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MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Comte, chris.comte (at) annextheatre.org

ANNEX THEATRE IS MOVING!

VETERAN FRINGE COMPANY TO ACQUIRE HISTORIC PERFORMANCE VENUE

(Seattle, WA - July 16, 2007) Annex Theatre Artistic Director Gillian Jorgensen announced today the company, which is now embarking on its 21st Season of operations has secured a long-term agreement to lease the former Northwest Actors Studio space in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, effective immediately. “The entire Annex company and board is very excited about this amazing opportunity,” stated Jorgensen, “We will have not only a permanent, consolidated home with the flexibility to mount different types of programs, but we’re also preserving an historic and venerated performance space that we hope will continue to serve the artistic needs of both the Capitol Hill and the Seattle fringe theater communities.”

The five-year agreement was secured with the cooperation and assistance of long-time Capitol Hill developer and property manager Anne Michelson, and includes the facilities located on the second floor of the historic 1906 building at 1100 East Pike Street, formerly the home of Northwest Actors Studio, which for nearly three decades was Seattle’s oldest continuously operating independent theatre arts center. The vacancy occurred when NWAS Artistic Director, Ann Graham, recently retired after more than 30 years performing and teaching. In a recent interview with Seattle newsweekly The Stranger, Michelson expressed a strong desire to maintain the space as an arts venue, “In the spirit of our neighborhood culture, I’d like to get another theater in the second floor,” she said.

Annex officially takes possession of the space on July 15th, and will work through the summer to make necessary changes and upgrades in preparation for the Company’s 21st Season, scheduled to begin in October. In addition, it is hoped the facility will eventually be made available to other performing arts organizations. “Annex has always had a strong commitment to working with other groups,” noted Jorgensen, “and this space in particular has been host to an incredibly rich and diverse cross section of the theatre community over the years. We intend to continue that tradition of support and cooperation.”

Current plans call for upgrading the theatre’s technical capacity, installing sound mitigation, reconfiguring office and storage space, and expanding the lobby area. “We have a huge amount of work to do in the next few months,” said Annex Theatre Managing Director, Stephen McCandless, “but the good news is, this is a functioning theatre space we can use right now, and all the extra effort will go toward making it even better.”

ABOUT ANNEX THEATRE: Founded in 1986, Annex Theatre has presented nearly 400 productions of new and original works, re-imaginings of the classics, workshops, cabarets, and music events, including numerous World, Regional and West Coast premieres by some of the contemporary theatre’s most innovative playwrights. In addition, Annex has played host to an impressive number of young and emerging performers, playwrights, directors, musicians, designers and technicians, many of whom have gone on to successful careers not only at the region’s more established professional companies, but who include among their ranks artists of national and international stature.

Founded on the principles of consensus-driven collective effort and will, the company members of Annex Theatre embark on their 21st season of production by continuing to dedicate themselves to “creating bold new work in an environment of improbability, resourcefulness and risk.” Annex Theatre’s Artistic Director is Gillian Jorgensen.

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