ArtsWest Announces THE NANCE Featuring Richard Gray and Jeff Steitzer

ArtsWest's second production of its 2017-18 I AM Season, Douglas Carter Beane's THE NANCE, will feature renowned Seattle actors Richard Gray and Jeff Steitzer. THE NANCE, a musical play set in the raucous world of 1930s burlesque, plays at ArtsWest from October 26 through November 19, 2017.

In THE NANCE, Richard Gray plays the role of Chauncey Miles, a performer specializing in a very specific kind of burlesque: a "nance" act, which features bawdy songs, double entendre, and - most prominently - broad caricatures of homosexual stereotypes. But there's one important twist to Chauncey's act. While most "nance" performers were straight, Chauncey is, in fact, gay. Amid the all-too-common police raids of gay meeting places in 1930s New York, that fact alone could place him in real danger.

Richard Gray has found much to admire about Chauncey Miles. "I love all of the contrasts in this beautifully complicated character," says Gray. "He seems strong and confident, but is also quite broken. He both needs love and fears it. He is at times broadly comic and at times cutting with a still, dry wit. And I love the politics of it - this gay performer who also happens to be a Republican. He is both charming and deeply flawed."

Despite the difficulties of such a complex role, Gray - an established theater veteran with 25 credits at The 5th Avenue Theatre, in addition to being an award-winning composer - feels ready for the challenge. "It is an exciting and a bit daunting mountain to climb," says Gray, adding, "I can't wait."

Joining Richard Gray in THE NANCE is Jeff Steitzer, who has acted in Seattle since 1975 and amassed several lifetime's worth of theater credits. With roles ranging from Broadway's INHERIT THE WIND to NBC's 30 ROCK and the HALO video game series, Steitzer brings a wealth of experience to the role of Efram, the "First Banana" in Chauncey's world of burlesque.

"I love comedy and I love Rich Gray," says Jeff Steitzer. "Doing THE NANCE allows me to indulge my enthusiasm for both!" Steitzer listed one simple reason why he's excited to work at ArtsWest: Artistic Director Mathew Wright. "All my friends who've worked for him have had a great time," says Steitzer, "and I'm all for having a great time!"

THE NANCE, directed by Mathew Wright and starring Richard Gray and Jeff Steitzer, opens at ArtsWest Playhouse & Gallery on October 26 and plays through November 19.

THE NANCE plays October 26 - November 19, 2017 at ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery (4711 California Ave SW, Seattle WA 98116). Tickets (ranging from $19 - $40) may be purchased online at www.artswest.org, by phone at 206.938.0339, or at the Box Office Thurs. - Sat. 2 -7:30pm.

ArtsWest is a vibrant center for both performing and visual arts located in the West Seattle Junction. This 149-seat theatre provides a unique setting for audiences and artists as stories of human emotion unfold in an intimate space. Winner of the American Theatre Wing's 2012 National Theatre Company Award, ArtsWest has produced such diverse work as Green Day's American Idiot, Chinglish, last fall's critically acclaimed production of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts and the smash hit Peter and the Starcatcher. ArtsWest produces artistic events that provoke conversation, incite the imagination and use live theater as a powerful agent of change. www.artswest.org

Tickets on sale now at http://www.artswest.org/theatre/buy-tickets/

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