Category: News

ArtsFund announces the launch of its 50th anniversary year with a proclamation from Mayor Durkan, who has declared October 15, 2019 to be “ArtsFund Day”. The honor officially kicks off ArtsFund’s milestone year. 

Founded in October 1969, the Seattle-based nonprofit has been building community through the arts for 50 years. ArtsFund is one of the nation’s leading United Arts Funds and has contributed to the vibrancy of the Central Puget Sound region by supporting the health and vitality of arts and cultural organizations and the individuals they serve.

ArtsFund Interim President & CEO Sue Coliton stated, “ArtsFund was founded 50 years ago to generate support for the arts from the business community. Since then, it has evolved into a leader of the sector. We work to ensure arts are accessible to all and valued as central and critical to a healthy society. A future for the arts is a future for community, and ArtsFund is uniquely positioned to help deliver on that promise.”

“Whereas, the City of Seattle recognizes the work ArtsFund has been undertaking for the past 50 years and wishes them continued success.”

Mayor Jenny A. Durkan, City of Seattle, from the proclamation

The celebration of 50 years of impact will complement ArtsFund’s annual fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, 2020.  Each year, ArtsFund’s fundraising empowers companies, individuals and community partners to make collective, regional and significant impact strengthening the community through support of the arts. Revenues from ArtsFund’s annual drive will support grants and capacity building programs, as well as additional activities and services strengthening more than 120 organizations throughout the Central Puget Sound region. 

ArtsFund Board Chair Anthony R. Miles added, “As we celebrate 50 years of impact, we remain focused on realizing ArtsFund’s unique potential to enhance the role of the arts and creativity in our region. In addition to grantmaking, ArtsFund’s research, programs and advocacy contribute to a sustainable, collaborative, informed, equitable and inclusive future. As the region has grown and evolved ArtsFund has been there every step of the way for the arts and cultural community. We are committed to empowering the sector in the years ahead.”

As the region has grown and evolved ArtsFund has been there every step of the way for the arts and cultural community.

Anthony R. Miles, ArtsFund Board Chair

ArtsFund was originally founded as the United Arts Council of Puget Sound to bring corporate and civic leaders together to help establish and sustain our region’s arts and cultural institutions. Upon completion of its inaugural fundraising campaign, the first grant beneficiaries included ACT Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Opera, Seattle Symphony and Seattle Rep—all organizations still supported by ArtsFund today. Fifty years and a few name changes later (to Corporate Council for the Arts in 1975 and to ArtsFund in 2003), ArtsFund has supported nearly 240 arts nonprofits with more than $84 million in grants, and by providing valuable leadership and advocacy.

Anniversary events will include a birthday edition of ArtsFund’s Celebration of the Arts Luncheon on March 20, 2020. Registration will open in February 2020.

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The full mayoral proclamation can be viewed on Artsfund’s website.

Learn more about ArtsFund’s 50 years of impact and the plans for the year ahead.

Pacific Northwest Ballet turns to regional talent for the mixed-bill Locally Sourced, which will play for just seven performances, November 8–17, and includes three world premieres.

Love and Loss

In Donald Byrd’s sixth work created for Pacific Northwest Ballet, a cast of 22 dancers will perform to music by Emmanuel Witzthum.

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 2002. He has created dance works for many leading companies and was recently named a 2019 Doris Duke Artist Awardee.

F O I L

In her first work for the Pacific Northwest Ballet mainstage, Eva Stone choreographs a work to music from five women composers and collaborates with an all-woman design team.

Eva Stone is the founder and producer of CHOP SHOP: Bodies of Work, a a contemporary dance festival held annually in Bellevue. She has been teaching and lecturing throughout the Puget Sound since 1995 and is currently on faculty at Spectrum Dance Theater and Pacific Northwest Ballet School, where she initiated the New Voices choreography course for young women.

Wash of Gray

Also choreographing for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s mainstage for the first time will be Miles Pertl, a PNB company dancer who is collaborating with his sister, visual artist Sydney M. Pertl. Together, with composer Jherek Bischoff, they are creating a multi-media dance work.

Seattle native Miles Pertl has choreographed works for PNB’s NEXT STEP and PNB School’s annual School Performance as well as the Noverre Society in Stuttgart, Danza Estate in Gubbio, Italy, and New Moves in Amsterdam. With a love of both dance and art, he has teamed up with his sister, artist Sydney M. Pertl, to form SeaPertl Productions, an organization which seeks to showcase both worlds and shine a spotlight on local talent.

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Locally Sourced will be performed at Pacific Northwest Ballet’s McCaw Hall November 8 through 17. Tickets are available online.

The 2020 Jewell Mainstage season will include Steel Magnolias, Babette’s Feast, See How They Run, The Spitfire Grill and The Old Man and the Old Moon.

“Whether it’s you being you, creating a new life or a case of mistaken identities, in the 2020 Season we’re uncovering what makes us more than mere mortals,”said Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director Scott Nolte. “With our unique blend of comedies, dramas and musicals (that you won’t find anywhere else!), the characters that cross the stage illuminate our lives. And the theatre is one of the best escapes to see life more clearly. So let us give you some insights, gasps and giggles in 2020.”

Steel Magnolias

(January 22–February 29)

BOOM! Drum fires another shot into the magnolia trees giving Ouiser’s dog a nervous breakdown. Truvy’s salon is buzzing as gossip and zingers fly between baby’s breath and bouffants. Annelle is new and nervous which means things are getting a little poofy. Hold onto your rollers and grab your tissues for this hilariously heartwarming American classic.

Babette’s Feast

(March 18–April 25)

Crossing thousands of miles in search of asylum, Babette finds safety across the fjords in a tiny mountain village. But petty squabbles and personal slights render the pious villagers as frigid and unforgiving as their surroundings. In one radical act of generosity, Babette prepares a feast so lavish it awakens grace to transform brittle hearts.

Based on a short story by Isak Dinesen, which also inspired the Oscar-winning film of the same name, Babette’s Feast shines in a new stage adaptation by Abigail Killeen and Rose Courtney.

See How They Run

(May 15–June 22)

All Penelope wants is an evening out; surely even vicar’s wives can have an innocent night on the town with an old friend. But between the buzzed busy-body in the closet, a volley of vacillating vicars galloping across the lawn and a Soviet spy on the loose, this night is racing towards insanity. Precocious and preposterous, this comedy is quintessentially English.

The Spitfire Grill

(July 8–August 15)

Percy is fresh out of prison and searching for a new life when she arrives in Gilead. Curmudgeonly Hannah’s ready to leave The Spitfire Grill behind and announces a contest to raffle it off. As entries start pouring in from around the country, rumors and secrets swirl through the once picture perfect town. In this soul-stirring musical, forgiveness and a spirit of hope go a long way in pointing the way home.

The Old Man and the Old Moon

(September 18–October 26)

Created by acclaimed theatre-makers PigPen Theatre Co. and inspired by Celtic folklore and British sea shanties, this spell-binding play with music takes us to the end of the world on a whimsical journey to uncover a forgotten past.

The moon is waning and the Old Man must refill it. A melody sparks a memory and the Old Woman must follow it. In a quest to find his wife, the Old Man abandons his duties to face civil wars, monsters of the deep, zeppelins, meddling ghosts and a past he can’t remember. This fantastical, sea-fairing and song-filled tale leads you on an epic adventure into lands unknown!

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New subscriptions for the 2020 season go on sale October 1 adn start at $78. Single tickets will be released for Steel Magnolias on Nov. 19; for Babette’s Feast on Jan 14, 2020; for See How They Run on Mar 10; for The Spitfire Grill on May 5; and The Old Man and the Old Moon on June 30. Tickets can be found at taproottheatre.org.

Village Theatre has announced the cast for the first show in their 2019-20 season. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee boasts a cast of immense talent, with Village Theatre and Seattle area favorites—including the award-winning playwright of Lizard Boy, Justin Huertas.

Spelling Bee will run at Village Theatre’s Issaquah location September 12–October 20 before playing at their Everett location October 25–November 17.

“Life is pandemonium” in this fast-paced and irreverent Tony Award-winning comedy. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee follows an eclectic group of students as they vie for the title of regional spelling bee champ—hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. This witty coming-of-age story is bursting with heart, and Village Theatre’s full-fledged production will be an unforgettable experience that chronicles all the joy, torment and passion of those who love to compete. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves! At least the losers get a juice box…

Cast

Nicholas Japaul Bernard (Mitch Mahoney) is a native of Rochester, New York and is making his Village Theatre debut. Past roles include: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (ArtsWest), Rock of Ages (The 5th Avenue Theatre), Citizen: An American Lyric (Sound Theatre Company) and Take Me Out (Strawberry Theatre Workshop). A Black, gay and disabled artist, Nicholas hopes to take up as much space in the theatre world as possible and make space for other marginalized artists.

Justin Huertas (Chip Tolentino) is an award-winning playwright, composer-lyricist and actor. He was last seen at Village Theatre in In the Heights. Acting credits include: Everybody (Strawberry Theatre Workshop), Caught (Intiman) and Tiny Beautiful Things (Seattle Rep). Justin wrote Lizard Boy and The Last World Octopus Wrestling Champion. His newest musical Lydia and the Troll premieres this spring at Seattle Rep.

Brian Lange (Vice Principal Douglas Panch) is returning to Village Theatre’s Mainstage for the first time since 2010’s The Gypsy King. Since then he’s been at Village Theatre’s First Stage for developmental productions of Cloaked, Watt?!?, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes, String and ZM. Most recently Brian was in ACT/The 5th Avenue Theatre’s co-production of Urinetown, and Bright Star at Taproot Theatre.

Arika Matoba (Marcy Park) debuted on the Seattle stage as Little Red Ridinghood in Village Theatre’s Into the Woods. Additional credits include: Urinetown (ACT/The 5th Avenue Theatre), A Charlie Brown Christmas (Taproot Theatre) and AMT’s Rosie the Riveter (The 5th Avenue Theatre). Arika is represented by The Actor’s Group. @arikamatoba

Rafael Molina (Leaf Coneybear) Village Theatre credits: Hart Island, ZM, Into the Woods. Other recent credits include: West Side Story (Bay Area Theatre Company), The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Seattle Children’s Theatre) and Much Ado About Nothing (Seattle Shakespeare Company). As a composer and director, Rafael has collaborated with many local organizations and institutions. BFA Cornish College of the Arts.

Taylor Niemeyer (Olive Ostrovsky) Previous credits include: Newsies (Katherine), Xanadu (Euterpe), Big River (Mary Jane), Annie Get your Gun (Winnie Tate), Billy Elliot, Cabaret, Mary Poppins, Funny Girl and The Producers (ensemble) at Village Theatre; West Side Story (Ensemble), A Chorus Line (Bebe) and The Music Man (Zaneeta) at The 5th Avenue Theatre. @TaylorKaySymons

Sarah Russell (Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere) is returning to Village Theatre’s stage after appearing in The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes, Dreamgirls and My Heart is the Drum. Additional credits include: Urinetown (ACT/The 5th Avenue Theatre), Kiss Me Kate, Grease (The 5th Avenue Theatre) and The Odyssey (Seattle Rep).

MJ Sieber (William Barfee) Recent credits include: The Crucible and Stupid Fucking Bird at ACT Theatre; Dry Powder, Outside Mullingar, Photograph 51 at Seattle Rep; Native Son at Intiman; Shakespeare in Love, Midsummer and Winter’s Tale at Seattle Shakespeare Company; and Elephant Man and Gutenburg! The Musical at Strawberry Theatre Workshop, just to name just a few. He was the associate artistic director of New Century Theatre Co. and appeared in Festen, O Lovely Glowworm, The Trial, The Adding Machine, and directed the West Coast Premiere of Annie Baker’s Pulitzer Prize winner The Flick.

Jessica Skerritt (Rona Lisa Perretti) Favorite Village Theatre credits include: String (Atropos), Singin’ in the Rain (Lina Lamont), Xanadu (Kira/Clio), The Producers (Ulla) and Million Dollar Quartet (Dyanne). The 5th Avenue Theatre: A Christmas Story (Mother), How to Succeed… (Hedy LaRue), Annie (Grace), The Sound of Music (Elsa), ELF (Deb). ACT: Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey), Grey Gardens (Young Little Edie).

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Subscriptions for Village Theatre’s 2019-20 season and single tickets for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee are now available.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has just announced its cast and creative team for the first show of its 2019-20 season, The Great Wave, which will play at Roda Theatre September 12 through October 27, 2019. This epic new thriller by Francis Turnly will have its American premiere at Berkeley Rep this fall and will be directed by Obie Award winner Mark Wing-Davey.

“Berkeley Rep has long been championing playwrights like Francis Turnly who offer us access to stories and worlds that aren’t often explored onstage,” says Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer. “The Great Wave illuminates a gripping story of international intrigue told through an intensely personal lens. Seeing it is like experiencing a propulsive page-turner, which I find rare in the theatre.”

Cast

Julian Cihi (Tetsuo) Julian is making his Berkeley Rep debut. He was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan before moving to the U.S. to attend Brown University (BA) and later NYU Tisch Grad Acting (MFA). Theatre credits include Doctor Zhivago (Broadway), Romeo and Juliet (Classic Stage Company), A Month in the Country (Williamstown Theatre Festival) and Wild Goose Dreams (La Jolla Playhouse). Julian has also performed in several musicals in Japan, including Rent and a musical adaptation of As You Like It, all in Japanese. He most recently appeared in the second season of Amazon Prime’s original TV series The Tick as a villain named Edgelord.

Yurié Collins (Reiko) Yurié is honored to lend voice to the untold stories of people from her home country. Born and raised in Wakayama Japan, Yurié is currently based in New York City. She has appeared on stage with the Flea Theatre, 600 Highwaymen, Witness Immersive, and on screen for TV shows such as Bull (CBS), Gotham (FOX) and Orange Is the New Black (Netflix). Yurié also organizes with social and climate justice groups and is passionate about combining acting and activism.

Stephen Hu (Kum-Chol) Stephen is thrilled to be returning to the Bay Area with his Berkeley Rep debut. New York credits include F.O.B. (Sheen Center) and Puzzle the Will (Davenport Theatre). Select regional credits include Hamlet (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis), Macbeth (Theatricum Botanicum), Ching Chong Chinaman (Artists at Play), and Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (The Old Globe). His last appearance in the Bay was for Vietgone at American Conservatory Theater, for which he received the Best Featured Actor SF Theatre Critics Circle Award. He was recently seen on TV in The Good Fight. MFA, The Old Globe/USD.

Cindy Im (Jung Sun/Soldier Two) Cindy’s credits include Vietgone, The Orphan of Zhao, Stuck Elevator (American Conservatory Theater); Hannah and the Dread Gazebo, Julius Caesar, Great Expectations, The Winter’s Tale (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Marin Theatre Company); The Orphan of Zhao (La Jolla Playhouse); The World of Extreme Happiness (Manhattan Theatre Club); Twelfth Night (Cal Shakes); The World of Extreme Happiness (Goodman Theatre); Measure for Measure (Seattle Shakespeare Company); and 11 Septembre 2001 (Theatre Dijon Bourgogne/REDCAT). Film/television credits include Manifest (NBC) and Tigertail (Netflix). Cindy is a TCG Fox Acting Fellow, RHE Foundation Fellow and holds an MFA in Acting from CalArts.

Paul Juhn (Official) Paul last appeared at Berkeley Rep in 2007 in after the quake. Theatre credits include Henry VI (National Asian American Theatre Company); the world premiere of Hannah and the Dread Gazebo, Merry Wives of Windsor, The Winter’s Tale, Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land, Antony and Cleopatra (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Good Person of Szechwan (The Public Theater); Sides: The Fear Is Real (Ma-Yi Theater); White Chocolate (The Culture Project). Film and TV credits include Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Quantico, Salt, The Americans, 30 Rock, Person of Interest, Works of ART. He is a founding member of both Mr. Miyagi’s Theatre Company and Suffolk Street Films. Paul received his MFA from UCSD.

Jo Mei (Hanako)This is Jo’s Berkeley Rep debut. Theatre credits include We Are Among Us (City Theatre, Pittsburgh), Babette’s Feast (off Broadway/Portland Stage), Fingersmith (American Repertory Theater), World of Extreme Happiness (Manhattan Theatre Club), King of Hell’s Palace (Goodman Theatre), You for Me for You (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company). TV credits include Crashing (HBO), Nicki (Freeform), Bones (Fox), and The Good Wife (CBS). Jo stars in and co-wrote the award-winning film A Picture of You; other film credits include Who We Are Now, Adult World and The Grief of Others. Jo is a graduate of The Juilliard School’s Drama Division. @jotomato

Paul Nakauchi (Jiro) Paul is excited to be making his Berkeley Rep debut. Broadway: The King & I at Lincoln Center. Off Broadway: Long Day’s Journey into Night at Mint Theater, Chu Chem at Ritz Theatre. London: The King & I at the Palladium. National tour: Miss Saigon. Regional credits: Sunday in the Park with George at the Guthrie Theater, Allegiance at The Old Globe, Mikado, Inc at Paper Mill Playhouse. He has appeared in the films The Great Raid, Dark Metropolis and Death Note. TV credits include ER, The Young and the Restless and Deadbeat. He has voiced numerous characters for games, animated features and TV, including Carmen Sandiego, which has been nominated for this year’s Emmy for best children’s programming.

Grace Chan Ng (Hana) Grace is thrilled to return to the Bay Area for her stage debut at Berkeley Rep, where she previously partook in the Ground Floor summer workshop of F*ck Miss Saigon. Recent regional credits include Dry Land and The Black Rider (Shotgun Players), You for Me for You (Crowded Fire), Hair (Bay Area Musicals), Fiddler on the Roof (Berkeley Playhouse), Life Is a Dream (Cutting Ball Theater) and the world premiere of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Bay Area Children’s Theatre), winner of three Theatre Bay Area Awards. Grace is a graduate of San Francisco State University.

Sharon Omi (Etsuko) Sharon is thrilled to be back at the Berkeley Rep. Before leaving for LA many years ago, she performed here in The Good Person of Szechuan, Top Girls at The Eureka Theater Co., Uncle Vanya at American Conservatory Theater, Tea at The Asian American Theater Co. among many others. She has worked at South Coast Repertory, Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, East West Players, Playwright’s Arena and Odyssey Theatre. Recent TV work includes The Resident, Forever, The First, How to Get Away with Murder and Criminal Minds. She starred in the indie film Eat with Me for which she won a best actress award from the Out On Film Festival in Atlanta. Los Angeles theatre favorites include And the Soul Shall Dance, Blood Wedding, Innocent When You Dream and Tales of Clamor.

David Shih (Takeshi/Soldier One) This is Dave’s Berkeley Rep debut. His theatre credits include the National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) productions of Henry VI: Shakespeare’s Trilogy in Two Parts, Awake and Sing! and [veil widow conspiracy]; KPOP (Ars Nova); Somebody’s Daughter (Second Stage Theater); Tiger Style! (La Jolla Playhouse); Bike America (Ma-Yi Theatre Company); Crane Story (The Playwrights Realm). He has appeared on television in Billions, The Path, City on a Hill, Blindspot, Elementary, Madam Secretary, The Blacklist and in the films Mr. Sushi, Eighth Grade, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Saving Face. Dave works with Only Make Believe performing for children in hospitals and care facilities.

Creative Team

Chika Shimizu (Scenic Designer) Chika is a New York-based scenic and projection designer. Her design credits include Awake (The Barrow Group), Hunky Boys Go Ding-Dong (Adult Swim Network), Another Dream (world premiere, Tribeca Film Festival), The Winning Side (Epic Theatre Ensemble), The Naturalists (Pond Theatre Company), Vietgone (TheatreSquared), Buyer and Cellar (Bucks County Playhouse), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Yale Rep, Connecticut Critics Circle Award nomination), Romulus The Great (Yangtze Rep), False Stars (Corkscrew Theater Festival), The Seagull (Access Theater), Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will, The Visit (Yale School of Drama). She is a recipient of Donald and Zorca Oenslager Fellowship Award in Design. MFA in Design from Yale School of Drama. chikashimizu.com

Meg Neville (Costume Designer) Meg’s Berkeley Rep productions include Imaginary Comforts; It Can’t Happen Here; Hand to God; One Man, Two Guvnors; Party People; Macbeth; Pericles; The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide…; Ghost Light; Eurydice. Regional credits include The Great Leap and Heisenberg at American Conservatory Theater, The Music Man at Arizona Theater Company, Blithe Spirit and The Cocoanuts at the Guthrie Theater, and Taming of the Shrew, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, and The Cocoanuts at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, as well as shows at California Shakespeare Theater, the Magic Theatre, Joe Goode Performance Group, Marin Theatre Company, South Coast Rep, Yale Rep, Hartford Stage, Center Stage Baltimore, Second Stage, Dallas Theater Center, Atlantic Theater Company, BAM, New York Stage and Film. She resides in Marin with her family. megneville.com

Lap Chi Chu (Lighting Designer) Lap has designed Ruined and Emotional Creature at Berkeley Rep. He has also recently designed the world premieres of Lynn Nottage’s Mlima’s Tale and Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves. His other lighting designs can be seen at Lincoln Center, The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Mark Taper Forum, Geffen Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Shakespeare Theater. Lap’s awards include the Lucille Lortel, 2018 Obie for Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Angstrom Award for Career Achievement in Lighting Design, Ovation Award and multiple Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards. He is also the head of lighting design at California Institute of the Arts. lapchichu.com

Bray Poor (Sound Designer) Bray’s Berkeley Rep credits include Dear Elizabeth, Red, Eurydice, For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday, Changes of Heart (as an actor).Broadway: True West, The Glass Menagerie, The Real Thing, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), American Plan. His sound and music have been heard in regional theatres all over the country and Europe. In New York, he has worked in numerous off-Broadway theatres, most recently at Second Stage on Bess Wohl’s Make Believe directed by Michael Greif. He’s been nominated several times for Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Awards and won Obie Awards for Annie Baker’s John as well as for Sustained Excellence in Sound Design.

Tara Knight (Video Designer) Tara is delighted to be designing at Berkeley Rep for the first time. Previous projection design credits include Hollywood! (Craig Noel Award nomination for Outstanding Projection Design) and A Dram of Drummhicit at La Jolla Playhouse, Amazons and Their Men and Ballast at San Diego’s LGBTQ Diversionary Theater, and The Floating World at the San Diego Art Museum (Emmy Award). Her award-winning short animations and dance films have screened at festivals in New York, Ottawa, Montreal, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Helsinki, London, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Zagreb, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Taipei and most recently at the Annecy International Animation Festival in France.

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Subscriptions for Berkeley Rep’s 2019-20 season are available online. Individual tickets for The Great Wave will be available in mid-August.

Stanford Live has announced eleven more artists in their 2019-20 season lineup. Following Stanford Live’s mission to “foster a vibrant learning community and provide distinctive experiences through the performing arts,” the newly added acts are a diverse range of comedians, national and international musicians, and an American legend.

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Tickets for the newly added shows and the full 2019-20 season are available online.  

A charming new musical has just been added to Berkeley Rep’s upcoming season to play during the holiday.  

Berkeley Repertory Theatre announced yesterday that they will be adding a special performance event in their 2019-20 season: The Tale of Despereaux. This new musical will be presented by PigPen Theatre Co. and is directed by Marc Bruni whose credits include the Tony Award-winning Beautiful: The Carole King Story. The Tale of Despereaux comes to Berkeley Rep after a world premiere at The Old Globe in San Diego and will run November 21 through January 5.

Incoming Artistic Director of Berkeley Rep Johanna Pfaelzer looks forward to the addition saying, “I am thrilled to have PigPen Theatre Co. join the upcoming season at Berkeley Rep. They are known for their dynamic theatrical storytelling, and to have this beautifully staged interpretation of a great novel on our stage will be a treat for our audiences.”

Adapted from Kate DiCamillo’s Newbery Medal-winning novel and the animated film, The Tale of Despereaux follows a courageous mouse who dreams of becoming a knight. He sets off on a noble quest that will take him down into dungeons and up to the heights of a castle tower to rescue a beautiful human princess—but the dark-hearted rat Roscuro has other ideas.

Filled with beautiful music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co., inventive staging and a poignant message, The Tale of Despereaux makes a perfect show for children and adults alike.

Speaking to The San Diego Union-Tribune about the appeal of this story, member of PigPen Arya Shahi states, “the mouse is the embodiment of an unlikely hero. These little scurrying rodents, these little creatures, it’s them against the world.”

The Tale of Despereaux will be one of two special events in Berkeley Rep’s season, the other being Elevator Repair Service’s Gatz, a word-for-word performance of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, which has astonished audiences around the world. These two events will be in addition to Berkeley Rep’s seven regular season shows previously announced: The Great Wave, White Noise, Becky Nurse of Salem, Culture Clash (Still) in America, School Girls; Or the African Mean Girls Play, Happy Days, and Swept Away.

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Tickets for the The Tale of Despereaux will be available to Berkeley Rep subscribers in early August before becoming available to the general public. Information on becoming a 2019-20 season subscriber can be found on their website.  

The week after commemorating our nation’s independence, Seattle Theatre Group celebrates a bit more universally.

This Friday, STG’s DANCE This program will come to Moore Theatre for one remarkable night of performance. Now in its 21st year, DANCE This includes works from national and local dancers, highlighting styles from around the globe, with the purpose of connecting diverse communities and sharing backgrounds, all through the art of dance.

This year will include performances by:

• Bahia In Motion (Dances from Brazil)
• Cornish Dance Theater (Modern)
• Massive Monkees (Breaking Crew)
• Northside Step Team (Step)
• Northwest Tap Connection (Afro-Modern/Tap)
• Pacific Ballroom Dance (Foxtrot/Cha Cha)
• Prashanthi Chitre Institute of Performing Arts (Indian Classical, Folk and Contemporary)
• United Pacific Islander Impact (Samoan Dance and Music)
• A Finale Choreographed by Kirsten Barron Kinney

In addition to the DANCE This performance on July 12, the program provides young dancers the opportunity to work with professional educators through two different dance camps during the summer: DANCE This Intensive in Seattle and DANCE This Camp @ Centrum. These programs focus on cross cultural and contemporary dance.

Aaron Alexandar, Chicago cast member from the hit musical Hamilton was a participant of DANCE This in the past and has shared its value, “Having been involved with DANCE This since 2003, I can say the program has helped shape the artist I am today. It has made my choreography and directing skills more well-rounded and eclectic. DANCE This offers kids a glimpse into the world of the performing arts and inspires them to continue to learn and perform.”

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The 21st Annual DANCE This performance is Friday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Moore Theatre. Tickets can be purchased online.

This August, where do you see yourself? The possibilities are endless. With warm weather and long days, the outdoors are a constant temptation calling you away from the office (literal or otherwise). Even if outdoor activities aren’t your predilection, there are summer blockbuster movies, arts and culture festivals, and family vacations (or obligations, depending on your view).

But if you’re a theatre enthusiast your answer will probably be a little different; that’s because August is also the time for TheatreWorks’ New Works Festival. Now in its 18th year, the Festival has become an “artistic highlight of the summer.” For two weeks (August 9–18) the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto will host “script-in-hand” readings of five new musicals and plays, a panel with the artists, and a keynote address.

The five pieces chosen for the Festival are in the early stages of development and the readings offer audiences the chance to go behind-the-scenes, to see how a play or musical is workshopped. Shows that have had their first appearance at the Festival have gone on to great success on Broadway and off, such as Tony Award-winning Memphis and Obie Award-winning Describe the Night. And many, including Jane Austen’s Emma and The Four Immigrants, have become TheatreWorks hits. This season, TheatreWorks will stage the Northern California premiere of They Promised Her the Moon which debuted at last year’s Festival.

This year, the New Works Festival offers audiences two musicals and three plays to enjoy, discuss and make predictions about. Here’s a summary of what will be showcased:

Revival

The authors of Broadway’s Tuck Everlasting spin a romantic musical drama across the vast prairies of 19th century Nebraska.

Iron John

Weaving past and present, this poignant new musical explores a haunting legacy of racism buried but not forgotten.

Nan, and the Lower Body (The Pap Smear Play)

In this frank and feminist play, good-humored Dr. Pap has great mysteries to unravel and a bright assistant with dark secrets to hide.

The Imperialists

With a Noises Off flair, this door-slamming romp sets old-school against new-wave in a hilarious quest for royalty and relevance.

Father/Daughter

In this funny, warm-hearted, and wonderfully human play about lovers, fathers, daughters and the fragile bonds between them, two actors play very different generations in the same family.

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The 2019 New Works Festival runs from August 9–18 at Lucie Stern Theatre. Tickets are available online.

They Promised Her the Moon will play March 4–29 at Lucie Stern Theatre. Tickets are available online.

KING FM 98.1 is getting a new home at the Opera Center, Seattle Opera’s civic home at Seattle Center, which had its grand opening in December 2018. In early 2020 KING FM will move into 4,000 square feet of space on the Opera Center’s second floor. This large area was deliberately left empty when Seattle Opera moved into the building—Seattle Opera General Director Aidan Lang stated that the Opera was looking to rent to an organization with a comparable vision and mission.

In addition to sharing those values, the arrangement will be financially positive for both organizations—Seattle Opera is able to put the rental income towards operational costs of its new civic home and KING FM will benefit from an exceptional new space that they wouldn’t have been able to develop themselves. These reciprocal advantages are something that is to be celebrated, when many arts organizations are struggling financially.

Seattle Opera and KING FM are looking forward to continuing to work together. KING FM CEO Brenda Barnes said in the press release, “We have worked closely with Seattle Opera for years, and look forward to finding more opportunities to collaborate once we are only a floor apart. We are thrilled to be moving into this beautiful space, and to be in such close proximity to one of our most important partners.”

Seattle Opera and KING FM have a history of collaboration with Saturday evening opera recordings hosted by Seattle Opera staff, as well as live broadcasts of Seattle Opera performances at McCaw Hall throughout the season. They are looking forward to supplementing these with live broadcasts from the rehearsal studios on Friday evenings.

With two organizations that not only value classical music and performance—but have also had immense success in creating diversity within their audiences—Seattle can look forward to a great partnership. As Lang said, “Seattle Opera and KING FM believe that stronger collaboration is critical to the success and sustainability of the major arts institutions in Seattle. With this agreement, we are creating a more viable future for performance, music, and civic engagement in this community.” 

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Dates for the hosted recordings of Seattle Opera’s upcoming performances can be found on their website.