Summer Reading: “The Greenlake Play Series” (by and for people who visit Greenlake)

A group of eight playwrights have crafted a themed short-play event and are presenting is as a free reading at the Bathhouse, Sunday July 27^th at 2pm. The shorts have all been generated with settings at Greenlake and at least one idea came from making a story out of bits overheard from people running past.

The eight plays are:

Spider in the Mouth by Kevin Bordi

Glamour Shot by Rebecca Demarest

Open Water by Emily Golden

Blood Brothers by Melanie Hampton

The Diagnosis by Courtney Kessler

The Path by Jerry Kraft

Puppy Love by J.D. Panzer

Buckets by J. Michael Tumblin

Nathan Jeffrey and J. Michael Tumblin direct four pieces each, with actors including Ryan Childers, Tom Dewey, Olivia Hartshorn, Bill Johns, Caitlin Macy-Beckwith, Jenny Vaughn, and members of the Seattle Public Theatre Youth Program: Jake Gordon, Tess Sevetson, and Olivia Sterne.

There will also be a talkback afterward so the audience can give feedback on aspects of the plays, if they would like. The reading is a hopeful precursor to developing a fully produced evening of shorts at a later date and they have mounted an IndieGoGo campaign that has raised what they asked, so far, though a full production may well need a bit more scratch, so if you’re tempted to help out with more money, my hunch is they wouldn't turn it down.

Organizer Courtney Kessler says, “My hope is to continue doing this and have multiple cycles to truly make it a ‘series,’ but I have not fully discussed that with the group yet. I am a local (theater costume) dresser, so this whole ‘being in charge’ thing is new –  and I have been receiving a lot of guidance along the way.

“My (piece) was directly inspired by a walk I took around the lake and the stories Nathan and I tried to come up with to fill in what we'd heard from the people running past us. When the idea struck me, I contacted a number of friends and told them my idea, then asked if they would be interested in participating (and they) have written really great shows!”

If you go, you can plan a walk around Greenlake either before or after, and contemplate whether you’ve got an idea that might be good for the next iteration of the “series.” The Greenlake Muse may hit you, too.