Theater Begins with the Playwright

"Theater begins here"
Motto of The Playwrights Center


This article, written by Polly Carl who heads up The Playwrights Center in Minneapolis, is possibly one of the best articles I've read about how the way new plays are selected is "seriously flawed".

My favorite quote is:

"If we start with the idea that playwrights and artists are what drive the theater--that they are indeed our greatest asset--and work backwards from there, it's amazing to think how this will immediately alter our practices."

I wish every Playwright, Literary Director and Artistic Director in the country could read it.

No, screw that.

I wish every actor, director, stage manager, costume designer, scenic designer, lighting designer, box office manager, board member, donor, congressman, patron and maybe even the plumbers should read it.

The 20th Century, Friday & Saturday @ 8 pm

JANUARY 9 & 10 @ 8:00pm
the
NORTHWEST PLAYWRIGHTS ALLIANCE
presents

THE 20th CENTURY
by
11 original theatrical vignettes by Northwest playwrights:
Scot Augustson, Lenore Bensinger, Nadine Caracciolo, Lee
Strucker, Steven Deitz, Ki Gottberg, Thomas J. Fields-Meyer,
Rick Rankin, Bryan Willis, Y York, Bill Downs, Dan Erickson.
(originally conceived and curated by Dan Fields)

SHOEBOX PERFORMANCE SPACE
1404 18th Avenue
Seattle 98122

TIKS: $15.
thru ww.brownpapertickets.com

or cash at the door

Info. call 425 - 417 - 1964

Short plays by 12 piquant Northwest playwrights that capture the events,
issues, and personalities of the most bizarre, dense, evolved, and involved
century in the history of the world.

The two performances at the Shoebox Performance Space commence the
NW Playwrights Alliance 20th CENTURY production tour that will take the
company to New York City and the United Kingdom later this spring.

Directed by Amalia Larson
Stage Manager - Kati Dawson

featuring
Alex Hodgins
Ashley Johnson
Evan Kubena
James Tweedale
Sarah Waisman
Jessica Young

NORTHWEST PLAYWRIGHTS ALLIANCE provides a home for regional writers to
test their work via our free monthly reading series at Seattle Rep, an anthology of
short plays, international tours, over-night festivals, professional workshops,
and festivals of fully produced plays

Meeting tomorrow, NPA reading Monday & Lee Blessing is coming!

Don't forget, we're having our Seattle regional meeting tomorrow at 11 am at the Seattle Center House. And also, readings of new works at the Rep next Monday night, December 8th (see below):

Northwest Playwrights Alliance & Seattle Rep
present our 5th annual Literary Salon featuring

Jim Lynch (author of The Highest Tide) reading from his new, soon-to-be published novel.
Poems by Alaska's best: Arlitia Jones
1 glorious poem by Karen Kunkel
short plays by
Sean Walbeck - dir. Deane Shellman
Jody Peterson - dir. Mark Kuntz
Schatzie Schaefers - dir. Tammis Doyle
Dan Erickson - dir. John Longenbaugh

Monday Dec. 8 @ 7 p.m. - Seattle Repertory Theater's
Poncho Theater
115 Mercer - please use main entrance

FREE ADMISSION

And if you haven't seen or heard about this already, you may want to look into booking your slot for the LEE BLESSING workshop next year. (And if you don't know who Lee Blessing is, shame on you--one of the best playwrights working today and teaches the MFA program at Rutgers).

Lee Blessing Playwriting Workshop

When: Aug. 9 - Sunday 2-5 p.m.
Where: Seattle Rep - Poncho Theater
Workshop Limit: 25 (and yes, people are already signing up)
Cost: $75

Do I really need to sign up so early? To guarantee your spot, Yes.
Will NPA still exist in August? Yes, we promise

Contact: Bryan Willis - willis@olynet.com

Next Meeting Saturday December 6th at 11 am

The next Seattle regional meeting will be on Saturday, December 6th from 11 am to 12 pm on the 4th floor of the Seattle Center House, room C.

We will have some coffee and light snacks and a loose agenda.

The purpose of this meeting will be to mingle/chat/commiserate as well as update you on some recent developments of the Guild and talk about future events for 2009.

I do hope that most of you will be able to attend and if there is anything you would like to discuss, please let me know and we can put it on the agenda.

See you soon!

Dennis

7 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT world premiere at BCC

Tickets are going fast...Only five shows and only 60 seats (it's a small house).

Info below.


Bellevue College Theatre Arts/Drama
Presents

7 Minutes to Midnight
World Premiere

Conceived and directed by Dennis Schebetta developed with the actors
Stop Gap Theatre
Nov. 14, 15, 21, 22 - 8:00 pm
Nov. 20 - 7:00 pm
$10 Students, $12 General
Buy Tickets early at Brown Paper Tickets


Please join a panel of BCC scientists, and the artists for a discussion following the Thurs. Nov. 20 performance.

Are you ready for that great atomic power? On July 16, 1945, the Trinity test in New Mexico awakens the Greek God Kronos (otherwise known as Saturn). After killing his father and devouring his own children, he was banished to the underworld by his son Zeus and is just waiting for the end of the world which will set him free. The dawning of the atomic age means the time draws nigh. Using text, movement and music, this ensemble-based play weaves together several stories from 1945 to now, showing Oppenheimer and other members of The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists as they try to warn the military and others about the impending cold war and the arms race. It examines the "nuclear" family of the 1950s, the fear of the 1980s, and how millions grew up under the shadow of a mushroom cloud. The clock is ticking for us all. Kronos is waiting, certain of mankind's destruction. What are you waiting for?

For more information about The Bulletin and The Doomsday Clock, check out the website: www.thebulletin.org.

Bellevue College is located at:

3000 Landerholm Circle SE
Bellevue, WA 98007

Arlene Hutton Reading at the Rep and Workshop this Sunday!

Northwest Playwrights Alliance & Seattle Rep present a reading of
Gulf View Drive
by Arlene Hutton
directed by Braden Abraham

Monday Nov. 10 @ 7 p.m. - Seattle Repertory Theater's
Poncho Theater
115 Mercer - please use main entrance

FREE ADMISSION-------------------------------

AND...HURRY SIGN UP NOW!!!

for

Playwriting Workshop with Arlene Hutton
When: Nov 9 - Sunday 2-5 p.m Where: Live Girls! Theater 2220 NW Market Street Ballard . Workshop limit: 25
Cost: $40 Contact: Bryan Willis - willis@olynet.com

Arlene is best known for The Nibroc Trilogy, which includes Last Train to Nibroc (Drama League Best Play nomination, See Rock City (MacLean Foundation Award) and Gulf View Drive. Arlene's updated version of NPA's Nov. reading, Gulf View Drive, will be published by Dramatists Play Service in 2009. She is a four-time Heideman Award finalist and three-time Samuel French Short Play winner. Residencies include New Harmony Project, Australian National Playwrights conference, MacDowell Colony, VCCA and Yaddo. Recently the Tennessee Williams Fellow in Playwriting at Sewanee, a position she also held in 2005, Hutton was on the faculty of this summer's Sewanee Writers' Conference. Last Train to Nibroc just finished a highly successful run at the Orange Tree Theatre in London.

If you were turned away from Ki Gottberg's incredible workshop; if you thought about attending Braden Abraham's superb "Directing New Plays" workshop but waited too long; if you were disappointed because you procrastinated and couldn't get into the life-changing experience of studying with Steven Dietz, then e-mail willis@olynet.com to reserve your spot in Arlene's playwriting workshop tonight.

We still have a few spots available.

LOVE PERSON at Live Girls Theater in Ballard, opens Oct 24th to Nov 22

Northwest Premiere!

Love Person
by Aditi Brennan Kapil

Directed by Joy Brooke Fairfield and Dawn Stoyanoff

Oct 24 – Nov 22

Friday and Saturday Nights at 8pm * Sat afternoons at 4pm

Special Monday PWYC show Nov 17th at 8pm

All Shows at Live Girls! theater in Ballard 2220 NW Market Lower Level

Tickets prices for 8pm Shows- $15 General * $12 Student/Senior
Saturday 4pm shows- HAPPY HOUR All tickets $7 (and $1 PBR at the bar)
Under 18 $5 with ID to any performance
Advance tickets at-
http://www.brownpapertickets.com

Can you ever truly express love through language?
Can words in any language bridge the gap between two people?