Image courtesy of artist; 2013.
Maneki Neko: Japan's Beckoning Cats -From Talisman to Pop Icon
- Friday, February 22, 2013— Sunday, August 4, 2013
Since the Edo period (1603 - 1868) a fabricated cat with a paw upraised in the Japanese gesture of beckoning has been considered a good luck charm, drawing good fortune to individuals and businesses. This exhibition highlights a unique selection of more than 150 cats collected by maneki neko aficionado Billie Moffitt, as well as interpretations of this tradition by renowned contemporary artists. Whether carved in wood or stone, sculpted in clay or formed in papier mâché, these alluring and enigmatically artful felines express aspects both of historic Japanese lore and contemporary pop culture.
To celebrate the exhibition, Bellevue Arts Museum has invited several contemporary Northwest artists to create their own interpretations of this Japanese tradition. Participating artists include: Diem Chau (AR '02), Joey Chiarello, Jeffry Mitchell, Saya Moriyasu, Moxie, Yuki Nakamura, George Rodriguez, Maki Tamura, Jason Walker, and Patti Warashina.
More information at tinyhaus.blogspot.com.
Image courtesy of A Noise Within Theatre; 2013.
Eurydice
- Saturday, March 9, 2013— Sunday, May 19, 2013
Pulitzer Prize Nominee Sarah Ruhl uses a hauntingly unique poetic style to re-tell the classic Greek myth of Orpheus through the eyes of his new wife, Eurydice – a magical experience with gripping emotional potency.
The Cast
Jules Wilcox - Eurydice
Geoff Elliot - Her Father
Ryan Vincent Anderson - A Nasty Interesting Man/Lord of the Underworld
Jessie Losch - Little Stone
Kelly Ehlert (TH '10) - Loud Stone
Abigail Marks - Big Stone
Graham Sibley - Orpheus
Design Team
Geoff Elliot - Director
Jeanine A. Ringer - Scenic Design
Angela Balogh Calin - Costume Design
Doug Newell - Sound Design
Endre Balogh - Composer/Musician
Meghan Gray - Lighting Design
Rachel Yaron - Prop Master
Image courtesy of ACT Theatre; 2013.
Grey Gardens
- Saturday, March 16, 2013— Sunday, May 26, 2013
A Co-Production with The 5th Avenue Theatre Directed by Kurt Beattie, Musical Staging by Noah Racey
Little Edie is a dazzling socialite on a downward spiral into a life of illusions and hoarded junk. Just exactly how did Jackie Kennedy’s cousin end up living in a decaying 42-room mansion full of cats? First captured in a cult-hit documentary, this true-story-turned-musical will take you on an unforgettable journey.
Set in the East Hampton mansion of the Beale family, Grey Gardens, and based on the cult-hit documentary of the same name, this award-winning intimate musical follows the spectacular decline and fall of Edith Bouvier Beale, a relative of Jacqueline Kennedy, and her daughter “Little Edie” from a glamorous life of cocktails and house parties to a penniless existence of bizarre co-dependency in the shambles of their once-splendid home. Performed acoustically in the Allen Arena Theatre, Grey Gardens promises to be one of the most memorable musicals of the Seattle season.
Dialect coaching by Alyssa Keene (TH '00).
Image courtesy of artist.
Is this the Moon?
- Wednesday, April 3, 2013— Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Northwest painter Kristy Tonti (AR '99) shows a series of oils that are eloquent and beautiful. She balances light and dark, warm and cool, opaque and transparent layers to create complexity. By contrasting delicate brushwork with bold knife strokes, Tonti invites movement within the boundaries of bold abstract compositions.
See more of Kristy's work at kristytonti.com.
Image courtesy of artist; 2013.
D.O.A. | The Good, The Bad and The Beautiful @ GUSFORD Gallery
- Friday, April 5, 2013— Saturday, May 25, 2013
Opening Reception Thursday, April 4, 6-9pm
RSVP | rsvp@gusfordgallery.com
GUSFORD | los angeles is pleased to present the work of London-based painter Hugh Mendes. For his first solo exhibition at the gallery, Mendes will show a selection of Obituaries, an ongoing series of still lifes that the artist has been working on for over a decade. D.O.A | The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful will focus on the Hollywood icons that Mendes has painted over the last 5 years.
Using clippings from the obituary section of British daily, The Guardian, as his source material, Mendes translates scraps of newspaper into intimate and detailed paintings. The photographs from which Mendes works are chosen for their iconic or irreverent qualities, and the paintings themselves serve as an act of remembrance, which fix the memory of an entire life into a single image. The ephemeral nature of newsprint – not only a declining medium in itself, but one whose pages wilt and yellow over time – is negated, and transformed into enduring works of art.
Drawing his inspiration from the surrounding neighborhood, Mendes has brought together a diverse cast of characters aligned with Hollywood to include film, television and music. In his collection of images, we find the good, the bad, and of course, the beautiful. Through the act of painting each persona, Mendes’ work not only creates a site of commemoration, but also serves as a meditation on mortality. Confronted by a single image to represent the entirety of an individual, each painting begs the question – who were these people and who did we imagine them to be?
Kelsey Lee Offield (AR '09) is the owner and director of Gusford Gallery. See some of Kelsey's own work at kelseyoffield.com.
Image courtesy of the artist; 2013.
A-Z: New Carved Pencils and Crayons
- Friday, April 5, 2013— Saturday, May 18, 2013
Diem Chau (AR '02) / A Z: New Carved Crayons and Pencils
Steven Carrelli / Collapse / drawing
Donald Cameron / The Tyranny of Color and Light / painting / video
All three artists address issues of destruction and fragility, whether it be literal in the imagery (Cameron and Carrelli), or the idea of extinction and the execution of her diminutive sculptures in such a fragile medium (Chau).
More information at tinyhaus.blogspot.com.
Image courtesy of PPT; 2013.
Clybourne Park
- Thursday, April 18, 2013— Sunday, May 19, 2013
Pittsburgh Public Theater's MADE IN AMERICA season continues with Bruce Norris' Clybourne Park, winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize, Britain's Olivier Award, and the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play. It is directed by Pamela Berlin, who was at The Public last season to direct RED. Clybourne Park runs April 18 - May 19 at the O'Reilly Theater.
Clybourne Park is set in a Chicago house at 406 Clybourne Street in two separate years: 1959 and 2009. It is the same house that was featured in Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 landmark drama about race and real estate, A Raisin in the Sun. In Act I of Norris' play, a man named Karl Lindner (who first appeared in A Raisin in the Sun) tries to convince the white owners of 406 Clybourne Street not to sell their home to a black family. In Act II, it's 50 years later and the neighborhood is now a black community. When a white family buys 406 Clybourne Street and intends to tear it down and rebuild a larger home on the property, a black couple from the local owner's association challenges the architectural integrity of their plans.
Critics and audiences from Broadway to London's West End have made Norris' audacious play a hit. "Norris stews his characters, both black and white, in their own neurotic juices, making terrific comedy out of his clinical dissection of hypocrisy," said The New Yorker. "Hilariously unrepentant observations about life," said Newsday. "Unapologetically entertaining, deeply satisfying serious comedy," said Vogue.
The same seven actors play different characters in each act. The cast includes: Brad Bellamy, Bjorn DuPaty, Megan Hill (TH '02), Tim McGeever, Jared McGuire, chandra Thomas, and Lynne Wintersteller.
The design team for Pittsburgh Public Theater's production of Clybourne Park is Michael Schweikardt (Scenic), Suzanne Chesney (Costumes), John Lasiter (Lighting), and Zach Moore (Sound). Casting is by McCorkle Casting. Fred Noel is the Production Stage Manager; Christine Schott is the Assistant Stage Manager.
Clybourne Park is recommended for mature audiences.
More info about Megan and her work can be found at meganhill.net.
Poster courtesy of artists and studio; 2013.
Symbiosis
- Thursday, April 18, 2013— Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Symbiosis is a vibrantly colorful two person exhibition exploring an unexpected symbiotic relationship between 2D painting and 3D clay. Katy Krantz and Liz Tran (AR '02) use these seemingly disparate mediums to inform and enhance their visual lexicon, as well as create a multi-layered exhibition space for viewer to experience both visually and physically. Each artist brings to the show a unique consideration of color, material, content, and composition.
See more of Liz's work, past and present, at lizannetran.blogspot.com.
Image courtesy of Annex Theatre; 2013.
Team of Heroes: No More Heroes
- Friday, April 26, 2013— Saturday, May 25, 2013
Following the collapse of the world’s most famous professional superhero team, the remaining Heroes come together to uncover the mysterious forces behind their former employers. Team of Heroes: No More Heroes is the final installment in Annex Theatre’s satirical trilogy exploring the dark underbelly of Doing Good. It features superhero spectacle created through lean theatrics, lurid desires, out-of-control egos…and skintight spandex.
The Cast
Libby Barnard - Alecto
Nik Doner - Shockwave
Curtis Eastwood - Piggy Pig
Sam Hagen - H8/The Accountant
Rachel Jackson - Chaos Theory
Alyssa Keene (TH '00) - Melody Knox
Tracy Leigh - Madame Mayhem
Jason Sharp - The Cap’n
The Crew
Playwright - Alexander Harris
Director - Jaime Roberts
Production Manager - Kristina Volkman
Assistant Director - Mike Gilson
Stage Manager - Lisa Stahler
Composer/Sound Designer - Michael Hayes
Set Designer - Emily Sershon
Lighting Designer - Tess Malone
Costume Designer - Candace Frank
Graphic Designer/Geek Consultant - Cole Hornaday
Assistant Stage Manager - Jessamyn Bateman-Lino
Videographer - Ben Laurance
Find out more at annextheatre.org.
Image courtesy of the Goodman Theatre; 2013.
By The Way, Meet Vera Stark
- Saturday, April 27, 2013— Sunday, June 2, 2013
Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage (Ruined) pulls the curtain back on old Hollywood in her latest play, a sly satire hailed as “not-to-be-missed” by Vogue.
This “sharp-toothed comedy” (The Wall Street Journal) offers a glimpse into the life of Vera Stark, a headstrong African American actress who begins a career in the 1930s, at a time when her only shot at success lay in stealing small scenes in big Hollywood blockbusters. Seventy years later, film buffs are left to reflect on the life and legacy of this controversial star, whose eventual fame and fortune came at the price of perpetuating dangerous stereotypes. Hilarious and poignant, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark paints a vivid picture of the cultural climate that shaped this mysterious screen queen—and wonders who, in another time, she might have been.
Lynn Nottage, Playwright
Chuck Smith, Director
Cast
Patrick Clear, Mr. Slasvick/Brad Donovan
Chike Johnson, Leroy Barksdale/Herb
Taron Patton, Lottie McBride/Carmen Levy-Green
Ron Rains (TH '96), Maximillian Von Oster/Peter Rhys-Davies
Amelia Workman, Anna Mae Simpkins/Afua Assata Ejobo
Kara Zediker, Gloria Mitchell
Creative Team
Robert Christen, Lighting Design
Riccardo Hernandez, Set Design
Joshua Horvath, Sound Design
Mike Tutaj, Projection Design
Birgit Rattenborg Wise, Costume Design
Joseph Drummond, Production Stage Manager
Adam Belcuore, Casting
Kathryn Altus, Salish Geometry, 18 x 12", water soluble oil on birch panel.
Stream to Sea
- Thursday, May 2, 2013— Sunday, June 2, 2013
Kathryn Altus (AR) exhibits work at Lisa Harris Gallery.
Kathryn's Artist Statement
"My work is about points on a map and how I remember them. In the studio, I tie them to what I know of the structure of the earth and hint at history, civilizations and borders.
In the context of the modern landscape, I seek to reveal inner beauty. And always, my intent is to deliver a feeling of the freedom of space within the bounds of the painted rectangle.
I work to develop highly complex colors and mix the paint directly on the canvas more often than the palette. For health and environmental reasons, I paint with water soluble oil paint and do not use solvents.
I was born in Washington State and have lived here most of my life."
See more of Kathryn's work, past and present, at kathrynaltus.com.
Image courtesy of artist; 2013.
Made in Seattle: Ezra Dickinson
- Monday, May 6, 2013— Sunday, May 19, 2013
MADE IN SEATTLE: EZRA DICKINSON
Mother for you I made this
MAY 6-19 / 7pm Daily
Various Downtown Location
TICKETS $18 / $12 students + seniors
“There are some dancers you want to watch, no matter what they’re doing, and Dickinson is one.” – Seattle Weekly
Part performance and part activism, Ezra Dickinson‘s (DA '07) Mother for you I made this is aimed at activating a conversation about the failed mental health care system in America through memories of Dickinson’s childhood as he lived with and unknowingly cared for his schizophrenic mother. Dickinson’s hour-long solo is built from a series of performances he made as gifts for his mother over a seven year period. Audiences are guided through forgotten public spaces by ushers and given a personal audio tour weaving conversations between Dickinson and his mother with sounds from the actual landscape.
Sound composed for Mother for you I made this by Paurl Walsh (MU '05).
SPEAKEASY EVENTS
LIFE+ART: Living with the mentally ill
SPEAKEASY CONVERSATION WITH EZRA DICKINSON
APR 14 / 2PM
Velocity Steward Studio 1621 12th Ave
FREE
Ezra Dickinson shares his experience creating solos as gifts for his schizophrenic mother and invites an open community conversation about mental health care and how it impacts our families and society. In conjunction with his upcoming Velocity Made in Seattle premiere Mother for you I made this, MAY 6-19.
MVP EVENTS
EZRA DICKINSON OPEN REHEARSAL
MAR 13 / 12-1PM
Velocity Steward Studio 1621 12th Ave
An interactive opportunity with Ezra where he will show a work in process and share some of his ideas, followed by a facilitated feedback session and discussion. A unique sneak peek two months before the world premiere of Mother for you I made this and participate in the final stages of the development of this new work.
Learn more about Ezra's work at ezradickinson.com
Image courtesy of the artists; 2013.
Gathering Bones
- Saturday, May 18, 2013— Sunday, May 19, 2013
Created by
Maya Soto (DA '03)
Original Music Composition by
Paurl Walsh (MU '05)
Performed by
Danica Bito, Teresa Hanawalt (DA '03), Amy Johnson (DA '11), Jana Kincl, Cristen Klaja, Erin McIntire, Uraina Nagy, Carla Negrete Martinez (DA '11) and Maya Soto
Gathering Bones features a 60 minute dance work created by Maya Soto with original music composition by Seattle composer Paurl Walsh, as well as an interactive gallery space where the audience is invited to step right into the creation of the work.
Gathering Bones is a movement collage exploring themes of internal personal power, feminism and femininity through dance, music and art. Soto dives into princess, warrior and queen archetypes through a variety of cultural histories and resources. This performance goes back in time, exploring stories and myths of powerful and wild women.
In Gathering Bones, the performers are both the damsels in distress and the heroes of the moment. Nine diverse, athletic, technically proficient, powerful dancers are constricted by giant fluffy dresses, balance tiaras perfectly poised on regal heads, and move through bursts of fierce locomotive movement. They are princesses. They are warriors. And in the end, they are both at the same time. They are poised and wild and tender and ferocious.Dark, earthy and feminine, they share a transformation story through the power of movement.
Soto takes over Velocity Dance Center's Founders Theater, providing an intimate up close and personal performance, transporting the audience into a world of myths and stories.
More information at sotostyledance.com.
Photo courtesy of 5th Avenue & Jerick Hoffer; Ji Ji Lee, 2013.
Hairspray in Concert
- Thursday, June 20, 2013
- Friday, June 21, 2013
- Saturday, June 22, 2013
- Saturday, June 22, 2013
- Sunday, June 23, 2013
- Sunday, June 23, 2013
In 2002, Hairspray was the first world premiere musical to leave The 5th Avenue Theatre and head for Broadway. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical and launched the Theatre’s unprecedented track record for sending new works to New York. Now 10 seasons later, The 5th collaborates with one of the world’s largest and most respected choruses, the Seattle Men’s Chorus. Together they will bring this special concert presentation of Hairspray, with all its glorious, irreverent, John Waters-inspired wackiness, back to the 5th Avenue stage for six very special performances.
Accompanied by a full orchestra, the show’s principle roles will be sung by some of Seattle’s favorite musical theater stars including Jerick Hoffer (TH '10), best known as his drag superstar alter ego Jinkx Monsoon, who takes a turn as Velma Von Tussle. This all-star cast also features Kirsten DeLohr Helland, Aaron Finley, Allen Fitzpatrick, Louis Hobson, Bobbi Kotula, and Jessica Skerritt, with Kat Ramsburg as Tracy Turnblad. Additional casting will be announced in May. More than 200 Seattle Men’s Chorus members will perform the ensemble roles, singing Hairspray favorites “Good Morning Baltimore,” “Welcome to the ‘60s,” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat” and more, as only the Seattle Men’s Chorus can. Hairspray In Concert will be directed by 5th Avenue Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, with musical direction by Seattle Men’s Chorus Artistic Director Dennis Coleman.
If you can't get enough Jinkx in your life, be sure to check out jinkxmonsoon.com
