ARTISTS DOING to Return with Ben Hunter, Cherdonna Shinatra & More at The Feast

The Feast has announced the second iteration of Artists Doing featuring musician and Folklife artistic director Ben Hunter, Clown Bradley Wrenn, Drag artist Cherdonna Shinatra, and DJ Keyes Wiley. Last year, The Feast launched this series with Artists Doing Nothing, an experiment in creating a one-night-only genre-bending performance that pays artists well.

“Last year, we kicked off our Artists Doing series, bringing together some incredible artists, and paying them a living wage to make work for a one-night-only event,” says Artistic Director Ryan Guzzo Purcell. “This year, we're thrilled to bring this event back.” The Feast will again be partnering with ACTUALIZE Artists in Residence, this time performing in their new Pioneer Square gallery. The Stranger presents the event as the media sponsor. 

As a small, living wage theatre company, The Feast launched Artists Doing as a way to produce more often. “When you're as small as us and you're committed to paying a living wage, you can sometimes only do one show per year,” says Purcell. “We want to share more art with our community, we want to support the creation of new work, and we want to continue putting money in artists' pockets.” The company sees this event as an investment in new works. “Our dream is that these artists create work that they continue to build, eventually becoming fully-rendered works, produced either at The Feast or elsewhere,” says Purcell. 

The event features a multi-disciplinary mix of performers and creators. Ben Hunter, a virtuosic musician and composer, brings a new project for experimentation. Cherdonna Shinatra, a drag performer, plans to share pieces from an upcoming work. Brad Wrenn, a clown, will explore smartphone addiction through the language of buffoonery. Keyes Wiley, a dancer, DJ, and sound designer, will create music to score the evening. “These artists are some of the most exciting creators in the city,” says Purcell. “We're honored to offer them a platform.”

The Feast produces this event in collaboration with Actualize Artists in Residence. Actualize Artist in Residency (AiR) is a women-founded and artist-led arts organization supporting emerging artists in Seattle. “Last time, we were so inspired to share space with ACTUALIZE's incredible artists,” said Purcell. “We can't wait to join them again in their gorgeous new space.”

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