The 5th Avenue Theatre and Village Theatre Announce NORTHWEST BY NORTHWEST

The Pacific Northwest's two largest producers of unforgettable musicals, The 5th Avenue Theatre and Village Theatre, are joining forces with a brand new musical development program called Northwest by Northwest (NWxNW). This unique partnership between two regional leaders in the creation of new musicals is designed to foster collaboration between local artists and communities to celebrate Pacific Northwest stories and rebuild musical theater in the image of our region. NWxNW is a single facet of a developing three-year collaboration between The 5th Avenue Theatre and Village Theatre.

"Seattle is unique in that we truly have a passionate, creative theater community, but the stories we tell on our stages are, for the most part, not the stories of our region-especially when in musical theater," said Village Theatre Associate Artistic Director Brandon Ivie. "We're constantly importing other stories. Just as we are looking to support our local authors and composers, it became clear that not just the artists in our community needed to be heard, but also the communities themselves. Let's export stories rather than import them! There are so many talented writers in the Pacific Northwest, and so many stories from this region to be told."

"Brandon and I have known each other for a long time and have always talked about collaborating on a project," added 5th Avenue Theatre Associate Artistic Director: Artist Engagement Kelsey Thorgalsen. "Our organizations (and we as individuals) share a similar passion for supporting the development of new musicals. With both of us prioritizing ways to support our local arts community, which has been heavily impacted by the pandemic, it made so much sense for this to be the moment to team up. We are excited to center local artists in this work."

NWxNW is a multi-disciplinary opportunity for artists to connect with and meaningfully reflect our Northwest communities. Together, Village and The 5th are soliciting submissions from Puget Sound residents of single-frame narrative photos of life in the Northwest with images reflecting the robust life, experiences, and people that makeup our region. Both professional and amateur photographers are encouraged to submit. Three local writing teams will be co-commissioned to create new musicals based on one photo of their choice. Each show will receive a year-long development plan. Additionally, the photographer of each selected photo will receive a cash prize of $500. The writing teams will be announced at a later date.

To submit a photo, photographers may choose to share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #nwxnw with a caption that describes the photo. Alternatively, photos can be uploaded directly to both theaters via a shared form at http://bit.ly/NWxNW. Photo submissions must be received by April 13, 2021.

For more information about The 5th Avenue Theatre, its season and its programs, please visit www.5thavenue.org.