Matt Owen News

GREY GARDENS, a co-production with The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT will play on the mainstage tonight, March 16-May 26 with a press opening of March 21.

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre single tickets go on sale to the public for all 2013 Mainstage shows February 12, 2013. ACT is offering 50 percent off of adult price tickets for all Mainstage preview shows throughout the season for one-day only February 12. ACT also shares a glimpse of the casting for the first half of the upcoming Mainstage season.

ACT has announced some of the casting for the first half of the upcoming Mainstage season. ACT's own Artistic Director Kurt Beattie gets back on the boards alongside Jeff Steitzer, Marianne Owen, Julie Briskman, and Laura Kenny in Assisted Living. In Other Desert Cities the critically acclaimed Marya Sea Kaminski makes her ACT debut going head to head with television actress Pamela Reed (Parks and Recreation, Kindergarten Cop) who is a UW Drama alumni and Washington resident. Many other notable local actors will be returning to ACT or making their debut including Jessica Skerritt, Matt Owen, Lori Larsen, Suzy Hunt, Aaron Blakely, and Kirsten Potter to name a few. See the current listing of committed artistic and production talent below.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Gallery1988 will present 'For Your Consideration,' their first collaborative exhibition featuring art inspired by the 2012 Best Picture Oscar nominees, on display February 14 through 17 at Gallery1988 Melrose in Los Angeles.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Gallery1988 will present 'For Your Consideration,' their first collaborative exhibition featuring art inspired by the 2012 Best Picture Oscar nominees

I'll admit I was one of the first to roll their eyes in disdain when I heard they made a musical of the Will Ferrell movie "Elf", back in 2010. "Oh Good," I thought, "another overly sweet yet bland movie adaptation designed to get families in the theater and sell merchandise (in this case, elf hats)." And so even more eye rolling occurred when the 5th Avenue Theatre announced they would be putting up a production of it this year. And while the show may be most of those things I mentioned (especially the elf hats) what it isn't is bland. More importantly what the production at the 5th Avenue manages is a super engaging and absolutely adorable evening of elfish fun.

Buddy the Elf is bringing the North Pole to Seattle this holiday season when ELF - The Musical takes over The 5th Avenue Theatre. Under the direction of Seattle's theatrical superstar Eric Ankrim (in his 5th Avenue directorial debut), Elf will feature Seattle's singing and dancing wunderkind Matt Owen as Buddy, the iconic Christmas groupie, alongside Broadway's Kendra Kassebaum as his true love, Jovie. Owen and Kassebaum are joined by Broadway vet Kim Huber, and Seattle stars Sean G. Griffin, Allen Fitzpatrick, Cynthia Jones, Nick DeSantis, and Jessica Skerritt.

Beavercreek Community Theatre presents MUSICAL CHAIRS, directed by Matt Owens, running tonight, September 7-16, 2012.

Tonight, August 19th, the band Sky-Pony will explode onto the stage of Joe's Pub like a herd of stampeding wild horses. They'll serve up a healthy dose of original tunes inspired in equal parts by indie-rock and good old-fashioned American Songbook balladry.

Beavercreek Community Theatre presents MUSICAL CHAIRS, directed by Matt Owens, running September 7-16, 2012.

Houston's Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) is offering James A. Rocco and David Armstrong's patriotic and biographical YANKEE DOODLE DANDY as its 45th FREE summer musical at Miller Outdoor Theatre. The entertaining show has a score composed of George M. Cohan's best known numbers and additional music and lyrics written by Albert Evans. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY is more-or-less an illustrated lecture on George M. Cohan's life-more a revue than musical. Despite this, TUTS is providing Houston audiences with a fun and magical night of theatrical glitz and glamour that should not be missed.

On August 19th, the band Sky-Pony will explode onto the stage of Joe's Pub like a herd of stampeding wild horses. They'll serve up a healthy dose of original tunes inspired in equal parts by indie-rock and good old-fashioned American Songbook balladry.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) presents the high-stepping musical Yankee Doodle Dandy, running from tonight, July 17 - July 22, 2012 at 8:15 p.m. each night.

Sky-Pony serves up indie-rockwith theatrical flair and Broadway pedigree at Joe's Pub on August 19th.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is excited to announce the cast for the high-stepping musical Yankee Doodle Dandy, running from July 17 - 22, 2012 at 8:15 p.m. each night. This production recounts the life of the first giant of American musical theatre, George M. Cohan, and marks TUTS' 45th summer of free musicals at Miller Outdoor Theatre (6000 Hermann Park Drive). A dynamic showbiz saga, Yankee Doodle Dandy offers an intimate portrayal of the trials and tribulations of "the man who owned Broadway."

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's epic voyage, The 5th Avenue Theatre is presenting Titanic: The Concert. With music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and book by Peter Stone, Titanic: The Concert is a unique way to celebrate the centennial of one of the most memorable events of the last century. Actors will sing with the support of a 25-piece orchestra and the 80 voices of the award-winning Pacific Lutheran University Choral Union. The story of the Titanic will come to life through music on The 5th Avenue stage on nights that coincide exactly with the ship's historic journey and tragic end.

What do you do with a dated overdone musical that every High School on earth has done in order to make it fresh for a professional run? Well, you could pair up with a local dance theater to punch up those outrageous dance sequences to give the audience something new. That's exactly what the 5th Avenue Theatre did when they teamed up with Spectrum Dance Theater in order to try and polish up their production of "Oklahoma". The problem is that it punched up a bit too much and made it feel a bit too new. Luckily the leads of the show still knew how to tell the story and that's what made the show enjoyable.

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

What do you do with a dated overdone musical that every High School on earth has done in order to make it fresh for a professional run? Well, you could pair up with a local dance theater to punch up those outrageous dance sequences to give the audience something new. That's exactly what the 5th Avenue Theatre did when they teamed up with Spectrum Dance Theater in order to try and polish up their production of "Oklahoma". The problem is that it punched up a bit too much and made it feel a bit too new. Luckily the leads of the show still knew how to tell the story and that's what made the show enjoyable.