW, created and performed by theater artist Jeremy Sher and directed by Scott Bradley. Performances take place at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., from May 30 - June 17. The opening is Friday, June 1st at 8:00 p.m.
The Heroes are back! Annex Theatre's favorite band of supers have returned for a prequel to their hit "Alecto: Issue #1" with the uproarious "Team of Heroes: Behind Closed Doors". And while the hilarity and amazingly clever staging is back with some new surprises and some actual poignant moments, at times the show seems in desperate need of some editing as it felt a bit disjointed and over complicated.
Using dance and theater, Sideshow explores the thrill of catching sight of the seemingly impossible and the beauty that can emerge from our most broken places. Sideshow portrays the feats and longings of a group of circus sideshow performers: A girl with jaundice whose fantasies materialize, a magnetic bearded lady, and a hunchback who possesses superhuman strength but dreams of walking a delicate high wire. Sideshow performs at the Annex Theatre, located at 1100 E. Pike Street, May 1st- May 16th, Tuesday-Wednesday at 8 pm. A preview will be held Monday April 30th at 8pm. Tickets are $5-$10. For more information, visit www.annextheatre.org.
It's not easy being a superhero- or the teenage daughter of a single mom. In Team of Heroes: Behind Closed Doors poor Melissa is both. Good thing she has a way with floating knives.
Team of Heroes: Behind Closed Doors is a prequel to Alecto: Issue #1, one of the most popular shows in Annex Theatre's 25 year history. The story moves back and forth in time, telling both the story of the Team of Heroes and their first encounter with supervillian Chaos Theory, and the story of teenaged Melissa, who will grow up to become Madame Mayhem.
It's not easy being a superhero- or the teenage daughter of a single mom. In Team of Heroes: Behind Closed Doors poor Melissa is both. Good thing she has a way with floating knives.
Team of Heroes: Behind Closed Doors is a prequel to Alecto: Issue #1, one of the most popular shows in Annex Theatre's 25 year history. The story moves back and forth in time, telling both the story of the Team of Heroes and their first encounter with supervillian Chaos Theory, and the story of teenaged Melissa, who will grow up to become Madame Mayhem.
Seattle Theater Writers, a group of 11 local theater writers and reviewers, has announced the 2011 winners of the first annual Gypsy Rose Lee Awards, a new set of theater awards devoted to recognizing excellence across the Equity and non-Equity spectrum. 2011 marks the 100th year of Ms. Lee's birth in Seattle.
Seattle Shakespeare Company Board Chairman Phil Miller today announced the Board of Directors has found an "an outstanding artist and great leader" in George Mount, saying Mount's leadership within the Seattle arts community, demonstrated experience as a producer, and passion for Shakespeare and the classics make him the ideal candidate to lead Seattle Shakespeare Company to a new horizon.
The Katselas Theatre Company will extend the performance schedule of this critically acclaimed world premiere production, spawned from their INKubator series. Now running through December 18th. LA Weekly - GO!
If there's one thing that irritates me more than anything else it's someone else's therapy on stage. If it's wrapped up in an engaging story then I'm willing to overlook a lot but when it's just an author working out their issues for all to see, then don't waste my time. And while Annex Theatre's current show "The Strange Misadventures of Patty, Patty's Dad, Patty's Friend Jen, and a Whole Bunch of Other People" isn't completely camped out on the psychologists couch and has some really wonderful performances and moments, at times it felt a little forced and self indulgent.
If there's one thing that irritates me more than anything else it's someone else's therapy on stage. If it's wrapped up in an engaging story then I'm willing to overlook a lot but when it's just an author working out their issues for all to see, then don't waste my time. And while Annex Theatre's current show "The Strange Misadventures of Patty, Patty's Dad, Patty's Friend Jen, and a Whole Bunch of Other People" isn't completely camped out on the psychologists couch and has some really wonderful performances and moments, at times it felt a little forced and self indulgent.
In these ever changing days of what it is to be a family, we are seeing more and more portrayals in entertainment of same sex couples raising children. Such is the case with the latest endeavor from fledgling theater company Arouet with Christi Stewart-Brown's "The Gene Pool". And while the play itself doesn't really have anything groundbreaking or even new to say about families, same sex or otherwise, the production here infuses it with an engaging pace and contains some truly natural and honest performances.
Macha Monkey continues its 10th season of fearless, funny, female theatre with a special remount of the co-founders first play, ELEKTRA (formerly known as Live Girls Do Elektra) by Desiree Prewitt and Kristina Sutherland. Macha Monkey presents a lightning-fast interpretation of the Elektra myth in which two actresses, Kate Jaeger and Erin Stewart, portray a myriad of characters. Each moment of this original production addresses the question 'What if Orestes never showed up?' Set to a backdrop of gin bottles, violent chariot accidents, gossiping neighbors, and an ending even Sophocles could dance to, this dark comedy returns to Seattle with a vengeance. The remount comes with a special curtain raiser performance: Scot Augustson's puppet retelling of the play Agamemnon!
Annex Theatre serves up a saucey satire of the Lifetime television genre in a new late night show WOMEN IN PERIL written by Joel Steinpreis & Craig Trolli and directed by Jason Sharp.
After a two year absence from the Seattle stage, the Half Brothers return for a night at Theatre Off Jackson, and they're bringing their friends from 'Awesome' and Jose Bold along with them.
After a two year absence from the Seattle stage, the Half Brothers return for a night at Theatre Off Jackson, and they're bringing their friends from 'Awesome' and Jose Bold along with them.
