Seattle Public Theater Announces Upcoming Season

For its upcoming 2013-14 season Seattle Public Theater (SPT) invites audiences to unearth a keepsake box full of gems that examine and celebrate class, chaos theory...and cupcakes. Four plays, Broke-ology, American Wee-Pie, Gidion's Knot, and Arcadia, plays that look deeply into history, legacy, and the things we hold dear.

Opening the season is Nathan Louis Jackson's Broke-ology. Rich in spirit, poor in cash, William King wants his sons to have a better life than he did. But as his health fails, the brothers come home to some tough decisions. A vibrant story of one family trying to survive with humor and hope intact. Running September 26th to October 20th, this West Coast Premiere is directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton and produced in partnership with The Hansberry Project.

In American Wee-Pie, a middle-aged textbook editor returns to his hometown for a funeral and finds himself pulled along on an unexpected journey of self-reinvention. It's a heartbreaking new comedy about recession, career second acts, and the sometimes life-altering wonder of a small good thing. Directed by Anita Montgomery, American Wee-Pie runs January 24th to February 16th.

A mother arrives for a parent-teacher conference. The teacher is shocked the parent has shown at all. Gidion was a brilliant student, but his schoolwork reveals layers of complexity far deeper than either woman realized. Was he bullied, or was he the bully? Gidion's Knot is a darkly humorous, raw and risky new play that raises tough questions: Should there be limits to children's freedom of artistic expression? Who is accountable for their violent actions? Nominee for the 2011 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize honoring female playwrights, and 2013 Steinberg Award finalist. Directed by Shana Bestock, Gidion's Knot runs March 26th to April 20th.

With a deceptively complex plot that traverses time and space, Tom Stoppard's Arcadia tickles your intellect while teasing your funny bone--delighting your sense of romance with this story of love, poetry, history, and chaos theory. A gorgeously wrought theatrical event that every theater-goer deserves to experience at least a few times in their life. Critics and audiences agree Arcadia is one of the most brightly shining theatrical gems of the 20th Century. Directed by SPT Artistic Associate Kelly Kitchens, Arcadia runs May 16th to June 8th.

Lest we forget, no SPT holiday season would be complete without the requisite treats of sugar and spice. For the 13th year in a row, the Herdmans are back with more holiday havoc in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Shana Bestock is also back to direct this holiday favorite. Patrick Lennon again dons the candy cane tights and curly-toed shoes to recount David Sedaris' The Santaland Diaries. Kelly Kitchens returns to direct. Both holiday favorites run December 6th to the 24th.

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