Archive for February 20th, 2008
Alumni update: Evan Tucker Announces 2008 Festival of Northwest Plays
Posted by W.L. in 
Evan Tucker, who played “Paul” in Love Sick, is proud to announce the Festival of Northwest Plays, which is perhaps the largest celebration of Northwest playwrights, directors, and performers to ever hit the Northwest. Evan is the Production Manager for the festival.
Three new full-length plays – Three evenings of ten-minute plays!
Including works by C. Rosalind Bell, Brent Hartinger, Ki Gottberg, John Longenbaugh, Gregory Hischak, Kamarie Chapman, Paul Mullin, Bryan Willis, Beth Amsbary, Phillip Atlakson, Sol Olmstead, Eva Suter, Glenn Hergenhahn, Dan Erickson, Sean Walbeck, C.P. Stancich, Emily Freece, Michael Gaiuranos, Lindsey Newman, Gregory Youtz, Adam Quesnell, Terri Clark, Jon Haller, Nadescha Bunje, Dano Madden, Arlitia Jones….
It all begins Thursday (Feb 21), with “Geography Club” by Tacoma native Brent Hartinger. The play is an adaptation of his award-winning novel by the same name and explores the lives of a group of gay high school students who find a way to start a club without drawing too much attention to themselves. Mr. Hartinger’s many book honors and awards can be found at: brenthartinger.com.
Friday (Feb 22) follows with “In the Sawtooths” by Boise, ID native Dano Madden. This play received its first reading with Northwest Playwrights Alliance in Olympia and was recently voted “Best full-length play in the U.S.” by the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. We are extraordinarily proud of Dano and his beautiful play. NPA is pleased to offer all of the night’s ticket proceeds to the United Way of Pierce County, made possible by a gift from Pacific Slope Properties.
Saturday (Feb 23), Northwest Playrights is thrilled to present the second staging of “The New Orleans Monologues,” a powerful play by current Tacoman and former New Orleans resident C. Rosalind Bell. The University of Puget Sound’s first run of performances sold out 5 of 6 times, if that’s any indication of the buzz around this show. Ms. Bell was recently featured on a panel with Seattle Repertory Theatre Artistic Director David Esbjornson, discussing writers’ responses to Hurricane Katrina.
On Sunday (Feb 24) Northwest Playrights is excited to present 16 short plays by Northwest writers, in two distinct performance groupings. These wonderful little gems cover just about every genre, topic, and setting you ever thought possible. Here are just a few highlights:
- “Poor Shem,” by Gregory Hischak. Office routine stops cold when co-worker Shem is killed in the xerox machine. Do we call a rabbi or use the by-pass tray?
- “The Soft Sand,” by Dano Madden. By the author of the Kennedy Center’s “Best play in the United States – 2006.*” The King of Self-Editing learns to dance.
- “A Shoe Story,” by Arlitia Jones. The deep meaning of life unveiled in a fight over shoes.
- “Mammals,” by Ryan Dowler. Voted the best ten-minute play in the U.S. by the Kennedy Center in 2006. Two college students make a video unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
- “Kuwait,” by Vincent Delaney. Free Press vs. Free Rein when a journalist is withheld by U.S. forces.
The following Thursday (Feb 28) it starts over again, giving second performances to every one of the shows, and adding a special one-time-only performance of NPA’s British Arts Tour, a collection of 14 short plays that is co-sponsored by the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival and Western Washington University, and is currently touring the state before complete the run with performances in England later this spring.
Read the Tacoma Weekly coverage of Festival of Northwest Plays (.pdf).
Where: Theater on the Square, Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, 905 Broadway, Tacoma (Directions & Parking)
When: Feb. 21 – March 2, 2008
- Thursdays 7:30PM
- Fridays 8PM
- Saturdays 4:30PM & 8PM
- Sundays 2:30PM, 5PM & 7:30PM