World Premieres and more on Seattle-area stages

Lindsey Welliver and Calder Shilling in Sense and Sensibility at Village Theatre (Angela Sterling)

It is apparently “world premiere” month on Seattle-area stages – including an introduction to Iranian theater artists hosted by Macha Theatre Works, though I didn’t get that memo. But exciting new work is ready for you to experience! Get out yer calendars!
 
Sense and Sensibility, Village Theatre, Issaquah – 2/1/23-3/12/23 / Everett – 3/17/23-4/9/23 (world premiere)
This playful new adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel follows the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Dashwood sisters—sensible Elinor and sensitive Marianne—after their father’s sudden death leaves them financially destitute and socially vulnerable. This classic-modern mashup layers the story with smart comedy and zany antics—underscored by a contemporary mix of your favorite pop songs.
www.villagetheatre.org
 
The People Downstairs, Key City Public Theatre, 2/1-26/23
Miles, an aging funeral home custodian with a taste for whiskey, laughter, and hoarding, is moved to action when a court-appointed guardian threatens to take away the home he shares with his daughter Mabel, a middle-aged agoraphobic who spends her days writing letters to prison inmates, their rights, and their stolen poodle. Miles sets out to find a ‘good guy’ for Mabel. He finds Todd, an inept mortician who lives with his mother and pet hamster Stanley Kowalski. It is a father’s fierce determination not to accept his daughter’s fate that ignites an endearing human comedy about love, loss, loneliness, and the healing power of laughter.
www.keycitypublictheatre.org
 
I & You, Valley Center Stage, 2/3-19/23
A young teen struggles with a long-term illness mostly alone, until a classmate shows up to keep her company. Their work on a class project about a book of poetry leads them to some vulnerable conversation and a surprising ending.
www.valleycenterstage.org

Not Perfect Daughter Is Perfectly Fun and Expertly Done

 

Cast of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Nate Watters)

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
www.SeattleRep.org
Through 2/5/23
 
Director Juliette Carrillo directed one of the few plays that stay stuck in my mind for many years. Way back in 2011, Carrillo directed The Brothers Size at Seattle Rep. Images from that play instantly come to mind when I think of that production. Carrillo helmed a designer crew of sets, lights, sound, and movement/choreography that melded together perfectly. The trio of actors was magical.
 
Now, Carrillo has directed another play that may have that same lasting power for me. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is not a perfect play, in that it might need a bit of trimming from a jam-packed script, but this production is magical. From the amazingly simple but amazingly stunning set design of a massive beaded curtain by Efren Delgadillo Jr., to the costumes by Danielle Nieves that fit the actors within an inch of their lives (with an eye-popping quinceañera dress!). From the light by Robert J. Aguilar that went from tenderly subtle to a blinding crescendo and the sound design and compositions of John Nobori. Again, she has indeed assembled a fantastic cast of actors.
 
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is about a 15-year-old Júlia (who ages to about 17 during the play) who has just lost her beloved but maybe-slightly-mysterious older sister and is trying to cope with what that means to the rest of her life. While surrounded by family, the relationships are not at all comforting. Júlia mother (Amá played by Jazmín Corona) might love her, but most of the time she seems as toxic as it might get. Júlia’s father (played by Eddie Martinez) is remote and removed.

"Becoming Othello" - Great Actor Needs a Better Script

 Guest Reviewer Amy Pierce

Deborah Ann Byrd in Becoming Othello (Robert Wade)

Amy Pierce is a lifelong fan of the theater, an actor, a storyteller, and a Black woman, who hopes to encourage more people of color to embrace art in all its forms (but especially live theater).

Deborah Ann Byrd has great stage presence and has accomplished quite a lot as an actor and as a woman from severely disadvantaged beginnings. One can feel that from the moment she takes stage with a powerful singing voice, owning the stage. She is a vastly talented actor with a story that should be rich and compelling. Her struggles to find and express her talent and love for acting, particularly of acting Shakespeare is certainly worthy of being heard.

In her solo show now presenting at Seattle Shakespeare Company, Becoming Othello, A Black Girl's Journey, Byrd tells the story of those struggles and her unlikely journey to becoming a Shakespearean actor and to founding the Harlem Shakespeare Festival in 2013, a festival that continues today to provide professional opportunities to Black and underrepresented actors to perform any classical roles they might like.

2023 Starts With A Bang in Seattle Theaters

 

William Eames and Bretteney Beverly,
A Woman of No Importance, Taproot Theatre (Photo by Robert Wade)

2023 is starting off with several bangs with productions of classic plays, world premieres, new to us stories, and intriguing plays referencing classic writing. There is something for everyone, this month. Get outcher calendars! Happy New Year!

The World’s a Stage: Becoming Othello, A Black Girl’s Journey, Seattle Shakespeare Company, 1/3-29/23
This autobiographical solo show from Debra Ann Byrd, the Founding Artistic Director of the Harlem Shakespeare Festival and Artistic Director of Southwest Shakespeare Company, is a living memoir of her life’s trials and triumphs. Through verses from Othello and dynamic multimedia elements, she chronicles her youth growing up in Harlem, her tumultuous teen years, and navigating race in classics as a gender-flipped Othello.
www.seattleshakespeare.org
 
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Seattle Rep, 1/13/23-2/5/23
As she grieves the death of her older sister, Julia Reyes faces pressure to put her own dreams of becoming a writer on hold. She finds herself caught between her family’s expectations and the less-than-perfect life she grapples with every day as a 15-year-old growing up in Chicago. A rich and poignant exploration of how to transcend your circumstances while remaining true to who you are.
www.seattlerep.org

Theater Openings in November and December!

 

Adam Standley rehearsing for Mr. Dickens and His Carol - Seattle Rep (Sayed Alamy)

As we nestle into our couches with cups of coffee, tea, or mulled wine, there is plenty to get out and see on our stages, as well. Plenty to warm hearts and entertain for the holidays.
 
Not / Our Town, Pony World Theatre, 11/4/22-12/3/22 (at 12^th Avenue Arts)
With Not / Our Town, Pony World Theatre tackles the most iconic American classic: Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Both the 1938 original and this new play examine family, community, and those journeys in life common to us all. But how much this production feels like Our Town or not is up to audience members who will take a survey with options for several different scenes, staging styles, and even story elements. The winning votes determine that night's performance. This is not improvised theatre, but instead numerous possible variations of the script.
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5587205
 
Jesus Christ Superstar, Reboot Theatre, 11/4-19/22 (at Theatre Off Jackson)
This now-classic musical focuses on the personal relationships between Jesus, Mary, and Judas, and examines the highs and lows of stardom, fanaticism, and mob justice. So, how will applying Reboot’s “style” highlight this musical in a new way?
www.reboot.booktix.com
 
Paddington Saves Christmas, Seattle Children’s Theater, 11/15/22-12/31/22
It’s holiday time in the Brown household and Paddington is here to save the day! When he runs out of sugar for the seasonal marmalade jam, Paddington heads next door to borrow some from Mr. Curry. But Mr. Curry is short-tempered as he prepares for a visit from his great aunt. Paddington volunteers to help with Mr. Curry's chores, but good intentions lead to chaos! Will Paddington be able to fix everything in time? Find out in this fun-filled holiday comedy!
Approx. 70 minutes, no intermission. Recommended for ages 3+
www.sct.org
 
Teatro ZinZanni, with Herban Feast, 11/16/22-3/19/23 (at SODO Park)
Teatro Zinzanni has journey far and come home to entertain! They’re putting up the tent in SODO Park and partnering with Herban Feast for a special holiday season meal. Many of your favorite performers are back to win your hearts and there are new ones to pique your interest.
www.zinzanni.com/seattle

Time to Learn About Our Constitution!

 

Heidi Schreck and Cassie Beck - What the Constitution Means To Me (Joan Marcus)

What the Constitution Means to Me
Seattle Rep
Through October 23, 2022
 
Our Constitution is not a very long document for such an important piece of writing. There is a preamble and seven articles. What has become so consequential over the hundreds of years is the lengthy list of amendments that augment the basic rules that were written in a fairly bare-bones document.
 
The history of some of those amendments and what they created or changed for us can be fascinating. After the Civil War, there was a clear need to amend the Constitution so that freed Black people could never again be enslaved and could take their rightful place in society with the same rights as everyone else.
 
If you think that Heidi Schreck’s play What the Constitution Means to Me might be staid or boring or might be too much like a high school history lesson, your assumptions are incorrect. It is none of those things. Instead, it’s really a deeply personal story about a young high school Heidi and one of the unique ways she earned money to go to college, but also a reflection about what this journey of presentations about our Constitution meant to her then and over time.