The Northwest Playwright Alliance's Third International Tour Opens in Seattle January 9 with a one-night only date at New City Theater prior to a tour of the Northwest, NYC, England and Japan. Come join us for the premiere of this program of six short plays by NPA members, directed by Rich Brown. The plays include:

Tads, by Eva Suter

Johnny Elgam and the Newport Kid, by Aaron Shay

Poor Shem, Gregory Hischak

Scent of Man, By Soloman Olmstead

The Square, by Michael Wallace

The Lazy Beauty, by Bryan Willis

Shows are this Saturday, January 9, at 7:00 and 9:00 pm (the 2 pm matinee is already sold out!)

New City Theater: 1404 18th Ave. Seattle, WA 98122

Tickets: $15, via brownpapertickets or cash at the door

special thanks to John Kazanjian. Co-sponsored by New City Theater and Western Washington University.

Also coming up, Tuesday January 19 we have our:

MONTHLY READING SERIES

Presented by NPA & Seattle Repertory Theater

In the Poncho Forum – Seattle Rep – 155 Mercer St

(please use main entrance)

Memory Fragments

by Sam Wallin

Directed by the Rep’s Associate Artistic Director Braden Abraham (Opus by Michael Hollinger, Breakin’ Hearts and Takin’ Names by Kevin Kling and Simone Perrin, Betrayal by Harold Pinter, and My Name is Rachel Corrie by Alan Rickman and Katherine Viner).

About the playwright: Sam Wallin is a librarian and playwright living in Vancouver, WA. He is married, has two kids, works full time, writes in his spare time, and in general lives a life most people only dream about.

History of the play: Sam wrote "Memory Fragments" in April of 2008 as a participant of "Script Frenzy" - a challenge for playwrights to write a full-length play in one month. A year later, it was the winner of the prestigious Stanley Drama Award, which gave Sam the opportunity to go to New York and hear the play read aloud for the first time. Some months and an extensive revision later, here it is for your pleasure!

Play synopsis for "Memory Fragments" : In the not-so-distant future, people will have the ability to record their memories in 3-D and either watch from the outside or directly experience those memories later, with the aid of computers. Most of these memories would be of no interest to anyone whatsoever, like slide shows or home movies - unless there is a murder. Then, detectives comb the recorded memories for clues to the murder. When a John Doe washes up on the banks of the river with his head blown off and most of his memories corroded, Detective James Cloud is called in examine the fragments of memory left behind. In spite of mounting dangers, he follows the trail through virtual meetings, psychiatric sessions and recorded reports, while the stability of the global capitalist plutocracy hangs in the balance.

Tues. January 19 @ 7 p.m.

Free Admission.

Join Seattle Musical Theatre on Saturday, January 23 for a

One-Night-Only Benefit Performance of

Love Letters

Starring Seattle favorite Pat Cashman and his beautiful and funny wife, Patti.

This two-person Pulitzer Prize-nominated play traces the lifelong correspondence of the staid, dutiful lawyer Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and the lively, unstable artist Melissa Gardner. The story of their bittersweet relationship gradually unfolds from what is written – and what is left unsaid – in their letters. Since its first performance in 1988 many celebrities have performed this poignant and moving play, including Colleen Dewhurst and Jason Robards, Lynn Redgrave and John Clark, Carol Burnett and Brian Dennehy, and Elizabeth Taylor and James Earl Jones.

As a regular contributor on Pat’s morning radio shows, Patti was the comical character to many of Pat’s straight-man performances. However, this is the first time Pat and Patti have ever played opposite of each on stage, and it will be a performance that shouldn’t be missed.

There are three ticket price levels for this benefit performance:

• $35 per person includes Orchestra Level tickets for the show only
• $75 per person includes Silver Stage Level tickets for the performance and after-show dessert reception with Pat and Patti
• $125 per person includes Gold Stage Level tickets for the performance, after-show dessert reception with Pat and Patti, and the donor’s name engraved on a Love Letters plaque that will permanently hang in the SMT lobby.

Show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Make your reservations today for this sure-to-be sold out show

by calling the SMT box office at 206-363-2809.

Tickets for Taproot Theatre Company’s

2010 Season go on sale next Tuesday

SEATTLE – December 31, 2009 – Single tickets for Taproot Theatre Company’s 2010 season go on sale to the public on Tuesday, January 5, at 12 p.m. Taproot Theatre’s 34^th season features three regional premieres, a classic Victorian farce, and an adventurous new staging of a beloved Broadway musical. Don’t miss this chance to be part of an historic season for Taproot Theatre Company, which reopens its newly-restored Greenwood playhouse this month after the October fire. Previously available only to subscribers, tickets are available by phone at 206-781-9707 during box office hours and online at www.taproottheatre.org anytime. Due to the restoration efforts, walk-up sales are delayed until the theatre reopens in late January. The 2010 season’s shows are as follows:

• The Great Divorce – January 27-February 27 – C.S. Lewis’ fantastical work springs to life in this electrifying regional premiere. One drizzly afternoon our author embarks on a supernatural voyage with a cast of eccentric, humorous characters that bear a remarkable resemblance to us. Theatrical, imaginative and thought provoking. It’s a bus ride through heaven and hell that, in the grand C.S. Lewis tradition, leaves you breathless and wanting more. By C.S. Lewis, adapted by George Drance & The Magis Theatre.
• Brooklyn Boy – March 17-April 17 – Can we ever go home… and do we want to? Eric Weiss has finally made it big with a best seller and a shot at a Hollywood film. An inconvenient phone call brings him back to the Brooklyn neighborhood he grew up in and happily left behind. Witty and deeply touching, this story of growing up, coming home and making sense of it all is sure to warm your heart. A regional premiere. By Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies.
• Charley’s Aunt – May 12-June 12 – By George! This is splendid! A quiet afternoon luncheon turns into a hilarious masquerade when college chums attempt to woo a pair of charming young ladies. After persuading a classmate to impersonate their missing aunt (and chaperone), mischief, high jinks and shenanigans ensue. This hilarious classic has been delighting audiences for over 100 years. By Brandon Thomas.
• Man of La Mancha – July 7-August 7 – Don Quixote is mad... mad enough to dream an impossible dream while tilting after windmills with his trusty sidekick, Sancho Panza. Taproot’s adventurous new staging of Cervantes’ immortal classic reunites you with a story and songs that will capture your imagination and set you dreaming again. Quixote’s romantic quest is as crazy as he is. But is his impossible dream madness or vision? The trial is about to begin. A musical play by Dale Wasserman with music by Mitch Leigh & lyrics by Joe Darion; original production staged by Albert Marre; originally Produced by Albert W. Selden and Hal James.
• Wedding Belles – September 22-October 23 – When a bedraggled bride is found stranded at an East Texas bus station in 1942, the determined ladies of the Eufala Springs Garden Club leap into action! Lemonade, wedding cake and a gown are easy enough to come by… but where’s the groom? This side-splitting comedy overflows with love, laughter and Southern hospitality at its best! From the creator of Smoke on the Mountain. A regional premiere. By Alan Bailey & Ronnie Claire Edwards.

All performances are held at Taproot Theatre, located at 204 N. 85^th St. in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood. The 226-seat theatre is wheelchair accessible.

Performances take place Wednesday through Saturday evenings, with matinees on Saturdays. Ticket prices range from $22 to $35; plus, Taproot Theatre offers a $10 ticket for ages 25 and under during its regular season, discounts for students and seniors, group rates for parties of eight or more, and one pay-what-you-can performance for each production. Subscription packages are still available; subscribers save up to 18% over single ticket prices, plus enjoy great benefits like priority seating, discounts on additional tickets and free ticket exchanges.

For more information about subscriptions and single tickets, visit www.taproottheatre.org or contact the box office at 206.781.9707 or box@taproottheatre.org. The box office is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5:00 p.m., and until show time on performance nights.

ABOUT TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY

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.

Taproot Theatre opens 2010 season

with C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce

Regional premiere opens on January 29

SEATTLE – December 30, 2009 – Three months after the fire that caused severe damage to its Greenwood playhouse, Taproot Theatre is thrilled to reopen the theatre with the regional premiere of The Great Divorce, the first show in its 2010 Season. The theatrical adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ fantastical novel opens on January 29, a night full of celebration and new beginnings. The Great Divorce, adapted by George Drance and the Magis Theatre Company (NY) and directed by Scott Nolte, runs through February 27.

“Opening our 34^th season would be exciting enough, but this one is extra special,” Nolte said. “After everything that’s happened, everything we’ve been through, these past months, I’m thrilled to be marking this new period in Taproot Theatre’s history with a premiere of C.S. Lewis’ fictional masterpiece.”

In The Great Divorce, one drizzly afternoon our author embarks on a supernatural voyage with a cast of eccentric, humorous characters that bear a remarkable resemblance to us. Theatrical, imaginative and thought provoking, it’s a bus ride through hell to heaven that, in the grand C.S. Lewis tradition, leaves you breathless and wanting more.

“I saw the world premiere of this play Off-Broadway in 2007, and was spellbound at how well the story—so full of imagination and a world beyond our own—translated to the stage,” said Nolte. “We often speak about creating productions that are theatrical and imaginative, and this one will demand the best of our actors and designers to tell this story.”

In this production, ten actors portray 25 characters, including C.S. Lewis himself and author George MacDonald, who is Lewis’ guide through the story.

“When the original co-founders of Taproot Theatre were just getting started, we often staged productions—including Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe—with little more than boxes and chairs—and the audiences' imaginations!” Nolte said. “The artists' ability to capture that imagination is where the magic of theatre is, and I'm excited to be directing such a unique play as The Great Divorce this winter.”

The Great Divorce features David Dorrian as C.S. Lewis and Nolan Palmer as George MacDonald, along with Ryan Childers, Jenny Cross, Nathan Jeffrey, Kim Morris, Pam Nolte, Faith Russell, Candace Vance and Sam Vance. The production team includes scenic and sound designer Mark Lund, costume designer Sarah Burch Gordon and lighting designer Jody Briggs. Anne Hitt serves as stage manager, Kate Forster as dialect coach and Judy Naegeli as dramaturg.

After The Great Divorce, Taproot Theatre’s 2010 Season continues with the regional premiere of Brooklyn Boy by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies (March 17-April 17), Brandon Thomas’s Charley’s Aunt (May 12-June 12), Man of La Mancha (a musical play by Dale Wasserman with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion; original production staged by Albert Marre; originally produced by Albert W. Selden and Hal James; July 7-August 7), and the regional premiere of Wedding Belles by Alan Bailey and Ronnie Claire Edwards (September 22-October 23).

Spotlight Night is a Sher Thing!

Intiman’s Bartlett Sher one of three special guests in The 5th Avenue’s Spotlight Night for upcoming productions of South Pacific and Legally Blonde: The Musical

SEATTLE, WA –The 5th Avenue’s enormously popular Spotlight Night series, a free event that continues to attract record crowds, continues on Tuesday, January 5 with a look at two of our upcoming shows, South Pacific and Legally Blonde: The Musical.

Hosted by The 5th Avenue’s Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, the program features three of the most important people of the American Theatre: songwriter Laurence O'Keefe, Tony Award-winning producer Hal Luftig and Seattle's own Tony Award-winning director, Bartlett Sher.

The evening begins with a conversation with Legally Blonde songwriter Laurence O’Keefe and producer Hal Luftig, who give us the inside story of creating this hit Broadway musical based on the popular film. O’Keefe will play and sing excerpts from his musicals (including the cult favorite Bat Boy) and Luftig will share experiences of his 20-year career as the producer of Broadway hits such as Thoroughly Modern Millie, Movin’ Out, the current revival of West Side Story and the upcoming Catch Me If You Can, which had its world premiere here at The 5th Avenue last summer.

In our evening’s “second act,” we look at the Tony-sweeping revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific, which brought spectacular new life to a musical that hadn’t been revived on Broadway since its original production in 1949. Join Bartlett Sher—the outbound Artistic Director of Seattle’s Intiman Theatre and Resident Director at Lincoln Center Theatre—as he discusses how he and his team made a classic come alive for a new generation.

We conclude with a look at the career of South Pacific’s creators, Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II, who revolutionized the American Musical by creating what they called “the musical play.” The 5th Avenue’s David Armstrong will tell the story of this legendary team, from their early shows with other collaborators to their historic partnership, their timeless shows and their enduring effect on the musical theater. Featuring musical performances by some of Seattle’s finest singers including Patti Cohenour, Jessica Skerrit and Eric Ankrim performing selections from Oklahoma!, Carousel, Flower Drum Song, Cinderella, The King and I and The Sound of Music.

Spotlight Night begins at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday January 5. 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.

Seattle, WA – December 23, 2009 – ACT – A Contemporary Theatre kicks off 2010 with a full menu of Central Heating Lab events, including the highly anticipated 14/48: The World’s Quickest Theatre Festival, a series devoted to the works of Harold Pinter, ACT’s collaboration with Town Hall for Short Stories Live, and the debut of a new piece from Seattle Dance Project.

14/48: The World’s Quickest Theatre Festival

January 8-16, 2010, Fri. and Sat. 8:00 and 10:30 p.m.

Tickets: $20 or $40 All-Fest Pass or included with ACT Basic Membership

Each weekend, seven playwrights write seven plays on a randomly selected theme. Twelve hours later, seven directors each blindly select a play and the required number of actors to cast it. After 10 hours of fevered rehearsal with seven designers and seven musicians, another theme is chosen and the process starts all over again. It all adds up to 14 plays you’ll never see again, but will never forget.

*Town Hall and ACT: Short Stories Live at Town Hall

January 17, 2010, Sun. at 4:00 p.m.

Tickets: $13/$10 advance ($15/$13 at door) or included with ACT Basic Membership

*At Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, www.brownpapertickets.com

Think of it as NPR’s Selected Shorts, Seattle style: ACT Artistic Director Kurt Beattie selects compelling short stories based on a common theme; then local actors bring the stories to life during readings at Town Hall. January’s program is The Catholic Imagination.

Shadow & Light: Two by Pinter

January 21-February 7, Fri. and Sat. at 8:00; Sat. and Sun. at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets: $20 or included with ACT Basic Membership

Shadow & Light is a new Seattle theatre company devoted to the works of late Nobel laureate Harold Pinter. Inspired by Oliver Sacks’ Awakenings, A Kind of Alaska chronicles one woman’s journey from mysterious neurological darkness into tenuous light. In Ashes To Ashes, a seemingly typical domestic conversation between a wife and husband gradually evolves into a haunting meditation on “the banality of evil.” The Central Heating Lab is proud to present the first professional staging of Ashes To Ashes in Seattle. Company members include Suzanne Bouchard, Frank Corrado, Kimberly King, and Victor Pappas.

Seattle Dance Project: Project 3

January 29-February 6, Fri. and Sat. at 8:00; Sun. at 2:00 p.m.; Feb 5 at 12:00 noon.

Tickets: $25 or included with ACT Basic Membership

An entirely new work of innovative dance which includes world-premiere choreography by former soloist with New York City Ballet Edwaard Liang and by Kent Stowell, founder and former director of Pacific Northwest Ballet. Also showcased are rock and roll-inspired works by James Canfield, director of Nevada Ballet Theatre, Betsy Cooper, Director of the University of Washington dance department, and a Seattle premiere by Mark Haim.

Launched in 2008, The Central Heating Lab at ACT serves as an incubator and catalyst for new works. ACT cultivates, produces, and presents artists working in all performance genres and provides an artistic home for a variety of local performance groups and artists. Relationships develop daily with individual actors, performers and playwrights while established partnerships with groups such as the New Century Theatre Company, Moisture Festival and Icicle Creek Theatre Festival deepen. New programs are added throughout the year.

INTIMAN THEATRE ANNOUNCES “A BASH FOR BART” FEATURING BARTLETT SHER, REMARKS BY LAURENCE BALLARD, KELLI O’HARA PERFORMING A SPECIAL TRIBUTE CONCERT AND A SPECIAL VIP DINNER DESIGNED BY TOM DOUGLAS

Tickets Are Now on Sale for a January 30 Fundraiser Celebrating Intiman’s Outgoing Artistic Director and Launching the Bartlett Sher Artistic Fund

SEATTLE— Intiman Theatre is honored to announce a special event celebrating its outgoing Artistic Director, Bartlett Sher, after ten years of leadership. On January 30, 2010, Intiman will host “A Bash for Bart” featuring remarks by Laurence Ballard and a special tribute concert performed by Kelli O’Hara, star of Sher’s Tony Award-winning production of South Pacific and Intiman’s Broadway success, The Light in the Piazza.

Prices for the fundraiser vary based on level of support. Founding donors to Intiman’s new Bartlett Sher Artistic Fund who make a gift of $2,500 per couple ($1,250 per individual) will receive two VIP seats to the program, a pre-event reception, and two seats to a VIP post-show dinner hosted and designed by Tom Douglas, the Seattle chef and restaurateur.

For $150 per ticket, patrons will receive one ticket to the program and the pre-event cocktail reception.

To RSVP or for more information, patrons should call 206.204.3293.

Sher’s decade of leadership at Intiman is one of the most remarkable tenures in the American theatre. He has directed 16 Intiman productions, including four world premieres, and established Intiman as one of the pre-eminent theatres in the country. Beyond Intiman, he has directed four productions for Lincoln Center Theater, where he currently serves as Resident Director, earning four Tony nominations and winning one for South Pacific. Among his opera credits, he now has two productions in the repertoire of the Metropolitan Opera, Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

Laurence Ballard, an actor and director who is now a Professor of Performing Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design, returns to Seattle to host the evening and pay tribute to Sher and his work. Their Intiman collaborations include nine productions: The Dying Gaul, The Servant of Two Masters, Titus Andronicus, Arms and the Man, Nora, Homebody/Kabul, Singing Forest , Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth.

Kelli O’Hara made her Intiman debut in the world premiere of The Light in the Piazza as Franca; she played Clara Johnson in the Broadway production, and worked with Sher most recently when she played Nellie Forbush in South Pacific, for which she earned her third Tony nomination.

“A Bash for Bart” is supported by an Honorary Committee of artists and civic leaders, including Eve & Chap Alvord, Kim A. Anderson, David Armstrong, Laurence Ballard, Kurt Beattie, André Bishop, Peter Boal, Donald Byrd, Victoria Clark, Ida S. Cole, Susan Coliton, Jackie Cross & Tom Douglas, Adam Guettel, Linda Hartzell, Betty & Richard C. Hedreen, Jeffrey Horowitz, Speight Jenkins, Jim Kelly, Catharine E. Killien, Michael Killoren, Marc. R. Kittner, John Lahr, Susan J. Leavitt, Craig Lucas, Peter Miller, Benjamin Moore, Kelli O’Hara, Laura Penn , Susan Ward Potts, Constanza Romero, Pam & Paul Schell, Tom Skerritt, Delphine & Charles Stevens, Sergei P. Tschernisch, James F. Tune, Moya Vazquez, Huong T. Vu, Maggie Walker, Judith A. Whetzel, Kate Whoriskey, David B. Wiley and Leslie Williams.

“A Bash for Bart” is sponsored in part by The Boeing Company and Tom Douglas.

Seasonal support for Intiman Theatre is provided by ArtsFund; Intiman Theatre Foundation; Kreielsheimer Remainder Foundation; The Leading National Theatres Program, a joint initiative of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; The Shubert Foundation; and Washington State Arts Commission.