BAD JEWS, THE OTHER PLACE and More Set for Seattle Public Theater's 2015-16 Season

Seattle Public Theater (SPT) proudly announces its 2015-16 Mainstage season. Featuring six plays staged in SPT's intimate Bathhouse theater in Green Lake Park, the season includes:

Bad Jews

by Joshua Harmon | directed by Shana Bestock (SPT Artistic Director)

Pacific Northwest premiere

October 2 - 25, 2015 (preview: October 1)

A fierce, biting comedy about family, faith and what you choose to believe when you're chosen. The night after their grandfather's funeral, three cousins engage in an explosive verbal (and sometimes physical) battle. In one corner is Daphna Feygenbam, a "Real Jew" who is volatile, self-assured`, and unbending. In the other is her equally stubborn cousin Liam, a secular and entitled young man, who has his shiksa girlfriend, Melody, in tow. When Liam stakes claim to their grandfather's chai necklace, a vicious and hilarious brawl over faith and family legacy ensues. Nominated for three Outer Critics Circle Awards and four Lucille Lortel Awards, Bad Jews was one of the most-produced plays in the country in 2014.

Amadeus

by Peter Shaffer | directed by Shana Bestock (SPT Artistic Director)

January 29 - February 21, 2016

In 18th century Vienna, music is the currency of power, and Court Composer Antonio Salieri is the toast of the town. That is, until a young prodigy by the name of Mozart comes on the scene. Reeling from the realization of his own mediocrity in the face of true genius, Salieri swears vengeance on the God that gave Mozart his breathtaking talent. Winner of seven Tony Awards including Best Play, Amadeus explodes with musical masterpieces and richness of language, juxtaposing the petty world of human excess, indulgence, and jealousy with the transcendent achievements of human artistry, passion, and genius. Familiar with Shaffer's Academy Award-winning film adaptation? This production is like no Amadeus you've seen before. Don't miss SPT's daring revival of the acclaimed drama the Washington Post called "riveting...thrilling...with high drama and delightful laughter."

The Other Place

by Sharr White | directed by Kelly Kitchens (SPT Associate Artistic Director)

Pacific Northwest premiere

March 25 - April 17, 2016 (preview March 24)

Juliana Smithton is a successful neuroscientist on the brink of a breakthrough in her field, but the rest of her life is unraveling. Her husband has filed for divorce, her daughter has eloped, and her health is in danger. But in this highly acclaimed, haunting new play, things are not always as they seem. The Other Place follows Juliana as she unravels a personal, 10-year-old mystery, sifting through muddled facts, half-truths, and hazy memories that lead her back to a Cape Cod cottage where an epiphany waits for her. Called "a cagy, emotionally resonant drama packed with plot twists" by the New York Times, The Other Place was nominated for a Tony Award, an Obie Award, and two Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding New Play of 2011.

Caught

by Christopher Chen | directed by Jon Kretzu

Pacific Northwest premiere

May 20 - June 5, 2016 (preview May 19)

An art gallery hosts a retrospective of the work of a legendary Chinese dissident artist who was imprisoned in a Chinese detention center for a single work of art. Recently profiled in the New Yorker, the artist himself is present, and shares with patrons the details of an ordeal that defies belief. A labyrinthine exploration of truth, art, social justice, and cultural appropriation, where nothing is as it first appears. Prepare to be outfoxed by "one of the smartest, most cynical, heart-wrenching, brain-teasing comedies I've seen in a long while" (Philadelphia Inquirer).

SPT's season also includes two beloved holiday favorites:

Christmastown: A Holiday Noir

by Wayne Rawley | directed by Kelly Kitchens (SPT Associate Artistic Director)

Runs December 4 - 24, 2015 (preview December 3)

In this film noir-inspired holiday thriller by Seattle playwright Wayne Rawley, hard-boiled detective Nick Holiday investigates some un-holidaylike shenanigans taking place in Christmastown. Add a glamourous elf, a used-Christmas-tree salesman, a muckraking reporter, and a quick-thinking cab driver, and you've got the "best new holiday romp of the year!" (Seattle Times).

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

by Barbara Robinson | directed by Emily Purington

December 12 - 24, 2015

The delightfully horrible Herdman clan descends on the Bathhouse for their 15th consecutive year, turning a pedestrian pageant into sidesplitting chaos and bringing new life to an old tradition. Featuring a cast of young actors alongside adult professionals, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is the not-to-be-missed holiday favorite for families and kids of all ages.

"This is an exciting season of bold risks, " said SPT Artistic Director Shana Bestock, "with wildly different characters and socio-political contexts, united by deeply human themes of identity, art, legacy, and authentic connection. SPT is proud and delighted to be bringing dynamic new scripts to Seattle audiences, pushing the boundaries of possibility and expectation in our beloved Bathhouse space."

Subscription packages are $87-112 and are available now. They can be purchased by calling the SPT Box Office at 206-524-1300, or by visiting www.seattlepublictheater.org.

Seattle Public Theater is the place where performers, teachers, audiences, designers, directors, and community members come together to create theater as an integral part of life in Seattle. SPT is a nonprofit professional performing arts organization.