Puny Humans

Written by Bret Fetzer & Keiko Green
Directed by Gavin Reub

April 22 – May 14, Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30PM
PWYC Preview: Thursday, April 21
PWYC Industry Night: Monday, May 2

The Queen City Comicon throbs and bustles with fans in cosplay, celebrities on the rise (or on the way down), disgruntled vendors hoping to make a buck, and desperate staff members trying to hold the whole damn thing together. A young fangirl finds out she’s pregnant, an actor promoting his new movie tries unconventional means to get laid, and Sailor Moon and Darth Vader fall in love. Passion, comedy, and geekdom collide as thirteen characters’ lives intertwine over the course of one epic day.

“…approximately eight intersecting narratives involving 13 characters unfolds. They’re all pretty compelling. It’s sort of like a stage version of Robert Altman’s Nashville but for nerds and not as weird. The narratives involve a range of issues, revealing the human drama humming beneath the alien sheen of commercial comic-cons… Te Yelland was a stand-out. She plays an often quiet, contemplative aspiring writer named Hazel, who’s not into all the hubbub of the comic-con. She’s the one deciding whether or not she wants to have a baby. It’s challenging to play a captivating introverted character—the impulse to over-brood often wins out — but Yelland’s subtle gestures and easy humor drew me in.” – The Stranger

“Fetzer and Green have created several memorable characters and plots and have done a fantastic job of weaving them all together in a story. Puny Humans contains clever dialogue, spoken by fully formed fascinating characters in intricately connected stories. It’s topical. It’s timely. It’s full of wit and wisdom. It’s a huge delight for genre fans but it’s accessible to non-fans as well. It’s a strong piece of theater writing.” – Seattle Gay Scene

Starring:
GUS — David Rollison
BRADLEY — Ben McFadden
KEITH — Nic Morden
EMMA — Rachel Guyer-Mafune
JOAN — Kelly Johnson
LAUREN — Grace Carmack
ALICE — Heather Persinger
NATASHA — Patty Bonnell
SAM — Zenaida Smith
HAZEL — Te Yelland
PAULETTE — Lauryn Hochberg
GORDON — Cole Hornaday
JACOB — Kevin Bordi

Poster art by the incredible Peter Hon, local Seattle illustrator

Team Of Heroes: No More Heroes

Written by Alexander Harris
Directed by Jaime Roberts

Thu-Sat at 8 pm, April 26-May 25 (Thu PWYC)
$20 general / $12 TPS, senior, military / $5 student
PWYC Preview Dress Rehearsal: Thursday, April 25
PWYC Industry Night: Monday, May 13

Contains strong language.

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Following the collapse of the world’s most famous professional superhero team, the remaining Heroes come together to uncover the mysterious forces behind their former employers. Team of Heroes: No More Heroes is the final installment in Annex Theatre’s satirical trilogy exploring the dark underbelly of Doing Good. It features superhero spectacle created through lean theatrics, lurid desires, out-of-control egos…and skintight spandex.

The same creative team that brought you Annex Theatre’s surprise hit Alecto: Issue #1 and its hit sequel Team Of Heroes: Behind Closed Doors returns with the conclusion to the saga.

“Big, stupid fun done smartly and with tremendous intimacy… Anyone who loves theatre should see this show. Anyone who makes theatre should go learn something from it.” –The Sunbreak of Team Of Heroes: Behind Closed Doors

CAST
Libby Barnard Alecto
Nik Doner Shockwave
Curtis Eastwood Piggy Pig
Sam Hagen H8/The Accountant
Rachel Jackson Chaos Theory
Alyssa Keene Melody Knox
Tracy Leigh Madame Mayhem
Jason Sharp The Cap’n
CREW
Playwright Alexander Harris
Director Jaime Roberts
Production Manager Kristina Volkman
Assistant Director/Fly Master Mike Gilson
Stage Manager Lisa Stahler
Composer/Sound Designer Michael Hayes
Set Designer/Special Effects Emily Sershon
Lighting Designer Tess Malone
Costume Designer Candace Frank
Graphic Designer/Geek Consultant Cole Hornaday
Assistant Stage Manager Jessamyn Bateman-Lino
Videographer Ben Laurance
Special Effects/Photography/TD Ian Johnston
Projection Artist Dominick DiGregorio
Lead Seamstress Meaghan Darling
Assistant Props Designer Jodi Sauerbier
Fight Choreographer Ryan Higgins
Movement Consultant Kerry Christianson

Team of Heroes: Behind Closed Doors

Written by Alexander Harris
Directed by Jaime Roberts

Thu-Sat at 8 pm, April 20-May 19 (Thu PWYC)
$15 general / $10 TPS, senior, military / $5 student
PWYC Industry Night: Monday, May 14

Contains strong language.

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The gleaming teeth and bulging muscles of America’s preeminent superheroes hide a dirty past and a fractured present.
HOW DID MADAME MAYHEM AND THE CAP’N GET THEIR POWERS?
IS MISS DIXIE AS SWEET AS SHE SEEMS?
WILL SHOCKWAVE’S MOVIE CAREER TAKE OFF?
AND HOW DO GORILLAS FIT INTO ALL THIS?
The same creative team that brought you Annex Theatre’s surprise hit Alecto: Issue #1, returns with another spandex-clad tale of media manipulation and super-heroics.
NEW PLOTS! NEW VILLAINS! NEW HEROES!

“Big, stupid fun done smartly and with tremendous intimacy… Anyone who loves theatre should see this show. Anyone who makes theatre should go learn something from it.” –The Sunbreak

“Cheeky and dark…delightfully self-conscious comedy.” –Seattle Times

“It’s definitely a night to enjoy, and you can puzzle out the deeper meanings later.” –Seattle Gay News

“The real treat of the evening was the main villain, ‘Chaos Theory’, superbly played with great comic timing by Rachel Jackson who also…enacts Chaos Theory’s Scottish Puppet Henchman/Lover ‘Randy’. Ms Jackson’s love scene between her own felt covered hand, and herself, was pretty damn brilliant.” –Seattle Gay Scene

CAST
Tracy Leigh Madame Mayhem
Jason Sharp The Cap’n
Nik Doner Shock Wave
Rachel Jackson Chaos Theory
Ashley Bagwell Ace Johnson
Jana Hutchison Black Swallow
Danielle Daggerty Miss Dixie
Angela DiMarco Melody Knox
Sam Hagen Vladimir/8
Ryan Higgins Mikhael/Dick Engelbert
CREW
Writer Alexander Harris
Director Jaime Roberts
Production Manager Kristina Volkman
Stage Manager Lisa Stahler
Scenic Designer Devin Petersen
Sound Designer Michael White Hayes
Graphic Designer/Geek Consultant Cole Hornaday
Fx Team Max Reichlin, Emily Sershon, Ian Johnston
Fly Master Mike Gilson
Projection Artist Dominick DiGregorio
Costume Designer Candace Frank
Assistant Costume Designer Jenn Hill
Lead Seamstress Meaghan Darling
Lighting Designer Regan MacStravic
Props Designer Amy LaZerte
Assistant Props Designer Jodi Sauerbier
Fight Choreographer Casey Brown
Assistant Director Katherine Karaus
Dialect Coach Pamala Mijatov
Videographer Ben Laurance

Gallery of Press Photos

The Tale of Jemima Canard

Written by Brandon J. Simmons
Directed by Carys Kresny

Fri-Sat at 8 pm, April 22-May 21
$15 general / $10 TPS, senior, military / $5 student
PWYC Industry Night: Monday, May 9

There’s something odd about Kilkin Farm. The ducks parade about in skirts and bonnets and carry on forbidden love affairs with the hounds. Badgers and foxes negotiate their bloody deals behind the henhouse, bartering for flesh by day, and stealing it by night. And Miss Potter, the farm’s indomitable mistress, is driven nearly to madness.

Only Potter can unlock the mysteries of this world. As she examines the hidden corners of her own past, layers of passion and regret weave themselves into a tale that blurs the lines between love and violence, food and sex, and ultimately, the artist and the art she creates.

Love! Whimsy! Terror!

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.

CAST
Mary Murfin Bayley Potter
Truman Buffett TWG
Danielle Daggerty Rebecca
James James Leroy/Brock
Martyn G. Krouse Roland
Jillian Vashro Jemima
CREW
Production Director Meaghan Darling
Stage Manager Katie Driscoll
Set Design Emily Reitman
Light Design Tess Malone
Costume Design Hannah Schnabel
Mask Maker/Props Design Cole Hornaday
Sound Design Erin Paige
Fight Choreographer Ryan Spickard
Dialect Coach Pamala Mijatov
Dramaturg Bret Fetzer
Technical Director Ian Johnston

Alecto Issue #1

Check out the Team of Heroes at http://facebook.com/teamofheroes

written by Alexander Harris
directed by Jaime Roberts

Jan 22 – Feb 10, 2010
Friday and Saturday 8pm
$15 gen / $5 stu

A troubled heroine with an incredible power discovers that the popular superhero team she’s joined has questionable notions of good and evil. Alecto, Issue #1 translates the world of comic books to the stage, mixing social satire, physical spectacle, sly comedy, and an imaginary pig.

CAST
Jessica/Alecto Maridee Slater
Diana/Greta Carrie McIntyre
The Cap’n Jason Sharp
Madame Mayhem Tracy Leigh
Shock Wave Nik Doner
Piggy Pigg Chris Bell
Melody Megan Ahiers
Nathan/Nigel Banton Foster
Baz William Hardyman
Chaos Theory Rachel Jackson

Tracy Leigh, Maridee Slater, Nik Doner, Jason Sharp

CREW
Stage Manager Noelle Wilcox
Assistant Stage Manager/Fly Master Mike Gilson
Set Design Ann Marie Caldwell
Light Design Allysa Thompson
Costume Design Afton Pilkington
Props Design Emily Sershon
Sound Design Michael Hayes
Sound Board Operator Regan MacStravic
Technical Director/Fly Engineer Ian Johnston
Production Manager Kristina Volkman
Graphic Designer/Geek Consultant Cole Hornaday
Fight Choreographer John Lynch
Dialect Coach Pamala Mijatov
Seamstress Meaghan Darling
SPECIAL THANKS

Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Teri Lazzara and Theatre Schmeatre, Jodi Sauerbier, David Baum, Meghan Darling, Mark Siano and the Freedom Dancers, Ouchey, Balagan Theatre, All the actors who participated in the many readings, Austin Elston, Emily Gallagher, Sue and Dick Harris, Jennie Harris, Angela Cherry, Washington Lawyers for the Arts, Arya Bahrami, James L. Vana, Ed Sershon, Bret Fetzer, Scotto Moore, Ben Laurance, Nicolette Butler, Joel and Cora Caldwell, Craig Bradshaw, Michael LoSasso and Stone Soup Theatre Village Theater, Rick Miller, Jane Stratton and Tom Champoux, Marilyn Fox, Jolene Obertin, Marty Spiegel, Jesse Card