Photo Flash: Intiman's 'Namaste Man'

Intiman Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Bartlett Sher and Interim Managing Director Kevin Maifeld, continues its 2008 season with the world premiere of NAMASTE MAN, an autobiographical play written and performed by actor Andrew Weems.

Performances began at the Intiman Playhouse, 201 Mercer Street at Seattle Center, on Friday, May 30 and continue through Sunday, June 22. The opening night performance is Wednesday, June 4 at 7:30 pm.

The production is directed by Artistic Director Bartlett Sher, who received a 2008 Tony Award nomination (his third) for his direction of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific.  The production garnered a total of 11 nominations and is now playing an acclaimed open-ended run at Lincoln Center Theater.  

Tickets for NAMASTE MAN range in price from $10 to $48, with discounts available for students and groups. Patrons aged 25 and under can purchase tickets to any performance for $10, pending availability. A limited number of $20 rush tickets may be available for purchase 15 minutes before curtain time, pending availability. Tickets are available from www.intiman.org or 206.269.1900. This production is sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation/Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Endowment Fund, the Shubert Foundation and the William & Eva Fox Foundation administered by Theatre Communications Group.  

In India and Nepal, "Namaste" means both hello and goodbye. Andrew Weems, the son of a US State Department officer, was born in the U.S. Military Hospital in Seoul, Korea, and grew up in Zambia and Nepal, with brief detours to the suburbs of Virginia. In Namaste Man, he tells the story of his unconventional childhood—a life filled with constant hellos and goodbye, in a world redolent with adventures and outsized personalities. As Weems unravels the mysteries of his childhood, he also shares stories of his current-day life as an actor in New York, and his quest to understand what it means to go home. His traveling companions are all the characters he meets along the way, especially his mother—a mysterious, "undiscovered country" in her own right. 

Andrew Weems

Andrew Weems

Andrew Weems

Photos by Chris Bennion.