Precious Little

Written by Madeleine George
Directed by Katherine Karaus

Thu-Sat at 8 pm, Aug 2-31 (Thu PWYC)
$20 general / $12 TPS, senior, military / $5 student
PWYC Industry Night: Monday, Aug 12

This incisively poetic play follows Brodie, a 42-year-old linguistics professor who chooses to become a single parent. When genetic testing reveals a possible problem with her pregnancy, unexpected emotions complicate both her research of a dying language and her romantic relationship with Dre, a grad student with a mind of her own. Amid the noise, Brodie forms an unexpected connection with a “talking” gorilla at the local zoo. Precious Little features three actresses who navigate dozens of relationships in this beautiful exploration of the limits of language.

[Precious Little] intelligently poses some engaging philosophical questions… Director Katherine Karaus addresses these concerns in a spare staging that moves swiftly, cleanly from brief encounter to encounter. Pearce bites with relish into every little role she’s given, and is especially effective (and amusing) as Rhiannon, the eager young counselor who is clearly out of her depth. Murfin Bailey also makes deft work of her several personae. She’s remarkably restrained, and uncannily convincing, playing a zoo gorilla whose thought patterns are enviably basic… Smart and frank… it sure conjures a primal image (reminiscent of O’Neill’s “The Hairy Ape”) that sticks with you. — The Seattle Times

“Quick timing and skillful acting make it an absorbing production…. Papineau delivers a skillful performance, navigating her character arc with believability…. Precious Little is anything by precious. It is funny and sad and tough. But most of all it makes us think. In a world where we are inundated with language, words, and talk, what does it mean to communicate, and how can we find the most effective way? That may be an unanswerable question, but at least Precious Little is brave enough to ask.” — City Arts Online

“The three women on stage are likable and watchable and keep the evening enjoyable. …[Taryn] Pearce shows amazing vocal range as she morphs over and over into completely different small characters.” — Seattle Gay News

“The three actors played nine parts and brought a strong presence…making every scene as thought-provoking as the one before.” — Drama In The Hood

PRESS PHOTOS

CAST
Sarah Papineau Brodie
Taryn Pearce Zoogoers/Rihannon/Evelyn/Dre/Gloria
Mary Murfin Bayley Ape/Dorothy/Cleva
CREW
Playwright Madeleine George
Director Katherine Karaus
Stage Manager Xandii Barber
Production Manager Katie McKellar
Light Designer Gwyn Skone
Set Designer Catherine Cornell
Sound Designer Lindsey Morck
Prop Designer Erin O’Malley
Costume Designer Savannah Baltazar
Dramaturg Lesley Carmichael

Duel Of The Linguist Mages

written & directed by Scotto Moore

Jan 21 – Feb 19, 2011
Friday and Saturday 8pm
$15 general / $10 TPS, senior, military / $5 student

PWYC Industry Night: Monday, Feb 7

DUEL OF THE LINGUIST MAGES is a dark new sci-fi comedy by Scotto Moore, about two researchers who learn to hack the very structure of language at a deeper level than ever before. 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 unexpectedly 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? Join us at Annex Theatre to find out!

WHO’S INVOLVED

Scotto Mooreʼs previous plays at Annex include the Gregory-Award-nominated When I Come to My Senses, Iʼm Alive!; interlace [falling star]; and Principia Discordia LIVE! (as well as having acted in such productions as The Front Page and Market Research Theatre). Mr. Moore is also the creator of the web series Cherub: The Vampire with Bunny Slippers and the forthcoming The Coffee Table, as well as a contributing writer to What the Funny (directed by Lynn Shelton, created by Wayne Rawley).

Reviews of ‘Duel Of The Linguist Mages’:

“Moore’s success here, as both writer and director, is finding the humor in confrontational moments… [It’s] good entertainment, filled with thought-provoking notions and moments of sincere laughter.” – Seattle Weekly

“Moore’s writing is high-caliber, his dialogue and plot devices are smart, his concepts are clearly inventive. He’s one to watch, so this is recommended.” – Seattle Gay News

Duel of the Linguist Mages is a nicely crafted PLAY with a clever theatrical format, witty dialogue, a topical premise and it’s smartly directed, designed and acted… the entire premise of the piece is original and highly charming and smart.” – Seattle Gay Scene

Reviews of ‘When I Come to My Senses, Iʼm Alive!’:

“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

“Fun, fascinating, thoughtful and delightful” — Seattle Gay News

More about ‘When I Come to My Senses, Iʼm Alive!’:

Scotto Moore on Putting Sci-Fi on the Stage (The Sunbreak)

Digital Emotions? Seattle Play foresees possible future of tech (Techflash)

Reviews of ‘interlace [falling star]’:

“[Writer/director] Moore conjures a fairly logical extension of our wired world with geeky authority and comic flair.” —Seattle Times

“Just go see it and enjoy yourself.” —Seattlest

“The pleasures of ‘interlace [falling star]’ are more than plenty.” —The Stranger

Sara Mountjoy-Pepka & James Weidman

CAST
James Weidman Nate Wells
Jen Moon Olivia Regan
Sara Mountjoy-Pepka Maddy
Curtis Eastwood Bradford Jenning
Beth Peterson Governor
Raymond Williams Bain / Candidate
CREW
Director Scotto Moore
Assistant Director Pamala Mijatov
Dramaturg Lesley Carmichael Ph.D.
Production Manager Noelle Wilcox
Stage Manager Heather Bernadette
Set Design Maridee Slater
Light Design Tess Malone
Costume Design Afton Pilkington
Prop Master Heather Wright
Music Kevin Nortness
Sound Design Christopher Overstreet
Choreographer Allegra Searle-LeBel
Fight Choreographer Don MacEllis
Assistant Set Designer Suzi Tucker
Poster Design Ryan Schmidt
PRESS
Press Photos Press Photo #1 – Jen Moon, James Weidman, Curtis Eastwood (photo by Ian Johnston)
Press Photo #2 – Sara Mountjoy-Pepka, James Weidman (photo by Ian Johnston)
Press Photo #3 – Raymond Williams, James Weidman, Jen Moon (top row), Sara Mountjoy-Pepka, Beth Peterson, Curtis Eastwood (bottom row) (photo by Ian Johnston)