Author: Ciara Caya

DIG IN is a new program announced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s School of Theatre that will give school communities across California digital access to professional theatre performances. The program aims to inspire creativity in the younger generations by providing them access to interactive experiences in the arts community.

There are two elements to DIG IN—the Digital Library and the Virtual Stage. The Digital Library is made up of professionally recorded productions, including works that align directly with California Core Curriculum and CASEL Standards. These recordings will be available to any student in California, along with production programs, resource guides, performance clips, video lessons in arts and humanities, interactive challenges, and career development interviews.

The Virtual Stage will provoke discussion among students with Berkeley Rep’s productions. Students will have the opportunity to create art—music, video, dance, poetry, stories, visual art, theatre pieces—through interactive challenges on the virtual stage and social media.

“Berkeley Rep is committed to our values of innovation, equity, and discovery,” said Tom Parrish, Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s managing director. “DIG IN will provide students and teachers with incredible access to theatrical resources and experiences that can provide entry points for new audiences, tools for artists and students to harness their creative power and build empathy, and curricular support in a variety of subjects.”

To learn more about DIG IN or to sign up for programming, visit Berkeley Rep’s website.

The full cast and creative teams have been announced for the Seattle premiere of Between Two Knees, a play by the sketch comedy troupe The 1491s. Obie Award-winner Eric Ting will be directing the show which will run March 3–26, 2023 at the Bagley Wright Theater.

Between Two Knees is the first play by The 1491s, an intertribal sketch comedy troupe whose credits include the acclaimed TV show Reservation Dogs. Through a series of vignettes, it takes audiences through American history centered around one family’s experiences from the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 to the protest there in 1973.

“Between each glorious bit and slapstick joke is a subversive indictment of America’s particular brand of extractive dominance and a commitment to using comedy to heal, provoke, and transform. In a style that’s both Monty Python and Brechtian Epic Theater, The 1491s have crafted an unforgettable theatrical experience that comes for everyone. No one is safe from the satire,” said Seattle Rep Artistic Producer Kaytlin McIntyre.

Cast

Between Two Knees features performances from Jennifer Bobiwash as Older Irma/Ensemble (TV: The Power; Magnum P.I.; Rutherford Falls), Rachel Crowl as Ensemble (La Jolla Playhouse: As You Like It), Derek Garza as Young Isaiah/Eddie/Ensemble (Studio Theatre: People, Places & Things), Justin Gauthier as Larry (Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Between Two Knees), Shyla Lefner as Young Irma/Irene/Ensemble (Yale Rep: Manahatta), Wotko Long as Older Isaiah/Ensemble (Featured in the documentary This May Be The Last Time), James Ryen as Ensemble (Seattle Rep: Vietgone), and Shaun Taylor-Corbett as William/Ensemble (Second National Tour: Jersey Boys), also credited for Original Choreography.

The cast also includes understudies Irma-Estel Laguerre (Broadway: The King and I), Nikcoma Lee Mahkewa (Discovery+ series Book of Queer), John Scott-Richardson (Film: The Reunion), Kholan Studi (Native Voices at The Autry: They Don’t Talk Back) and Maribel Torres Barragán (Irene Ryan Award double-nominee and semifinalist). 

Creative Team

The creative team for Between Two Knees includes The 1491s (Playwrights), Eric Ting (Director), Ty Defoe (Choreographer), Regina García (Scenic Designer), Lux Haac (Costume Designer), Elizabeth Harper (Lighting Designer), Jake Rodriguez (Sound Designer), Shawn Duan (Projection Designer), Younghawk Bautista (Wig and Hair Designer), Julie Felise Dubiner (Production Dramaturg), Stacey Rice, CSA (Casting Director), Rod Kinger (Fight Director), Kelsey Rainwater (Intimacy Director), Liz Hayes (Vocal Coach), R. Réal Vargas Alanis (Associate Director), Amanda Nita Luke-Sayed (Production Stage Manager), and Kevin Jinghong Zhu (Assistant Stage Manager).

San Francisco Opera has announced free, live performances of Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème. This abridged version of the fan-favorite opera will be performed this spring at outdoor locations throughout the Bay Area.

La Bohème was the first opera presented by SF Opera 100 years ago and the company is now bringing an altered, intimate one-hour adaptation to modern audiences in a completely new way. To travel across the San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco Opera will bring the beloved tale of love and loss to the public via a converted shipping container, turned into a portable stage.

Bohème Out of the Box will be directed by Jose Maria Condemi and will be sung in Italian with English dialogue—there will not be supertitles, but a translation of the libretto will be available online. The opera will feature San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellows and guest artists with piano accompaniment.

Bohème Out of the Box will take place March 10–April 2, 2023 at outdoor venues across the Bay Area. Specific performance dates and locations can be found on San Francisco Opera’s website.

History of Theatre: About, By, For, and Near is now playing at ACT Theatre through February 12. The world premiere by playwright Reginald André Jackson is an inventive new play that travels through Seattle’s theatre scene from 1820 to the mid-1930s, exploring Black artists of American history who are often forgotten.

With the host of the show, Sister Blacknall, audiences will meet The Rabbit’s Foot founder Pat Chapelle, creator of the first all-Black touring vaudeville troupe. Actors Ira Aldridge and Rose McClendon will make appearances, as well as members of Seattle’s Negro Repertory Company.

Reviews

“From the first Black theater in the country (in New York) to the Seattle-based Negro Repertory Company, federally funded in the New Deal era of the 1930s, the play adds fresh context to the present state of theater.” — Misha Berson, Crosscut

“Unheard voices are released, forgotten stars are remembered, and a rich legacy is revealed.” — Kelly Rogers Flynt, Broadway World

“When I say that…History of Theatre: About, By, For, and Near…is a ‘must see’ theatre event, it may actually be an understatement.” — Greg Heilman, Heilman and Haver

Views

Tickets are now available for purchase online. Please be aware that History of Theatre: About, By, Near and For contains themes, language, and imagery that may affect viewers. For full details, click here.

We’ve rounded up a few of the accessible performances happening in the San Francisco Bay Area in February 2023. These performances include ASL interpretation, open captioning, and audio description. Check out the event calendar for more information.

We’ve rounded up a few of the accessible performances happening in Seattle in February 2023. These performances include ASL interpretation, open captioning, and audio description. Check out the event calendar for more information.

Is This a Room has been replaced by August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned due to unforeseen scheduling issues.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s production of August Wilson’s beloved, moving theatrical memoir, How I Learned What I Learned, has taken the place of Seattle Rep’s Spring production of Tina Satter’s Is This a Room owing to unforeseen schedule difficulties with the artists involved. Directed by Tim Bond, How I Learned What I Learned will run April 21 through May 14, 2023.

“We are thrilled to be bringing Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s extraordinary production of How I Learned What I Learned to Seattle audiences this season” said Seattle Rep Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann. “We have a deep history with August Wilson, How I Learned What I Learned, and his entire American Century Cycle with Seattle Rep providing an artistic home to the playwright for many years. Not only did this solo-show have its world premiere at Seattle Rep in 2003, but it marked Wilson’s acting debut. How I Learned What I Learned is a wonderful addition to our 2022/23 season and will run during the 20th anniversary of its world premiere.”

Season ticket subscribers will have their tickets exchanged automatically from Is This a Room  to How I learned What I Learned. Single tickets for How I Learned What I Learned are on sale. Tickets for the rest of the entire 2022/23 season are also now on sale.

Seattle Opera has announced the full lineup of performances in their 2023/24 season. The upcoming season will mark Seattle Opera’s 60th anniversary. In honor of the event, Seattle Opera is presenting a selection of works that span almost the entire history of opera, from the 18th century through the 1980s.

The season includes works never before presented in Seattle with classics, ranging from intimate character portraits to fantasy epics. These tales will be brought to life by a cast of some of the most renowned opera composers, including more than 20 company debuts. Season subscriptions are on sale now.

“I am thrilled to be able to celebrate 60 years of Seattle Opera with this first-rate lineup of artists and titles,” said General Director Christina Scheppelmann. “60 years is a significant milestone for any American opera company, and it’s a testament to the strong tradition of opera and the performing arts in this city. This season will be both a reminder of that history and a promise of many more years to come.”

Das Rheingold

Would you renounce love to become all-powerful? The Nibelung Aldrich steals enchanted gold to craft a ring which allows him to do just that. Brother kills brother, the innocent are enslaved, and the King of Gods must decide where his power truly lies. Bass-baritone and Wagner veteran Greer Grimsley returns as Wotan alongside Frederick Ballentine, Michael Mayes, and the Seattle Opera debut of internationally celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves.

August 12–20, 2023

Alcina

On a remote island, the powerful sorceress Alcina lures men with her seductive magic. When a young woman disguised in armor comes to free her fiancé from the sorceress’s grip, relationships are entangled, passions are revealed, and, with the help of an enchanted ring, the strength of love is restored. This production features the return of soprano Vanessa Goikoetxea and mezzo-soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson, and marks the first time Alcina has been experienced by Seattle Opera audiences.

October 14–28, 2023

X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X

One of the most misunderstood figures in US history, Malcolm X was an icon of the civil rights movement. Get to know the man through a series of biographical vignettes that follow him from his tragic childhood in Lansing, Michigan, to his assassination in Harlem. Kenneth Kellogg and Joshua Stewart return to McCaw Hall in this “riveting and uncompromising work” (The New Yorker) that is being restored to the operatic canon in a coproduction with Detroit Opera, Opera Omaha, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and The Metropolitan Opera.

February 24–March 9, 2024

The Barber of Seville

The wheeling and dealing Figaro plays matchmaker between the savvy Rosina and the lovesick Count Almaviva, while Rosina’s vulturous guardian does everything he can to keep the lovebirds apart. Stage director Lindy Hume’s “bright hilarious production” (The Stranger) is an audience favorite with magnificent sets and colorful costumes. Combined with familiar and show-stopping tunes, this production is a treat for ears and eyes alike!

May 4–19, 2024

We’ve rounded up a few of the accessible performances happening in the San Francisco Bay Area in January 2023. These performances include ASL interpretation, open captioning, audio description, and sensory friendly. Check out the event calendar for more information.

We’ve rounded up a few of the accessible performances happening in Seattle in January 2023. These performances include ASL interpretation, open captioning, audio description, and sensory friendly. Check out the event calendar for more information.