Just Wrought

Just Bought My Tix for HOODIES UP!

Took me two minutes tops over at Brown Paper Tickets.  You better do the same soon or you could be wearing your hoodie out in the cold.

Here’s the all the latest updated information from producer Tyrone Brown.

HOODIES UP!

An Awareness and Fundraising Event
for the Trayvon Martin Foundation

 

Seattle, WA – May 11, 2012. Brownbox Theatre presents HOODIES UP! Featuring original short plays written by seven Seattle-based playwrights. The production will be presented for one performance at 7:30pm on Friday, May 18, 2012 at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center in historic Columbia City.

The playwrights charge for HOODIES UP!? Write a short play “inspired” by the Trayvon Martin tragedy, no more than 10 minutes in length, utilizing any writing style, and include at least one “hooded” character:

“We Have So Much To Learn” by Kathya Alexander
“Bottom Line” by Jose' Amador
“Is This The Day, Walking While Black?” by Najee Sui-Chang
“Trees In The Window” by Lois Mackey
“White Boy Can Take A Punch” by Paul Mullin
“An/Other” by Nick Stokes
“End Of The Rainbow” by Sharon N. Williams

The HOODIES UP! plays feature direction by Jose’ Amador, Maggie Holmes, Pearl Klein, Danny Long, and Andy Jensen. The production will feature the talents of 15-20 local actors, designers, and community members representing a variety of social, political, and cultural backgrounds.

HOODIES UP! is an “awareness and fundraising” event. All ticket sales and funds collected will be donated to the Justice for Trayvon Martin Foundation - http://justicetm.org/ - as part the Advocacy Campaign for Truth by Sybrina Fulton & Tracy Martin.

Performance and Ticket Information

Date: Friday, May 18, 2012 at 7:30pm

Venue: Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 South Alaska Street, Seattle, WA 98118

Web and Phone: www.rainiervalleyculturalcenter.org / (206) 725-7517

Purchase Tickets: 1(800)838-2006 or www.brownpapertickets.com/event/244954

Advance Tickets: $15.00 / $5.00 (17 and under)

At The Door: $20.00 / $7.00 (17 and under)

Yussef el Guindi’s Interview at HowlRound Gets me Pumped!

One of the best things about Seattle as a theatre town is that it’s small enough that you can get your arms around it.  If you care to, you can get to know pretty much everyone who is active here as an artist.  For instance, I have met Yussef el Guindi, chatted and corresponded with him, and very much enjoyed the interaction.  But thanks to Vincent Delaney’s interview of Yussef over at HowlRound, I feel like I know him so much better, and admire him all the more for it.  His thoughts on the new works scene in Seattle are fervent and hopeful without indulging in the “best-of-all-possible-cities” Pollyannaism that some successful playwrights and artistic administrators like to espouse publically here.*

I . . . wish artistic directors were as brave as their audiences. I think audiences are much more adventurous than some artistic directors imagine. . . .

What’s surprising to me is that you’d think the Seattle theater scene would be more open to riskier choices, in terms of choosing plays that are a little edgier, even more political. Seattle being, for the most part, a liberal city, you’d think that would be reflected in the plays selected. But perhaps more than being liberal or progressive, Seattle is also known for being very civil. We are a polite town. That politeness gene, I sense, seems to influence the selection of plays, as much as anything else. But then I’ve always felt theaters in general are inherently conservative, especially the big LORT houses. . . .

Thanks, Yussef, for energizing and inspiring me to keep working for world class.  You being here gets us so much closer.

 

* Note to said colleagues: singing desperate paeans to perfection is a particularly pernicious form of despair.  We can only have hope when it’s possible for things to get better.

Sh%t’s Finally Gettin’ Real over at HowlRound

After dispensing with the obligatory, “gee, ain’t-Seattle-swell?” lovey-dovey lip service, we are finally getting to some questions in the comments on Vincent Delaney’s kick-off essay that point to ways in which we can truly progress towards being a world class theatre town.

Here’s playwright and novelist Nick Stokes:

Not that I'm not up for drinking beer and listening to our plays, but . . . I'd also venture to say that without original work being produced on some scale, we don't have a unique Seattle Theater scene. We just have the same theatre as everyone else and nothing to claim as our own. Which doesn't necessarily hurt actor careers, though it does stunt those of writers and directors and perpetuates everyone's obscurity.

Do we as writers have a bad self-image locally? I don't think so. I think the confidence problem is higher up the production chain. That said, the best we as artists can do to create a scene is create engaging, unique, provocative work and get it up however we can (Eclectic, West of Lenin, Fringe, self-production, etc.) ... and that said, the scene will remain pretty small without some serious institutional support and a belief among those in positions of influence that we have a scene worthy of discussion and capable of national relevance.

And here’s playwright Keri Healey (who just gave us the world class play Torso):

Can someone in-the-know provide us with a compare/contrast look at which services are provided through all the existing new play development programs in Seattle? What does "play development" mean to each of these programs -- and what are their goals with the plays/playwrights once the "development" portion of the program is over? Writers, are you getting your scripts produced at these theaters or getting help from them in securing productions at other theaters once you have gone through this process? I find that in Seattle, it's a fairly easy process to pull a few public readings of a new script together (gathering actors and a director and getting feedback). I've even found producing (at a small level) to be accessible to many folks. What is most difficult, for me, are those next steps...of getting the play beyond the public readings/first production stage and onto a broader platform. I'd love to hear about the other features that are available through the various programs, if any current/past participants can chime in on those.

Perhaps some of Seattle’s customarily silent Big House artistic administrators would finally care to weigh in during this nationally broadcast discussion of Seattle as a theatre town?  It really ain’t too late for them to join the fray.

Or for you! 

I know my buddy Vince would love to hear from you.

Seattle Week at HowlRound

Keep your eyes on HowlRound.  According to Seattle Playwright Vincent Delaney, “The national journal based at Arena Stage, is featuring Seattle for the entire week.  We've got blog posts by playwright Stephanie Timm, Allen Fitzpatrick of Icicle Creek Theatre Festival, Kathy Hsieh of Sex In Seattle, dramaturg Liz Engelman, and a culminating interview with our own Yussef El Guindi.”

Vince has already posted his kick-off essay and it’s a clarion call.   

Local actors rule the Equity stages here, and no one expects that to change. They’re just too good, and everyone knows it.

So, Playwrights?

Raising the profile of Seattle writing is really a matter of changing our own self-image. Yes it’s frustrating to see season selections that reflect some other city’s priorities (curse you, Wichita)—but what are we going to do about it? Sit and complain? Threaten to leave? Spend all our energies on angry blog posts?

(Uh-oh.  I think I know who that last shot might be aimed at.)

Go read Vince’s essay and give him feedback in the comments section.  Then keep your eye on HowlRound and weigh in when Stephanie, Allen, Kathy, Liz and Yussef step to the plate.  This is a great opportunity for Seattle to continue its discussion about mapping its way to World Class as a theatre town, and an even greater way for the whole nation to see how sexy smart and committed we are.

Go get ‘em, Seattle!

Bookmark THE SEATTLE STAR

Here’s the link.  Just go bookmark it.  Then come back and I’ll tell you why, okay?... Okay, go! . . .

 

 

. . . . There.  All bookmarked? 

Good.

Living up to the promise publisher Omar Willey made when he kicked it off at the beginning of this year, The Seattle Star has consistently provided cogent, in-depth criticism (no flip, self-regarding drive-bys here) of Seattle’s arts offerings, including but not limited to Cole Hornaday’s piece on Sandbox Radio IV: The Chase which details not only that most recent episode, but also how it fit into the on-going series.  Witness as well, José Amador’s latest critique of Annex Theatre’s Team of Heroes: Behind Closed Doors, offering a similarly thoughtful big-picture approach.

What’s more, like icing on an already yummy and healthy cake, The Star also provides unprecedented access to a variety of Seattle’s unsung poets, including some of my all-time favorites like Pamela Hobart Carter and David Penn.  (Full disclosure: they also published one of mine once.  Hey, nobody's perfect.)

So now that you’ve bookmarked The Seattle Star, you might also considering liking them on Facebook and following them on Twitter.  You won’t be sorry.  Of that I’m sure.