TeenTix Blog

I am reviewing Into the Woods which we saw as a school it is a musical by Stephen Sondheim is a mix of a bunch of classic fairytales mixing the morals plot and characters and intertwining their stories in the first act and then in the second act creating a completely new story with all of the characters. It also introduces new morals from the intertwined stories and uses the woods as a metaphor for change. My opinion is that Into the Woods is an amazing musical having seen the play many times before 5th avenues acting lived up to the musical's name. It has great actors and the set works really well with the transitioning between scenes and most importantly the morals of the story are amazing and still relevant despite this musical being written in 1986.

But the acting itself makes me say everyone should try to see the 5th avenue production of Into the Woods. Into the Woods is about Cinderella, a baker and his wife, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and his mother, and a witch’s wish. Cinderella wishes to go to the ball, the baker and his wife wish for a child, Little Red Riding Hood wishes to visit her granny, Jack and his mother wish for money, and the witch wishes for her youth and beauty back. All of these wishes take them IInto the Woods and all their stories intertwine, mostly held together by the baker and his wife, and also a mysterious old man who keeps appearing in all of their stories. And then in the second act there is a giant in the land which is when this becomes its own story not based on the plot of the fairytales at all the second act follows they’re journey attempting to defeat the giant and losing beloved ones along the way and how they react to said losses.

The play Into the Woods at the 5th Avenue theater, is a bewitching world that brings fairy tales to reality. It is a tale that follows a great cast of characters who find themselves in the woods attempting to carry out their wishes. With beautiful costumes and lighting the musical creates a mesmerizing world that takes the viewers into the story. The musical numbers and coordination add to the spectacle and create an immersive experience. The play follows the theme of consequences and the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions, while the characters are well developed and brought to life by talented performers.

Into the Woods follows the tale of characters who find themselves in the woods trying to carry out their wishes. Nonetheless, they discover that their actions have great consequences. The tale follows a baker and his wife as they pursue items to break a curse that prevents them from having a child. Along the path, they run into famous characters from many different classic fairy tales such as Cinderella, Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red.

Before the play began above the stage with the words "wish", The play then began. When the lights go out then you start seeing the narrator, later on the actors appear on stage and begin to bring the fairytale to life. More hanging lights with multiple colors, as well as props and colorful costumes appear. The narrator provides a brief hint to each character's storyline to give you a sense of excitement for what is about to come. Well, the issue is the narrator sounded like they were mumbling something loudly into the microphone and so did the first speaker way before the show began.

The plot and theme was telling us there are consequences to our actions. Even the smallest actions, it all has consequences. They show this by putting famously known fairy tales together into one (the tales that were mentioned are: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Beanstalk.) Each character has their own wishes but there are obstacles (and consequences) to get what they desire. At one point all the characters meet up and try to work together to defeat the giant to rescue the boy.

Into The Woods at The 5th Avenue Theatre is truly a performance that is magical and enchanting that will leave you in awe. The entire cast are phenomenal young actors and actresses who give an amazing performance with the late Stephen Sondheim's lyrical brilliance with songs that will be stuck in your head for days.

With a reimagine combination of classic fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel told by fantastic lyrics, plotlines and acting, the actors pour their heart and soul into these performances.

MoPOP’s Hidden Worlds serves as a wonderful introduction to stop motion and other creative processes in the popular animation studio LAIKA’s films. LAIKA is an Oregon-based studio behind the famous films Coraline, ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings, Missing Link, and BoxTrolls, all of which were nominated for Oscars and PGA Awards. Beyond their critical acclaim, LAIKA is also known for specializing in standalone films and bringing hand-curated artistry back into our increasingly digital media space. Their films are bold and distinctive whilst also aesthetic and thought-provoking, widening the appreciation for animation. It only makes sense for this accomplished studio to be celebrated with a museum exhibit.

Though it lures the viewer in with Coraline dolls, sets, and larger than life room decor such as ceiling spiderwebs and painted floors, the exhibit surprisingly starts with a video. Featuring the animators and producers behind Coraline, the video marks the beginning of its sub-exhibit, explaining the unique, groundbreaking stop-motion techniques used in the movie. Despite my short attention span, I found it truly interesting to learn who was behind one of the greatest animation films and what created its overall success. The video immediately connects the viewer to the exhibit once it's over. From the start, something about it feels off; the video was narrated by none other than the Other Mother, Coraline’s creepy, iconic, soul-sucking villain that sews buttons into the kids’ eyes. I loved this detail because it transitioned well into the physical space, the voice setting a noticeably eerie mood.

With this list of opportunities in various different mediums, at different times, and in different regions, YOU pick how you will spend your Summer from a variety of programs through our many arts partners! Don't see something you like quite yet? Bookmark this page and check back as we update this list as more opportunities become available leading up to the Summer!

Music Opportunities:

Content warning: sexual assault

Before one’s eyes, actors morph into polarizing characters written by an ancient Roman author. Seattle Rep’s compelling performance of Metamorphoses brings Ovid’s stories into the 21st century, giving reason to why humanity has chosen to preserve his literature. The production’s impact is enhanced by expert stagecraft, made most powerful because of how the 2,000-year old fiction remains relevant to modern society. One would expect humanity to have evolved somewhat in the years since then, but this show reveals that the more things change, the more they remain the same.

Welcome to the third episode of the TeenTix Arts Podcast (TAP)! Here at TAP, we aim to uplift youth voices and artists in the music scene through access to education and critical discussion.

In this episode, Xandra and Triona explore the semi-recent Grammy Awards. We discuss the Grammys' relevance to young people today, ask musician and Pacific Northwest Grammy Board member Victoria Contreras about her work with the organization, and share our own thoughts on this year's program. Listen to find out what the Grammys do outside of the one big night!Listen now on your favorite platform:YouTubeSpotifySoundcloudCheck out our March playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7DP...TAP Intro/Outro Music:"Periwinkle" (Instrumental) by Aleyanna Grae IG: @grae.dreamer

Twenty-one years ago, Whale Rider, written and directed by Niki Caro, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. It was met with critical acclaim, receiving an Indie Spirit Award and an Academy Award Best Actress nomination for Keisha Castle-Hughes, the 13-year-old star of the movie. It has become a cult favorite, though it is rarely screened.

I had the exciting opportunity to see Whale Rider in person at SIFF Cinema Uptown. It was a Wednesday night, and I wasn’t expecting a large audience. Surprisingly, when I entered the theater, I observed that many people had turned up. I quickly learned Whale Rider was this month’s pick of the SIFF Cinema Movie Club. After a brief introduction that explained this to non-members like myself, the lights went down, and an arresting tension filled the theater as the audience prepared to live the world of this film for the next ninety minutes.Film still from Whale Rider directed by Niki Caro

Content warning: suicide, abuse

A pressing story of love during harsh times, A Thousand Splendid Suns is finally ready for its world premiere at Seattle Opera. The work, commissioned by Seattle Opera in 2015, is written by Seattle-born composer Sheila Silver and librettist Stephen Kitsakos. Based on Khaled Hosseini’s book of the same name, the opera is an epic tale set in Afghanistan from 1974 to 2001. Suns is unforgettably intense, a gripping story brought to life by heart-wrenching music.

Let's start from the vantage point of a bug. Imagine the sheer scale of everything never before acknowledged—the foundations of the environment around, where the very roots of the buildings around you are anchored. Even in this scenario, it is tempting to focus on the central character of the bug. However, after visiting From the Ground Up: Black Architects and Designers at the Museum of History and Industry, this perspective may be shifted into one that is not typically adopted. The exhibit asks, what parts of your surroundings have you brushed past in noticing? Who was integral to the existence of these surroundings?

As David Adjaye said, "Buildings are deeply emotive structures which form our psyche. People think they're just things they maneuver through, but the make-up of a person is influenced by the nature of spaces." The exhibit itself was presented overlooking Lake Union with the information laid out in placards, which lent an integrated feel to the exhibit—seemingly a conscious choice, as a note by the window asks the viewer to consider their own surroundings more thoughtfully. The pieces were varied but characteristic of the works typically found at MOHAI, though this exhibit was a bit more information-dense than others, which made fully understanding it a longer endeavor. There were rows designating specific architects and their contributions, as well as institutes that these architects contributed to, which organized information presented in a clear, chronological order. There was also an interactive element where children could create their own buildings, and several video stations within the exhibit. From the Group Up, photo courtesy of MOHAI

Welcome to the second episode of the TeenTix Arts Podcast (TAP)! Here at TAP, we aim to uplift youth voices and artists in the local music scene through access to education and critical discussion.

In this episode, Triona & Olivia dive deep into the different platforms and ways that teens discover music, and how youth artists get their music discovered. We discuss statistics from a survey conducted by the TAP team. We interview up and coming R&B artist Ivy7 to learn about her challenges and goals as a youth artist and the advice she has for new folks coming into the music industry. We also interview Sharlese, the programming manager from KEXP and the Afternoon Show producer to find out the opportunities the organization has to offer for the youth. Tune in to learn about the different ways music can be found, advice for new artists, and the opportunities that you can be a part of.

Considering that on-screen parts for Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) account for less than six percent of speaking roles in Hollywood films, it feels disheartening that few film festivals attempt to remedy the lack of AAPI representation in the industry. As the first and only pan-Asian American film festival, the Seattle Asian American Film Festival (SAAFF) seeks to bridge the representation disparity by inviting AAPI filmmakers to share their stories with the Seattle arts community to celebrate their creations and gain well deserved recognition.

From incidental murder, to wistful reminiscence, SAAFF boasts a versatile selection with something for everyone to enjoy. The annual showcase includes feature films and shorts directed by a diverse lineup of creators with origins spanning the Asian diaspora. Each film spotlights the universal joys and sorrows that grace our lives, colored by the nuance of varied cultural experiences.

An Endless Shift, a documentary theater production about nurses during the pandemic, is a powerful experience. The show is a collage of verbatim interviews conveyed by one performer—Gloria Alcalá—to introduce an often overlooked perspective on the impact of the pandemic. That nuance, combined with the coziness of ArtsWest’s theater, makes for an even more personal experience.

Even before the play starts, the theater space is impressive. The two-tiered stage is close to the seating area, the proximity creating familiarity between the audience and the production. There is blue ambient lighting, and fog lingering in the air. Props are minimal: five chairs are set up at slightly different angles spanning the stage, and a handful of banners accompany them.

The theater adaptation of the book I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is a great depiction of this novel written by Erika L. Sanchez. The book adaptation into the play takes the main elements and themes of the novel, such as family, untold secrets, and culture. Using those themes in the story and elevating it into a visual work of art for both those who already enjoyed the book and for those who haven't read it at all.

This play stays really accurate to the book starring the main character Julia Reyes living in Chicago alongside her parents and her recently dead older sister Olga. The story is set in Julia’s last few high school years featuring not only her school life, but her life within the city, and her home life with her immigrant parents.

Parents may have a favorite child whom they consider to be “perfect,” which might make the other child feel unwanted or excluded. In the play, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, we see Julia, the main character in the book, feel this way after her older sister Olga died. Her parents see Olga as a model kid that loves spending time with her family, and helps her mom with household chores. Julia on the other hand was the opposite, always making trouble, likes being out with friends and is lazy. Julia feels imperfect compared to Olga. Her parents encourage her to be more like Olga than herself. Even though she likes doing good things such as writing, reading, and poems, they were not supportive. Later on Julia finds unexpected things in Olga's room, doubts her sister's sanity, and keeps figuring out more. The story continues with Julia discovering her sister’s true colors.

The play succeeds at using the lights, transitions, and sound effects. When doing transitions, the light was on the character so your attention goes to where they want you to see, and not the thing they get in and out of the stage with. There was a circle on the ground that spun which I thought was cool because it helps with getting the thing out and the characters don't have to move around a lot because the thing spins making it look like they are moving around.

On Saturday, January 28, 2023, we gathered at the On the Boards, dressed in our iconic 80s outfits, to celebrate the achievements of teens in our community! The award ceremony featured performances from the outstanding Jet City Improv, Sah Pham– Seattle’sYouth Poet Laureate, Counter Conformity Filmmakers Isa Chiappini & Kimberly Blum, and special musical guest THEM to close out the night! Overall, we awarded 18 outstanding teens and celebrated with families, friends, and community supporters.

This year, as you may know, the Teeny Awards looked a little different. Each of our partners was asked to nominate an outstanding teen in any of their programs and tell us about the efforts that teens they know have been putting in over the last year. Nominations were reviewed by a Panel of Community Arts Advocates, and out of all the incredible nominations they selected the following awardees:

Amelia Chiu from Washington State Historical Society

Sue Yu from Bellevue Arts Museum

Raika Roy Choudhury from Bellevue Arts Museum

Ruby Lee from Rain City Rock Camp

Cross Sideris (they/them) from The Vera Project

Ground Zero (GZ) Radio Interns from Ground Zero

Triona Suiter from TeenTix

Fatra Hussein from Young Women Empowered

Athena Fain from Young Women Empowered

Ri’Chara Mitchell from Young Women Empowered

Izzy Rampersad (She/Her) from 14/48 High School

Natalia Ortiz-Villacorta from ACT Theatre

Isabel Russell from Northwest Theatre Lab

Abby Anderson from Northwest Theatre Lab

Disha Cattamanchi from Penguin Productions

Mason Dauber from Seattle Children's Theatre

Nick Marston from Seattle Rep

Malia Silva from Seattle Rep

The speeches from all of our winners were truly inspiring to all the youth and industry adults at the event. The community vibes were infectious and we had a lot of fun meeting many people for the first time in-person again! The Teeny Awards are back and better than ever, continuing to highlight the teen voice in the arts scene.

When I first checked out I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, I was sure it was going to be boring, as I thought it would have too many dreadful problems in the story for me to keep up with. As I kept reading, the story became intriguing to me. Every time I flipped a page, it was sometimes the funny dialogue between Julia and her best friend Lorena, or drama-filled suspense. As a person who has recently started her journey of reading more young adult novels, I’d usually finish a novel in a month and a half. I was so surprised by the fact that I was able to finish the book in two weeks, I guess this shows how interesting the book was for me to try read toward the end.

For the past month, our class has been reading a remarkable young adult novel by Erika Sanchez, about a Mexican teenage girl, Julia, who is dealing with the death of her older sister, Olga, and the heavy expectations her parents have given her to be the perfect daughter. Not only that, she feels a sense of mystery with her sister, that Olga wasn’t who her parents really thought she was. In this review, I will be reviewing the play of this very novel, and talk about why it’s worth a watch. To briefly give an overview of this play, the plot is basically almost exactly the same as the book. Now, I don’t want to give out spoilers, but even though I read the novel prior to watching this play, I was shocked at how the play had played out.

The play I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is about Julia finding herself after being in the shadow of her sister Olga “the perfect Mexican daughter.” It shows her journey and curiosity after Olga’s death, learning more about herself, her culture, mental health, and the mystery her sister left behind.

The play successfully shows the audience Julia’s emotions. Just like in the book, the author lets us into Julia’s head allowing us to read all her thoughts, and she goes on her own journey. For example, throughout the play Julia constantly pauses in the moment and turns to the audience to share all the emotions she’s feeling. This helps the audience understand her and connect with the character. The lights and extra effects throw in more emotion through visuals, like the bubbles making it seem like she’s actually in water. This is shown when she felt like she was lost and drowning, the lights turned dark, the spotlight was on her showing how she was alone, all eyes on her. Her determination is demonstrated as she keeps on swimming and swimming without getting anywhere. Many people could relate to that moment when they seem to be struggling, this hooks the viewers in the more as they connect to the play. Music was important to reveal her mood as well. When she was feeling happy, all you could hear was upbeat music like a party.

As a high school student who doesn’t get out much, I have not seen many live stage plays. My most memorable experience with theater before seeing I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter was in a kindergarten choir where I played a sheep. Now, picture me and my friends walking into the Seattle Repertory Theatre, seeing the doors to the seating area and the stage behind it, and all we can see on a stage we expected to be empty is the actress for Olga lying prone in her raised coffin. I hadn’t even set my bags down yet, and immediately an impression had been made on me. I did not yet know it, but this play would end up easily being one of the best that I have personally seen up until this point.

The broad summary of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, both the book and play, is simple and small in scope. The eldest daughter of a family of four (now three) dies tragically, and the family must fall apart before being put back together the best they can over time. Upon looking past just the aspects of loss and grief, you can find themes of friendship, mental health, and internalized trauma from many key points in the play. Julia’s deep-rooted trust and search for comfort in Lorena during her low moments, the scene where Julia ends up cutting herself that manages to slowly break your heart before stopping it completely, and the revelations about Julia’s parents near the end of the play. With underlying notes of mystery surrounding Olga’s life, we end up exploring both her and Julia through the plotline of Julia’s impromptu investigation, and we end the play knowing Julia’s mind inside and out and Olga’s story from conception to demise. And, as a viewer, I truly enjoyed it.