The celebrated cirque troupe will take residency at the Lotte Hotel in downtown Seattle in late 2023.
The theatrical cirque experience is celebrating its 25th anniversary, promising an opulent and extravagant run of performances. The cirque troupe will present its show in the Lotte Hotel’s largest performance space, the Grand Ballroom in The Sanctuary. The Teatro ZinZanni dinner and show experience will open this Fall and run into 2024. Single tickets will go on sale this summer. Groups of 12 or more may reserve seats and ticket benefits now.
“What a way to celebrate 25 years in Seattle!” said Norm Langill, Teatro ZinZanni Founder. “We are going uptown for a glorious party, and we are delighted to be part of the renewed energy and activity in downtown Seattle in the process. The Sanctuary is a hidden gem in Seattle, and with perfect seating, wonderful food, and great performers from the ZinZanni family, it’s going to be a mid-winter dream all the way around!”
Experience a new world of collaboration at Lotte Hotel’s focal point, The Sanctuary. This remarkable event space will be beautifully transformed into a signature Teatro ZinZanni experience. One of downtown Seattle’s oldest churches, The Sanctuary has undergone an impressive $40M renovation, turning it into an unparalleled venue for grand events. With its timeless Beaux Arts-style architecture, this historic landmark, over a century old, proudly holds a place on the National Register of Historic Places. Within the grandeur and elegance of The Sanctuary’s Grand Ballroom, guests are treated to the mesmerizing performances and interactive moments that have captivated audiences for a remarkable 25 years at Teatro ZinZanni. As an added delight, the hotel’s Executive Chef will curate a special menu served during each show, enhancing the overall experience for guests.
Tickets and special hotel packages for the Teatro ZinZanni’s residency at Lotte Hotel Seattle, taking place in The Sanctuary will be available for purchase this summer.
Christina Scheppelmann, general director of Seattle Opera, will complete her five-year contract at the end of the 2023/24 season and will move onto a new position as general director of La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels, Belgium.
“Leading Seattle Opera is a tremendous opportunity,” said Scheppelmann, who came to Seattle from the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. “The company boasts an incredible staff, orchestra, chorus, and crew, as well as a wonderful, supportive audience, all of whom I will miss greatly. I love this city and the opera community in this region, which has welcomed me wholeheartedly. I could not pass up the opportunity to lead one of the great European opera companies while also being closer to my family. But for now, there is much work to do and more opera to come in the year ahead, and I look forward to sharing what we have in store.”
Scheppelmann is the fourth general director of Seattle Opera. Under her leadership the company produced a world premiere, launched cornerstone programs, expanded its community partnerships, and brought over 100 new artists to Seattle for company debuts, with nearly 50 coming from abroad.
Under Scheppelmann’s leadership, Seattle Opera solidified its position as one of the most important opera companies in the United States. Despite the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic shortly after her arrival, Seattle Opera thrived. It was among the few opera houses in the country that successfully staged its entire 2020/21 season during the pandemic-induced shutdown. This was accomplished by creating innovative film adaptations of the originally planned productions. Throughout this challenging period, Seattle Opera released four complete opera films, engaged over twenty artists for online recitals, and expanded its educational initiatives with online classes, libretto-writing workshops, youth programs, and the Path with Art Veteran’s Choir. Moreover, Seattle Opera collaborated with Bloodworks Northwest to organize community blood drives at the Opera Center, demonstrating its commitment to the community even in the midst of the pandemic.
“Seattle Opera has been fortunate to collaborate with a general director of Christina’s caliber, and thanks to her leadership, the company is well positioned to build on its successes,” said Board President Lesley Chapin Wyckoff. “That Christina has accepted an offer to head one of Europe’s most important opera companies is a testament to her abilities and her excellent work in Seattle, which has ensured a bright, promising future for Seattle Opera. We could not be more proud of what she has accomplished here and we wish her the best in this exciting new opportunity.”
American Conservatory Theater has announced the addition of a final show to their 2023/24 season. A Strange Loop will run April 18–May 12, 2024 at the Toni Rembe Theater.
The Tony Award–winning musical comes direct from Broadway to San Francisco! Meet Usher: a Black, queer writer writing a musical about a Black, queer writer writing a musical about a Black, queer writer. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize–winning, blisteringly funny work of art exposes the heart and soul of a young artist grappling with desires, identity, and instincts he both loves and loathes. Hell-bent on breaking free of his own self-perception, Usher wrestles with the thoughts in his head, brought to life on stage by a hilarious, straight-shooting ensemble. Bold and heartfelt in its truth-telling, A Strange Loop is the big, Black, and queer-ass Great American Musical for all!
The 60-minute chamber opera opens on June 9 and runs through June 18. There are only six performances of this deeply moving opera, don’t miss your chance to see it in the Tagney Jones Hall.
Inspired by a true story, eleventh grade honor roll student Diane Tran is the child of two Vietnamese immigrants who are now divorced. With her father rarely around and her mother gone, Diane feels bound to help provide financially for her family, be both sister and parent to her siblings, and also keep up her honor roll studies. Despite her heroic efforts, a judge sends her to jail for truancy.
Through the lens of an exhausted dream, we follow Diane as she struggles with familial duties, her mother’s abandonment, and the injustices of a system lacking compassion or understanding. As Diane’s mother shares her own reasons for leaving family behind, Diane must make an impossible decision in this “land of laws.”
“Huang Ruo uses his music to inspire and question assumptions”
OperaWire
Go even deeper into the performance by listening to the podcast which discusses the Vietnamese instruments of Bound. Get tickets for Bound now.
Book-It Repertory Theatre will stage Solaris June 17 through July 9. The new play by David Greig is adapted from Stanislaw Lem’s novel of the same name. Solaris is a haunting story of love and loneliness on the edge of space that asks the big question: What happens when humans encounter, for the first time, a truly alien intelligence?
Check out some behind-the-scenes photos and get your tickets now to be transported to a space station right in Center Theatre.
Set Design by Jessica and Ben Radin
Scenic Designers (and newlyweds!) Jessica & Ben Radin have worked together to design a space that can, at times, feel wide open and therefore enhancing the characters’ feelings of loneliness; yet at other times can feel confined and oppressive to reflect the characters when they are in that emotional state.
Working with props designer Robin Macartney, this space station will feel very “lived in” — with used food containers left out, photos and letters from home crookedly thumbtacked to the walls, half-finished projects accompanied by tools and scraps of metal and wire strewn about, and stained coffee-mugs and used vape cartridges scattered on surfaces.
The world of Solaris is, oxymoranically, a world that can be described as both high-tech and analogue. This is a retro vision of the future, reflecting the technology that was once common to us: scuffed CDs on the floor, intercoms with knobs and dials, and messages filmed on VHS tapes.
The in-progress set build and painting. PHOTO BY JOHN BRADSHAW
Costume Design by Taya Pyne
Costume designer Taya Pyne has provided scientific “jumpsuit” uniforms for each character aboard the space station, yet each one will be individualized with personal touches, such as patches and other alterations. Costumes will also have various levels of distressing, depending on how long each character has been on the space station, as well how careless a character might be while eating, drinking and working.
Costume design board. PHOTO BY TAYA PINE
Lighting, Projections and Video
Lighting designer Dani Norberg has been exploring different “feels” for the lighting aboard the space station, including the sterile feel of functional and industrial lighting, but augmented by the glow from the planet below, which alternates between deep red and deep blue (possibly, and inexplicably, depending on how the planet is feeling).
Projections Designer Ahren Buhmann will be contributing to these moods-made-out-of-light by providing an extra dimension of projecting images and textures onto the set, and video content creator Josh Aaseng has filmed personal video diaries as recorded by the characters in the story.
Sound and Music
Sound designer Kyle Thompson will be creating ambient sounds, such as the hum of the machinery that keeps the space station operating, that will permeate the space on an almost subconscious level. In conjunction with non-rhythmic music reflecting the alien nature of the environment below, he has imbued our theatrical space with these haunting tones, enhancing the loneliness (and sometimes oppressiveness) of the space station. This show is employing 22 speakers for this atmospheric element of the show’s overall design, which is 14 more speakers than a typical Book-It show!
The Artists
The cast includes Jay Woods* (fresh off directing Sweeney Todd at the 5th Avenue Theatre) as Kelvin; Brandon Ryan as Snow; Alexandra Tavares** as Sartorius; Ian Bond** as Ray; Jim Gall** as Gibrarian; and Zoey Matthews and CC Dula alternating as The Child.
The show is directed by Book-It’s former Artistic Director Gus Menary. The creative team also includes Jessica & Ben Radin (Scenic Designers), Dani Norberg*** (Lighting Designer), Kyle Thompson (Sound Designer), Josh Aaseng (Video Content Creator); Ahren Buhmann (Projections Designer), Taya Pyne (Costume Designer): Robin Macartney (Props Designer); Harry Todd Jamieson (Fight Director), Shay Trusty** (Stage Manager), Nicola Krause (Assistant Stage Manager), Selina Senn (PA & Covid Safety Officer) and Lillia Nelson (Youth Cast Coordinator).
The Bay Area based AXIS Dance Company, one of the nation’s most acclaimed ensembles of disabled, non-disabled, and neurodiverse performers, announced that they will make their debut this summer at the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts.
Performing July 14–16, 2023, AXIS will present three acclaimed works from their extensive repertoire—Desiderata by Asun Noales, Flutter by Robin Dekkers, and Historias Rotas by Nadia Adame.
Led by Artistic Director Nadia Adame and Managing Director Danae Rees, AXIS is one of the nation’s most acclaimed ensembles of disabled, non-disabled, and neurodiverse performers. AXIS was founded in 1987 and creates world-class productions that challenge perceptions and redefine dance and disability. The Bay Area, California-based company has toured over 100 cities in the US, Israel and Palestine, United Kingdom, Europe, United Arab Emirates, and Russia, and has received nine Isadora Duncan Dance Awards. AXIS commissions new work from a host of renowned international choreographers including Marc Brew, Arthur Pita, Robin Dekkers, Bill T. Jones, Jennifer Archibald, Stephen Petronio, Amy Seiwert, and Asun Noales. In tandem with a robust performance calendar, AXIS provides unparalleled integrated dance education and outreach programs. AXIS builds paths to dance education for disabled and non-disabled people of all ages, experiences, and spectrum of disabilities.
“We are honored to be one of the first disability-integrated dance companies to share our work at this historic landmark for modern dance in the United States,” said AXIS Dance Artistic Director Nadia Adame. “As AXIS approaches our 37th anniversary as a company, this is a dream come true that has been many years in the making. We hope our performances add to the rich and diverse legacy of dance-making at Jacob’s Pillow, and that this relationship grows through the years to come.”
Jacob’s Pillow is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America’s longest-running international dance festival, currently in its 91st season. Each Festival includes national and international dance companies and free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, events, and community programs.
Taproot Theatre’s Road Company will present its touring production of Bugs! for free to the public on June 3 at 10 a.m. The performance will kick off the PhinneyWood Pride Rainbow Hop and will take place at Taproot Theatre’s Isaac Studio Theatre.
Things are snug as a bug in a rug at school until the new kid shows up with enviable expertise about bugs. All the students think Max is the bee’s knees. All of them, except Logan, whose jealousy turns into bullying behavior that’s as bad as a case of bed bugs. Will the other students realize they can’t just be flies on a wall? Can Max stand up to Logan’s bullying behavior? And is there room for new friendship on the playground?
Bugs! is a play geared towards elementary students about bullying prevention and celebrating differences. All ages are welcome to attend.
Tickets are free and seating is general admission, but registration is recommended. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and each reservation holds a seat until 9:45 a.m. (at 9:45 a.m. seats will be made available to all present).
Book-It Repertory Theatre has announced their 2023/24 season, which will run September 15, 2023 through July 7, 2024. The season includes four shows, three of which will feature the signature “Book-It style,” in which narrative from the source novel is transformed into compelling dialogue between characters.
“Book-It’s 34th Season offers a slate of stories packed with unexpected journeys, with both the characters and the audience embarking on these stunning expeditions, following where those paths lead, and investigating what questions are raised—and what life-altering decisions are made—along the way,” said Interim Artistic Director Kelly Kitchens. “It is a season full of remarkable, innovative artists exploring well-known stories with original interpretations.”
Join Book-It for a spiral into vengeance with Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. Book-It’s haunting adaptation of this enduring gothic horror novel examines what happens when science goes too far and pits the titular scientist against the being he sewed together and abandoned. This visceral production asks the question: what is a creator’s responsibility towards its creation? And who is the true monster in Frankenstein?
Rediscover a beloved classic this holiday season with Fellow Passengers. While sorting through the artifacts of a lifetime, three people discover fresh meaning in this timeless story, inviting us to reimagine our perspective on life and reclaim our compassion for others. Told in active narrative style and with live music, this is a refreshing and vital reintroduction to Dickens’ masterpiece.
In a fictional Latin American country, two hungry children are orphaned by a U.S.-backed coup. Fifteen years later they return, a modern-day Hansel and Gretel, to follow what migas they can in search of their father. Revisiting the scene of the violence they survived, they discover a landscape of secrets and sacrifice they are only beginning to understand. Delivered through compact and electric dialogue, and leavened with compassion and even humor, Crumbs / Migas is a play about the grief and grace we encounter on the way home.
Dive into adventure with Book-It’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. From the visionary novel by Jules Verne comes the iconic story of a journey into strange environs, the quest for scientific knowledge, and, of course, a giant squid. Considered one of the greatest adventure books of all time, 20,000 Leagues asks us what will become of humanity as technology allows us to explore—and exploit—the natural world. This world premiere script from Eddie DeHais thrillingly embraces the Book-It Style of active narrative to reveal the urgency, humor, and prescience of Verne’s reckoning with the same topics we face today.
RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon and celebrated performer Major Scales will return to Seattle Rep in Jinkx Monsoon & Major Scales: Together Again, Again!, the final show of next season.
Jinkx Monsoon & Major Scales: Together Again, Again! will come to Bagley Wright Theater, running May 31 throughJune 23, 2024. Tickets on sale soon.
The year is 2065. The sun has exploded, a dystopian nightmare has been realized, and the world has been taken over by authoritarian lizard people. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Winner Jinkx Monsoon and musical prodigy Major Scales aren’t on the best of terms, but decide to put their falling-out behind them for a final reunion extravaganza. From the creators of 2014’s crowd favorite The Vaudevillians, experience the comedy, music, and saucy stylings of two of the Pacific Northwest’s standout entertainers.
The San Francisco Ballet has announced their full ensemble of ballet members and character artists for the upcoming 2023/24 season.
The roster will include eight new corps de ballet members including Katharine Lee, Hui-Wen Peng, and Simone Pompignoli. Former apprentices Jihyun Choi, Benjamin Davidoff, Jasper True Stanford, Angela Watson, and Seojeong Yun have been promoted to the corps. Additional corps members will be announced later this summer. Former Principal Dancers Joanna Berman, Pascal Molat, and Tiit Helimets and longtime SF Ballet School faculty Kristi DeCaminada and Jeffrey Lyons will join as character artists.
New Members
Katharine Lee is a graduate of English National Ballet School, and previously studied with The Washington School of Ballet from 2009 to 2018. Currently at Northern Ballet, Lee’s repertoire has included Swan Lake (Four Cygnets), The Great Gatsby (Young Daisy), and corps roles in Mthuthuzeli November’s Wailers and Drew McOnie’s Merlin. She performed in Akram Khan’s Giselle while at ENB School and attended the SF Ballet School summer program studying with Patrick Armand, Tina LeBlanc, and Sofiane Sylve in 2017 and 2018.
Hui-Wen Peng was born in Taichung, Taiwan and began her initial training with Peiyu Wu and Maiying Lin. In 2015, she won the Taiwan Grand Prix gold medal, which awarded Peng a full scholarship to National Conservatory Dance School of Lisbon and The Harid Conservatory, where she received the Dance Study Award in 2016 and 2017. She began to study at The Washington School of Ballet under the direction of Xiomara Reyes and Rinat Imaev in 2017. Peng became a trainee for The Washington Ballet under the direction of Julie Kent and former SF Ballet Principal Dancer Ruben Martin for the 2018–19 season. From 2019 to 2022, Peng was a member of Atlanta Ballet II under the direction of former SF Ballet Principal Dancer Gennadi Nedvigin, where her repertory included principal roles in The Swan Princess and Snow White, both choreographed by Bruce Wells. In 2022, Peng was awarded the silver medal in the senior category at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition.
Simone Pompignoli was born in Forli, Italy, and began his ballet training at the Ateneo Danza. Pompignoli attended the 2013 Youth American Grand Prix competition in Belgium where he made it to the finals in New York; during that time, he attended the American Ballet Theatre’s Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis School. In September 2014 he began training at the John Cranko School. During his time in Germany, Simone had the opportunity to dance in several pieces for the school including Italiana by Nicola Biasutti, Alrededor no hay nada by Goyo Montero, and Classical Symphony by SF Ballet Choreographer in Residence Yuri Possokhov. He completed his ballet training at John Cranko School in 2018 under the guidance of Dimitri Magitov, joining Tulsa Ballet II later that year. Simone joined the Tulsa Ballet in 2020 as an apprentice and joined the corps de ballet in 2021. While at the Tulsa Ballet his corps repertoire has included Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker, Ben Stevenson’s Dracula, and Vendetta by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.
New Apprentices
Six SF Ballet School Trainees have been named apprentices for the 2023–24 season: Sofia Albers, Raphaël Brunais Besse, Eduardo Cazarez, Jacey Gailliard, Mimi Lamar, and Dylan Pierzina. As apprentices, dancers will take company class and perform corps de ballet roles in SF Ballet productions.
