Fences to play at the Rep

by August Wilson, directed by Timothy Bond
A 25th anniversary celebration of August Wilson's
beloved story of baseball and family

Seattle, WA – Seattle Repertory Theatre celebrates the 25th anniversary of August Wilson's beloved story of baseball and family, Fences. The play is being staged in a number of notable productions across the country, including on Broadway next month. Seattle Rep's production, which plays March 26-April 18, 2010, is proud to include Wilson's widow Constanza Romero as the costume designer.

Tickets are available now through the Seattle Rep Box Office at (206) 443-2222 as well as online at www.seattlerep.org.

Set in 1957, Fences is the story of Troy Maxson, a garbage collector who abandoned his dreams of a baseball career. As black athletes finally begin to be accepted into the major leagues, Troy's son wants to pursue his own ambitions of becoming a professional athlete—but his father has other ideas.

The play won Wilson both a Pulitzer and a Tony, and shows the playwright at his best: challenging the American dream through a poetic, powerful, and deeply personal story.

Seattle Rep had a long relationship with Wilson, who lived in Seattle for 15 years and passed away here in 2005 from cancer. Seattle Rep is the only theatre in the world to have produced all of Wilson's work: every play in his 10-play Pittsburgh Cycle, as well as his one-man show How I Learned What I Learned.

This production is a co-promotion with Syracuse Stage. Director Timothy Bond (former artistic director of the Seattle Group Theatre) is now Producing Artistic Director for Syracuse Stage. He will take the Seattle production to Syracuse after its run here.

Special Event: Fences Community Day, Saturday, April 3, 2 p.m.
Seattle Rep is opening its doors to partner organizations from across the city for this special matinee to bring new and alternative audiences to the theater. Participating organizations can receive complimentary tickets to the performance and join a special Fences 25th Anniversary reception. As part of the festivities, the Seattle Rep will honor sports legend Floyd Little, who was recently elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and will be enshrined in August. Participating organizations include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Club, Central District Forum, Solid Ground, and YMCA Black Achievers. If your organization would like to participate, contact Kiki Abba at 206-443-2210. Community Day is generously supported by KPMG.

Performance Details: Performances of Fences are at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, with 2 p.m. matinees on most Saturdays and Sundays. There is a Captioned Performance on Thursday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m.; an Audio-Described performance Saturday, April 17 at 2 p.m.; and an American Sign Language (ASL)-interpreted performance on Sunday, April 18 at 2 p.m. Post-play discussions will be held after the performances on Sunday, April 4 at 2 p.m.; Thursday, April 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 11 at 2 p.m. The Pay-What-You-Can Performance is March 30, 7:30 p.m.

Leading Local Theatres Collaborate During 2010-2011 Season!

The 5th partners with ACT Theatre, Village Theatre, and Seattle Theatre Group/Broadway Across America for two regional premieres

SEATTLE, WA –Exciting collaborations are underway as The 5th Avenue and ACT Theatre join resources to co-produce a regional premiere, and The 5th also teams up with Village Theatre, Broadway Across America and Seattle Theatre Group to bring a Broadway hit to Seattle and offer special ticketing prices to their subscribers in the upcoming 2010-2011 Season.

ACT Theatre will partner with The 5th to produce Vanities, a new musical adaptation of Jack Heifner’s acclaimed comedy-drama with music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum and a new book by Heifner. The show will be co-produced by the two theatres and staged at ACT for an extended run in the winter of 2011 and offered as part of each theatre’s season ticket package. The musical will be directed by The 5th’s Executive Producer and Artistic Director, David Armstrong. The two theatres will share expenses and revenue, with joint creative decisions being made by both artistic staffs. This collaboration will also include the region’s first dual ticketing platform, selling tickets in real-time at both theatres for one production. The show will feature a cast of Northwest actors in a production created by ACT’s technical staff. The musical’s authors will be actively involved in the production which will serve as another step in the development of this new musical, which premiered at the Theater Works in Palo Alto in 2006 and was subsequently produced at the Pasadena Playhouse in 2008 and at New York’s 2nd Stage Theatre in 2009. This is the first co-production of what is intended to be an annual partnership between ACT Theatre and The 5th Avenue Theatre.

“It has always been an objective to include musical theatre in our building and as part of our seasons,” says Kurt Beattie, ACT’s Artistic Director. “This collaboration provides both organizations room to grow ascetically and artistically. The 5th brings its considerable expertise in musicals, while our theatre delivers intimate theatre experience with an eye to the contemporary condition.”

“The mission of The 5th Avenue is to celebrate our great indigenous art form — the Musical -- in all of its many aspects,” says David Armstrong. “This partnership with ACT allows us to explore some of the amazing smaller scale musicals — classic and new—that will be more perfectly suited to ACT’s stage rather than The 5th Avenue’s.”

Also in 2011 from February 22 to March 13 the Broadway smash hit Next to Normal comes to The 5th, making its triumphant return to Seattle after beginning life at Issaquah’s Village Theatre. The musical garnered three Tonys on Broadway in 2009, including one for Best Score, recognizing both the music of Tom Kitt and the book and lyrics of Brian Yorkey, who was Village Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director for six years. Originally developed under the title Feeling Electric, members of Village Theatre’s new works program Village Originals had a chance to see the show as both a staged reading in 2002 and workshop production in 2005. Now thanks to special partnerships with Village Theatre, and Seattle Theatre Group/Broadway Across America, season ticket holders at Village and The Paramount Theatre will have a chance to see the show at The 5th at a special reduced rate.

"We are excited that the groundbreaking musical we developed with Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt in Issaquah will come back to Seattle on a full Broadway tour at the wonderful 5th Avenue Theatre,” says Robb Hunt, Village Theatre’s Executive Producer. “As fellow members of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, we have been looking forward to this possibility, and we celebrate our respective place in the development of the art form."

Season subscriptions to The 5th’s 2010-2011 Season will be available on Monday March 8, 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.

Special thanks to The 5th’s 2011 Corporate Co-Sponsors Safeco Insurance and US Bank.

ACT—A Contemporary Theatre is located in the heart of downtown Seattle and serves a population of curious, open-minded, and brave audiences. It is the only local theatre dedicated to producing contemporary work with promising playwrights and local performing artists since 1965. A theatre of new ideas, ACT serves as a cultural engine that makes plays, dance, music, and film that touch us. Because contemporary life demands examination, ACT is driven to inspire and strengthen our diverse community through works that advance our understanding of human life. ACT is an interactive community where artists and the public witness, contemplate, and engage in dialogue on today’s thought-provoking issues, ideas and art, presented with intelligence, insight, and humor.

The remainder of ACT’s 2011 season will be announced late summer 2010.

Village Theatre—The mission of Village Theatre is to be a regionally recognized and nationally influential center of excellence in family theatre:

• To promote a season of top quality productions
• To commission and produce new musicals that achieve national exposure
• To train young people in theatre skills for career opportunities and enriched lives
• To develop a broad-based appreciation for live theatre
• To promote positive values through art

STG is the 501c3 non-profit arts organization that operates the historic Paramount and Moore Theatres in Seattle, Washington. Our mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region's cultural identity while keeping these two landmark venues alive and vibrant. STG presents a range of performances from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and jazz to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows—at both historic theatres in Seattle and venues throughout the Puget Sound and Portland, Oregon.

Broadway Across America is owned and operated by British theatre producer John Gore (CEO) and entertainment industry veteran Thomas B. McGrath (Chairman). It presents first-class touring Broadway musicals and plays, family productions and other live events throughout a network of 43 North American cities. BAA is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse live theatre for productions on Broadway, across America and throughout the world. BAA most recently produced the Broadway productions of Hair, West Side Story and Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Upcoming productions include Minsky’s, Promises, Promises, Million Dollar Quartet and the West End production of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Touring productions include Nickelodeon's Storytime Adventures featuring Dora the Explorer and Dreamgirls. For more information or to purchase tickets through an authorized agent go to BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.

Check Out Seattle's New Adventure Playhouse!

Adventure Playhouse is an improvised adventure story where kids create the show with the actors. Adventure Playhouse will feature live music, games and art, all designed to engage kids in the story making process and spark their imaginations.

Adventure Playhouse is created and directed by Amanda Lee Williams and Adina Gillet.

The cast of Adventure Playhouse is Kai Curtis, Nick Edwards, Philip Fox, Dora Lanier, Natasha Ransom, Jen Rizor, and Paul Vitulli. With costumes by Kate Swenson.

Adventure Playhouse performances are at Saturdays at 2:00pm, March 20th to April 24th at The Historic University Theater at 5510 University Way NE. Tickets are $10.

Visit the website Here!

Young Playwrights at ACT

ACT Sets the Stage for

Amazing Talent, Amazing Opportunities with its

Eighth Annual Young Playwrights Festival

Eight Writers Age 14-18 Receive Staged Readings of Their Plays

ACT’s Eighth Annual Young Playwrights Festival

March 11-13, 2010

In the Allen Theatre

Tickets

$10 for adults

$5 for students/people (age 25 and under) and seniors (65 and older)

Special tax-deductable Festival Sponsorship tickets are available for $100

ACT Theatre

Ticket Office: (206) 292-7676

700 Union Street, Seattle WA 98101

www.acttheatre.org

Seattle, WA – February 23, 2010– ACT’s annual Young Playwrights Festival returns March 11-13 for an eighth year, featuring a wonderful mix of dramatic and comedic new works from talented student writers ages 14 to 18.

ACT will present staged readings of eight new plays developed through ACT’s Young Playwrights Program (YPP) serving upwards of 300 middle and high school students from King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Thurston counties throughout 14 greater Seattle-area schools and including students attending Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center’s after school YPP program. Plays were selected by an artistic panel at ACT from approximately 260 plays by participating students. To prepare for the staged readings, each student playwright is partnered with a professional director, and actors, and participates in nearly 20 hours of rehearsal with his or her creative team. Each program will be performed twice during the three-day festival.

ACT Young Playwrights Festival Schedule:

Program A
Thursday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 13 at 1:00 p.m.

David Harris, Dealing with the Neighbors, Seattle Academy, 12^th grade

Directed by Andy Jensen

Emma Framson, Unrequited Love, Garfield High School, 12^th grade

Directed by Gillian Jorgensen

Joslynn Vasquez, From Trailor Parks to Amusement Parks: The Story of Jane Gyre, Highline High School, 12^th grade

Directed by Kate Jaeger

Marianna White, Forgetting Sarah, TOPS K-8, 8^th grade

Directed by David Gassner

Program B
Friday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 at 4:00 p.m.

Pauline Lai Heng, The Pseudo-British Comedy, Franklin High School 12^th Grade

Directed by K. Brian Neel

Zoe Furlong, El Cartel, Lakeside School, 12^th Grade

Directed by Julie Beckman

Adillia Loud, I Am My Brother's Keeper, Washington Middle School, 8^th Grade

Directed by Isiah Anderson Jr.

Jimmy Blackmon, Fire and Rain, Olympia High School, 12^th Grade

Directed by Timothy Hyland

“We are very excited about this year's Young Playwrights Festival! The eight playwrights featured are some of the strongest, most creative voices to emerge from the 2009 Young Playwrights Program. It is truly amazing to see these students take their plays from the page to the stage under the mentorship of local professional theatre artists,” said Director of Education Kristina Sutherland. “These young playwrights dig into the artistic progress, attend rehearsals, rewrite their scripts, and make their voices heard on stage. They work hard to showcase their best work and the results are impressive.”

“Being a part of the 2009 Young Playwrights Festival, learning about all the different aspects of playwriting, having a teacher who never censored me, and being given a chance to see my work preformed and taken seriously gave me the confidence to identify myself as a writer,” said 2009 Young Playwright Festival participant Rebecca Ehlers.

YPP offers greater Seattle-area students a high-quality, exciting language arts curriculumdramatic structure, character creation, dialogue, action, subtext, point of view, understanding and developing dramatic conflict, writing a scene, generating ideas through improvisation, the importance of rewrites, and writing for an audience. based on the art of playwriting. Professional playwright/teaching artists from ACT teach the rudiments of playwriting in participating area schools in the fall quarter of each school year. Concepts taught include

Each student playwright completes a 10- to 20-minute original play by the end of the session. The 10-week classroom portion of the YPP runs from September through December each year.

Started in 2002, YPP is a natural extension of ACT's commitment to new plays and playwrights. Since its inception, ACT's YPP has grown from 72 middle and high school students in six schools and an eight-week curriculum to more than 300 students in 15 schools and a 10-week/20-session curriculum.

ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE ADDED, The Great Divorce MUST CLOSE ON fEBRUARY 27

SEATTLE – February 17, 2010 – Patrons now have an additional chance to see the breathtaking regional premiere of The Great Divorce before it closes at the end of the month. Taproot Theatre has responded to demand by adding a second additional performance on Monday, February 22, at 7:30 p.m. The added performance on February 16 sold out within days, and the cast is still playing to sold-out houses.

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis and adapted by George Drance and New York’s Magis Theatre opened at Taproot Theatre on January 29 and must close on February 27. In this adaptation of Lewis’ 1940s novel, the author—played by David Dorrian—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 from hell to heaven that, in the grand C.S. Lewis tradition, leaves you breathless and wanting more.

Tickets are available through Taproot Theatre’s box office at 206-781-9707.

New plays by Alan Alda, Adam Rapp and Denis O'Hare wrap up Seattle Repertory Theatre's New Play Program season

Seattle, WA – Capping off a season of new play development—which included performances of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later and Equivocation with Oregon Shakespeare Festival—Seattle Repertory Theatre presents three high-profile new plays under the umbrella of their New Play Program.

The world premiere of An Iliad opens in the Leo K. Theatre for a run April 9-May 16, 2010. Created by Broadway actor Denis O'Hare and director Lisa Peterson, the play is an intimate, modern re-telling of Homer's famous tale of gods, heroes, and the Trojan War. O'Hare was originally slated to perform the piece, but has since stepped down due to scheduling conflicts. Seattle actor Hans Altwies will take on the one and only part in this imaginative celebration of the art of storytelling.

Bookending An Iliad are two workshop performances held in the Rep's black box space, the PONCHO. Actor/playwright Alan Alda ("M*A*S*H," "The West Wing") will be in Seattle working on his new play Radiance, a surprising peek at the outrageous life of scientist Marie Curie, directed by Daniel Sullivan. There will be three public workshops March 26-28, 2010. Pulitzer-nominated Adam Rapp's play Welcome Home Dean Charbonneau, about a Wisconsin family's attempt to celebrate the return of their son from Iraq (to both comic and heart wrenching effect), performs May 21-23, 2010. Rapp directs.

"This is such a fitting way to end a really successful year of collaborations with playwrights," said Producing Artistic Director Jerry Manning. "With these three plays, Seattle audiences have the opportunity to be partners in the development of some of the most exciting new American theatre, to say, 'I was there at the beginning...'"

Originally formalized under former Artistic Director Daniel Sullivan, Seattle Rep's New Play Program helped launch many plays that went on to national success, including Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles and Peter Parnell's The Cider House Rules. During this 2009-10 season, the re-instated program has included one of the premiere readings of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, readings by Cheryl West and Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, and, with Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the presentation of the world premiere production of Bill Cain's Equivocation, which began its off-Broadway run Feb. 10.

Tickets for An Iliad are currently on sale through the Seattle Rep Box Office at (206) 443-2222 as well as online at www.seattlerep.org. A very limited number of tickets are available to the general public for both Radiance and Welcome Home Dean Charbonneau, and they can be purchased starting Feb. 23 by calling the Box Office.

On-stage Soldier is Real-life Hero!

Seattle police honor South Pacific cast member Peter Rini for helping to catch hit-and-run suspect

SEATTLE, WA –The Seattle Police Department has announced that they will be rewarding New York actor Peter Rini for his actions on Monday February 8 when he helped to apprehend a driver who’d hit two parked cars, both occupied, while driving a stolen van.

According to the statement from the Seattle Police, Mr. Rini, who is appearing in the Lincoln Center production of South Pacific currently playing at The 5th Avenue, was walking on East Republican Monday morning at approximately 11:46 when he noticed a white van colliding with a pair of cars, and heard the female driver of one vehicle scream after being struck. The driver then hit a telephone pole and left the vehicle. “Although the collision and the subsequent actions of the suspect were happening instantaneously, Mr. Rini was immediately able to put together what was unfolding and had the presence of mind to recognize that the driver of the white van was trying to make his getaway,” says the statement. “As the suspect tried to flee on foot, Mr. Rini tackled the suspect to the ground and subdued him until the officers arrived.”

Rini, who plays the role of Commander William Harbison in South Pacific, is a veteran New York actor whose Broadway roles have included Neil Simon’s Proposals; A View From The Bridge, and Tartuffe, and whose film and TV appearances have included roles in Boiler Room, Sleepers, and ironically enough numerous appearances on Law and Order, where he has played police officers and detectives.

“Mr. Rini clearly acted out of instinct and goodwill,” the statement continues. “Had it not been for Mr. Rini’s actions, the arriving officers would have had to eventually set up delayed containment in the neighborhood and actively searched for the suspect on foot, making it difficult at best to find the suspect in this densely populated area of Capitol Hill.”

Rini will be honored on Wednesday February 17 at 1:30 at a special ceremony in the front lobby of the downtown Seattle Police Headquarters, 610 5th Ave, where he will be presented with a Citizen’s Recognition Award for his voluntary actions in apprehending the suspect.

We at The 5th Avenue are proud to call attention to Mr. Rini’s selfless act of heroism, and applaud his civic mindedness and courage.

South Pacific, directed by Seattle’s own Bartlett Sher (outgoing artistic director of Intiman Theatre), continues to play at The 5th Avenue Theatre through February 22.
Based on James Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of short stories "Tales of the South Pacific," the musical offers a lushly romantic score while challenging audiences with themes of racial intolerance and bigotry.

Tickets for South Pacific, as well as season subscriptions to the 2009-2010 Season, are available 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.