July 2016

Past

Space Seed

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Dissertation Topic: Is Star Trek a Classic?

When we think of summer outdoor theater, we assume it is Shakespeare, so it initially seems out of place to produce something as contemporary as Star Trek, in a public park in the summer. However, Star Trek is just as much a classic as Shakespeare, and deals with the same universal material as Shakespeare’s histories and tragedies: larger than life characters, of the heroic and dastardly varieties, great moral issues and epic tales of conflict. Similarly, both Shakespeare and Star Trek have had huge cultural influences on English as well as world literature, cinema and culture. Outdoor Trek, opened Space Seed by Gene Coon and Carey Wilber, directed by Phil Duff, produced by Hello Earth last weekend in Dr. Blanche Lavizzo Park in South Seattle.

Past

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

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It takes more than an excellent Hamlet to make a watchable Hamlet

Having recently been thoroughly enthralled by Conner Neddersen’s performance in Strawberry Workshop’s Production of 9 Circles, I was so excited to see him play Hamlet, that I dragged my 12 year old grand-niece and nephew to Wooden O’s outdoor staging of William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark at Luther Burbank Park on Mercer Island. Neddersen’s performance was outstanding; unfortunately, it was the only thing that made this production worthwhile.

Past

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

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Next Case! Shall Judas Iscariot go to Heaven or Hell?

Mothers stick by their children when they have no one else, even in Death by suicide. In the gripping opening monologue of Stephen Adly Guirgis’s 2005 masterpiece The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Judas’s mother Henrietta wails her grief. As a woman and mother she recalls his birth as a burst of light. Her buries Judas after his suicide from despair at the irreversible consequences Jesus, his leader and friend, suffers by his betrayal. She gets no help from the other Apostles, no other friends came either.

Past

Love’s Labour’s Lost Hits the Parks Jogging

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A joyous Love’s Labour’s Lost debuted last Sunday evening under a mottled sky and half moon in the Volunteer Park Amphitheatre. The acting troop needed to compete with the usual open park distractions and an unceasing parade of overhead jets, yet they assembled an enjoyable evening for all

Past

Summer Shakespeare 2016—Cymbeline

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GreenStage’s 28th season of free outdoor theater is off to a terrific start this summer with perfect weather. I watched their production of William Shakespeare’s Cymberline in Volunteer Park this Sunday. Under the skillful direction of Vince Brady, the large company of 15 actors performed in front of the stage platform in the park.

Past

Henry IV Pt1

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Henry IV Pt 1. Last Leaf’s production of Henry IV Pt 1, opened at the Seattle Outdoor Theatre Festival in

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