More from SPF #4

SEATTLE, WA -

Due to popular demand, Solo Performance Festival #4 at Theatre Off Jackson has added an extra performance of Demonstrate The Place of My Abode by Lisa Koch on Sunday, April 4. An already scheduled performance will also occur on Tuesday, March 30. Amanda Slepski, Board President of TOJ, writes “It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. [Lisa] put everything she has into it, and we can all related to her story. Lisa’s father was diagnosed with a pretty advanced cancer in January 2009 and passed away a few short months later. An Oregon resident, he inquired about the Death With Dignity law and wanted to explore his options. Washington passed a similar law last year, and so far we’re the only two states to do so. This is a poignant story about courage, love and laughter. I can’t recommend it highly enough.” Tickets on sale now at Brown Paper Tickets: http://bit.ly/spf4tix.

Paul Budraitis (Balagan Theatre’s director of Edmond) will return on March 31 to perform Not. Stable. At All. The Sunbreak writes, “In Not. Stable. At All., Budraitis digs deep into the fear and paranoia that isolate us in the modern world, a subject that—less competently handled—could be a huge flop. But Budraitis the performer exhibits the same subtlety and control he did as a director. Budraitis is a a big guy, tall and broad and fairly imposing, which works well when he's projecting aggression, even bum-rushing the front row of the audience. But through subtle tweaks to his posture, the tension in his shoulders or the pursing of his lips, he switches quickly into comic or even vulnerable mode.” Tickets on sale now at Brown Paper Tickets: http://bit.ly/spf4tix.

Jake’s Gift plays March 25 – 27th. Based on stories from D-Day veterans and the author’s own discoveries and interest in the remembrance day, this production received four awards at The Victoria Fringe in 2007 and 2008, including Best Drama, Best Solo Show, Best Female Performer and Best New Play. Jake’s Gift was also named Best of Fest at the 2008 Edmonton Fringe and at the 2009 Winnipeg Fringe. Tickets on sale now at Brown Paper Tickets: http://bit.ly/spf4tix.



The following is the calendar of events for the remainder of the Solo Performance festival, through April 4:


Monday March 22:
Kitty in the City by Jeff Freiders
The Price is Not Right by Carrie McIntyre
Traveling Panties by Mike Harris

Tuesday March 23:
Best in Shorts
Blue's Not Black by David Schmader
De: Colores: Flying with Color by Ben Gonio
No Game by Noah Benezra
Rapid Slippage Along a Fault by Keira McDonald
What You are Unaware of is This by Tina Kunz Rowley
Shall I Compare Waxie to a Summer's Day by Waxie Moon
Little Boy in Flames by Giuseppe Ribaudo
Jam by Peggy Platt

Thursday March 25 - Saturday March 27
Jake's Gift by Julia Van Stralen
Gunpowder by J. MacDonald

Late Night Saturday March 27:
10pm LATE NIGHT at The Canoe Social Club at Theatre Off Jackson:
Monologue Slam (improvised monologue competition - come compete or witness the fun)
hosted by Kevin Kent and Jennifer Jasper

Monday March 29:
The Dwellers by Jonah Von Spreecken
Cooking with Peggy Platt

Tuesday March 30:
Worse Places by Erin Jorgensen
Demonstrate the Place of My Abode by Lisa Koch

Wednesday March 31:
Worse Places by Erin Jorgensen
Kitty in The City by Jeff Freiders
Not. Stable. At All. by Paul Budraitis

Thursday April 1 - Saturday April 3
Middle by Jennifer Jasper
Ben DeLaCreme's Piece de Resistance: (the piece she should have resisted)
Ernie Von Schmaltz: The Total Package by Ernie Von Schmaltz (Anna Allen)

Sunday April 4:
Demonstrate The Place of My Abode by Lisa Koch

***
Performances range in date now through April 4 and are at 7:30pm. Tickets for Solo Performance Festival at Theatre Off Jackson are $15 ($10 for Late Night Monologue Slams at 10pm) or $99 for a all-access festival pass. Tickets at Brown Paper Tickets at http://bit.ly/spf4tix. For a full festival lineup, visit the TOJ website at http://bit.ly/tojspf4. Stay with Solo Performance Festival and hear more about the productions through our blog at spfseattle.blogspot.com and our Facebook Fan Page at http://bit.ly/spf_4

Solo Performance Festival (SPF #4: Can You Get My Back) presented by Theatre Off Jackson is the fourth installment of Seattle's annual solo performance festival, and is dedicated to presenting fearless, cutting-edge, diverse performances by solo theatre artists. SPF #4 invites you to celebrate solo artists through storytelling, music, dance, fiction, memoirs and whatever else their lone voice can dream up.

Theatre Off Jackson ensures that a vibrant arts culture thrives in Seattle by operating a sustainable venue dedicated to performance, art and community. A 140 seat venue, Theatre Off Jackson is located at 409 7th Avenue South, just off Jackson Street in the International District. theatreoffjackson.org

Tickets at Brown Paper Tickets: http://bit.ly/spf4tix

Henry V at Seattle Shakes!

SEATTLE - The political chicaneries of war get a satirical send up in Seattle Shakespeare Company's 1960s-themed production of Henry V. Directed by Russ Banham, Henry V begins previews on April 15 and opens on Friday April 16 at the Center House Theatre. Henry V will run through May 9, 2010.

It's 1962, and with the arms race and space race at full throttle, pressure is mounting for the new ruler Henry and his cabinet cronies to do something. Well...anything, really. After the monarch of France insults him, power hungry Henry leaps into war (with some prodding from his "advisors"). Outnumbered and facing sure disaster, Henry's political instinct kicks in to gamble on one last epic fight. Henry V exposes the behind the scenes maneuverings of a government's war machine.

"The way I see it, Henry V is not really a history play," says director Russ Banham. "With the Chorus commenting upon the action trying to sway our feelings, no real battle scenes, and a final act that ends in a marriage, I think that Shakespeare was making a bigger statement about how war is never ending rather than just recounting English history."

Featured in the cast of Henry V are: Allan Armstrong (King of France), Gordon Carpenter (Bardolph/Williams/Burgundy), Marcel Davis (Westmoreland), Russell Hodgkinson (Pistol), David S. Hogan (Bedford), Tim Hyland (Ely/Fluellen), Jerick Hoffer (Mistress Quickly/Alice), James James (Grey/Orleans), James Lapan (Canterbury/Gower), Patrick Lennon (Boy/ Mountjoy), Chris Macdonald (Scoop/Constable), Joseph P. McCarthy (Nym/Bates), Stephanie Shine (Chorus), Richard Nguyen Sloniker (Cambridge/Dauphin), Alexandra Tavares (Katherine), and Evan Whitfield (King Henry).

Set design for Henry V is by Jason Phillips, with costume design by Pete Rush, lighting design by Andrew D. Smith, with sound design by Matt Starritt.

Performances of Henry V are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 2:00 pm (April 24, May 1 & 8) and Sundays at 2:00 pm.

Special "Shakespeariences" will be offered in conjunction with Henry V including: "Jumpstart into Henry V" a facilitated introduction to the play (April 22 at 6PM - $10) and post play discussions on selected performances.

Tickets to performances of Henry V are now on sale and range from $30-$36 for adults and $22-$25 for seniors and students. Pay-What-You-Will previews are on April 13 and 14 at 7:30 PM. Discounted tickets are available for groups of ten or more.

For ticket reservations, call the Seattle Shakespeare Company box office (206) 733-8222 or go online at www.seattleshakespeare.org. Regular box office hours are Tuesday through Friday 1:00-6:00 PM. During performance weeks, in addition to regular hours, the box office opens Saturdays 1:00-6:00 PM and Sundays 12noon to 4:00 PM. Seattle Shakespeare Company performs at the Center House Theatre at Seattle Center.

Support for Seattle Shakespeare Company's production of Henry V is provided by Boeing, PONCHO, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, 4 Culture, theWashington State Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and KUOW.

Bucks off Bernstein!

The 5th Avenue Announces 24-Hour Sale for next Monday on special prices for next two shows, On the Town and Candide

SEATTLE, WA –The 5th Avenue Theatre announced today that to help kick off the Seattle Celebrates Bernstein Festival, we will be having a special 24-hour Sale on the next two shows in our season, Leonard Bernstein’s riotous musical On The Town, and his mid-career masterpiece Candide.

Starting on Monday March 22 at 10:00 a.m., patrons can purchase tickets to select performances of these two musicals using the promo code 24HOUR for only $19.18, to celebrate Bernstein’s birth on August 25, 1918. This special price is good for any Friday evening performance of either show (On the Town April 16, April 23, April 30; Candide May 28, June 4, June 11).

Monday evening at 7:00, join the kick-off for Seattle Celebrates Bernstein at our Spotlight Night, a regular free event at The 5th that has drawn record crowds this past season. Join Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong as he’s accompanied by a collection of Seattle’s favorite talent for a look at the life of Bernstein, a sneak preview at upcoming Festival events, and a tune-filled evening that delves into the history of these two landmark shows.

On The Town was Bernstein’s first musical, written in 1944 with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and choreography by Jerome Robbins. This madcap comedy follows the fortunes of a trio of sailors on 24-hour shore leave in New York City, where they dance, joke and sing their way through misadventures, marvels and romance. Director Bill Berry’s production of On The Town earlier this year for New Jersey’s Papermill Playhouse received critical raves, including The Star Ledger (“a magnificent revival”), Curtain Up (“For the sheer number of belly laughs and for simply having a helluva good time, you can’t beat the jovial and rambunctious carrying on by the three sailors…”) and The Wall Street Journal (“...gets everything right, all the way down to the last detail, and the results are lovely and amazing to behold…. better than any musical now playing on Broadway.”)

Candide was written by Bernstein in 1956, but it didn’t become a hit until 1974 when Hal Prince’s Broadway production ran for nearly two years. Having been taught by his beloved tutor, Dr. Pangloss, that “everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds” our handsome, yet hapless, hero Candide sets off on an epic journey to find his one true love -- the beautiful Cunegonde. Along the way he encounters wars, plagues, shipwrecks, earthquakes, pirates, swindlers, the Old World, the New World, the fabled lost city of Eldorado, and the Spanish Inquisition! Inspired by Voltaire’s classic satire this legendary musical features a sparkling score by the greatLeonard Bernstein that includes the famous “Candide Overture,” the hilarious and bravura showstopper “Glitter And Be Gay,” and the moving and inspiring anthem “Make Our Garden Grow.” This Seattle premiere, directed by David Armstrong, offers you the rare opportunity to experience one of “the best musicals you’ve never seen!”

Tickets for this special offer are available by using the promo code 24HOUR online via The 5th’s website at www.5thavenue.org, or in person at the box office, 1308 5th Avenue, Seattle. Service fees apply to online orders. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Spotlight Night begins at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 22. The event is free, but attendees must reserve their tickets. They can do so over the phone by calling 206-625-1900/toll-free 888-5TH-4TIX (584-4849), in person at the box office at 1308 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, or online at www.5thavenue.org.

The 5th Avenue Theatre is Seattle’s premier musical theater. In 1980, the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre began producing and presenting top-quality live musical theater for the cultural enrichment of the Northwest community. The 5th Avenue Theatre maintains a subscription audience of over 25,000 and an annual attendance of more than 287,000. It ranks among the nation’s largest and most respected musical theater companies. The Theatre is committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its Educational Outreach Program which includes: The Adventure Musical Theatre Touring Company, The 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Student Matinee Program and Spotlight Nights. Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, the exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. Today, under the leadership of Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, Managing Director Bernie Griffin and Producing Director Bill Berry, The 5th Avenue Theatre continues to achieve the highest standards in all aspects of artistic endeavors and facility operations, while preserving its artistic, architectural and historic legacy. Visit www.5thavenue.org.

The Spotlight’s on Lenny!

The 5th Avenue’s Spotlight Night kicks off City-wide Bernstein Festival and provides a sneak peek at both On The Townand Candide

SEATTLE, WA –The 5th Avenue’s enormously popular Spotlight Night series, a free event that continues to attract record crowds, finishes up the 2009-2010 seasonon Monday, March 22 by focusing on the genius of Leonard Bernstein, composer of our two upcoming shows On The Town and Candide, and providing a sneak peek at the many events coming up in the city-wide Seattle Celebrates Bernstein! Festival.

Hosted by The 5th Avenue’s Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, the evening includes the backstage histories of these two landmark works by Bernstein, one his first musical from 1944 and the other his mid-career masterpiece, composed in 1956 but only finding success on the Broadway stage in 1974. The evening will also function as an unofficial “kick-off” to Seattle Celebrates Bernstein!, a festival where an unprecedented consortium of 19 of the region’s leading arts organizations have joined forces to celebrate the life and music of the legendary American composer/conductor/writer/activist. Armstrong will provide a sneak peek of the incredible potpourri of concerts, theatrical performances, lectures, film screenings and special events that make up this unique, first-of-its-kind arts festival.

Then in the second part of the evening, a host of Seattle’s finest singers help us review the life and glorious songs of Bernstein’s theatrical works, including selections fromWest Side Story, Wonderful Town, Trouble In Tahiti, Mass, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, On The Town and Candide. Joining us on the stage are a number of Seattle performers beloved by audiences at The 5th, including Greg McCormick Allen, Anne Allgood, Candice Donehoo, Mary Jo DuGaw, Brandon O’Neill, Matt Owen, Sarah Rudinoff, Billie Wildrick and guest artists Laura Griffith, Joe Aaron Reid and the Seattle Women’s Chorus.

Finally Armstrong is joined by On The Town’s director Billy Berry and musical director Ian Eisendrath to provide an inside look at how they approach the challenges and rewards of translating a musical from the ’40s to the tastes of a contemporary audience.

Spotlight Night begins at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 22. The event is free, but attendees must reserve their tickets. They can do so over the phone by calling 206-625-1900/toll-free 888-5TH-4TIX (584-4849), in person at the box office at 1308 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, or online at www.5thavenue.org.

Spotlight Night is sponsored by US Bank. Performances and guest appearances are subject to change.

The 5th’s 2010-2011 Season: Broadway Hits, Timeless Classics, and Multiple Premieres Mark an Exhilarating 30th Anniversary!

30^th Season an exciting mix of the Broadway’s contemporary best, new works, and iconic American masterpieces

SEATTLE – The 5th Avenue has announced the seven productions that make up its 2010–2011 Season, which includes a mix of premieres of new works, the hottest shows direct from Broadway and Golden Age classics featuring Seattle’s favorite performers and artists.

We open our 30^th Anniversary Season with the current Broadway smash In the Heights, winner of four 2008 Tony Awards® and the 2008 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Show Album. In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in Manhattan’s Washington Heights – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind. In addition to winning the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the show’s creator, won the Tony Award for Best Music and Lyrics, Andy Blankenbuehler won for BestChoreography, and Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman won for Best Orchestrations. The original cast recording won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, and Universal Pictures has acquired the rights to produce a feature film based on the smash hit musical.

Our next production, A Christmas Story–The Musical!, is both a big, splashy holiday favorite and the premiere of an exciting new musical. Inspired by the classic 1983 movie and the stories of popular radio humorist Jean Shepard, this hilarious show takes you back to the 1940s and follows the adventures of young Ralphie Parker and his desperate quest to receive the most desirable and forbidden of all Christmas presents–“An Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle.”With its tuneful score, wicked wit and unexpected emotion, A Christmas Story–The Musical! is certain to become a new Seattle holiday tradition.

Then it’s the Northwest premiere of Vanities–A New Musical, presented in collaboration with Seattle’s acclaimed ACT Theatre Company. Follow the journey of three best friends as they travel from high school cheerleaders, to sorority sisters, to housewives and liberated women in a funny and moving trip through the turbulent 1960s, ‘70s and ’80s. With David Kirshenbaum’s evocative score and Jack Heifner's sparkling adaptation of his long-running off-Broadway play, Vanities is a musical scrapbook of an era and a generation. This production will be performed in ACT’s intimate Falls Theatre located just three short blocks from The 5th Avenue Theatre.

Next up is another current Broadway smash, Next to Normal. This groundbreaking new show that “pushes Broadway in new directions” (Rolling Stone) got its start locally when writer and lyricist Brian Yorkey and composer Tom Kitt premiered it under the title Feeling Electric at Issaquah’s Village Theatre as both a reading and a workshop. Now this Tony-winning musical, an emotional powerhouse about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other, returns to Seattle in its fully-realized glory.

Just in time to brighten up the final grey days of spring will be 9 To 5: The Musical. This outrageously funny recent Broadway delight is adapted from the popular film and features not only the movie’s blockbuster title tune but also18 new original songs by the one and only Dolly Parton! Parton’s Tony-nominated score mixes Broadway, pop and country with her signature witty lyrics, and tells the story of three overworked and harassed secretaries who turn the tables on their chauvinistic boss.

The season will conclude with two timeless classics from the Golden Age Of Broadway, beginning with the brilliant Guys & Dolls. The swinging music of Frank Loesserfinds its perfect subject in Damon Runyon’s stories of the denizens of New York’s underworld, including fast-talking Nathan Detroit, host of “the oldest-established-permanent-floating crap game in New York,” his sexy and long-suffering girlfriend Miss Adelaide, the cool and clever gambler Sky Masterson, and the unlikely visitor Sarah Brown, an inner-city missionary unexpectedly swept off her feet by Sky. Featuring such treasured Loesser tunes as “Luck Be A Lady,” “Bushel And A Peck,” “If I Were A Bell”, “Sue Me” and “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat,” Guys & Dolls is considered to be one of the greatest musicals of all time.

We will close this 30^th Anniversary Season with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s masterpiece Oklahoma! This groundbreaking musical, an influence on every show since its premiere, is set in Oklahoma Territory in the early days of the new century, when a land a people faced unexpected challenges and triumphs. Like their masterworkSouth Pacific, Oklahoma! combines the immortal music of Richard Rodgers with the psychological complexities of Oscar Hammerstein’s writing, which won the 1944 Pulitzer Prize. Two romances, that of cowboy

Curly and spunky farm girl Laury and their counterparts, flirtatious Ado Annie and patient Will Parker, drive the story and set the scene for such soaring tunes as “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “I Can’t Say No,” “Surrey with the Fringe on Top” and the title song, this landmark musical brings a fitting close to a season of great shows at a great Theatre.

In the Heights

September 28 – October 17, 2010 (Tour)

Cast and Creative Team:

Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Book by Quiara Alegría Hudes

Choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler

A Christmas Story—The Musical!

November 30 – December 19, 2010 (5th Avenue Theatre Production)

Cast and Creative Team:

• Director Eric Rosen
• Choreography by Kelly Devine

Vanities: A New Musical

February 4 – April 3, 2011 (5th Avenue Theatre and ACT Theatre Co-production)

Cast and Creative Team:

• Music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum

• Book by Jack Heifner
• Director David Armstrong

Next to Normal

February 22 – March 13, 2011 (Tour)

Cast and Creative Team:

• Book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey
• Music by Tom Kitt
• Directed by Michael Greif

9 to 5: The Musical

April 5 – April 24, 2011 (Tour)

Cast and Creative Team:

• Music and lyrics by Dolly Parton
• Book by Patricia Resnick

Guys & Dolls

May 14 – June 3, 2011 (5th Avenue Theatre Production)

Cast and Creative Team:

• Music and lyrics by Frank Loesser
• Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, based on short stories and characters created by Damon Runyon.

Oklahoma!

July 10-July 30, 2011 (5th Avenue Theatre Production)

Cast and Creative Team:

• Music by Richard Rodgers
• Libretto by Oscar Hammerstein II
• Book based on Lynn Riggs' play, Green Grow the Lilacs.

Season subscriptions to The 5th’s 2010-2011 Season will be available starting Monday March 8, over the phone by calling 206-625-1900/toll-free 888-5TH-4TIX (584-4849), and in person at the box office at 1308 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101.

World News - The Phantom of the Opera II: Love Never Dies to Open in London's West End

Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical, Love Never Dies picks up the story of Phantom ten years after the conclusion of the 1986 hit musical. With Christine's and Raul's ten-year-old child involved, a rekindled love between the Phantom and Christine and the Phantom's new business enterprise (a beach-front, Coney Island freak show circus), it is sure to be, well, something to see.

Love Never Dies opens at the Adelphi Theatre in London tonight, March 9, 2010, in New York on Broadway in November and next year in Australia.

http://www.loveneverdies.com/

Taproot Theatre’s Acting Studio features brand-new class for PARENTS and toddlers this spring

Drama With Your Mama, spring break camps, among exciting spring options

SEATTLE – February 8, 2010 – Brand new this spring, Taproot Theatre’s Acting Studio offers Drama With Your Mama, a fun and enriching class for caregivers and their little ones. It’s never too early to cultivate a child’s creativity and imagination, and Drama With Your Mama will do just that. This class will encourage social and self-awareness while building confidence in 1-3 year olds. Spring quarter also includes scene study sessions for both kids and adults, classes that teach the building blocks of singing for musical theatre, plus spring break camps that correspond with both the Seattle and Shoreline school districts’ schedules.

Spring quarter runs March 29 through May 22, with spring break camps running March 29-April 2 (Seattle) and April 19-23 (Shoreline).

Registration is open now. Classes are held at Taproot Theatre (204 N 85^th St.), Ballard Church (1460 NW 73^rd St.) and Grace Fellowship Church (410 NW 62nd St.) in Seattle. Registration forms and class descriptions are available online at www.taproottheatre.org, or contact Taproot’s Acting Studio at (206) 529-3668 or studio@taproottheatre.org.

Taproot Theatre’s Acting Studio would like to thank Grace Fellowship Church and Ballard Church for their flexibility in providing us with class locations after the fire.

About Taproot Theatre Company’s Acting Studio

Taproot Theatre Company’s Acting Studio offers year-round classes for youth and adults taught by local theatre professionals. Budding thespians will find classes to help them develop their acting skills, while more seasoned actors can build on their knowledge and learn new techniques. Taproot Theatre Company is a professional, non-profit theatre company with a multi-faceted production program. Founded in 1976, Taproot Theatre serves the Pacific Northwest with Mainstage Productions, Touring Productions and Acting Studio. Taproot exists to create theatre that explores the beauty and questions of life while bringing hope to our search for meaning. Taproot Theatre Company is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), Theatre Puget Sound (TPS), and the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce.

Special thanks to our media sponsor, ParentMap. Seasonal support provided by The Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, ArtsFund, 4Culture, PONCHO and the Nesholm Family Foundation.