What does "Mother Russia" tell us about ourselves?: An interview with Lauren Yee

(photo Beowulf Sheehan)

Mother Russia (or Periods of Collapse)

By Lauren Yee

Seattle Rep

March 6 to April 6, 2025

World Premiere

Nationally known playwright Lauren Yee has a tight connection with Seattle, as she and the Seattle Rep get ready for the March world premiere of her latest play, Mother Russia (or Periods of Collapse). Not only have two of her  works premiered here first, but also years back, she would periodically visit Seattle to hang out with acclaimed director Desdemona Chiang, using her house as a kind of developmental Hedgebrook.

Prior to Mother Russia, our city has been privileged to have major productions of Yee's Cambodian Rock Band, The Great Leap, King of the Yees, and Ching Chong Chinaman. She has won some amazing playwrighting awards and now also contributes writing for shows on Apple+ and Netflix.

Before her burgeoning success, a 22-year-old Yee mused about what her future looked like. "[I imagined that] by day I'd work at an arts nonprofit, probably a theater, in development or marketing," she said. "In the evenings, I'd write and maybe I'd have a show at a small theater... I think about what I have achieved, and what I've been lucky enough to enjoy has far outpaced what I imagined when I was coming into this world professionally."

As for Mother Russia's plot: Two men find jobs surveilling a former pop star in 1992, after the fall of the Soviet Union. As they bumble their way through the assignment, spy work and life under capitalism prove harder than they thought. It sounds like it will have a great deal of humor in it.

Feb Seattle Area Theater - Lots of Feels

 

Cast of Crave at Intiman (Joe Moore)

You have some very cool options this month to choose from. WET’s founding company members reprise one of their first productions, Crave, 20 years later. Several productions might help soothe your anxieties about the political crisis. Learn to hula hoop at SCT…and more! Get out yer calendars!
 
Covenant, ArtsWest, 2/6/25-3/2/25
When a struggling guitarist returns to his small Georgia town a blues star, rumors begin swirling that he may have made a deal with the devil to attain his musical genius. Before long, however, it becomes clear he's not the only one with a secret. A mythic and suspenseful new play that delivers one devilish twist after another, York Walker's Covenant explores the power of belief and the thin line between rumor and truth.
www.artswest.org
 
The Last Five Years, ACT Theatre and 5^th Avenue Theatre, 2/8/25-3/16/25 (at ACT)
This modern musical takes a devastatingly honest look at one couple’s journey falling in and out of love. Through clever storytelling and sharp lyrics, writer Jason Robert Brown’s cult favorite gives us a raw and intimate window into two souls and two perspectives of one relationship. Jamie’s songs start at the beginning of the relationship and Cathy’s songs start from the end moving back to the beginning with only one song in the middle overlapping.
www.acttheatre.org
 
Crave, Intiman Theatre, 2/11/25-3/2/25 (at Erickson Theatre)
Love, loss, sex and desire play across the stage in this poetic and deeply personal play from legendary playwright Sarah Kane. Two decades ago, Washington Ensemble Theatre (WET) chose to perform this play as one of their early productions. It was said to be a notable play. Intiman is bringing together many of the original WET artists for a career retrospective and celebration, including Roger Bennington, Marc Kennison (Waxie Moon), and Marya Sea Kaminski. Intiman Artistic Director Jennifer Zeyl, will once again design the set. Four fragmented and fractured characters strive to find peace and connection in a lonely world. This is a unique opportunity to see a production with this unique local history.
www.intiman.org
 
The Hula Hoopin’ Queen, Seattle Children’s Theatre, 2/12/25-3/23/25
Three Harlem girls vie for the crown of The Hula Hoopin’ Queen, encouraged and mentored by the community elders in playwright Gloria Bond Cunie’s spirited adaptation of Thelma Lynn Godin’s book. A sweet, funny, and energetic slice-of-life reminder of the essential loops that bind our communities. (Ages 5+, 60 minutes no intermission)
www.sct.org

A New Year, Many New Theater Options in January!

Danila Bim hanging around Teatro Zinzanni (FillingTheFramePhotography)

From comedies. circe options, and quite a number of world premieres, January is looking exciting for theater-land! Pick your favorite(s) and get out yer calendars!

Sizzle, Teatro Zinzanni, Now-March 2025 (at Emerald City Trapeze Arts)
Teatro ZinZanni invites you to its new Center Ring at Emerald City Trapeze Arts for SIZZLE! Starring belter, provocateur, consummate chanteuse, and Cornish College of the Arts alum Rizo returns as Teatro ZinZanni’s Madame, the owner of the circus. The cast of performers is new for Seattle. They include: physical comedian Joel Baker, trapeze artists Oliver Parkinson and Cassie Cutler of Duo 19, hair hang artist Danila Bim, rope artist and Seattle native Ezra Weill, champion juggler Spencer Androli, and award-winning aerial pole artist Charlee Shae.
www.zinzanni.com/seattle
 
The Girl Who Swallowed A Cactus, Seattle Children’s Theatre, 1/9-26/25
School is out for the summer; the weather is hot and the boredom is heavy. 8-year-old Sheila and her pack of pals aren’t going to let the summer heat wear them down. When their fantastical junkyard fort draws the attention of a walking, talking, surprisingly well-dressed coyote, the adventurers suddenly find themselves deep in the desert, facing The Council of Howls, The Sting Brigade, The Death Cactus and much more. (This is a live, digital production (with some interaction) on Zoom! Ages 7+, 55 minutes no intermission)
www.sct.org
 
Rip! A Winkle In Time, Global Works, 1/10/25-2/8/25 (at 12^th Avenue Arts) (world premiere)
Local playwright Claire Zaslove introduces Randall Irving Parson, or Rip for short, who, in 1897, pursues his gold rush dream only to have a ghostly encounter that leaves him asleep in a snowbank. With global warming afoot, Rip finally thaws out and finds himself in a world that staggers the imagination. Puppets, bad guys, environmental concern - perfect for all ages.
www.globalworksproductions.com