Seattle Rep with Students

SEATTLE REP AND THE CENTER SCHOOL BREW SCANDAL WITH The School for Scandal an Adaptation

by Richard Brinsley Sheridan Adapted by Andrea Allen Directed by Scott Koh

Unique collaboration allows students to produce new play at Seattle Repertory Theatre through its Annual Drama Intensive Program May 23 and 24, 2007 7:30 p.m.

Seattle, WA - Under the guidance and direction of Seattle Repertory Theatre teaching artists, over 50 high school students from The Center School will present a new adaptation of the Restoration comedy classic The School for Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan May 23 and 24 in Seattle Rep's Leo K. Theatre. Over the last four months, the students have learned about costume and set design, set construction, playwriting, and acting in two different TCS classes, and then applied those skills to bring the script by Seattle Rep Education Director Andrea Allen to life. Tickets are $5.00 general admission or free with student ID and are on sale now at 206-443-2222. This is the sixth year Seattle Rep has partnered with The Center School for the semester-long Drama Intensive program. Last year's Drama Intensive, Pants on Fire, was an exploration of the current teenage obsession with online identity portals like "MySpace" mashed up with a history of P.T. Barnum's legendary showmanship and circus tomfoolery. Students enrolled in the Rehearsal and Performance class build their acting techniques and offer personal responses to Allen that may be incorporated into the script. Once the script is finished, the acting students audition for roles and begin an intensive rehearsal process, under the direction of Scott Koh and Assistant Director, Emily Henderson. At the same time, students in the Design and Production class learn from professionals about designing sets and costumes for theatre while also getting the chance to see and respond to local theatre productions. Under the leadership of Design and Production lead Teaching Artist Jess Smith, Dana Perreault (sets), and Emily Carlson (costumes), the Design and Production students help design and build the technical elements of the show. The Play: This year's Drama Intensive will be an adaptation of Sheridan's The School for Scandal a play about pretending to be nicer than you are (or in some cases meaner than you are) and trying to fit into society-no matter what the cost. Lady Sneerwell has her sights set on the eligible young bachelor Charles. Through a series of lies, scandalous plots, and devious schemes she vows to make him fall for her. "I decided to explore gossip and our country's increasing fascination with celebrity culture," said Allen. "As scandal becomes the norm, and the desire to break taboos-always a staple of adolescence-becomes more difficult because of a lack of boundaries, it seemed only appropriate to return to the 18th-century. A time when the rules and taboos may have been more explicit, especially around class and gender, but the desire to undermine said rules and taboos was just as rampant as today." The Playwright: Andrea Allen is the Director of Education at Seattle Rep and has created numerous programs for the theatre. From its inception six years ago, Ms. Allen has been actively involved in the creation and development of The Center School, a public high school on the Seattle Center campus. She teaches playwriting and directing at the school, as well as writing an adaptation each year for the Drama Intensive project. Her most recent play is Pants on Fire, an exploration of circus and lying with P.T. Barnum as the host. Her other plays for students include Lost, based on Grimms' Hansel and Gretel, and My Life as a Greek Tragedy based on Euripides' Orestes. A graduate of Yale University with a degree in Women's Studies, she has an M.A. in education from Antioch University. She currently serves as the board president of ArtsEdWashington (Washington Alliance for Arts Education), a board member of Washington Alliance for Theatre Education, and an advisory board member of Washington Ensemble Theatre (WET). The Director: Since moving to Seattle in 1989, Scott Koh has performed or directed at the Seattle Shakespeare Company, Annex Theatre, The Northwest Asian American Theatre, Book-It and the late Group and Bathhouse Theatres. At Seattle Repertory Theatre, he directed past Center School productions My Life as a Greek Tragedy and Pants on Fire. He has served as Education Program Manager at Seattle Rep since 1999. Mr. Koh is a graduate of Boston University's College of Fine Arts. Performance Details: Performances of The School for Scandal: An Adaptation are at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 23, 2007 and Thursday, May 24, 2007 in the Leo K. Theatre at Seattle Repertory Theatre.

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For more info: www.seattlerep.org

Weekly Update - 4/21/2007

KSUB
www.seattleu.edu/ksub
The Broadway Hour > Sunday, April 8, 2007 from 10am-12noon

Seattle Opera
Tickets and Info
La Boheme > May 5 - 19, 2007

Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse
Tickets and Info
The Phantom Tollbooth >April 27 - 29, 2007
Pride and Prejudice >May 4 - 6, 2007

The Intiman Theatre
Tickets and Info
The Skin of Our Teeth > April 28 - June 2, 2007

The Paramount Theater
Tickets and Info
The Light in the Piazza >April 17 - 29, 2007

ACT Theater
Tickets and Info
Menopause the Musical >running through May 28, 2007
Late Night Catechism >running through August 2007
The Clean House >March 30 - April 29, 2007

Seattle Repertory Theater
Tickets and Info
My Name is Rachel Corrie >March 15 - April 22, 2007
Gem of the Ocean >April 5 – May 6, 2007
Moscow Cat Theatre >June 2 - 3, 2007 BUY TICKETS NOW!!

The 5th Avenue Theatre
Tickets and Info
Edward Scissorhands >April 26 - May 13, 2007

Humanities Forum for Gem of the Ocean

Seattle Repertory Theatre is hosting the last in its new series, Humanities Forum, on April 22. Humanities forum is meant to deepen understanding and allow the audience to express points of view. Seattle Rep staff, scholars and experts in areas related to the play will share their knowledge and lead audience discussions. This series is brand new for the 2006-2007 season.

Seattle Rep Humanities Forum for Gem of the Ocean

April 22 at approximately 4:30pm in the rotunda of Seattle Rep (following the 2pm matinee of Gem of the Ocean)

TOPIC: What is the role of theatre in telling stories of African American history?

Facilitated by Andrea Allen, Director of Education with panelists:

• Valerie Curtis-Newton, Hansberry Project
• Sharon Williams, Mahogany Project
• Tyrone Brown, Brownbox Theatre
• William Hall, Jr., actor in Gem of the Ocean and co-founder of The Group Theatre

This event is free and open to the public.

The Light in the Piazza - The Paramount Theatre (presented by the Intiman Theatre)

The Light in the Piazza
Intiman Theatre presented at The Paramount Theatre
April 17 – 29, 2007
Tickets and Information

After seeing The Light in the Piazza, it is clear how this production has racked up six Tony Awards in addition to earning the Intiman Theatre the award for Best Regional Theater during its original premier here in Seattle. Employing the designs from the original production, the show achieves its fullest potential in all aspects.

Christine Andreas (playing Margaret Johnson) is the Light in the Piazza. With a voice straight from the era of the forties and fifties, Andreas’ performance captivates the audience with a power rarely witnessed in the American musical theater world today. To balance her powerhouse performance with a suave and cool presentation, David Bernham (Fabrizio) passionately glides through each note and encompasses the Italian ardor while allowing enough of himself to shine through in order to draw in the hearts of the audience. Along side Bernham and Andreas leaps the character Clara (played by Katie Rose Clark). Undertaking an extremely difficult role (revealed throughout the performance), Clark tackles the character with vehement choices, though at times overzealously.

Christine Andreas as Margaret Johnson Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

The subtle and simultaneously poignant lighting by Christopher Akerlind presents the audience with a spectacle of Tony Award-winning brilliance. Utilizing a combination of spots and filled lighting, Akerlind very efficiently creates the world in which the characters reside. Michael Yeargan’s also Tony Award-winning scenic design creates a world in which the grandiose and simple meet in a titillating waltz. As the emotions swirl on stage into climaxes, the very walls gyrate into confusion and reform into the felt room created by the characters’ own passions.

This grandiose yet undemanding concept carried though by director Bartlett Sher allows the audience to completely indulge effortlessly into the experience. Sher’s direction of The Light in the Piazza brings forth all of the simple beauty of a classic love story and the ostentatious magic of a spectacular piece of musical theatre. Augmented magnificently by James Lowe’s conduction of an unbelievably talented orchestra, The Light in the Piazza is a delightfully becoming production not to be missed.

Review by Nigel Andrews and Phoebe Hopkins

Seattle Public Theatre Summer

Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy June 25-July 21, 2007 Rehearsal June 25-July 13 Mon-Fri 1-5pm Final Performances July 13, 14, 15, and 20, 21 Cost: $410 For ages 14-18 An adventure you'll never forget! This sci-fi comedy follows the hapless Arthur Dent, the alien Ford Prefect, and Zaphod Beeblebrox as they make their way across the galaxy, along with Marvin the Paranoid Android and others, on the quest for the Question to the Ultimate Answer. Based on the original radio scripts, our production will feature live and recorded sound effects, eclectic music from all sorts of genres, and some ingenious solution to a character with three arms and two heads. Directed by Shana Bestock

The Odyssey June 25-July 29, 2007 Rehearsal June 25-July 27 Mon-Fri 9am-12pm Final Performances July 27, 28, 29 Cost: $475 For ages 9-14 Odysseus' journey is the ultimate quest story - the original Series of Unfortunate Events. This versatile and fast-paced adaptation is an amazing voyage complete with magic, monsters, and feats of great bravery. Encounter the man-eating one-eyed Cyclops, the bewitching singing Sirens, the sorceress Circe, King Aeolus, the mischievous trickster god Hermes and many other colorful characters. Using elements of circus, puppetry, gymnastics, music, and dance, this will be a highly theatrical event and a true ensemble experience. Directed by Jena Crane

The Arabian Nights July 23-August 25, 2007 Rehearsal July 23-August 17 Mon-Fri 1-4pm Final Performances August 17, 18, 19 and 24, 25 Cost: $410 For ages 14-18 Scheherezade's tales of love, lust, comedy, and dreams. In Baghdad, Scheherezade's cliffhanger stories prevent her husband, the cruel ruler Shahryar, from murdering her. Enter a world where the people tell stories to save their skins, and stories within stories within stories hold the magic of transformation. For those who enjoyed "Metamorphoses", for anyone interested in the rich culture of the Middle East. Directed by Shana Bestock

The Taming of the Shrew July 30-August 19, 2007 Rehearsal July 30-August 19 Mon-Fri 9am-12pm Final Performances August 17, 18, 19 Cost: $475 For ages 11-14 A colorful and energetic Shakespeare comedy filled with humor, slapstick, and word-play....And a play that challenges our contemporary notions of gender, love, duty, and how to be true to yourself. How important is money? What's the difference between a shrew and a strong woman? All this, and the fun and silliness that Shakespeare's big and bold words demand!

A Midsummer Night's Dream August 20-24, 2007 Rehearsal August 20-24 Mon-Fri 12:30-4:30pm Final Performance August 24 4pm Cost: $150 For ages 9-14 Last summer's week-long "Dream" was a smashing success, and we wanted to give everyone on the waiting list a chance this year! Comedy and confusion reign in the best play ever written about mixed-up potions and the brilliance of bad acting. "Lord, what fools these mortals be!"

Tales and Tricksters August 20-24, 2007 Rehearsal August 20-24 Mon-Fri 9am-12pm Final Sharing August 24 11am Cost: $135 For ages 5-8 Every summer we take a classic story or a theme (pirates, dragons, wizards, princesses) and spend a magical week creating a play! Develop your body, voice, and imagination while learning how to work together and share your story with an audience. Rehearse and perform on a real stage, with lights, props, and costumes!

Fools of Greenlake July 16-20, 2007 Rehearsal July 16-20 Mon-Fri 1-4pm Final Sharing July 20 3pm Cost: $135 For ages 5-8 Do you like making people laugh? Enjoy acting foolish? We take some of the great fools from folktales around the world, create new characters based on them, and weave it all together into a play! Develop your body, voice, and imagination - and learn how to do a pratfall, a "take", and possibly get a pie in the face!

Greenlake! The Musical! August 6-24, 2007 Rehearsal August 6-24 Mon-Thurs 5-8pm Final Performance August 23 7pm Cost: $410 For ages 10-16 Let the lake take you someplace new! A collage of Greenlake, this original play with music gives you the opportunity to use your theater skills to their fullest extent - whether that be to act, sing, write, speak French, or ride a unicycle. "Greenlake!" is a one-of-a-kind experience that you create - join us in an ensemble adventure along the path!

Unplugged August 6-10, 2007 Rehearsal August 6-10 1-4pm Final Performance August 10 3pm Cost: $135 For ages 8-12 Get ready for a performance experience unlike any other. Unleash your creativity, make friends, and play out in the summer sun in this action packed outdoot acting and performance workshop. Truly make the world your stage! Dress appropriately; rain or shine, the show must go on.

Technical Theater Internships June-August 2007 Flexible 10-15 hours per week No Cost; service learning hours are available for ages 14 and up. Seattle Public Theater interns do everything it takes to make a theater run, including designing lights, stage managing, assistant directing, and set construction. We work with your skill level, experience, and schedule to create a program that serves you and the program as a whole! To be considered for an internship, please send cover letter and resume to Education Director Shana Bestock at shanab@seattlepublictheater.org.

MARC SALEM Brings His Mystifying MIND GAMES to The Moore Theatre

SEATTLE— Seattle Theatre Group (STG) presents MARC SALEM’S MIND GAMES May 17 & 18, 2007 at The Moore Theatre. Laying bare the very nature of thinking itself, world-renowned mentalist Marc Salem takes his audience on a captivating excursion into the possibilities of the human mind through a series of hilarious, astounding and mystifying MIND GAMES.

Using psychological techniques, visual information, a sharp eye for human nature, a quick wit and 20 years of training, Salem breaks that eternal lock on the mind. By opening that door, he raises fascinating questions that continue to excite philosophers and scientists today: What are our senses? How do we use our senses to make our reality? What if our senses can be fooled? What is the mind?

Bringing his technique and unique gifts to the stage, Salem confounds audiences with the twists and turns of his MIND GAMES.

• He can change the time on your watch without touching it.

• He can describe your last vacation.

• He can tell you the serial number of a bill in your wallet.

• He can discern a single word you saw in a book of your choosing.

Salem has been a student of the human mind for over 30 years. He is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on non-verbal communication, focusing on how the mind creates reality and meaning. As a researcher, Salem has traveled the globe exploring the mind and its potential. Salem was also a director of research at Sesame Street studying the development and nature of the mental process.

As an entertainer Marc has performed around the world, astounding and entertaining millions. His show MIND GAMES concluded two extended runs on Broadway to both critical and popular acclaim. The Sydney Opera House, the Edinburgh Festival and Singapore's Esplanade have also hosted extended runs of MIND GAMES. Salem has been featured on The O'Reilly Factor, Montel, Maury, CNN, and has been a frequent guest on Regis. He has also completed four sell-out seasons in London. Salem was the only mystery entertainer ever profiled on 60 Minutes by Mike Wallace, who exclaimed, “I am stunned, amazed and smiling ear to ear!"

For more information on Marc Salem, please visit www.marsalem.com

SHOW TIMES: Thursday, May 17^th at 7:30 p.m. and Friday, May 18^th at 8:00 p.m.

TICKETS: MARC SALEM’S MIND GAMES tickets are $25.00 to $35.50 (not including applicable service charges), and go onsale Friday, April 13^th at 10 a.m. online at www.themoore.com, by phone at 206-292-ARTS (2787), at The Moore and The Paramount Theatre Box Offices and at Ticketmaster outlets. Groups of 16 or more call 888-214-6856. The Moore Theatre is located at 1932 2^nd Avenue in downtown Seattle.

Weekly Update - 4/14/2007

KSUB
www.seattleu.edu/ksub
The Broadway Hour > Sunday, April 8, 2007 from 10am-12noon

Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse
Tickets and Info
The Phantom Tollbooth >April 27 - 29, 2007
Pride and Prejudice >May 4 - 6, 2007

The Intiman Theatre
Tickets and Info
The Skin of Our Teeth > April 28 - June 2, 2007

The Paramount Theater
Tickets and Info
The Light in the Piazza >April 17 - 29, 2007

ACT Theater
Tickets and Info
Menopause the Musical >running through May 28, 2007
Late Night Catechism >running through August 2007
The Clean House >March 30 - April 29, 2007

Seattle Repertory Theater
Tickets and Info
My Name is Rachel Corrie >March 15 - April 22, 2007
Gem of the Ocean >April 5 – May 6, 2007
Moscow Cat Theatre >June 2 - 3, 2007 BUY TICKETS NOW!!

The 5th Avenue Theatre
Tickets and Info
Edward Scissorhands >April 26 - May 13, 2007

Gem of the Ocean - Seattle Repertory Theatre

Gem of the Ocean
Seattle Repertory Theatre
Ticekts and Information
April 11 - May 6, 2007

August Wilson’s Century Cycle plays chronicle African-American history in the United States from 1904 through 1990. Gem of the Ocean begins August Wilson’s Cycle, chronicling 1904, and ends the run of his complete works at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. Relating the story of several members of the Hill District of Pittsburgh, 1904, Gem of the Ocean gives the audience a glance into the freshly post-Civil War times in the United States through the eyes of the still-oppressed African Americans. When a young man named Citizen appears on the scene, Aunt Ester and her friends help him to find the City of Bones, a mystical place where freedom is the only reigning law.

Directed by Phylicia Rashad, best known for her roles as Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show and Ruth Lucas on Cosby, this performance pulls forth every ounce of energy the actors can muster and then some. Aided by a phenomenal cast of incredibly strong actors, Rashad provides a dazzling show. The precision of every moment and the naturalism of each character give Gem of the Ocean the uncanny and ever-coveted ability to draw each audience member into its folds for its full three hours.

(L-R) Michele Shay, Khalil Kain, Allie Woods. Photo by Chris Bennion 2007

Allen Lee Hughes’ lighting design, enhanced by John Lacovelli’s scenic design, brought the play to life even further. The gentle changes and painted picturesque designs lend the production a touch of magic throughout the entire performance. Additionally, Kathryn Bostic’s composition and arrangement of the music provides an incredibly apropos mood to the production. The simultaneous simplicity and complexity of the pieces add dramatically to the feeling of the show.

Completing Seattle Repertory Theatre’s productions of August Wilson’s Century Cycle plays, Gem of the Ocean not only encapsulates the feeling of the Cycle, but also draws the Rep’s season to a close. Not overly labored yet poignant in purpose, Gem of the Ocean will draw each member of every audience into its simple magic and mystic naturalism.

Review by Nigel Andrews and Rick Skyler

Weekly Update - 4/6/2007

KSUB
www.seattleu.edu/ksub
The Broadway Hour > Sunday, April 8, 2007 from 10am-12noon

Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse
Tickets and Info
Stop Kiss >March 15 - April 8, 2007
The Phantom Tollbooth >April 27 - 29, 2007
Pride and Prejudice >May 4 - 6, 2007

Seattle Shakespeare Company
Tickets and Info
Chamber Macbeth >March 15 - April 8, 2007

The Intiman Theatre
Tickets and Info
The Skin of Our Teeth > April 28 - June 2, 2007

The Paramount Theater
Tickets and Info
The Light in the Piazza >April 17 - 29, 2007

ACT Theater
Tickets and Info
Menopause the Musical >running through May 28, 2007
Late Night Catechism >running through August 2007
The Clean House >March 30 - April 29, 2007

Seattle Repertory Theater
Tickets and Info
My Name is Rachel Corrie >March 15 - April 22, 2007
Gem of the Ocean >April 5 – May 6, 2007
Moscow Cat Theatre >June 2 - 3, 2007 BUY TICKETS NOW!!

The 5th Avenue Theatre
Tickets and Info
Camelot >March 30 - April 8, 2007
Edward Scissorhands >April 26 - May 13, 2007

My Name is Rachel Corrie Extension!

Seattle, WA – Due to overwhelming box office demand Seattle Repertory Theatre will extend My Name is Rachel Corrie, playing in the Leo K Theatre through May 6. Additional performances are Tuesday, May 1, 7:30 pm, Wednesday, May 2, 7:30 pm, Thursday, May 3, 7:30 pm, Friday, May 4, 7:30 pm, Saturday, May 5, 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm and Sunday, May 6, 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm. Tickets are on sale now and available through the Seattle Repertory Theatre box office seven days a week at (206) 443-2222, toll-free at (877) 900-9285, as well as online at www.seattlerep.org.