Recent Stories with tag seattle childrens theatre

Tuesday night just past seven, I wandered into Ballard's Copper Gate, a 64-year-old Scandinavian bar on 24th Avenue NW. I'm no doubt late to this, but the Copper Gate's an odd but incredibly charming place: immaculate and well-lit, with a copper-topped bar built into a replica of a Viking boat, the relaxed, mostly middle-aged crowd of diners sat sipping wine and eating Scandinavian classics, surrounded by classy erotica. The walls are covered in places with vintage nudes and tame fetish shots that are somehow sexy but not dirty. It turns out that when new owners took over several years ago, they found the former owner's wife's stash of pictures, and took that as inspiration. A painting of a pretty young lass on the main wall, I was told by a helpful bar manager, has been there since the bar opened, and is supposedly the erotica-collecting woman herself back in the day.

The point is, as pretty much everyone who's written about it has noted, the Copper Gate, for all the naked ladies, is still the sort of place you could take your grandma (and I'm pretty sure there was one there). And much like the main bar, "the Pussy Room" in back is not nearly so dirty as it sounds. That said, you get to it by walking through a narrow, rounded passage painted deep red that leads to a room blocked off by red velvet curtains. Ahem. Pussy Room, indeed!... (more)

Return to part one of our interview with Etta Lilienthal.

Anne Kennedy, Aaron Finley, Kim Morris, Ryan Childers, Charity Parenzini in Taproot's "Enchanted April," moving to SCT. Photo by Erik Stuhaug

The big theatre news of the day is semi-tragic: Greenwood's Taproot Theatre was damaged last night in a fire that tore through several restaurants and cafes. It remains to be seen the extent of the damage to the theatre itself, but Taproot spent most of the morning desperately searching for a new venue for this weekend's sold-out run of Enchanted April. The good news is that Seattle Children's Theatre has come through. Though tonight's show has been canceled, tomorrow's shows at 2 and 8 p.m. are on, according to TPSOnline.

There's also a campaign to help the theatre with repair costs that's being called the 20/40 Campaign, in reference to the company's address (204 N. 85th): the company is asking local arts supporters to donate $20.40 to help them out. You can do so online here.

Hamid Etemedi Todeshki and Yaser Khaseb in SCT's "Mysterious Gifts: Theatre of Iran." Photo by Chris Bennion.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it's playing at Seattle Children's Theatre: If there's one can't-miss theatre performance this weekend, it's Yaser Khaseb's Mysterious Gifts: Theatre of Iran . A brilliant movement artist, Khaseb has put together a stunning piece featuring dance, puppetry, and mime that crosses language barriers and is as likely (if not moreso) to impress adults as children. There's only six performances left through this Sunday, so this is also your last chance to see one of the first performances by an Iranian artist in the U.S. in 30 years (tickets $15-$34).

The show unfolds in three segments, lasting a bit over an hour (including intermission). The first segment, and really the most forgettable, is a montage of different Iranian dance styles that trips nimbly from the traditional to the modern. It's a fine opening, and gives Khaseb the opportunity to show off his acrobatic abilities, but it's really in the second act that Khaseb's considerable talents shine.... (more)

Iranian performance artist Yaser Khaseb in SCT's Mysterious Gifts: Theatre of Iran. Photo by Chris Bennion

First up in this weekend's openings is the strange and ambitious way Seattle Children's Theatre has decided to launch their '09-'10 season: Mysterious Gifts: Theatre of Iran. Crafted and performed by Iranian performance artist Yaser Khaseb, the show is recommended for children ages 10 and up, but should be at least as (if not more) compelling for adults. In the words of artistic director Linda Hartzell, Khaseb is a "kinesthetic storyteller" who uses both movement and puppetry onstage. It looks to be incredible. (Tickets $20+ childrens, $30+ adults.)

Up at Washington Ensemble Theatre, they're kicking off their season with Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom. Jennifer Haley's play is all about power and conformity in suburban American, as revealed through the aegis of an addictive and dangerous zombie horror/action video game. (Tickets $12-$18.)

And finally, the big show that officially opened last night (after a week of previews) is former Houston Oilers safety Bo Eason's one-man show at ACT, Runt of the Litter. Eason's show details the challenges he faced over two decades as he fought to overcome his relatively small stature and make it into the NFL...only to be overshadowed by his bother Tony, the former Jets and Patriots QB. (Tickets $10/$15 children/students, $35.50 and up for adults.)