David Armstrong News

5th Avenue Theatre Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong yesterday announced the seven productions making up the celebrated Seattle musical theater's 2012-13 season. The program features a mix of contemporary musicals and timeless classics, plus Seattle's first peek at some of Broadway's greatest new hits.

The 5th Avenue Theatre brings the wide open plains to Seattle with a reimagining of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!

Eric Ankrim and Kelly Karbacz will go looking for love in First Date, a co-production between ACT - A Contemporary Theatre and The 5th Avenue Theatre. This new musical about one date, two people, and all the voices in their heads, also features Seattle stars Benjamin Harris, Vicki Noon, Brandon O'Neill, Rich Gray, Greg McCormick Allen, and Sonya Meyer, in roles including old boyfriends, ex-fiancees, best friends, and pushy relatives, not to mention fellow diners who intrude on the couple's blind date. The 5th Avenue's Producing Director Bill Berry directs this clever and quirky world premiere romantic comedy with musical staging by Broadway's Josh Prince. With a book by screenwriter Austin Winsberg and music and lyrics by the dynamic writing team of Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, this comedy chronicles the perils and pitfalls of blind dating and the journey from "tragic mistake" to "true love." Or at least to a second date.

The Inspire Change Talkback Series celebrating Black History Month, minorities, and their impact on the entertainment industry, will begin on Thursday, February 9th. Immediately following 7pm performances of MEMPHIS on Thursdays in February, patrons will be invited to participate in a talkback about the role of minorities in various aspects of the performing arts including dance, music and theater. Each talkback will feature a guest moderator along with cast members from the show.

The 5th Avenue Theatre will host panel discussions and a Town Hall meeting to engage audiences about the portrayal of race in its current production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! Called "provocative" by the Seattle Times, this new production features an African American actor as the antagonist, sparking vigorous discussion among audiences about racism both in 1907 (when the musical is set), and in society and the arts today.

The first of these talkbacks will be tonight (Thursday, February 9th) and the topic will be dance. MEMPHIS welcomes The Ailey School to the show.

The producers of the 2010 Tony Award winning Best Musical MEMPHIS announced today that the Inspire Change Talkback Series celebrating Black History Month, minorities, and their impact on the entertainment industry, will begin on Thursday, February 9th.

The 5th Avenue Theatre is bringing the wide open plains to Seattle this February with a reimagining of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!

The 5th Avenue Theatre is bringing the wide open plains to Seattle this February with a reimagining of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!

This holiday season, Cinderella won't be the only person receiving a new pair of shoes! As Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella takes the stage, The 5th Avenue Theatre is joining forces with Treehouse, a King County non-profit benefitting foster children, to collect new shoes for these youngsters.

This year, The 5th Avenue Theatre is making one big New Year's resolution. The famed home for Broadway-bound musicals is launching a new initiative to support the creation and cultivation of new musicals from inception through production.

This holiday season, Cinderella won't be the only person receiving a new pair of shoes! As Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella takes the stage, The 5th Avenue Theatre is joining forces with Treehouse, a King County non-profit benefitting foster children, to collect new shoes for these youngsters.

Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff/Artistic Producer) announced the next in its ongoing series 'The Amas Musical Theatre Song Salon', with Special Guest Klea Blackhurst.

An all-star cast of Seattle celebrities will waltz onto the stage of The 5th Avenue Theatre in a holiday ball audiences will never forget: Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. Under the direction of Seattle's own Brandon Ivie, this enchanting fairy tale features Jennifer Paz of Miss Saigon as Cinderella and Wicked star Kendra Kassebaum as the Fairy Godmother, as well as local luminaries Suzanne Bouchard, Nick Garrison, Sarah Rudinoff, Brandon O'Neill, Cynthia Jones, Allen Fitzpatrick, and Greg McCormick Allen.

Amas Musical Theatre presented yet another marvelous event at The Players Theater as part of its Six O'Clock Musical Theatre Lab: a staged reading of The Countess of Storyville.

Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff/Artistic Producer) announced the next in its ongoing series 'The Amas Musical Theatre Song Salon', with Special Guest Klea Blackhurst.

Broadway luminaries Carolee Carmello, Judy Kaye, and Roz Ryan will grace The 5th Avenue Theatre stage under the direction of David Armstrong in the West Coast premiere of Saving Aimee, a soul-stirring new musical with book and lyrics by Kathie Lee Gifford, and music by David Pomeranz and David Friedman.

Seattle audiences will have the exciting and free opportunity to meet Emmy Award-winning television star Kathie Lee Gifford when she previews her new musical Saving Aimee to the Emerald City at 7:00 PM, Saturday, September 10, at The 5th Avenue Theatre (1308 5th Avenue) as a part of the company's popular Spotlight Night series.

Seattle audiences will have the exciting and free opportunity to meet Emmy Award-winning television star Kathie Lee Gifford when she previews her new musical Saving Aimee to the Emerald City at 7:00 PM, Saturday, September 10, at The 5th Avenue Theatre (1308 5th Avenue) as a part of the company's popular Spotlight Night series.

The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle's premiere musical theatre, is thrilled to announce its line-up for the 2011/12 season.