My Dear Miss Chancellor

Written by Caitlin Gilman, directed by Elizabeth Hershly
October 23 – November 14, Thurs – Sat at 7:30 pm
PWYC Preview: October 22
PWYC Industry Night: November 2
Opening Night: October 23

First loves, vindictive exes, lavish balls, all the latest fashions-and secret fencing clubs! Janet Chancellor comes to London, giddily anticipating a season of dancing and parlor visits. But once she meets Hazel McGovern, she discovers a world of women living just under the covers of polite society…women who drink, duel, and call each other sweetheart.

“It’s an absolute delight. A witty charmer with very clever dialogue, it brazenly takes on a rather corny, typical romance novel plot of forbidden love, revenge and retribution but does so with great intelligence and an attention to detail…. It’s also aided by astutely confident direction from Elizabeth Hershly who must juggle 13 actors and a lot of set changes on the Annex’s not very large stage, and the usual clever design work from the Annex team including a big effort from the Costume Department for a show with a huge cast and numerous period costume changes. Kudos to Samantha Armitage and her crew. The strong cast brings the story to life and is led with excellent work from leads Sophia Franzella as the new girl in town, the titular Miss Chancellor, who’s come to London to find a husband but instead discovers her Sapphic instincts and is romanced by the proudly fierce renegade Hazel McGovern, superbly played by Tracy Leigh.” – Seattle Gay Scene

“The script is really quite brilliant. There is not a line of unnecessary dialogue and never a moment when we feel like the playwright is working to make the speech sound authentic to the period and the people involved. The action is fast moving and the relationships both touching and believable. Much of that credit should also go to the fine cast and the excellent direction by Elizabeth Hershly. Perhaps what I liked most about this script is that it never felt didactic, but always deeply human. That would only be possible if the performances were equally human.” – Seattle Actor

“…a fantastic production…. This show is recommended for anyone who is ready or eager to see what female liberation can mean…. Samantha Armitage’s costumes are the aesthetic high point of the show. Fancy gowns fall away to high-bosomed corsets and pantaloons when the ladies fight or make love, giving the already scandalous action a peculiar sense of voyeurism.” – Drama In The Hood

Cast:
Alice Bridgforth
Stacey Bush
Alysha Curry
Sophia Franzella
Mike Gilson
Jasmine Joshua
Tracy Leigh
Matthew Middleton
Kendra Pierce
Hannah Schnabel
Steven Sterne
Laurie Utterback
Sarah Winsor

Zapoi!

Written by Quinn Armstrong
Directed by Kaytlin McIntyre

Jan 30 – Feb 21
Thu, Fri & Sat at 8pm | Mon, Feb 9 industry night
All Thurs PWYC
$20 general/$18 advance tickets
$12 senior, military, TPS / $5 student

Fleeing the censorship of Soviet Russia, a brilliant composer stumbles upon a strange town where all of Russian history is happening at once. Saints and spies, performing bears and falling cosmonauts — all collide in the shadow of the candy factory in this dark and delicious phantasmagoria.

“‘Zapoi’ is Russian slang, dating back to at least the 19th century, for the national habit of going on days-long benders so catastrophic that, as one ethnographer reported to the Anthropological Society of London in 1870, they ‘are regarded as a disease.’ The word doesn’t appear anywhere besides the title in Quinn Armstrong’s world-premiere comedy at Annex Theatre, but it could be a one-word summary of a sprawling fantasia that treats Russian suffering and derangement as an endemic sickness…. It’s a delirious and damaged run at Our Town, filtered through the battered kidneys of Russian history…. Kayla Walker gives a commanding performance as the KGB agent Oksana, a woman with 1940s Hollywood glamour and torture chambers hidden behind her meticulously charming smile…. Zapoi! tends to be funniest when things are at their worst…. its darkness is delightful.” – The Stranger

Zapoi!, the new play from writer Quinn Armstrong that is playing at Annex Theatre through February 21, is surrealist and ambitious…. it is a play that I hope a lot of people see and think and talk about. It’s what Annex Theatre likes to call a ‘#BoldNewWork.’ Armstrong and director Kaytlin McIntyre deserve credit for creating a work that never feels predictable…. What I found so timely and relevant about Zapoi!, was that the subjects of free speech and free will come up and they’re impossible to ignore…. there are so many ideas coming out of Zapoi! in its two and a half hours, that they all can’t be explored fully, and really shouldn’t be. It leaves a lot to the audience to continue the conversation afterward.” – The Journal of Precipitation

CAST
Kevin Bordi Matvei, Yuri the Cosmonaut
Nathan Brockett Alexei, Violin Bear
Ben Burris Andrei, Comedy Bear, Man in Black
Sophia Franzella Anastasia
Frank Lawler Kiril
Jordi Montes Anna, Joan
Carol Thompson Sobaka
Kayla Walker Oksana
James Weidman Pericolo
DESIGN TEAM
Scenic Designer Catherine Cornell
Lighting Designer Ryan Dunn
Sound Designer Alex Potter
Properties Designer Brandon Estrella
Costume Designer Arin Larson
PRODUCTION TEAM
Assistant Director Zoe Wilson
Stage Manager Mike Hennessy
Poster Designer Keara Burton
Musical Director Matt Giles
Fight Choreographer Caleb Penn
Voice Over Actor Alex Matthews
Technical Director Ian Johnston
Production Manager Kaeline Kine