Celebrating Northwest writers
I can't cover everything I'd like to in area theaters, but I can pass along press releases. Here's one on upcoming events worth attending.
(Tacoma, WA) - Northwest Playwrights Alliance, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Tyrrell and Playwright-In-Residence Bryan Willis, announces Festival Northwest, a part of the 2009 Northwest Playwrights Month this August. The festival is a coproduction with Tacoma Little Theatre and New Artistic Director Scott Campbell. Three full length commissioned plays will be staged at Tacoma Little Theatre, along with two nights of short works. Please see the Fact Sheet at the end of this release for a full schedule of events.
Festival Northwest is the next step in the development of The Festival of Northwest Plays, hosted by Broadway Center for the Performing Arts in Tacoma in 2008. It is an opportunity for writers, actors, and theatre professionals from around the region to gather and produce some of the best recent work created by Northwest playwrights.
The festival includes both established and emerging writers with strong ties to the Northwest. At Tacoma Little Theatre, two of the commissioned full-length productions are plays most recently produced by the Working Theatre Collective, a new company based out of Portland, Oregon. The third, Convention, by recent Western Washington University graduate Dan Erickson, was recognized by The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. The fourth production during Festival Northwest will be a night of short works written by six separate playwrights. Audiences at TLT will have the option of purchasing either single tickets or one Festival Pass, allowing them to see all four productions at a discounted price.
Beyond Festival Northwest at Tacoma Little Theatre, the 2009 Northwest Playwrights Month includes events all around the Puget Sound area. The strong connection between NPA and Seattle Repertory Theatre has given rise to three events: a reading of Y York’s new play Framed, a writing workshop with playwright Lee Blessing, and a reading of Blessing’s new play Chesapeake. All three events will be held in SRT’s PONCHO Forum. Y York’s Getting Near to Baby, an adaptation of the novel by Audrey Couloumbis, is part of Seattle Children’s Theatre’s 2009-2010 Season. Lee Blessing is a Tony and Pulitzer Prize nominated playwright, best known for his plays A Walk in the Woods (1988), and Eleemosynary (1985).
The celebration in August will also include numerous staged readings, musical performances, and poetry evenings in unconventional locations around the area. Plays confirmed to date include works by Nick Stokes and Jake Sherman. The annual Academy of International Education: New Play Buffet, held this year in Port Gamble, Washington, is also included in the month-long event.
Festival Northwest is made possible by generous support from The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation and Tacoma Arts Commission.
About Northwest Playwrights Alliance
The Northwest Playwrights Alliance is a non-profit organization established in 2004 to serve the needs of Northwest playwrights. Their mission is to provide opportunities to participate in readings, workshops, contests for emerging and established playwrights, festivals, play anthologies, and national tours.
Event: Framed by Y York (Staged Reading)
Date: Tuesday, August 4, 7:00 pm
Location: Seattle Repertory Theatre’s PONCHO Forum, 155 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA
Cost: Free.
Event: A Story That Begins and Ends With A Dream by Nate Harpel*
Date: Thursday, August 6, 7:30 pm
Friday, August 7, 8:00 pm
Location: Tacoma Little Theatre, 210 N I St, Tacoma, WA
Cost: $14 general/$10 student/senior/military; a Festival Pass can be purchased for all four shows at a discounted price of $32. Tickets for Festival Northwest can be purchased by calling 253-272-2281, or online at www.TacomaLittleTheatre.com.
Event: John Lennon’s Gargoyle by Bryan Willis*
Date: Saturday, August 8, 8:00 pm
Sunday, August 9, 2:00 pm
Location: Tacoma Little Theatre, 210 N I St, Tacoma, WA
Cost: $14 general/$10 student/senior/military; a Festival Pass can be purchased for all four shows at a discounted price of $32. Tickets for Festival Northwest can be purchased by calling 253-272-2281, or online at www.TacomaLittleTheatre.com.
Event: Playwriting Workshop with Lee Blessing
Date: Sunday, August 9, 2:00 – 5:00 pm
Location: Seattle Repertory Theatre’s PONCHO Forum, 155 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA
Cost: $75. Contact Bryan Willis at willis@olynet.com for more information.
Event: Chesapeake by Lee Blessing (Staged Reading)
Date: Tuesday, August 11, 7:00 pm
Location: Seattle Repertory Theatre’s PONCHO Forum, 155 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA
Cost: Free.
Event: The Short List: The Best Short Plays of the Past Year
written by Nick Stokes, Lia Romero, LaChris Jordan, Robert Caisley, Sean Walbeck.
Also written and directed by the 253 Collaborative (253 Collaborative -Thursday only)
Date: Thursday, August 13, 7:30 pm
Friday, August 14, 8:00
Location: Tacoma Little Theatre, 210 N I St, Tacoma, WA
Cost: $14 general/$10 student/senior/military; a Festival Pass can be purchased for all four shows at a discounted price of $32. Tickets for Festival Northwest can be purchased by calling 253-272-2281, or online at www.TacomaLittleTheatre.com.
Event: Convention by Dan Erickson*
Date: Saturday, August 15, 8:00 pm
Sunday, August 16, 2:00 pm
Location: Tacoma Little Theatre, 210 N I St, Tacoma, WA
Cost: $14 general/$10 student/senior/military; a Festival Pass can be purchased for all four shows at a discounted price of $32. Tickets for Festival Northwest can be purchased online at www.TacomaLittleTheatre.com
Event: Academy of International Education: New Play Buffet
Date: Saturday, August 22
Location: Port Gamble, Washington
Cost: Contact Bryan Willis for more information at willis@olynet.com
Other Events
The 2009 Northwest Playwrights Month will include other staged readings, musical performances, and poetry events. Please check our Facebook page or http://northwestplaywrights.org for an up-to-date schedule.
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