R.J. Tancioco News

Village Theatre's commitment to nurturing new musicals continues with the world premiere of TRAILS, opening March 14, 2013 at the Issaquah theatre. This musical expedition had its first reading in 2011 as part of Village Theatre's Festival of New Musicals; now, Village Theatre is preparing for a full scale production. The three TRAILS creators, Christy Hall (book), Jordan Mann (lyrics), Jeff Thomson (music), are all in town to work with local director Eric Ankrim and the talented NW-based cast and crew.

The highly anticipated local production of the hit Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey show "Next To Normal" has finally opened at Capitol Hill's Balagan Theatre. And while still an incredibly evocative and powerful show, the current production, while technically superb, didn't quite manage that same hard hitting spark.

Returning home for its first local Seattle production, the Tony Award-winning rock musical Next to Normal will be co-produced in February 2013 by award-winning companies Balagan Theatre and Contemporary Classics. Starring in the pivotal leading role will be one of Seattle's most regarded actors, Marya Sea Kaminski, in her first musical.

It's a brand new season of love this summer when The 5th Avenue Theatre brings a bold and innovative production of RENT to the stage. Fresh from his smash success with First Date, Bill Berry directs this electrifying new staging of Jonathan Larson's modern rock-opera classic. A cast of Seattle's young rising theater stars, featuring Daniel Berryman, Aaron C. Finley, Naomi Morgan, Jerick Hoffer, Ryah Nixon, and Andi Alhadeff will take center stage, belting hits including "La Vie Boheme," "Take Me or Leave Me," "One Song Glory," and "Rent." Based on the Puccini opera La boheme, the hit musical premiered in 1996 to instant acclaim, and swept a host of theater awards - the Tony, the Obie, and the Pulitzer.

Issaquah's Village Theatre has chosen the tuneful favorite "Annie Get Your Gun" for its holiday season show, with original book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields and music by the venerable Irving Berlin. Peter Stone's 1999 Broadway revival gently updated the script for modern audiences, removing most of the politically incorrect elements of 1946, and this is the version currently in residence on the Village Mainstage.

It's that time of year again. Time to make your voices heard for your favorite shows and performances from the 2011 Seattle Theater Season. Last year's inaugural Seattle awards were so much fun that we just had to bring them back.

It's that time of year again. Time to make your voices heard for your favorite shows and performances from the 2011 Seattle Theater Season. Last year's inaugural Seattle awards were so much fun that we just had to bring them back.

Last night the incredible talent from Contemporary Classics stepped up to the mic once more for the 11th installment of their wildly popular "New Voices" series, spotlighting new works from composers around the country. Some local composers and some abroad, some new-ish pieces and some brand spankin' new for this show, Host Brandon Ivie and Music director R.J. Tancioco gathered together some of the most obscenely talented performers in the area to blow the doors off ACT Theatre and there was not a door standing when they were done.

Contemporary Classics' New Voices played two standing-room-only shows on August 15 at ACT Theatre in Seattle. Hosted by Brandon Ivie, the show featured a slew of the hottest musical theatre writers today including world premieres by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, Chris Jeffries, and Michelle Elliot and danny larson. The cast included Broadway's Kendra Kassebaum, Louis Hobson, Vicki Noon, Ryah Nixon, and many of Seattle's best talent.

Contemporary Classics presents the latest installment of its songwriter showcase concert series New Voices, which will perform two shows on August 15 at ACT Theatre in association with the Central Heating Lab program.

Contemporary Classics presents the latest installment of its songwriter showcase concert series New Voices, which will perform two shows on August 15 at ACT Theatre in association with the Central Heating Lab program.

Village Theatre is thrilled to produce the critically-acclaimed new musical commie-dy Iron Curtain. This production will play for the final time on May 22, 2011 in downtown Everett, at the Everett Performing Arts Center.

The second new musical in Village Theatre's 5-show season is the outrageous commie-dy, Iron Curtain, directed by Steve Tomkins, named one of Seattle Magazine's 'Most Influential of 2010.' From the writing team who brought the 2007 production of Once Upon a Time in New Jersey to the Mainstage, the new musical Iron Curtain is chock-full of talent, and some of Seattle's funniest, funny people are set to appear.

Village Theatre is currently asking the very unlikely question, "What happens when two American songwriters get kidnapped by cold war era KGB agents to write the quintessential Russian musical?" The answer is, "You get "Iron Curtain", the latest show to get a main stage production out of the Village Originals Festival, which amounts to two and a half hours of absolute bliss!"

Village Theatre is thrilled to produce the critically-acclaimed new musical commie-dy Iron Curtain.

The second new musical in Village Theatre's 5-show season is the outrageous commie-dy, Iron Curtain, directed by Steve Tomkins, named one of Seattle Magazine's 'Most Influential of 2010.' From the writing team who brought the 2007 production of Once Upon a Time in New Jersey to the Mainstage, the new musical Iron Curtain is chock-full of talent, and some of Seattle's funniest, funny people are set to appear.

Village Theatre is thrilled to produce the critically-acclaimed new musical commie-dy Iron Curtain.

The second new musical in Village Theatre's 5-show season is the outrageous commie-dy, Iron Curtain, directed by Steve Tomkins, named one of Seattle Magazine's 'Most Influential of 2010.' From the writing team who brought the 2007 production of Once Upon a Time in New Jersey to the Mainstage, the new musical Iron Curtain is chock-full of talent, and some of Seattle's funniest, funny people are set to appear.

The votes are in, the ballots tallied and the people have spoken. Yes, the 2010 BroadwayWorld Seattle Theater awards results are in and my oh my was it a nail biter. There was some fierce competition out there but the voters have spoken. But since the results were so close, we're going to put in not only the winners but also the 1st and 2nd runners up as well. And I'm also going to throw in my own Critic's Choice for the hell of it. So without further ado, the envelopes please...