FREE Staged Reading of “Peacock #7 Cafe & General Store” This Sunday at 3pm

Free reading of Annex Theatre’s first ever ACT Young Playwrights Program script Peacock #7 Cafe & General Store written by Evan Jayne

Sunday May 8th at 3pm

The Annex Theatre Mainstage!
1100 E. Pike St.Seattle, WA 98122

Featuring Shane Regan, Tom Dewey, Sarah Mountjoy-Pepka, Val Brunetto, Kenna Kettrick, Jacob Tice and B.Michael Peterson.

Directed by Jennifer Pratt, current Literary Director of Annex Theatre

Evan Jayne is a senior at Seattle Academy of Arts Sciences. Although he has never written a play prior to Peacock #7 Café and General Store, Evan has passionately participated in theater, primarily as an actor, since the third grade.

The Young Playwrights Program (YPP), ACT’s flagship education program, sends professional playwright teaching artists into area schools for 10 weeks to teach the basics of playwriting to Puget Sound-area students. ACT’s YPP equips participants with tools for creative self-expression, endowing them with self-confidence and the sense that their ideas – about themselves, their world, and the challenges they face – matter, and their voices will be heard.

Admission is FREE and space is limited to first come, first serve. Annex Theatre is located at 1100 Pike Street East, on the second floor (Entrance is next to the Vermilion Art Gallery and Bar).

Interview with a Playwright: Brandon J. Simmons Discusses “The Tale of Jemima Canard”

Playwright of "The Tale of Jemima Canard", Brandon J. Simmons. Photo Credit: Mark Brennan

Playwright, Brandon J. Simmons, is making his debut at Annex Theatre this Friday with his first play “The Tale of Jemima Canard”. This is an interview conducted by Brian Peterson, our Marketing Manager. “Jemima Canard” opens this Friday and runs through May 21st and you can purchase your tickets in advance on Brown Paper Tickets, or at the door.

Brandon J. Simmons, tell us how you became a playwright.

I’ve been writing forever, but I became a playwright 18 months ago when I wrote The Tale of Jemima Canard. I’d been attempting scripts for years, but Jemima was the first character who spoke to me long enough to write down a full-length play.

Do you write in any other forms, besides plays?

I have written a lot of poetry, and some stories. I also had a blog for a couple years while I was living abroad (in England, where I went to acting school). I have not published anything. This is my first and biggest project so far.

Who are the people who have inspired or influenced you as a playwright?

The obvious answer is Beatrix Potter. I find her works to be subtle, weird and complex. And her art is very evocative. I am also hugely inspired by animation, particularly the classic Disney musicals. I’m not as familiar with plays (unless I’ve worked on them as an actor) so few dramatists are a direct inspiration. But I love Tales of the Lost Formicans by Connie Congdon, and I think her language in that play has made an impact. I love the epic scale (the “real life is as big as the Bible” stance) of Angels in America. And Tom Stoppard is quite inspiring. I am also interested in adapting Borges, Lewis Carroll, the Grimms, Angela Carter—and other children’s books, even short one’s for really young children, into plays for adults.

Tell me about ‘finding your voice’ – were you aware of your gift or was it hiding under a surface?

The first time I remember writing something good was when I was nine years old. I wrote a “spring poem” for an assignment in fourth grade at Cherokee Heights Elementary in St. Paul, MN, and it was published in the big daily newspaper. I have been interested in writing since. I think I’ve always had an ear for style and pretty phrases, but only recently (like in the past year or so) have I honed my skill and become more judicious, much more meticulous, though I could use more judiciousness, more care.

What was your inspiration when writing ‘The Tale of Jemima Canard’?

I was captivated by Potter’s story the first time I read it. I was actually reading to children and I thought “should I be reading this to them? This is pretty intense!” Of course in Potter’s story, all the more adult themes are sublimated or supressed, but they leapt out at me: cannibalism, rape, gruesome violence, domestic peril. That’s just the icky stuff. There’s also the art, which is gorgeous, and the prose, which with Potter is always just a little awkward, but has these moments of absolute loveliness (particularly in The Tailor of Gloucester). But I didn’t want to write a rapey, dark, gruesome play. I wanted to write a play in which people dealt with those things by creating beauty. And I wanted to see people prancing around in duck bills.

‘The Tale of Jemima Canard’ is based off a book. What’s different and what’s similar in these two distinct stories?

My story is actually fairly true to the original. I’ve imported a character from one of Potter’s other stories (Tommy Brock, from The Tale of Mr. Tod), and included Potter herself as a character, though in the original there is a “farmer’s wife.” She doesn’t say anything in the original, but I wanted to include her and it made sense to make her Potter. The main difference between my play and Potter’s story is that I throw onstage all of the subtext (as I see it) from Potter’s book. Also, my play is not for children.

What influenced you to submit your play to Annex Theatre?

Annex is the most well-established theater in Seattle that is dedicated to taking serious risks with theater. They produce a lot of new work.

As a playwright, what has been the best part in working with Annex Theatre?

I had the great pleasure of working directly with Bret Fetzer as my dramaturg. Bret is a very experienced theater artist, and a very efficient communicator. Everyone at the theater was supportive of the writing process and we put together three full readings of the play, which was invaluable. The feedback from those sessions (both my meetings with Bret and the readings themselves) was integral to my developing the script into what it is now.

Annex Theatre will Honor Intiman Tickets

Annex Theatre will honor any Intiman tickets for their cancelled 2011 season. Please note that you do not have to limit your options based on the date that you were supposed to attend an Intiman production.

To reserve tickets in advance, please email our Audience Services Manager, Maggie Ferguson-Wagstaffe (fergie(at)annextheatre.org) indicating which performance you’d like to attend and she will add you to our will-call list. Please bring your Intiman proof-of-purchase to Annex when you come to the show. For day-of tickets, please arrive 30 minutes prior to the performance and present your Intiman tickets at our box office to redeem your tickets.

If you are an “Intiman E-Subscriber” and do not have paper tickets, please bring your detailed receipt for proof-of-purchase.

**This offer will be available through November, 2011. Please note that seating is subject to availability and may not be available for every performance. Intiman tickets may not be redeemed for cash or used for purchase of any kind.**

For more information please contact:
Maggie Ferguson-Wagstaffe (Audience Services Manager): fergie(at)annextheatre.org
Stephen McCandless (Managing Director): stephen.mccandless(at)annextheatre.org

Annex Theatre Announces Pamala Mijatov as New Artistic Director

April 14, 2011 – Seattle. Pamala Mijatov was recently named Artistic Director of Annex Theatre Company, officially succeeding former Artistic Director Bret Fetzer on August 9, 2010*. Remarked Fetzer, “Pamala Mijatov has been a crucial member of the Annex Company for more than a decade, not only creating art but also working in the trenches: taking out the garbage, sewing costumes, and arguing about season selection. Her intelligence and creativity have already been shaping Annex’s future as an Artistic Associate; becoming Artistic Director is the natural next step for her and for Annex. I am delighted to be placing the theater in her capable hands and look forward to working with her on the upcoming shows I’m directing.” (Fetzer served two tenures as Annexʼs Artistic Director: 2001-2004 and 2007-2010. He will continue to create new work at Annex: directing the final episode of Penguins, Annexʼs long-running late-night serial, in August; overseeing the Fall 2011 ensemble-generated production c.1993; and curating Spin the Bottle, Annexʼs monthly late-night variety show.)

Pamala Mijatov, a 1999 graduate of Cornish College of the Arts, has been an Annex company and staff member since 2001. She made her Annex debut in Pearl, the final mainstage production at the companyʼs original 4th Avenue location. Other Annex acting credits include Stage Door, Hothouse 2001 & 2004, Passport, Keep the Light On, and The Moon Is A Dead World. During her first decade with the company, Mijatov has worked as an actor, director, designer, stage manager, and dialect coach on over 30 productions and special events, including world and Northwest premieres by local and nationally-recognized playwrights including Anne Washburn, Dan Dietz, Paul Mullin, Elizabeth Heffron, Mike Daisey, Rachel Atkins, Scotto Moore, Bret Fetzer, and Juliet Waller Pruzan. From mid-2008 until her August, 2010 appointment as Artistic Director, she served as an Artistic Associate, focusing on company cultivation, staff involvement, and artist advocacy.

Mijatov said, “Annex Theatre has been a vital part of Seattleʼs theater community for well over two decades, producing a staggering number of raw, daring, and audacious productions – the vast majority of which were world premieres. It is an amazing laboratory for new art and new artists, nurturing the careers of generations of new theatrical voices, including my own; I came to Annex as an actor and, like many in our company, have since enjoyed tremendous opportunities to work in almost every other aspect of play development and production alongside some of the most exciting artists in Seattle. Iʼm thrilled and proud to be a part of Annexʼs past, present, and future.” Mijatov intends to return to Annexʼs roots and offer greater support to developing playwrights and directors via progress showings, longer development timelines, and increased dramaturgical resources. “Now that Annex has settled into our new home and codified our rigorous production model, we can turn more of our energy back where it belongs: shepherding new works of art from initial conception through final production, and deepening our pool of talented collaborators.”

On behalf of Annex Theatreʼs Board of Directors, Board Member and Company Historian Ed Hawkins stated, “We were thrilled to unanimously endorse Pamalaʼs appointment to the Artistic Director position. She joined the Annex company when we were still downtown. She remained fiercely loyal to Annex during its challenging ʻdiasporaʼ years (2001-2007). And she played a significant role in securing, improving, and branding the always-bustling new space on Capitol Hill. Pamala not only understands our history, she has experienced much of it personally. That experience, coupled with her clear communication skills, level-headed ability to build consensus, and measured yet palpable artistic passion, makes her uniquely equipped to oversee Annexʼs continuing company-driven artistic evolution while remaining true to its roots as Seattleʼs home for ʻbig cheap theatreʼ and bold, new work.”

ABOUT ANNEX THEATRE

Annex Theatre is a democratic collective of theatre artists dedicated to creating bold new work in an environment of improbability, resourcefulness and risk.

In addition to new plays by living playwrights, Annex produces radical reinterpretations of classic scripts, ensemble-generated non-linear spectacles, and dynamic solo performances, as well as our monthly late-night variety show Spin the Bottle, now in its 14th year. All productions are chosen by the Annex company as a whole, through a process of proposals, interviews, readings, frenzied argument, and, ultimately, consensus. Annex Theatre now resides at the corner of 11th Ave and E Pike St. in the heart of Capitol Hill. After early stirrings on Bainbridge Island, Annex Theatre began its Seattle incarnation in 1988 at a former dance studio on 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle. Since then the theater has produced hundreds of world and Northwest premieres, including new plays by Stranger Genius Award winners Chris Jeffries and Paul Mullin; dozens of other local playwrights, including Elizabeth Heffron, Jeff Resta, Kelleen Conway Blanchard, Scotto Moore, Keri Healey, Scot Augustson, John Kaufmann, and Heidi Heimarck; and nationally recognized playwrights such as Erik Ehn, Naomi Iizuka, Glen Berger, Anne Washburn, Jeffrey M. Jones, and Nicky Silver.

Former Annex company members (aka “Annex alumni”) can be found throughout the Seattle arts community, including Allison Narver**, freelance director and former Artistic Director of the Empty Space; Weir Harman, Executive Director of Town Hall; Andrea Allen**, Education Director of Seattle Repertory Theatre; Ed Hawkins, Advertising Manager for Seattle Opera; Josef Krebs, Development Director for ACT Theatre; and Gillian Jorgensen**, Seattle Children’s Theatre Teaching Artist; as well as in the local and national film industry—such as directors SJ Chiro**, Garrett Bennett, and Mike Shapiro, and actors Jillian Armenante and Paul Giamatti. We believe that Annexʼs distinctive collective working model (which cultivates a combination of initiative, diligence, and the ability to play well with others) is responsible for this remarkable track record of producing leaders in the arts.

*Note: Mijatov was officially named Artistic Director at a special Annex company meeting on August 9, 2010. Please excuse our delay in drafting this press release and announcing the happy event. We were busy making art.
**indicates former Annex Theatre Artistic Director.

Want free tickets?

Want free tickets to Annex shows? Volunteer to work our box office and get a free ticket for each night you volunteer! You can use your free ticket the night you volunteer, or a different night. It’s easy to do and only takes about 45 minutes of your time. Interested in volunteering for any of our shows? Ping our box office manager at fergie @ annextheatre.org to find out what dates are available.

Audition for “The Strange Misadventures of Patty…”

Audition Notice

The Strange Misadventures of Patty, Patty’s Dad, Patty’s Friend Jen and a Bunch of Other People

Produced by Annex Theatre
Directed by Amy Poisson
Written by Allison Moore

Annex Theatre announces auditions for their Summer 2011 show, The Strange Misadventures of Patty…, opening Friday, July 29th. We are looking for non-equity actors. All types are encouraged to audition. For a detailed breakdown of characters, see below.

Happiness is precarious in Allison Mooreʼs The Strange Misadventures of Patty, Pattyʼs Dad, Pattyʼs Friend Jen and a Bunch of Other People: Patty, a rising young economist whose best friend Jen has superpowers, has a life full of promise and dance numbers-which is abruptly derailed by the arrival of her estranged, alcoholic father, who just had a stroke. The Strange Misadventures of Patty juggles delightful fantasy, social comedy, economic theory, and harsh reality with vivid language and wild physicality.

CHARACTERS:

PATTY, Late twenties, an economist, likes pink. (Actor will be required to dance, kickbox and rollerskate)

PATTY’S DAD, Early sixties, looks in his seventies. Recently had a stroke.

JEN WU, also late twenties. Patty’s best friend. Medical researcher. Has multiple superpowers and is an all around bad ass.

ENSEMBLE: (Ensemble characters will be played by 3-4 actors playing multiple roles.)

JACK, also late twenties. Resident doctor and love-sick ex-fiancé of Jen.

MRS. DOWNS, Burned out social worker.

RHONDA, Hard bodied, Libertarian Kickboxing instructor.

JIM, Kickboxing class participant, Age indeterminate.

CLARK, Patty’s boss, just old enough to be part of the ‘Old Boys Club.’

ASHBY, Clark’s go-to guy and his chosen successor. Makes twice as much as Patty.

SUE, Patty’s assistant, age indeterminate.

VANESSA, Twenties, a beautiful waitress at the Old Boys Club.

KATE, Early thirties. A disgruntled, no talent writer.

CASSIDY, Doormat boyfriend of Kate. Age indeterminate.

CLERK, Twenties. Your average, ineffectual coffee-house counter help.

CLUBBERS the kind who frequent industrial night clubs

Auditions will be on Saturday, April 23rd from 12:00noon until 8:00pm at Seattle Repertory Theatre.

Callbacks will be held on Sunday, April 24th from 1:00pm until 3:00pm at Seattle Repertory Theatre.

Please come prepared with a monologue.

To set up an audition time, please contact the production manager at krystin.matsumoto@annextheatre.org

April company newsletter

Greetings Company,
Wow, we have a ton of stuff happening and you can be part of it! Keep Reading………

We Need:

  • All hands on deck April 9 & 10 for The Tale of Jemima Canard Build. Working 10am – 6pm both days. Saturday will focus on set building and Sunday we will add lighting. If you are available for ANY of that time, please contact Meaghan.darling@annextheatre.org so we know you are coming and can plan accordingly.
  • Fat suit for Women In Peril. If you have a lead on this item please contact Noelle.wilcox@annextheatre.org
  • Prop Designer, Movement Consultant/ Choreographer, and Lighting/Set Designer for The Strange Misadventures of Patty, Patty’s Dad, Patty’s Friend Jen and a Bunch of Other People (forever known hereafter as “Patty”) contact Krystin.matsumoto@annextheatre.org

You Need:

  • COMPANY MEETING!!!! April 3 Annex Theatre, gather at 2pm meeting begins at 3pm. Our primary discussion topic is retreat but many other topics will be bandied about. If you want to learn more about retreat (and you want to learn more about retreat) come to this meeting! Other topics include: maintenance shutdown of the space, season selection process, RFP going out soon due early May, “Off nights” keep doing them?, t-shirts (bring one, we’ll put the annex logo on it), and bar tabs- how they work.
  • Watch a stumble thru of Women In Peril April 12 & 13 7pm in the Annex Lounge
  • Sneak Preview of Women In Peril April 19th 7pm at NEIGHBORS. Enter through the main entrance. There is a rehearsal space downstairs. Email Noelle.wilcox@annextheatre.org to let her know how many people to expect.
  • Sneak Preview of Women In Peril April 20th 7pm at VELOCITY. See the 5 dance numbers in the show!! Please send feedback about these sneak previews to Jason.sharp@annextheatre.org
  • Patty auditions will be on Saturday, April 23rd from 10:00am until 6:00pm. Callbacks will be held on Sunday, April 24th from 5:30pm until 8:30pm. Location TBD. Please come prepared with a monologue. To set up an audition time, please contact the production manager at krystin.matsumoto@annextheatre.org

Come See:

  • The Tale of Jemima Canard Opens April 22 8pm
  • Women In Peril Opens April 29th 11pm

As always- if you have questions or need anything contact sann.hall@annextheatre.org
Your friendly, neighborhood Company Manager.

ANNEX THEATRE ANNOUNCES ITS 2011 SEASON

Since opening its doors at its original home on 4th Avenue in 1988, Annex Theatre has produced hundreds of new plays and performances—always seeking work that explores what makes the medium of theater different from television, movies, or the internet. We consider ourselves part of the research and development wing of American theater, producing the work that has the greatest risk, giving new and emerging artists the opportunity to succeed—or fail spectacularly in the rawest yet most supportive forum we can provide.

Now at 11th & E Pike St. in Capitol Hill, Annex Theatreʼs 24th season is no different, featuring four Mainstage productions, four Late-Night productions, and four Off-Night productions (of which three remain to be chosen).

WINTER 2011

Mainstage: Duel of the Linguist Mages
Fri-Sat at 8 pm, Jan 21-Feb 19

Duel Of The Linguist Mages is a dark new sci-fi comedy about two corporate researchers who hack into the very structure of language. Their discovery of “power morphemes”—tiny particles of meaning that mean much more than they should—turns out to be unexpectedly dangerous and shockingly easy to weaponize. As the two researchers gain unprecedented linguistic power, they turn against each other in a struggle to control their new technology. A hapless computer programmer is caught in the crossfire—can he stop the spread of “power morphemes” before all of human civilization is brought to its knees? Who will survive the Duel of the Linguist Mages? Written and directed by Scotto Moore, whose previous play at Annex, When I Come to My Senses, Iʼm Alive!, was nominated for a Gregory Award, building on the success of his 2008 play interlace [falling star].

About When I Come to My Senses…: “One wants to see more plays like this in Seattle—smart science fiction about the amazing world we have found ourselves heading toward.” —The Stranger

About interlace [falling star]: “[Writer/director] Moore conjures…with geeky authority and comic flair.” —Seattle Times

interlace is a tireless narrative machine that generates comic nonsense and cosmic concepts.” —The Stranger

Late-Night: Penguins, Ep. 4: Suffer the Children
Fri-Sat at 11 pm, Jan 28-Feb 18

The scandals that rocked the Catholic Church finally come to roost at St. Benedictʼs: The diocese has its very own pedophile. Someoneʼs got to take the fall. As reporters dig into the past, the ever-greedy Father Jones and tyrannical Sister Bernadette fight to control the present—including missing relics, rebellious underlings, incriminating videotape, and a lonely Mormon missionary. Sister Candy and elderly Connie Sullivan face unexpected pregnancies, Sisters Jenny Memphis and Mimi Coco wrestle with inappropriate desires, and young Adam learns some unwelcome news about his parentage. Mix in a couple of dance numbers and some surprising guest stars and you have the latest episode of Scot Augustsonʼs late-night serial comedy, Penguins! Directed by Bret Fetzer (director of Macha Monkeyʼs recent production, Hearts Are Monsters).

Penguins is a breath of fresh, filthy air…its balls-out devotion to depravity is executed by a talented, canny cast…actually shocking comedy.” —The Stranger

Off-Night: I Was a Fat Kid…I Was a Really Fat Kid
Tues-Wed at 8 pm, Feb 1-16

Whatʼs more entertaining than other peopleʼs unhappiness? Portland storyteller Nathaniel Boggess transforms his childhood as a fat outcast into rueful, squalid, and comic tales of Booberry cereal, wedgies, cruel nicknames, and working at just about every fast food restaurant imaginable. Boggessʼs deceptively offhand performance style puts a sly spin on adolescent awkwardness and misery. Come binge and purge with I Was a Fat Kid…I Was a Really Fat Kid! Directed by Shelley McLendon.

SPRING 2011

Mainstage: The Tale of Jemima Canard
Fri-Sat at 8 pm, April 22-May 21

The underbelly of Beatrix Potter comes to life in The Tale of Jemima Canard. A young innocent, capricious but willful, falls under the romantic sway of a predatory cad—but the characters are not Edwardian ladies and gentlemen; they are ducks, hounds, badgers, and foxes. As the author is interrogated by one of her own characters, layers of love, envy, jealousy, and much worse become revealed as the play delves into the deceptively whimsical lives of Jemima, her hard-as-nails sister Rebecca, the rugged but earnest St. Hubert brothers, the degenerate Tommy Brock, Miss Potter herself, and the elegant and alarming Tawny Whiskered Gentleman. Seattle actor Brandon J. Simmons makes his playwriting debut with this anthropomorphic dream-play, using Potterʼs The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck as a springboard to explore the nature of fate and time, blurring the lines between animal/human, love/violence, food/sex, and the artist and the art she creates. Directed by Carys Kresny, who previously dug her directorial fingers into dark and roiling emotions in The Changeling and Penetralia at Annex.

Late-Night: Women in Peril
Fri-Sat at 11 pm, April 29-May 20

Itʼs a lazy critical slam: “It was like a Lifetime Movie.” Women in Peril wears that like a badge of honor. Bad Actor Productions brings their campy nonsense to bear on the trashy world of 1990s Lifetime Movies of the Week—the kind we watched with our moms!—feeding the movies of Judith Light, Tori Spelling, and Meredith Baxter-Birney into a gender-bending blender. Can the heroines overcome their [stalker/eating disorder/disease of the week] in time to save their [cheerleader daughter/heartbroken ex/obsessed student] from [death/coma/drag overdose]? Find out in the Spring when Annex Theatre hosts Bad Actors Productions! Directed by Jason Sharp (who played a superhero in Annexʼs production of Alecto, Issue #1).

Off-Night: TBD
Tues-Wed at 8 pm, May 3-18

SUMMER 2011

Mainstage: The Strange Misadventures of Patty, Pattyʼs Dad, Pattyʼs Friend Jen and a Bunch of Other People
Fri-Sat at 8 pm, July 29-Aug 27

Happiness is precarious in Allison Mooreʼs The Strange Misadventures of Patty, Pattyʼs Dad, Pattyʼs Friend Jen and a Bunch of Other People: Patty, a rising young economist whose best friend Jen has superpowers, has a life full of promise and dance numbers—which is abruptly derailed by the arrival of her estranged, alcoholic father, whoʼs just had a stroke. The Strange Misadventures of Patty juggles delightful fantasy, social comedy, economic theory, and harsh reality with vivid language and wild physicality. Director Amy Poisson.

Late-Night: Penguins, Ep. 5
Fri-Sat at 11 pm, Aug 6-26

End times are near in the final episode of Scot Augustsonʼs black-and-white comedy Penguins! The conflict of priests vs. nuns comes to a head, along with exorcisms, conspiracies, lesbian love, historical secrets revealed, and more of the caustic comedy thatʼs brought this late night serial acclaim and dismay! Directed by Bret Fetzer.

Off-Night: TBD
Tues-Wed at 8 pm, Aug 9-24

FALL 2011

Mainstage: c.1993 (you never step in the same river twice)
Fri-Sat at 8 pm, Oct 21-Nov 19

On Halloween night in 1993, the young movie star River Phoenix collapsed outside of the Viper Room in Los Angeles and died of an overdose of heroin, cocaine, and other drugs. Using a crazy-quilt mix of pop music, professional wrestling moves, cinematic dialogue, political debate, and other cultural debris from this tumultuous year, c.1993 starts with the question: Why are fucked-up, self-destructive young men considered sexy and rebelious, while fucked-up, self-destructive young women are clowns or train wrecks? Conceived and directed by Bret Fetzer, c.1993 will be developed in collaboration with an ensemble of performers and designers, in the tradition of previous Annex productions Cat-Like Tread and I Feel Fine.

Late-Night: Classy Nonsense
Fri-Sat at 11 pm, Oct 28-Nov 18

From the arch operettas of Gilbert & Sullivan to the sardonic satires of Tom Lehrer to the shotgun blast parodies of Weird Al Yankovic, comic songs have proven surprisingly durable. Dan Hamannʼs girlfriend says to her mother, “He writes and plays absolutely beautiful guitar and piano parts…and then he sings about the dumbest, weirdest things.” Hamann delivers his original songs with skilled musicianship and impeccable poise, lending a tongue-in-cheek gravitas to material both silly and sly. In addition to having performed his songs (as well as songs by the Gershwins, Cole Porter, et al with jazz trios) at venues around Seattle, Hamann previously transcribed and directed the popular Swimming in Seuss at the much-missed New Mercury Theater and Theater Babylon between 1993-1996.

Off-Night: TBD
Tues-Wed at 8 pm, Nov 1-16

ABOUT ANNEX THEATRE

Annex Theatre is a democratic collective of theatre artists dedicated to creating bold new work in an environment of improbability, resourcefulness, and risk.

In addition to new plays by living playwrights, Annex produces radical reinterpretations of classic scripts, ensemble-generated non-linear spectacles, and dynamic solo performances, as well as our monthly late-night variety show Spin the Bottle, now in its 14th year. All productions are chosen by the Annex company as a whole, through a process of proposals, interviews, readings, frenzied argument, and final consensus.

Annex Theatre now resides at the corner of 11th Ave and E Pike St. in the heart of Capitol Hill. After early throes on Bainbridge Island, Annex Theatre began in 1988 in a former dance studio on 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle. Since then the theater has produced hundreds of world and Northwest premieres, including new plays by Stranger Genius Award winners Chris Jeffries and Paul Mullin; dozens of other local playwrights, including Elizabeth Heffron, Jeff Resta, Kelleen Conway Blanchard, Scotto Moore, Keri Healey, Scot Augustson, John Kaufmann, and Heidi Heimarck; and nationally recognized playwrights such as Erik Ehn, Naomi Iizuka, Glen Berger, Anne Washburn, Jeffrey Jones, and Nicky Silver.

Former Annex company members can be found throughout the Seattle arts community, including Allison Narver, former Artistic Director of the Empty Space; Weir Harman, Executive Director of Town Hall; Josef Krebs, Development Director for ACT Theatre; Andrea Allen, Education Director of Seattle Repertory Theatre; and Gillian Jorgensen, Seattle Children’s Theatre Teaching Artist—as well as in the local and national film
industry, such as directors SJ Chiro, Garrett Bennett, and Mike Shapiro, and actors Jillian Armenante and Paul Giamatti. We believe that Annexʼs distinctive collective working model (which cultivates a combination of initiative, diligence, and the ability to play well with others) is responsible for this remarkable track record of producing leaders in the arts.

Annexʼs new Artistic Director is Pamala Mijatov, who rose to power in September of 2010.

Audition for “The Tale of Jemima Canard”

AUDITIONS

The Tale of Jemima Canard

By Brandon J. Simmons
Directed by Carys Kresney

January 5th; Callbacks January 9th

Rehearsals will begin March 7th, Tech begins April 16th
Performances 8:00 PM Fridays and Saturdays, April 22nd – May 21st
Industry performance on Monday, May 8th

“The Tale of Jemima Canard” is an anthropomorphic dream-play based on Beatrix Potter’s Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck and told through memories relived during Potter’s interrogation by one of her own characters. It explores the nature of fate and time while blurring the lines between animal/human, love/violence, food/sex and, finally, the artist and the art she creates.”

ROLES: 3 Women, 4 Men

Helen Beatrix Potter, 40s – 60s, a well-bred English woman
Jemima Canard, 20s, a Southern Belle
Rebecca Canard, 30s – 40s, her sister, a farmhand, hard-as-nails
a Tawny-Whiskered Gentleman, 20s – 40s, tall and sophisticated
Roland St. Hubert, 30s, a farmhand, rugged and kind
LeRoy St. Hubert, 20s, his younger brother, eager and affectionate
Tommy Brock, 40’s (to be cast with either Roland or LeRoy), a reprobate

*We are seeking black actors for most roles, except Helen Beatrix Potter, however actors of ALL ethnicities will be considered and are encouraged to audition.

AUDITION INFORMATION

WHEN: Wednesday, January 5th, 6:30 – 10:00 PM, 5 minute slots

WHERE: Seattle Children’s Theatre (specific location will be emailed with confirmation)

WHAT: You will have 5 minutes total to perform 2 contrasting monologues and a short “personal feat” (unique/funny/athletic/bizarre talent, party-trick, impression, physical skill, etc.)

HOW: To arrange an audition slot, please email Jillian Vashro
@ jillian.vashro@annextheatre.org

More information: www.annextheatre.org

That’s The Beautification That Was

Well, our beautification period has come to an end. We accomplished an amazing amount with surprisingly little work, time and effort. Isn’t it always surprising how effectively mental inertia makes a little task seem like a toweringly huge one?

Among other things we accomplished over our three weeks, we now have:

  • Serious ventilation in the mainstage space
  • A completely rearranged (and considerably more comfortable) lounge/bar
  • Far fewer useless costumes and props, and much more closet space
  • Brand new carpet in the hallway
  • A hugely cleaner and more organized green room
  • Numerous other small but important changes

Naturally, things still aren’t perfect, and there’s a lot of work yet to do, but now is the time to step back and pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. The theater is a far nicer place to be now, and we have several projects rolling that will continue to improve things over time. And, of course, we have another beautification period in September, where we can look into even more comprehensive and useful changes.

Thank you to everyone who came to help us with our work! Stay tuned for more exciting changes.

Now, our focus turns towards our upcoming shows. The Her Mother Was Imagination set is largely built, and rehearsals are progressing well. Penguins is preparing its hilariously blasphemous volleys. Clubfoot is ready to screech onto the stage whether you’ve pulled to the right or not. Things are going well at Annex, and we hope you’ll come out to play with us as our Summer program prepares to open!