Seattle Blog

LEAH!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!! This is why you are my favorite person to work with at the pool!

HOW CUTE IS LEAH? SO CUTE.

SAM's new director, Derrick Cartwright, says:"Even the name 'SOAP' should be considered as something provisional. SOAP was picked from many clever, and maybe some less clever, names (my personal favorite was 'SAMbiguous') which I think merits a blog entry in its own right. That could come soon. For now, I am curious to hear any responses to it, since we are open to improvements as we go."So...what do you think of "SOAP", Teen Tixers? Read SOAP here

For part five in our series, Young Critics Workshop grad Leah Menzer supplies hyperbolic ad copy for YCW. And it's all true. Leah, take it away!I see you, Seattle high-schooler, wearing that flannel shirt, a pair of wayfarers, and listening to KEXP podcasts. If you really want keys to the hipster castle, look no further than the Young Critics Workshop. Nothing is cooler than Seattle’s outrageously large art scene, and nothing will get you more involved with it than YCW. I bleed obscure art references now, (an oddly useful college skill) and I’d say most of it stems from this class. Also if you tell your parents you are going to see a play they will probably start crying with joy, and maybe not be so angry when you get a C on that chem test or whatever.Honestly, the only relevant things I still have on my resume from high school are this class and a fictional company I was CEO of. Don’t waste your time thinking that being Co-Secretary of Japanese club is really going to help you later in life, I promise you it will not. INSTEAD why not find out about mysterious avant-garde warehouse plays and underground art tours while improving your writing with a REAL LIVE (charming) newspaper editor from the best paper in town?I cannot stress enough how much I looked forward to every class. In my fake-wood college desk drawer I still have some handouts from the class I look at if I need inspiration.- I’m a sophomore at American University in Washington DC, waffling between sticking with a Political Science major or switching into something radio-related I would actually love that probably won’t get me a job.The Young Critics Workshop is a 5-month-long critical writing seminar for 11th & 12th graders and college freshmen who are interested in learning about arts criticism and journalism. It's taught by Brendan Kiley, Arts Editor at the Stranger. Applications for this year's workshop are due October 15th. Download more info here. Download the application here. Email questions to [email protected]

TONIGHT: Author Annie Proulx is speaking at Benaroya Hall. Proulx is the author of some very good books and short stories you might not have heard of (Postcards, Accordion Crimes, Bad Dirt) and a couple of you probably have heard of (The Shipping News, Brokeback Mountain) because they've been made into movies (and we know how you kids love the talkies). Books blogger John Detrixhe says that Proulx is a reluctant interview subject:"It's this reluctance that makes her words so gratifying. There's a certain guilty thrill in listening to Proulx speak, when one knows that she would rather be in Wyoming, where she lives, or Newfoundland, where she owns a home. And she would probably be happiest if she were in either of those places writing, instead of giving a lecture in Chicago or responding to the media. Still, one senses that Proulx rarely does what she doesn't care to do, and when she answers a question it is only because she is willing, and not because she necessarily cares how you will react to her answer."Sounds like someone I'd like to hear speak. You? Okay, let's go.Annie ProulxTonight, Wednesday, October 7th7:30 PMBenaroya Hallmore infoThis event is produced by Seattle Arts & Lectures, a Teen Tix Participating Organization. Teen Tix members can get $5.00 tickets at the door. The box office opens at 6:00 PM.

Hamlet is my favourite play ever. I read it, and then I reread it a good four or five times, and I still find the plot engaging, the characters extremely likeable, and the ideas presented thought-provoking. I'm not even joking: I would love to be IRL friends with Prince Hamlet lol.

Today's video of the day is a walk through the streets of a Dutch city (looks like Amsterdam to me) with three guys with whom it would be a pleasure to amble the streets of any city, European or no: Reggie Watts, Tommy Smith, and (wait for it) Brendan Kiley (who is apparently now the mascot of this blog). Reggie and Tommy's new show Transition runs October 15 - 17 at On the Boards.

Dutch A/V (sample) from Tommy Smith on Vimeo.

"pink lady passport photo" by david bessent on flickr(search results is an art project. Everyday we search for and post a random flickr photo using the search term "passport".)The Teen Tix Passport to the Arts contest is still on!Here's how it works: - Download the passport - Take it with you and ask for a stamp at the box office every time you use your Teen Tix pass - Once you have 6 stamps, return your passport to us to be entered to win fabulous prizes like a $200 gift card to a retailer of your choosing (choose from Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, GAP, iTunes, Pagliacci, Starbucks, Target, or a pre-paid Visa card). The contest runs through December 29th, 2009, so you still have plenty of time to see art and win! Download your passport and all of the contest details here.

It's high time we blogged about Intiman's Front Porch Theatre series, awesome participatory theatre events at "unexpected venues" like coffee shops, libraries, and churches. And today gives us the perfect motivation, because our own Professor Kiley (also known as Brendan Kiley, Arts Editor of the Stranger and teacher of our upcoming Young Critics Workshop) will be reading the part of Young Abe Lincoln. Oh, this is going to be wonderful. Come on down!Intiman Front Porch Series for Abe Lincoln in IllinoisTONIGHT! Tuesday, October 6th @ 6:00 PMMount Zion Baptist Church1634 19th AveSeattle, WA 98122About FRONT PORCH THEATER (from INTIMAN's website):Front Porch Theater brings the stories on our stage to life in neighborhood gathering spots (including coffee shops and libraries) and unexpected venues that encourage spontaneous participation. Family, friends and neighbors come together to read an excerpt from the American Cycle play aloud, followed by moderated conversation about the issues and ideas it inspires. All are welcome; those who don’t wish to read are encouraged to attend as audience and participate in the discussion. This fall, Intiman will join with community partners to co-host a Front Porch series for Abe Lincoln in Illinois, with readers taking on iconic roles from the play. For more information about the schedule or to participate please write us at [email protected]. Abe Lincoln in IllinoisINTIMAN TheatreThrough November 15th

Wow, this play seems amazing. This writer really sounds like she's know what she's talking about. I MUST SEE IT!!!!!! This person should write more reviews!!!

which will also be, I just noticed, our 301st post. Blogging is fun! And so is this:Pomplamoose does "All the Single Ladies", and it is very very good.Thank you to TeenTixTipper Matthew

"Tibet Passport Control" by gruntso on flickr(search results is an art project. Everyday we search for and post a random flickr photo using the search term "passport".)The Teen Tix Passport to the Arts contest is still on!Here's how it works: - Download the passport - Take it with you and ask for a stamp at the box office every time you use your Teen Tix pass - Once you have 6 stamps, return your passport to us to be entered to win fabulous prizes like a $200 gift card to a retailer of your choosing (choose from Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, GAP, iTunes, Pagliacci, Starbucks, Target, or a pre-paid Visa card). The contest runs through December 29th, 2009, so you still have plenty of time to see art and win! Download your passport and all of the contest details here.

Last Sunday night Teen Tix members had a chance to enter the frightening suburbian zombie gaming underworld (via the frightening urban underworld of fringe theatre) at Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom at Washington Ensemble Theatre. Teen Tix members attended a pre-show costume demo with N3 Costume Designer Pete Rush, and a post-show Q&A with the cast and crew. WET is known for producing edgy, challenging, visually arresting theatre at their teensy tiny space (The Little Theatre) on Capitol Hill. Teen Tixer Stefania H. was there and tells us that Neighborhood 3 is no exception:"Neighborhood 3 was a thought provoking, entertaining, and spooky show that was thoroughly enjoyable. The clash of the video game world and reality was fun especially for a teen who likes video games, but was performed in a way that left a great deal of thought for the audience which made this show especially appropriate for the talk back after the show. It was also really neat to see how some of the costumes were put together and all of the thought and time put into costume designing. It was a great learning experience and definitely interesting. The WET did an awesome job with this show. It's a show to see and will be especially interesting to teens!"Neighborhood 3 Costume Designer Pete Rush ropes a Teen Tix volunteer into trying on the video game zombie suit. Sweeeeet. Neighborhood 3: Requisition of DoomWashington Ensemble TheatreThrough October 26thFor more info, visit the N3 facebook.

Review of Remember Being Born? at Taproot Theatre by Tucker Cholvin Taproot Theatre, it seems, is a busy place these days. Currently in the middle of their production of Enchanted April, Taproot is also offering audiences a hidden late-night gem. Remember Being Born?, a one-man show performed by Solomon Davis, is a quirky and deeply personal story that refuses to be pinned down into just one category. Neither here nor there in its unique combination of stand-up routine, memoir, and coming-of-age story, Remember Being Born? makes full use of its adaptability to delve deep into Davis’ childhood and persona. Solomon Davis in Remember Being Born? at Taproot Theatre Photo by Liz Ragland On stage, Davis begins as the funnyman—Steve Martin comparisons are inevitable, as his effusive, physical energy fills the house as well as when he whips out his harmonica for a doleful few notes at the end of a monologue. Other parts of his act seem improvised and unexpected, only adding to the fervor. His charm as a storyteller and his affection for screwball comedy succeed in winning audiences over immediately, laughing at one self-effacing story after another. The mood shifts a little as Davis recalls his father dating, but the screwball comedy is never far off. With each new story, we see Davis a little bit older—one moment being told by his father to use his middle name, Mark, rather than Solomon, and the next moment auditioning for the high school play. Awkward by their subject matter, his stories are also powerfully endearing, and in Taproot’s small theatre the stand-up comedy of the beginning evolves into a story more deeply and intimately personal. Recounting being raised by his father after his mother’s death in a car crash, Davis yet again transforms the show, this time into a search for identity and where he comes from. Davis dwells most poignantly on the latter, seeking the mother he never knew out through memories, and hoping that she is the answer to who he is maturing into. At its end, Remember Being Born?’s wit and humor does not degrade its intimacy and meaning, and its occasional seriousness does not obstruct the humor. Instead, Davis leaves his audience both with a smile on their face and a profound sense of who he is as a human being. Such a balance is hard-struck, and it is to Davis’ great credit that he can find it. Done well, theatre is the opportunity to delve deeper into the world of others than we can in daily life. In his incisive and magnificent performance, Davis’ Remember Being Born? succeeds marvelously. - Tucker C October 2nd, 2009 Remember Being Born? Every Friday night at 10:15 through October 23rd Taproot Theatre

"When Passport Photos Go Bad..." by ibeamee on flickr(search results is an art project. Everyday we search for and post a random flickr photo using the search term "passport".)The Teen Tix Passport to the Arts contest is still on!Here's how it works: - Download the passport - Take it with you and ask for a stamp at the box office every time you use your Teen Tix pass - Once you have 6 stamps, return your passport to us to be entered to win fabulous prizes like a $200 gift card to a retailer of your choosing (choose from Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, GAP, iTunes, Pagliacci, Starbucks, Target, or a pre-paid Visa card). The contest runs through December 29th, 2009, so you still have plenty of time to see art and win! Download your passport and all of the contest details here.

"Passport Photo Photoshopped (Alliterations " by intanchly on flickr(search results is an art project. Everyday we search for and post a random flickr photo using the search term "passport".)The Teen Tix Passport to the Arts contest is still on!Here's how it works: - Download the passport - Take it with you and ask for a stamp at the box office every time you use your Teen Tix pass - Once you have 6 stamps, return your passport to us to be entered to win fabulous prizes like a $200 gift card to a retailer of your choosing (choose from Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, GAP, iTunes, Pagliacci, Starbucks, Target, or a pre-paid Visa card). The contest runs through December 29th, 2009, so you still have plenty of time to see art and win! Download your passport and all of the contest details here.

Ever been sitting at your computer with nothing to do? (AFTER your homework is already finished, we assume.)Rest assured, your weekly cure for boredom is here!This week we're bringing you a website that allows you to watch bits of television and movies all in one place. It's called Neave Television.They call it television without context, we call it hours of visual entertainment! Watch clips from sources all around the world, let your mind explore and be inspired!Explore Neave Television!

Review of The Shipment at On the Boards by Marissa B-TThe atmosphere is one of light joviality; the patrons of On the Boards anticipate something great. Most seats are full, the theater is humming with conversation-- then silence pervades, and The Shipment begins with a burst of light and movement. In the opening few minutes, the joviality remains, but alongside it arises an air of surprise and pensiveness registering in the faces of some viewers.Aundré Chin and Douglas Scott Streater in The Shipment at On the Boards.The Shipment, written and directed by Young Jean Lee, is currently playing in Seattle at On the Boards. The show consists of various theatre formats designed to address and reevaluate black stereotypes in contemporary culture. The opening dance routine, choreographed by Faye Discroll, energetically lights up the stage and breaks the so-called mold of black choreography. This performance sets the audience up for emotional polarization that is a key component throughout. In its entirety, The Shipment is a mere ninety minutes, yet its purposefully haphazard sequence of performances delivers a range of feelings and experiences. It should be mentioned that there is also wide range of profanity, as well (especially in Douglas Scott Streater's Standup Guy monologue); and anyone uncomfortable with hearing vulgarity every few minutes need not attend. The point of the play is not to soothe or solely entertain the audience. The language is intended to rile listeners; it is part of an attempt by Young Jean Lee's Theater Company to provide a new window onto their subject. Lee and the diverse, complementary cast of five blend a series of widely varying monologues, dances, and scenarios portraying common representations of the black identity in media. This first startling portion gives way to silence, into which, beautiful three-part harmony suddenly sounds. An innovative a cappella song divides the sections of the play. While blending seamlessly with the rest, its introspection tones down the intense stylization and drama of the first segment. Here, removal of the fourth wall serves to movingly connect actors with reality and the people sitting before them. Act II (if one can place that label on it), is distinct in style and content from preceding episodes. It would be unfair to reveal much; simply know that Act II is rooted in characters that each actor wanted to and had never had the opportunity to play. Therefore, as might be expected of so talented a cast, the roles are infused with an extra vibrancy. The last scene, as noted during an interview session afterward, is not about anything in particular. It is more the theme and potent conclusion that matter here.The Shipment was a more than usually collaborative effort between playwright/director, actors, and other members of the design team. Costume designer Roxana Ramseur's work is marvelous in conveying the several contrasting personalities each actor takes on. Suits, party dresses, colorful vests, evening gowns-- each costume perfectly aided in fleshing out each character and the role they had in a given scene. Lee succeeds brilliantly in realizing her concept. The process itself of formulating The Shipment is intriguing, with more material contributed by the actors than by the unconventional playwright/director/editor/creative stylist.- Marissa B-TThursday, October 1st, 2009The ShipmentThrough Sunday, October 4thOn The Boards

"Passport photos through the ages" by kh1234567890 on flickr(search results is an art project. Everyday we search for and post a random flickr photo using the search term "passport".)The Teen Tix Passport to the Arts contest is still on!Here's how it works: - Download the passport - Take it with you and ask for a stamp at the box office every time you use your Teen Tix pass - Once you have 6 stamps, return your passport to us to be entered to win fabulous prizes like a $200 gift card to a retailer of your choosing (choose from Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, GAP, iTunes, Pagliacci, Starbucks, Target, or a pre-paid Visa card). The contest runs through December 29th, 2009, so you still have plenty of time to see art and win! Download your passport and all of the contest details here.