June Theater – New Plays, Festivals, and Interactive Improv

Vanessa Severo as Frida Kahlo at UAC (Michael Henninger)

Get out yer calendars for some fresh festival offerings and fun musicals.

Disappearance at the Rocky Mountain Leatherdyke Snowpicnic at Annex Theatre (Sayed Alamy)

Disappearance at the Rocky Mountain Leatherdyke Snowpicnic (world premiere)
6/4-20/26
Annex Theatre, www.annextheatre.org
Neurotic newcomer Lois attends the legendary sapphic kink retreat known as the Rocky Mountain Leatherdyke Snowpicnic—where she is absolutely, definitely not supposed to sleuth around. But when a picnicker goes missing on the ski slopes, Lois can’t resist the call of mystery. A sexy, spooky, screwball comedy that would leave Nancy Drew asking, “Who hid the flashlight?”
 
Dream, Carl, Dream!
6/5-27/26 (at 12th Avenue Arts)
Dacha Theatre, www.dachatheatre.com
It's five minutes 'till Sleepytime and the latest set of rewrites are even worse than the last. The Director of Dreaming is considering pulling the plug and putting up another rerun of "Teeth Fall Out (School Assembly Version)" but the truth is, everyone knows that the stakes are too high for that. In their waking life, Carl seems to be holding it together, but in the depths of their subconscious, Carl knows they could be – want to be – so much more. In fact, Carl’s dreams might just be the only connection they still have to their deepest self. That's where you come in. In this immersive, interactive piece, you will assist the beleaguered neurons of the Dream Department in programming each night's dreams. Work alongside your mental colleagues during the day, and then sit back, relax, and watch the show once the dreams start to play.
 
Pony World Theatre’s New Play Roundup
6/6-7/26 (at West of Lenin)
www.ponyworldtheatre.org
Welcome to Betty’s Diner by Marcus Gorman 6/6 2PM
The Unshored by Maggie Lee 6/6 7:30PM
Untitled Play About Life and Death by Holly Arsenault 6/7 2PM
Flight of the Psychopomp by Lizzy Bennett 6/7 7PM
 
Frida...A Self-Portrait
6/6-28/26
Union Arts Center, www.unionartscenter.org
The singular Frida Kahlo comes to life through the spirit of playwright and performer Vanessa Severo’s one-woman show. Severo explores the parallels between their two lives as she embodies the many facets of this complex artist. With music and movement, Frida’s evocative art, multilayered love life, and distinctive philosophy are sketched out in a visual dynamo of a piece that encourages us all to realize we are not alone.
 
Border:Home and The End of Lear: Four Kings
6/5-14/26 (at ReAct Theatre)
Baker Theater Workshop, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/two-new-plays-from-baker-theater-workshop-tickets-1990139829804
Border:Home centers around a group of volunteers stationed at the least-used border crossing between the US and Mexico who are dedicated to helping migrants cross the open desert.
The End of Lear: Four Kings, an adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy. unearths the varied facets of this Shakespearean king: his cruelty toward his loved ones, his anxiety about how others perceive him, and his propensity for transforming the world into merely a stage for his personal drama.

Wish You Were Here (courtesy ArtsWest)

Wish You Were Here
6/11/26-7/5/26
ArtsWest and Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble, www.artswest.org
With tenderness, ferocity, and wit, five best friends lean on each other in the face of uncertainty.
Spanning 13 years of friendship, a tight-knit group of five women have their bonds tested as political unrest spreads through Iran. With humor and urgency, the play captures the fierce resilience of connection when everything else is slipping away.
 
The Play That Goes Wrong
6/11-28/26
Seattle Rep, www.seattlerep.org
It’s opening night of the Cornley Drama Society’s production of The Murder at Haversham Manor, and despite the troupe’s best efforts, mishaps are causing mayhem on stage. From wayward props to malfunctioning scenery to unexpected understudies, the show must go on. But will the theater still be standing at the end of the performance? Mounted in 2025, it’s proven so popular, Seattle Rep has brought it back for a fun summer treat.
 
The Distillery New Works Festival
6/11-14/26
Seattle Public Theater, www.seattlepublictheater.org
Blood/Sucker by Anamaria Guerzon 6/11 7PM
The Ballad of the Unfallen by Maggie Lee 6/12 7PM
The Holy Blessed Mother Lover Orphanage for Unwanted Girls by Shanna Allman 6/13 11AM
Scribe, or The Sisters Milson, or Elegy for the Unwritten by L M Feldman 6/13 3PM
Hazzard by Kelleen Conway Blanchard 6/13 7:30PM
Refuse it: A Black Woman’s Guide to 21^st Century Rage by Phanésia Pharel 6/14 11AM
If nobody does remarkable things by Emma Gibson 6/14 3PM
 
Million Dollar Quartet
6/19/26-7/19/26
Harlequin Productions, www.harlequinproductions.org
December 4, 1956. Sun Records. One legendary night. When a twist of fate brings Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins into the same Memphis recording studio, music history is made. Inspired by the true story of that once-in-a-lifetime jam session, Million Dollar Quartet is a Tony Award-nominated high-octane rock ’n’ roll musical packed with heart, history, and hit after iconic hit. From “Blue Suede Shoes” to “Great Balls of Fire,” this electrifying celebration of talent, fame, and raw sound takes you inside the night that changed music forever.
 
15th Annual Festival of Shorts
6/25-26/25
Edmonds Driftwood Players, www.edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org
Act 1/Show #1: Poll Tax for Sista Blu by Clarence Holmes, Jr (Katy, TX)
Act 1/Show #2: Hello by Dana Leslie Goldstein (Brooklyn, NY)
Act 1/Show #3: Goats of Olympus Mons by Evan Baughfman (Long Beach, CA)
Act 1/Show #4: True Ties by Sheila Strehle (Bothell, WA)
Act 2/Show #5: First Time by Dana Schwartz (Los Angeles, CA)
Act 2/Show #6: Waiting On Mom, Who Already Left by John Busser (Avon, OH)
Act 2/Show #7: Two Nights at Casey’s by Jay D Cross (Shoreline, WA)
Act 2/Show #8: Erstwhile by Jacquelyn Priskorn (Troy, MI)
 
Emojiland: The Musical
6/26/26-7/19/26
SecondStory Repertory, www.secondstoryrep.org
When a software update threatens their existence, a diverse community of emojis must learn to navigate their differences and unite to save their home. This wildly original and contemporary musical is a witty commentary on modern communication, identity, and finding connection in a world of pixels, all set to an infectious, pop-infused score.

For more articles and reviews, go to www.facebook.com/SeattleTheaterWriters. Subscribe to your inbox at https://MiryamsTheaterMusings.blogspot.com