Kathryn Van Meter News

Amid the global pandemic which has forced the temporary closure of many performing arts venues, 16 youth-serving theatres across the country have come together to share a national tribute.

Amid the global pandemic which has forced the temporary closure of many performing arts venues, 16 youth-serving theatres across the country have come together to share a national tribute, performed by children within each community, to honor frontline workers.

Seattle Theater Writers Seattle's theater reviewers circle announces the Winners of Excellence in Seattle theatrical productions. Spanning dozens of theater companies and productions, from large and prominent to small and humble, the Gypsy Rose Lee Awards honor the excellence found across the area.

Seattle's critics' circle announces nominees for the 2020 Gypsy Rose Lee awards celebrating excellence in Seattle theatrical productions.

Following a record number of nominations and votes, winners have been announced for the 2019 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards, brought to you by TodayTix!! The nominees were set, audiences voted, and now we get to recognize local theatres and performers for their outstanding achievement!

There's just one final week to submit votes for the 2019 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards, brought to you by TodayTix! Vote today to make sure your favorite local theatre's achievements and performers are recognized!

We're heading into the final week of voting for the 2019 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards, brought to you by TodayTix! Vote today to make sure your favorite local theatre's achievements and performers are recognized!

There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2019 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards, brought to you by TodayTix! The people have spoken nominations are set, and now you can vote to make sure your favorite local theatre's achievements and performers are recognized!

There's just a few weeks left to make your voice heard and submit your votes for the 2019 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards, brought to you by TodayTix! The people have spoken nominations are set, and now you can vote to make sure your favorite local theatre's achievements and performers are recognized!

It's December! Voting is now underway for the 2019 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards, brought to you by TodayTix! Now you can vote to make sure your favorite local theatres and performers are recognized. Check out the first set of stats below.

Voting is NOW OPEN and the first votes are in for the 2019 BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards, brought to you by TodayTix! The nominees are set, and now you can vote to make sure your favorite local theatres and performers are recognized!

Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), the theatrical Union that represents over 4,000 professional stage directors and choreographers will host an all-day summit for its Members and their guests, on Monday, May 6. The day, which begins at 1:00 PM, is designed to facilitate a space for directors and choreographers to engage in conversation with their colleagues around their craft, to raise the profile of Northwest directors and choreographers, and to encourage increased community through SDC. 

K.I.S.S. It's the best advice you can give anyone in acronym form; meaning, Keep It Simple Stupid, and it's the mantra that the folks at Village Theatre should have taken to heart when attempting to stage Simon Stephens' brilliant play, 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time'. Now, you may say, 'But Jay, the Broadway and touring productions were anything but simple.' And that's true, but unless you can pull off that level of stage wizardry, then you need to go in another direction. Unfortunately, Village went in another direction but also kept everything quite complex throwing everything they could think of on stage, none of which really worked completely, resulting in a mish mash of inconsistencies and a play that didn't communicate what it should.

Winner of five Tony Awards and Seven Olivier Awards, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time will run at Village Theatre beginning this March. The production, directed by Village Theatre artistic director Jerry Dixon, will be his first directing credit since becoming the organization's artistic leader in June of 2018. Village Theatre's production features an all-new score by Curtis Moore (Broadway: Lucky Guy with Tom Hanks), as well as choreography by Sonia Dawkins (Prism Dance Theatre).

Seattle Public Theater is currently offering a play you've probably never heard of, "Fire Season". And you've never heard of "Fire Season" because it's a World Premiere having been written by author Aurin Squire under the auspices of having won the inaugural Emerald Prize, Seattle Public Theater's new play award. So yes, "Fire Season" is a brand-new play that you've probably never heard of … but you need to.

A few years ago, Dear Readers, Seattle audiences were treated to the tour of Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin's lovely musical version of Roald Dahl's "Matilda". A clever little tuner that managed to go beyond simply adding songs to a beloved book and find the heart of the story. Unfortunately, the complaint I heard most often back then from people who saw it was that they couldn't understand the lyrics owing to a bad sound mix in the theater and a bevy of child actors putting on quite thick British accents. So, if you didn't know the lyrics then maybe you didn't get to know them. Well, Village Theatre has picked up this tale of these revolting children (not a judgment of the kids, it's one of the songs) and while the lyrics are much clearer in the more intimate setting and the talent from the kids and adults alike is top notch (with some excellent diction) the show at times feels like it's striving to find it's rhythm and barely finds its magic.

Village Theatre is elated to bring Roald Dahl's magical misfit Matilda to the stage in the hit musical that swept up five Tony Awards, seven Olivier Awards, and was named TIME's #1 Show of the Year in 2013. The production features an incredible cast of 15 local youth who have been training for their roles in music, acting, and CrossFit since June. They will be joined by some of the Puget Sound's best performers.

Several years ago, I remember watching the Tony Awards and seeing Broadway power couple Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker presenting the award for Best Score and getting all giddy and nerdy over it because "NEW SONGS!" Well that's how I feel every summer at Village Theatre's Festival of New Musicals. I get to see what's out there up and coming and maybe get to walk away seeing a new gem. And this year was no exception with a couple of shows blowing me away. Now, of course, these are workshops and staged readings of shows, so we cannot really review them, but I can at least tell you what they offered us.

With one week left until The 18th Annual Festival of New Musicals, Village Theatre is excited to announce this summer's casting and creative teams! Tony Award-winner Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza) will direct Hansel & Gretl & Heidi & Gu?nter, a hilarious family adventure of what happens after Hansel and Gretl escape. Village Theatre's new artistic director Jerry Dixon (If/Then, Once on this Island) will direct the kick-off show Elysium: An American Fable, the moving story of a family dying under the weight of their own secrets; and associate artistic director Brandon Ivie (Jasper in Deadland) will direct The Passage, a coming-of-age mystery about a boy battling a monster holding his father captive. Joining them will be music directors Jason Hart (American Psycho), Rona Siddiqui (Bella: An American Tall Tale), R.J. Tancioco (Here Lies Love), and resident music director Tim Symons (Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion), among others.

What would you do for just one more moment with the person you love? Seattle Opera hopes to make audience members hold their dear ones a little closer through its new chamber opera, O+E, presented in the Seattle Opera Studios. This new twist on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth is brought to life through an all-women creative team and cast of principal singers.