Category: News

Discover Seattle Opera in a whole new light during the 2024/25 season. Immerse yourself in tales of heartbreak, resilience, romance, and grand drama with five renowned operas gracing the mainstage, complemented by numerous extra performances and educational classes.

This season introduces fresh subscription choices, making it more convenient than ever to delve into a realm of music, drama, and compelling narratives. Subscribers enjoy exclusive perks such as seamless ticket exchanges, flexible cancellations, a one-time seating upgrade, additional ticket discounts, and more. Check out more on the full season.

Pagliacci

August 3–17, 2024

When a commedia dell’arte troupe arrives in a small Italian village, they are greeted by cheers of welcome. Comedy turns to tragedy when jealousy rages, lovers are revealed, and the curtain comes down on murder. Set in 1930s Italy, our “visually arresting” (The Independent) production features artful sets and traditional commedia dell’arte costumes. 

Jubilee

October 12–25, 2024

Set soon after Emancipation and the end of the Civil War, follow the historic Fisk Jubilee Singers on their first tours, raising funds for the fledgling Fisk University and spreading their music around the world. This world premiere opera by renowned writer and director Tazewell Thompson (Blue ’22) features an ensemble of 13 singers performing over 40 spirituals, including “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Wade in the Water,” and many more.

Les Troyens in Concert

January 17 & 19, 2025

Following last season’s celebrated Samson and Delilah in Concert, join us for an abridged version of Hector Berlioz’s epic in a concert version featuring full orchestra and chorus. We are excited to welcome back mezzo-soprano and Tacoma native J’Nai Bridges (Samson and Delilah in Concert ’23) as Dido, the Queen of Carthage, and Russell Thomas (Nabucco ’15), “a tenor of gorgeously burnished power” (The New York Times), as Aeneas.

The Magic Flute

February 22–March 9, 2025

Featuring seamless interaction between onstage performers and eye-popping hand-drawn animated visuals, experience a striking new-to-Seattle production of a beloved audience favorite. Inspired by silent movies, Barrie Kosky’s colorful and energetic production comes to Seattle after receiving standing ovations at opera houses around the world.

Tosca

May 3–17, 2025

Giacomo Puccini’s melodrama returns to the McCaw Hall stage in a fan favorite classic production! “Vocally perfect” (Broadway World) soprano Vanessa Goikoetxea (Alcina ’23) and “gleaming soprano” (Opera Warhorses) Lianna Haroutounian (Madame Butterfly ’17) return to McCaw Hall as the fiery prima donna Floria Tosca. As Cavaradossi, “warm, rich tenor” (Bachtrack) Rame Lahaj alternates with “ardent tenor and an impassioned actor” (The Seattle Times) Yonghoon Lee (Samson and Delilah in Concert ’23) who returns to Seattle after his debut last season.

Get the New Year started right with performances for all!

We’ve rounded up three different play performances in the Bay Area that are open captioned, closed captioned, and audio described. Winter can be a bit of a drag after all the holiday cheer has evaporated—these shows will ensure you keep the good times rolling.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

Cal Performances

For lovers of live performance, there is a deeply satisfying combination of delights that the Trocks deliver better than almost anyone else: exquisite technique and elegant styling, deftly delivered with a hilarious punchline. Celebrating its landmark 50th anniversary season, the all-male drag ballet company is adored for affectionately skewering the old warhorses of classical dance and inviting audiences to rediscover both obscure and beloved scenes from classic repertoire. The Trocks were groundbreaking at their founding in 1974, and their irreverent, deeply informed romps through the glories and excesses of the dance world continue to offer laughs for aficionados and novices alike. “This is a company that brings its audiences pure joy” (The Seattle Times).

Live Audio Description: January 27 at 8 p.m.

Just for Us

Berkeley Rep

Expertly crafted by one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for empathy — and it’s also “belly-laugh funny!” (The New York Times). In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic threats pointed in his direction online, standup comic Edelman decides to go straight to the source; specifically, Queens, where he covertly attends a meeting of White Nationalists and comes face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards. What happens next forms the backbone of the shockingly relevant, utterly hilarious, and only moderately perspirant stories that comprise Just for Us.

Closed Captioning: select performances

Big Data

American Conservatory Theater

Sam loves Timmy, and Lucy loves Max, but the pressures of modern life leave them anxious, lonely, and susceptible to the siren song of tech. Do our devices—tantalizingly incarnate in this funny, sexy, uncanny world premiere—really know us best? Are our digital footprints predictive of our future choices, or are they choosing for us? When Sam and Lucy’s parents make a shocking announcement, the family is forced to confront what’s distracted them from each other—and the legacy they’ll leave behind. A.C.T.’s Artistic Director Pam MacKinnon and playwright Kate Attwell reunite to realize this revolutionary piece, inspired by Attwell’s experience touring Mozilla’s “Glass Room” pop-up interactive exhibit in San Francisco. Come explore questions of attention, connection, nourishment, and the dizzying possibilities of AI.

Open Captioned: March 2 at 2 p.m.

The holidays are a chance for all to gather with family and friends to celebrate a season of charity, joy, and love.

We’ve rounded up three different play performances in Seattle that are ASL interpreted, open captioned, audio described, and sensory inclusive. With Christmas just around the corner, there is still time to have a festive night (or afternoon) out with your loved ones no matter the accessibility needs.

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

The 5th Avenue Theatre

Based on the beloved, timeless film, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas comes just in time for the holiday season. After World War II, two veterans, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, begin a successful song and dance act, following two singing sisters to their Christmas gig at a Vermont resort lodge. With classic standards such as the titular hit, “Sisters,” “Snow,” “Blue Skies,” and “I Love a Piano,” White Christmas is a stirring and delightful musical that stands the test of time.

ASL Interpreted / Open Captioned / Sensory Inclusive: December 21 at 1: 30 p.m.

Black Nativity

Intiman Theatre

Langston Hughes’ Gospel Song-Play returns to Seattle with an all-new, reimagined production! Celebrate the Christmas story with actors, dancers, soaring vocalists, a rousing city-wide gospel choir, and the chance to sing-along. A stirring and joyful holiday experience for families of all backgrounds and beliefs.

ASL Interpreted: December 23 at 2 p.m.

A Very Electric Christmas

Seattle Children’s Theatre

Enjoy a cutting-edge light show with puppetry, story, and dance! This electrified tale follows the journey of a young bird named Max and his family as they embark on their migration south for the winter. When a gust of wind blows Max off course, he finds himself in a wondrous and unfamiliar world at the North Pole.

Audio Described: December 23 at 4:30 p.m.

GivingTuesday is an opportunity for people around the world to use their individual power of generosity to support their communities. This year GivingTuesday will be on November 28, 2023.

On GivingTuesday the whole world comes together to give back in many different ways: through acts of kindness, gifts of voice, time, talent, or treasure. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past 11 years, this idea has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

People can show their generosity in a variety of ways during GivingTuesday⁠⁠—whether it’s helping a neighbor, advocating for an issue, sharing a skill, or giving to causes, everyone has something to give, and every act of generosity counts.

Get ideas on how to give based on your passions and location.

Village Theatre presents Beautiful: The Carole King Musical now through December 23 in Issaquah and runs in Everett January 6 to 28, 2024. Tickets are now available. See what critics and audiences are saying!

She wrote the soundtrack to a generation. Beautiful tells the touching and true story of chart-topping musical legend Carole King’s remarkable rise to stardom: beginning as an ordinary girl with extraordinary talent, charting her rock ‘n roll songwriting with husband Gerry Goffin, exploring her relationship to fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, and forging her path to becoming one of the most successful and enduring solo artists in popular music history.

Chock full of your favorite hits like “One Fine Day,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “The Locomotion,” “(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” and so many more, Beautiful is more than just beautiful music— it’s an inspiring story of a groundbreaking female artist who forged her own path in the male-dominated music industry, finding her own true voice and moving the earth for us all.

“One of the best musicals I’ve ever seen!”

Audience member

“This is [Sarah Rose Davis’] best performance yet…you’d have thought you were listening to Carole King on that stage.”

BroadwayWorld

“I came away singing and smiling!”

Audience member

Cheers to 60 years: Seattle Rep is turning 60 and they are celebrating their diamond birthday with you! Join Seattle Rep at the theatre the week of November 13, 2023 for a variety of events as they celebrate the 60th anniversary of their first production, King Lear.

November 15, 2023
Pre- and Post-Show Celebration

Open to all ticketed attendees for the November 15 at 7:30 p.m. Opening Night performance of Little Women. Events will take place in Seattle Rep’s lobby. No RSVP to celebratory events needed.

Subscribers are invited to contact the Patron Services Office at 206.443.2222 to exchange your subscription tickets into this performance or to purchase additional tickets.

Schedule of Events:

6:30 p.m. | Lobby Festivities Begin

• Enjoy complimentary fresh-shucked oysters from Taylor Shellfish
• Happy-hour drink specials, including our Diamond Fizz 60th Birthday specialty cocktail, plus a selection of savory food items and sweet treats from Alki Bakery, all available for purchase
• Check out the Art Walk Reception for artist eileen jimenez’s exhibition, Nuestros Saberes

7:30 p.m. | Opening Night performance of Little Women 

Post-Show | Raise your glass in a complimentary bubbly birthday toast with dessert provided by Cupcake Royale 

Looking for info on the pre-show supporter dinner? Learn more here.

November 18, 2023
Seattle Rep: Past & Future – Performances & Panel

Open to the public, free ticket reservation required. Events to take place in Seattle Rep’s PONCHO Forum beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Join Seattle Rep for a performance and panel discussion celebrating the 60th birthday! Teen actors from youth programs will present short monologues drawing on the past six decades. Then Artistic Director Dámaso Rodríguez and a panel of local artists will share their visions for Seattle Rep and the next 60 years of American theater.

Reserve your free tickets now. Space is limited!
RESERVE

All Week Long

Keep an eye on Seattle Rep’s social media channels and Inside Seattle Rep to explore blog posts reminiscing on our past 60 years, exploring their history of both new and classic works, community engagement programming, and expert artisanry.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre announces a new show on stage this winter.

After receiving rave reviews on Broadway and in San Francisco, the distinguished OBIE Award recipient, Alex Edelman, is set to grace Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Peet’s Theatre with his acclaimed solo performance titled Just for Us. Under the skillful direction of Adam Brace (known for Liz Kingsman’s One Woman Show and Leo Reich’s Literally Who Cares?!), this limited engagement promises a captivating experience. Mark your calendars, as Just for Us is scheduled to kick off on Tuesday, January 9, and continue its captivating run until Sunday, January 21, 2024.

“There has never been a better or more important time to be in the presence of Alex Edelman,” said Berkeley Rep Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer. “His brilliantly clear-eyed, deeply personal examination of contemporary anti-Semitism somehow manages to be both edifying and hilarious.  It takes a rare talent to walk that tightrope, and he does it with panache.”

Expertly crafted by one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for empathy. In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic threats pointed in his direction online, standup comic Edelman decides to go straight to the source; specifically, Queens, where he covertly attends a meeting of White Nationalists and comes face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards. What happens next forms the backbone of the shockingly relevant, utterly hilarious, and only moderately perspirant stories that comprise JUST FOR US.

ACT Contemporary Theatre has unveiled the cast and creative crew for their 48th rendition of the cherished holiday tale, A Christmas Carol.

Originally adapted for the stage back in 1976 by the founder of ACT, Gregory Falls, this year’s production will feature the talented Seattle actor, Darragh Kennan, taking on the iconic role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Guiding this perennial holiday tradition is R. Hamilton Wright, a familiar face in ACT and Seattle theatre, while the choreography is skillfully orchestrated by the renowned Donald Byrd, the Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Company. The timeless enchantment of Charles Dickens’ work will come to life at ACT’s Allen Theatre from November 24 to December 24.

“Over the last 20 years I have played Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol many times, and this is my fourth time directing it,” said Director R. Hamilton Wright. “Each time I come back to it I experience a revelation—something new, something unexpected, something that had never occurred to me. It’s amazing. A little like magic.”

New to 2023, ACT Contemporary Theatre is presenting a sensory-friendly performance of A Christmas Carol. In partnership with Sensory Access, the December 10 performance will be adapted with key sensory-friendly changes to create a calm and welcoming environment.

About the Cast

A Christmas Carol features Darragh Kennan (ACT: Oslo; Romeo & Juliet) in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge; Jon Lutyens (ACT: Mary Stuart) as Bob Cratchit; Josephine Keefe (Spokane Civic: The Humans) as Mrs. Cratchit; Ray Tagavilla (ACT: Sweat) as Marley; Mandy Rose Nichols (Reboot Theatre: Sweeney Todd) as Spirit 1; Arlando Smith (ACT: Choir Boy; Sweat) as Spirit 2; Anne Allgood (ACT: Mary Stuart; The Crucible) as Mrs. Fezziwig; Rob Burgess (ACT: A Christmas Carol) as Mr. Fezziwig; Rio Alberto (Spokane Ensemble Theater: Hedwig and the Angry Inch) as Fred; Hazel Rose Gibson (Seattle Public Theater: Pipeline) as Belle and Niece; Morgan Gwilym Tso (ACT Theatre: Wolf Play) as Middle Scrooge; Evangeline OpongParry (Seattle Children’s Theatre: Corduroy) as Belinda Cratchit; Molly Aidlin (ACT: A Christmas Carol) as Elizabeth Cratchit; Leif Coomer as Street Urchin; Micah Hutchinson as Charles Cratchit; Isaiah Hyde as Peter and Young Scrooge; Liam Kuriatnyk as Tiny Tim; and Anneliese Ulmer-Schultz as Marth and Miss Fezziwig.

Understudies include Calder Jameson Schilling, Jennifer Ewing, and Shawn Belyea.

About The Creative Team

The creative team features R. Hamilton Wright (Director); Donald Byrd (Choreographer); R.J. Tancioco (Music Director); Alyssa Keene (Dialect Coach); Shelley Schermer (Scenic Design); Deb Trout (Costume Design); Andrew D. Smith (Lighting Design); and Brendan Patrick Hogan (Sound Design).

About R. Hamilton Wright (Director)

R. Hamilton Wright has appeared in over fifty productions at ACT Theatre, the first being Sam Shepard’s Buried Child in 1981 directed by Robert Loper and the latest being Reginald André Jackson’s History of Theatre in 2023 directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton. His original play Sherlock Holmes and The Vanishing Thimble premiered last spring at Vertigo Theatre in Calgary.

About Donald Byrd (Choreographer)

Donald Byrd is a Tony-nominated (The Color Purple) and Bessie Award-winning (The Minstrel Show) choreographer. He has been the Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle since December 2002. Formerly, he was Artistic Director of Donald Byrd/The Group, a critically acclaimed contemporary dance company, founded in Los Angeles and later based in New York that toured both nationally and internationally. He has created dance works for many leading companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, and Dance Theater of Harlem, among others, and worked extensively in theater and opera.

Seattle Rep will be accepting donations of sanitary products for women in need. The drive will run while Little Women plays on stage, November 10 to December 17. All donations from the drive will go to the YWCA Working Wardrobe for Women.

Almost half of Americans face challenges when it comes to affording sanitary pads and tampons, a situation known as “Period Poverty.” @SeattleT2P2, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to collecting sanitary pads and tampons for individuals experiencing homelessness, those with limited financial means, and students. These essential period products come with a high price tag, and if we aim for a fairer and more just society, we must ensure their accessibility for all. These items are often overlooked when it comes to donations, but they are incredibly needed. Let’s make a difference together!

Requested Donation Items

• Boxes of tampons and menstrual pads (all absorbance levels)
• Panty liners
• Wipes
• Hand sanitizer

There will also be a donation box in the lobby for monetary gifts.

The directors and cast have been announced for readings of new plays by five local playwrights to be performed October 27–29, 2023.

ACT Contemporary Theatre released more details of New Works Northwest, the Inaugural Festival, to be presented October 27–29, 2023 in ACT’s Bullitt Theatre. In kicking off this festival, ACT Contemporary Theatre continues as the epicenter of groundbreaking new work that promises to captivate, challenge, and inspire. All tickets are pay-what-you-can and are available now online or by calling the ACT Box Office at (206) 292-7676. Seating is limited and has already sold out for Mrs. Loman is Leaving and VIAL MAN (The Apothecary’s Story).

For this inaugural season, ACT will present five plays written by Seattle playwrights over the course of three evenings. The inaugural playwrights are Andrew Lee Creech (Taproot Theatre: Last Drive to Dodge); Steven Dietz (ACT Contemporary Theatre: Dracula); Katie Forgette (ACT: Assisted Living); Reginald Andrè Jackson (ACT: The History of Theatre, About, By, For, and Near); and Maggie Lee (Macha Theatre Works: Sheathed).

Performed as readings in a small, intimate setting, audiences will get the chance to witness the workshop process of bringing stories from script to stage. New Works Festival features the directing talents of Faith Bennett Russell (Seattle Public Theater: Pipeline); Jeff Steitzer (Seattle Shakespeare Company: Mother Courage and her Children); Valerie Curtis Newton (ACT: History of Theatre, Part 1); ACT Artistic Director John Langs (ACT: Every Brilliant Thing); and ACT Artistic Associate Shana Bestock (Seattle Public Theater: Amadeus).

The New Works Northwest Festival will feature an ensemble of local actors including Rob Burgess, Varinique Davis, Kathy Hsieh, Tracy Michelle Hughes, Reginald Andrè Jackson, Jonelle Jordan, Charles Leggett, Liz McCarthy, Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako, Eva OpongParry, Be Russell, Arlando Smith, Amy Thone, Morgan Gwilym Tso, Kevin Warren, Malcolm West, Bob Williams, Jarron A. Williams, Mike Winters, Dedra Woods, and R. Hamilton Wright.  

Maggie Lee’s The Sunless Scar will feature members of ACT’s Young Core Company: Alphie Alloway, Sally Calvo, Vice Curtis, River DeJong, Ravenna Donohue, Emmett Driscoll, Enza Fammartino, Fish Harrison, Sylvie Kelderman, Aly Martin, Lillian Morris, Izaik Neisuler, and Claire Sloss.