Tag Archives: theater

Annex Theatre celebrates 40 years of live performance — including 19 above 11th and Pike

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(Image: Annex Theatre)

The building Annex calls home

By Brenna Gauchat

On Saturday, the volunteer and artist led Annex Theatre will celebrate 40 years of producing live theater in Seattle. In its second floor venue above E Pike, the company will host its 40th birthday party and announce its 2027 season lineup which will premiere this January.

“We are very humbled by the legacy of people who have kept the place going for 40 years,” Lucien Oberleitner, who first visited the theater for its 2014 production of Blood Countess years before becoming the theater’s current Artistic Director.

Annex’s origin is a story of a few local artists advocating for and working with other artists to create a space for independent and self-sustained live theater. Continue reading →

‘Seattle is a safe place to tell a story like this’ — Musical story of a family transitioning together makes its world premiere on Capitol Hill

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Ayers (Image: SHe Said)

In 2012, musician Jen Ayers’ husband, Graham, came out as transgender.

The two had been together since meeting at their 1988 college orientation, later performing in bands and starting a family together.

This life-changing event sparked many questions about what it meant for them as individuals, as a couple, and as parents. The only way Ayers could find answers was by making music and, eventually, writing the full-length musical SHe Said, which will have its world premiere at Capitol Hill’s Erickson Theatre from January 14 through February 1 as part of Intiman Theatre’s 2025-2026 season.

“When I am trying to figure something out, process something, or don’t understand something, my go-to in life is often to sit at the piano, make music, and write songs,” said Ayers. “The first seedling of a song that led to this musical today probably started the morning after Graham came to this discovery.”

SHe Said’s journey from Ayers’ piano bench at home to Intiman Theatre’s stage spans more than a decade, with private workshops at The Royal Room and Seattle Rep, a four-night run of public performances at Broadway Performance Hall, and numerous re-writes. Ayers also released a double album of SHe Said songs in 2022.

Billed as an ageless, transformational love story akin to Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Ayers’ musical explores the impact of gender identity on a family and a couple who transition together, changing the way one thinks about what it means to love.

This world-premiere iteration at Intiman Theatre features an immersive stage that resembles a nightclub lounge, complete with cabaret-style tables offering cocktail service to audience members and traditional theater seating. Ayers, who sings and plays piano, is backed by guitarists R. L. Heyer and Kathy Moore, bassist Rebecca Young, keyboardist Melissa Montalto, and drummer Geoff Redding.

“I could not be more thrilled to do this run with Intiman,” said Ayers. “They are just really the right fit for this piece. Part of their ethos is to bring work to the stage that’s brave. They support the LGBTQ community. They are fierce protectors of art and artists. I’m honored they want to bring this show to their stage.”

Ayers recently spoke to CHS about the long, personal journey that brought SHe Said to the stage.

Are there one or two specific things that you really want audiences to take away from SHe Said?

Our tagline for this show is, “Love wins.” People change. Circumstances change. We’re all out there weathering storms in our lives, and it’s love that ultimately carries us through those times. Also, the importance of being your truest self, for humans to accept and embrace each other’s most authentic selves, which brings us back full circle to love. It’s a love story. What we talk about in this show are universal themes. You don’t have to have a trans partner to experience what it’s like to love someone and for them to change, or for you to realize you’re changing. These are things we all experience as humans. Continue reading →

CHOP on stage? 11th & Pine ‘documentary theatre performance’ sees first light with readings at Capitol Hill’s Erickson Theatre

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Have the wounds from the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and CHOP’s time on Capitol Hill healed?

This weekend, playwright and University of Washington professor Nikki Yeboah’s work examining the aftermath of the protests will take the stage with Sound Theatre Company’s reading of 11th & Pine at the neighborhood’s Erickson Theatre:

Several years after the 2020 protests against police violence that ushered in a racial awakening across the nation, a deposed protest leader sends out a call to fellow activists. Her goal? To reconstruct the occupation she led in her city. As they relive moments both utopian and excruciating, the activists find the task of explaining what happened is not so simple. Did they succeed? Did they fail? How will they be remembered? Meanwhile, old tensions resurface and the group contends with powerful opponents who want to tell the story in their own way. Based on interviews with Seattle’s Capitol Hill Occupied Protestors, 11TH & PINE explores the impact of organized protest, asking “can we make a difference, and if so, at what cost?”

Continue reading →

Capitol Hill’s Intiman Theatre begins 50th year with partnership to stage exploration of race, class, and politics in Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window’

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The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window (Image: Intiman Theatre)

One year ago, Intiman Theatre was preparing for its first production in its new home on Capitol Hill. It begins its 50th season in February with a partnership to stage a powerful exploration of race, class, and politics.

Intiman Theatre and The Williams Project are co-producing The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window by Lorraine Hansberry and directed by Ryan Guzzo Purcell. This production marks the first time that Hansberry’s play will be professionally produced in the city of Seattle. The show is scheduled to run from February 7th to 25th at Harvard Ave’s Erickson Theatre as part of Intiman’s residency at Seattle Central College.

“In a lot of ways, it’s a play about the struggle between idealism and practicality,” said  director Ryan Guzzo Purcell. “How do you live your values and your ideals, and particularly, when you’re no longer young and in college?”

The Williams Project is a Seattle-based theater company that specializes in producing lesser-known works and re-imagining classics. Their mission is to create productions that are accessible to diverse audiences and to give a platform to underrepresented voices in the theater community. Continue reading →

With behind the scenes challenges and financial turmoil for the arts, Intiman Theatre ready for Capitol Hill debut

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Intiman and Seattle Central’s partnership offers an associate of arts degree, allowing for students and union members to work alongside another on mainstage productions (Image: Intiman)

costume designer Pete Rush puts the finishing touches on Jesse Calixto’s dress for the Irma Vep production (Image: Intiman)

By Danielle Marie Holland

In the face of the pandemic, Capitol Hill’s theater community is trying to grow. This February, Intiman Theatre debuts its first production in its new home on Capitol Hill. This will be Intiman’s first stage production since COVID cast theaters across the country into darkness — and first on Harvard Ave.

It comes amid a backdrop of huge challenges for Seattle arts organizations and financial tumult for crucial public services that have its new partner Seattle Central seeking new paths to overcome deepening budgetary shortfalls.

Intiman Theatre is now ready to kick off its first production since the “before times” with The Mystery of Irma Vep – A Penny Dreadful directed by Jasmine Joshua, and staged at The Erickson Theatre Off-Broadway.

“I can pretty much speak for all theatre artists, that the last few years have been pretty devastating,” director Joshua tells CHS. Continue reading →

Friday on Capitol Hill you can watch a play from the comfort of your car

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Theater in the park is one way to enjoy the arts in a pandemic-safe way. Friday night, it will be theater in a parking lot as Capitol Hill’s Polish Home hosts the touring Dacha Theatre’s drive-in play Dears in Headlights:

Dacha’s summertime spectacular, DEARS IN HEADLIGHTS, invites audiences back to the drive-in theatre for an evening of movie magic—only this time, with a troupe of live actors instead of a silver screen. Accompanied by an FM radio soundtrack, this fully devised and larger-than-life love letter to classic cinema combines pastiche, clowning, vignettes, and physical theatre to create a playful immersive experience for viewers with and without cars. Whether you’d rather scare yourself silly with a horror movie or laugh along to a rom-com, you’ll be delighted by this original new take on a beloved summer pastime. Intended for audiences aged 10+, DEARS IN HEADLIGHTS asks you to keep your arms, legs, and laughter inside the vehicle at all times.

The show’s soundtrack is broadcast by low-powered FM radio. You’ll get the frequency when you arrive so you can tune in.

Tickets for Friday night’s 8:30 PM show at the 1714 18th Ave Polish Home are a suggested $70 per vehicle but are also available on pay what you can basis. You can also purchase chair/blanket tickets — though the car option sounds more fun.

“Car seats will offer an extra bit of immersion,” Dacha promises. “We’ll bring the action right to your windshield and rearview mirror.”

 
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Alice in Wonderland, in person and outside this weekend in Volunteer Park

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As we step into the curiouser and curiouser world of the pandemic reopening, finding ways to experience the transitions at your own pace is key. Starting Thursday, you can enjoy live theater performance again on Capitol Hill — outside in Volunteer Park.

Running July 29th through August 1st and again August 5th through 7th, Seattle’s Theatre22 is bringing Alice in Wonderland to the park’s grassy area north of the Seattle Asian Art Museum:

Alice in Wonderland
Theatre22 presents “an Alice for our time” as we journey down the rabbit hole into a topsy-turvy world where rules keep changing, time is fluid and power equals corruption. This contemporary, genre-bending adaptation combines the original beloved characters with song, dance, puppetry, and whimsical wordplay in an imaginative, hilarious, and outrageous interpretation with something for everyone.

DIRECTED by Julie Beckman and Jasmine Lomax

July 29 – Aug 1 Thurs – Sun 7pm

Aug 5 – Aug 7 Thurs – Sat 7pm

VOLUNTEER PARK  lawn north of the museum

The company’s performances are free with donations welcomed after the show. The performances are sponsored by the Washington State Arts Commission, the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, and King County’s 4 Culture.

The performances come as construction continues on the park’s new $3 million amphitheater with a roof, storage and green room space, all-gender bathrooms, upgraded electrical access, and “a resilient floor that will even accommodate dance performances.” Construction is us expected to be completed this fall.

 
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The PPP of live music and theater, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program could boost recovery of Capitol Hill clubs and stages

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(Image: Neumos)

Capitol Hill’s struggling live music, theater, and performance venues can join thousands of businesses across the country Thursday as the Small Business Administration finally begins accepting Shuttered Venue Operators Grant applications.

SVOG is the PPP of club and theater rescue plans with $16 billion lined up to help venues recover from a year of pandemic shutdowns. The first come, first served grant program is open to live music venues, performance theaters, small movie theaters, and even destinations like museums and aquariums.

CHS reported here on worries about potential losses in Capitol Hill’s live music and performance scenes as venues like Neumos and Chop Suey as well as small theaters struggled through pandemic restrictions. Velocity Dance has already announced the closure of its 12th Ave studio and a search for a new home after 24 years on Capitol Hill.

For applicants, SVOG joins a complicated matrix of federal assistance including PPP and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. The Seattle Office of Economic Development is offering assistance to help the city’s venues weigh options and apply for help. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill-bound Intiman Theater adds new director

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Intiman Theater, set to make a new home on Capitol Hill in an innovative partnership at Seattle Central hoped to create opportunities for BIPOC stage and performance workers, has announced a new leader to help guide its move into the new neighborhood.

Amy Zimerman has joined Intiman as its new managing director and will lead the organization alongside artistic director Jennifer Zeyl.

The nonprofit veteran will guide Intiman as it develops a new associate degree program emphasis in Technical Theatre for Social Justice at Seattle Central with training and roles for diverse designers, lighting techs, and theater crews.

The new partnership and program slated to start in fall of 2021 will put Intiman to work on Seattle Central’s stages inside Harvard Ave’s Erickson Theater and inside the Broadway Performance Hall and puts an end of the recent wanderings of Intiman productions and, hopefully, years of financial uncertainty.

The theater group hopes to raise $1.5 million as part of its move to Capitol Hill. You can learn more and donate here.

 
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Reopening: Live theater during a pandemic — Some turning to live-stream, others on pause

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1984 at 18th and Union (Image: 18th and Union Theater)

When the pandemic shuttered Seattle’s theaters and playhouses in March, the Central District’s 18th & Union was in the middle of an adaption of George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984.” By the third week of production, it became clear the venue had to close.

“I think we were lucky that we at least got three solid weekends in before closing,” actor K. Brian Neel said. “I know a lot of theater artists who had to close shows right before opening or right towards the end of the rehearsal process and that would’ve been frustrating.”

According to state reopening guidelines, live entertainment falls under Phase 4 — the final stage — and King County has lingered in Phase 2 for over a month now. As cases rise across the county and Washington rolls back phased reopening, theater companies and accompanying venues are tasked with adapting live theater to an online format or staying closed indefinitely.

And for those planning to reopen in some capacity with live actors, performances will look markedly different.

Theaters reopening or not?
18th & Union is planning to live stream shows out of its space this fall with up to two cast members six feet apart. Producing director David Gassner says the venue has multiple shows — yet to be announced — lined up for September, and the studio is setting up with cameras and other necessary equipment.

“There won’t be any stage combat, there won’t be any kissing, there won’t be any touching — so we’re having to choose the kind of shows that we present knowing that those are the constraints,” Gassner said. Continue reading →