2022

Public TV’s WORLD Channel spotlights Seattle.

Stories from the Stage, the acclaimed storytelling series from public television’s WORLD Channel, spotlights Seattle this March with two all-new episodes with Seattle-area storytellers presented in collaboration with KCTS Seattle PBS. Three out of the six performers are connected with Unexpected Productions. Kent Whipple, Storyteller teacher; Melissa Reaves; UP ensemble member; and Jen Bijanki, UP storytelling student.

It was almost as frightening as the book

Said my companion after watching Radial Theater Project’s production of the adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, adapted by Michael Gene Sullivan. Indeed, it was frightening in the traditional sense of a conspiracy driven thriller-there was a lot of tension about whether their illicit external behavior would get them caught, but the really frightening aspect was how totalitarianism can totally control people’s thoughts, emotions and behavior, thereby creating perpetual war, poverty as well as destroying the most intimate relationships. Thrown in there was one of Orwell’s favorite topics; how the debasement of language is used to distort and deny the truth.

A goofy and sped-through version of Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It (AYLI) is on stage at Seattle Shakespeare. Director

An Homage to Gil Scott-Heron

Gil Scott Heron was a highly influential poet, novelist and musician who influenced hip-hop, rap and neo soul. His self-definition was that of a “blusologist” or a “scientist who is concerned with the original of the blues.”

Intensely Annoying is a Pre-requisite for a Book Club

I would also add that intensely hilarious and intense astute insight is the essence of this exquisite production of Karen Zacarìas’s play The Book Club Play, which just opened in Issaquah at the Village Theatre. The author invented a group of characters whose defects and strengths created hilarious conflicts and equally hilarious jokes, especially about literature, literary types, while generating a few not quite PC jokes.

Psychic Comedian, is it real?

A would-be psychic once advertised herself as an “intuitive artist,” I would tweak that description for Peter Antoniou and call him an intuitive genius. His intriguing act opened this past week at Theatre off Jackson in the International District, beguiling even the most cynical of observers (like ME!)

The extraordinary collaboration of Miles Davis and John Coltrane yielded treasures of 20^th century jazz. Their mastery left us tapestries of music storytelling, requiring close, imaginative listening. The works of Wm. Shakespeare, not quite four centuries prior, also need this kind of thoughtful listening. The structure of the language, seemingly odd and impenetrable at first, needs patience, and for the listener to “lean in” to the worlds the words evoke. The Great Works of Miles/’Trane and the Works of Shakespeare–in the mouths of strong players–will reward the audience who is willing to be an active listener.

U.S. Premiere of Hit British Play

Thalia’s Umbrella was two days away from opening EUROPE in March of 2020 when, like so many other theaters, Thalia canceled all performances of the US premiere of Europe, by Scottish playwright David Greig. Two refugees arrive at a train station in a small border town, where the trains no longer stop. They are not looking for love; they are not looking for trouble. They find both. Worlds collide in romance and fear in a play that Arts Desk called “Timely, tender, brutal, and brilliant.”

1984-Even more relevant than in 1949 or 1984

It is with great pleasure that 18th and Union announces that Radial Theater Project’s production of 1984, which was canceled due to the pandemic two years ago, will re-open on March 10th.

Comedy of Love returns to Unexpected Productions’ Market Theater to bring laughter to love on 2/14 at 8:00 pm. It doesn’t matter if you are celebrating Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s or if you just want to laugh, you’ll love this hilariously fun Valentine’s Day improv show.

Their veteran performers (actual real-life couples) use the audience’s suggestions to create spontaneous scenes rife with passion, lust, heartbreak, and everything in between. Be ready to share your own story of romance, from that awkward first kiss to the goofy wedding story — you might just see it turned into something outrageous onstage.

A Comedy of Love, Unexpected Productions. 1428 Post Alley (at the Gum Wall) in Pike Place Market Seattle, WA 98101 Valentine’s Day Mon, Feb 14, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comedy-of-love-a-valentines-day-improv-tickets-237836664867