TeenTix Blog by TeenTix

Middletown, written by Will Eno and directed by John Langs, is a contemporary retelling of the American classic Our Town. Middletown is startlingly true and poignant. In keeping with the theme of the original play, Middletown has a stark set only including two outlines of houses, a sidewalk, a bench, and a rock. The lack of set is a true metaphor for the play, a wonderfully quiet work about socially awkward people. Middletown is not afraid of silence and some of the best moments on stage are without dialogue. The performances by Alex Tavares and Eric Riedmann are reserved in just the right ways.

Alexandra Tavares portrays Mary Swanson with a true and moving humor. Her character is a woman who just moved into Middletown and is waiting for her husband to arrive. She quickly develops a friendship with her neighbor, John Dodge, played by Eric Riedmann. Their relationship is masterfully developed by Eno and the performances by Tavares and Riedmann are some of the best performances I have seen all year.

If you’re not familiar with Twelfth Night, here is what you need to know: cross-dressing, hijinks, love polygons, and mistaken identities were just as funny in Shakespeare’s time as they are today. Twelfth Night is timeless. Now: imagine it as a musical with clever, wisecracking wordplay, a fantastic set of songs, and an all-star cast.

Now you have Illyria.

Hello teenage art lovers of the (Seattle-area) world! The time has come to once again flex your mighty muscles and vote for your favorite art things and organizations in THE TEENY AWARDS!What are the Teeny Awards?

The Teeny Awards are like a Teen Choice Awards for local arts. They are given out each year by the TeenTix Steering Committee based on YOUR votes. You! TeenTix member! Reading this! YOUUUUUU!!!!

In September, after three decades of wowing Seattle audiences with amazing opera productions, award-winning Seattle Opera legend Speight Jenkins will step down as the General Director. I got a chance to sit down with him and gain some insight into his role as General Director, what he does, how he got there, his best advice for teens looking into arts careers, and some great advice for first-time opera goers.

Katelyn H. You are the General Director of the Opera. What does that mean?

The results of seeing ACT Theatre's Rapture, Blister, Burn by Gina Gionfriddo:

1. My abs hurt for three days from laughing too hard.

The newest inductees to the TeenTix Press Corps saw Intiman's Trouble in Mind last week. Here are a few bits of their thoughts about the show.

Leon V:

BREAKING NEWS: INTERN-A-PALOOZA 2013 has begun! This summer, TeenTix is thrilled to bring Kate L. and Quynh T. into the office to be a part of our work behind the scenes. That's right--there is now a full-fledged TEAM bringing you arts access for teens, and they are bringing the heat! (Also, they're crowding our teeny office. But we have to admit, we love it.) Leah, our Communications Associate, sat down with each of them for a closer look into the madness of Intern-A-Palooza:

Name: Kate L. Age: 17 years old From: Ballard, WA Name an artist that inspires you, and why: I really like Amanda Palmer. She's cool because she represents feminism--she doesn't care about others' expectations about her. Like, she doesn't shave her legs. She shaves off her eyebrows. She's totally original. Also, I like that she connects with her fans online through Twitter and Facebook. I think her intentions are really heartfelt and I respect that. What is your job at TeenTix and what do you like about it so far? My job is to create labels and mail passes every week for new users and teens who lost their passes, and I organize the blog and keep the calendar updated. I like working at TeenTix because they help give teens access to art, and helps them connect with new material. I also like looking at my work and saying, "Man, look at that. What an awesome calendar!" I love that TeenTix constantly works to keep things current for its users, and always adds new info while it works to reach as many teens as possible. What are some of your hobbies? Drama/Improv, swimming is a favorite activity of mine, and I love dogs. What kind of dogs do you have? I have two Corgis. They like sausages. What's a random fact about you? I once had a cat who lived to be 18 years old. His name was Henry.

With music ranging from classical Mozart to alternative, electronic, screamo duo F*ck Buttons, this year’s NEXT STEP performance at Pacific Northwest Ballet will invigorate McCaw hall with young dancers performing fresh, original works. I met with three performers in this upcoming show: the exceptional flutist, Benton Gordon (17), playing in the pit with the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO – lovingly pronounced “Sigh-So”), and vibrant PNB professional division dancers Alex Hyman (19), and Jacqui Schiller (19).

NEXT STEP dancers watch musicians rehearse

We've been searching high and low for summer programs, classes, camps, and other opportunities for teens just like YOU! In this list, you'll be able to find everything under the sun happening in Seattle this summer. Stay cool and get your art on!

~D A N C E~

What a crazy show! I just got back from the Season Preview Party at Balagan Theatre, and boy am I speechless. The amount of talent in that room was simply unreal, and the dream experience of every theatre-goer. I mean, Alice Ripley and Jerick Hoffer (aka Jinkx Monsoon) on the same stage at the same time?! Unreal.

The house was packed tonight, explaining the endless line that curved around the side of the theatre. It was my first time watching a performance at The Moore, and it was definitely a great show to see for the first time there. The show started with a bang and a song from the upbeat Jerry Springer: The Opera, with the ensemble on stage. The rest of the night featured songs from the upcoming season and many different solo performances by fabulous singers including but not limited to Justin Huertas, Heath Saunders, Kristen DeLohr Helland, Ryan McCabe, Louis Hobson, Keaton Whittaker, and of course, our stars, Jerick Hoffer/Jinkx Monsoon and Alice Ripley. I was definitely looking forward to their performances since I checked Facebook and discovered this amazing concert. My hopes were definitely satisfied. Jinkx Monsoon sang an amazing rendition of I Will Survive (one of my favorites!), an interpretation that only she would be able to execute. Later, she came back to sing The Orgin of Love from Hedwig and The Angry Inch, amazing the audience with her charm. During Alice Ripley's performance, I particularly enjoyed her singing I Miss The Mountains, from the show Next To Normal that she starred in on Broadway, with her amazing, raw, distinct, unique voice that I can spot anywhere. It felt like a dream being able to listen to her sing live, and it's way better than listening to the Next To Normal original Broadway cast recording on shuffle.

Jackie Sumell is no stranger to making a scene – in 2001, she organized a march on Washington, carrying hundreds of women’s pubic hair in order to protest pro-life decisions made by George Bush. Long before that, she was the first girl in Long Island to play competitive tackle football. However, when she attended a conference and ended up getting in touch with Herman Wallace, a now 40-year prisoner in solitary confinement, she had no idea it would eventually become the project she is most recognized for.

Herman’s House, a film written and directed by Angad Singh Bhalla, follows the 12-year relationship between the two unlikely associates. The story begins when Sumell sends Wallace a letter consisting of pictures of what she happened to be doing every hour, so that he will know what is still happening in the world outside his 6 foot by 9 foot cell – a room smaller than the average parking space. They begin a game: if Wallace were able to have any house in the world, what would it look like? Their plans become more and more concrete, and Sumell creates a scale model of Wallace’s dream house, eventually displaying it in 12 exhibits around the world under the name The House that Herman Built. The project escalates, with the goal eventually changing into actually creating the house in New Orleans, so that it can be a community center for youth. However, the movie doesn’t try to shine a positive light on the ordeal the two have been through – it concludes with Wallace still in prison and Sumell stuck in a rut, unable to find a way to make Wallace’s dream a reality.

Sounds echo across the walls of Benaroya Hall. They bounce back and forth in the giant space, resounding in each audience’s ears. However, at Amy Tan’s Seattle Arts and Lecture visit on June 5th, 2013, there were more than just sounds echoing across Benaroya Hall: there were unbelievably inspiring, incredible ideas.

Tan has written many world-renowned novels, like the insanely popular The Joy Luck Club, which was turned into a successful movie in 1993 and has been translated in 35 languages to-date. Tan has many other popular and well-written novels, like The Kitchen God’s Wife, Saving Fish from Drowning, The Hundred Secret Senses,” and more.

Phew, we're ready to call it a night! Thanks to everyone involved in the extraordinary Preview Party for Balagan's 2013-14 Season. According to our Twitter, Facebook, and Blog, everybody there was feeling the love, the laughter, and even the feels. Special thanks to Balagan for showing off the talents of artistic director Louis Hobson, RuPaul's Drag Race Winner Jinkx Monsoon, and the ever-talented Broadway superstar Alice Ripley. Also thanks to our TeenTix Press Corps stars of the night: Sam H., Monet C., Isabella D., Kally P., and Jennie K.! You all did an amazing job! For cereal, we felt the love all the way through our computer screens.

Here's to next time! You never know when the Takeover will strike again... Dun, dun, dunnn!

Jinkx Monsoon looks so LOVELY tonight! She has such a great voice, and it's so fun to see a "different" kind of theater.

17 sold out shows in New York but Jinkx says she doesn't plan on moving to the east coast. "There's something special happening in the Northwest and Seattle's the epicenter of it."

Jinkx epitomizes the best of drag. Belting "Survivor," her incredible performance is in no way dependent on her being in drag. She's got the voice and charisma to be a great performer regardless of what she's wearing.

-Kally

The Balagan's funny and light previews didn't leave me at all prepared for Louis Hobson's heart-renching ballad. Singing "Bring Him Home"!from Les Miserables, Hobson's voice was nothing to laugh at. The previously chattery audience went absolutely silent after the first few notes.

-Kally

This theater's definitely interesting. They're partaking in a New Works Program where new shows are being developed constantly.

"Pump Up the Volume" is a rock theater show adapted from the movie with the same title. Great singing and covers a sensitive topic relatable for youth everywhere.

JERRY JERRY JERRY JERRY

We've all probably seen the TV series in one way or another. The distinctive chant is too memorable and the people's stories are so strange that we have to keep watching. The Balagan Theater's fourth show is Jerry Springer the Opera.

Jerry Springer and opera at first seemed a bit contradictory. I couldn't quite imagine heckling and fist fights to the sound of an orchestra. When Jerry Speinger emerged sporting a bow tie and sorrounded by a chorus, the show still wasn't screaming beer and riotous crowds. The lyrics are what reveal the show's genius satire. The tune may sound like a traditional broadway hit, but the content is anything but classical. Jerry Springer is Rent (in-your-face rock music) and The Book of Mormon's (satire) very lovable, if slightly disfunctional child. I can't wait to see it all grown up later this season.

-Kally P.

When I got here, the line went beyond the corner of the street. Moore Theater is packed today! The theater's absolutely beautiful and I'm so excited for the event to start.