Elevating the Arts with Imaginative Solutions
A new feature on Theatre Puget Sound’s engagement and support of local arts and artists, a beloved American story takes the stage at Taproot Theatre, and Seattle Opera offers performances to students.
Crystal Yingling was bound for an otherwise perfect opening night of the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Nutcracker when trouble struck—car trouble. After a moderate amount of stress, delay, and grime, the Theatre Puget Sound executive director finally made it to the opening, albeit in a disheveled state, unclear how she would be received.
Seattle area performing arts organizations in the last handful of years have likewise been forced to proceed with similar kinds of stress and unknowing, as they have struggled to rebound from a pandemic which brought live performance nationwide to a grinding halt. Perhaps rebound isn’t the right word. Theatres had already been financially stretched going into Covid. Survival since? It has already proven too much for a number of small and mid-sized theatres. Others have been forced to scale back staff and/or offerings dramatically. Still others, like Theatre Puget Sound, are doing more than just fighting to keep their head above water. They are charting a hopeful way forward, so long as they aren’t doing it alone.
Theatre Puget Sound (TPS) is a membership and service organization supporting industry workers and performing arts organizations. When Seattle’s art scene was growing in 1997 and there was a pronounced need for resources and information sharing, TPS was born. Within a year they received nonprofit status. Call the organization connective tissue for the theatre arts industry. It has proved vital not only to sustaining ongoing production, but to lifting up and giving opportunities to people entering the industry.
On the Stage
This week an American classic takes the stage. Plus, 5th Avenue is baking up a powerful musical and Village Theatre takes you on a journey into the real story of The Four Seasons band.
A Raisin in the Sun
Theatre | Taproot Theatre Company
Now – April 19 | Tickets
A life insurance payout provides a path for Lena Younger to move her family from their cramped apartment on the South Side of Chicago to an affordable home in a historically white neighborhood. But racial intolerance threatens to turn their American dream into heartbreak.
More Events
- Waitress | 5th Avenue Theatre | Now – March 30 | View the Program
- Mother Russia | Seattle Rep | Now – April 6 | View the Program
- Jersey Boys | Village Theatre Issaquah | Now – April 27 | View the Program
- Silkroad Ensemble: Uplifted Voices | Meany Center for the Performing Arts | March 28
Next Line
A message from the creator of Intiman Theatre’s next cabaret show and Seattle Opera tours the state with an opera for youth audiences.
- “My purpose in creating this show is to reimagine and dissect the cultural origins from which this stereotype emerged—namely, slavery, minstrelsy, and advertising. Through this exploration, I aim to push the boundaries of our collective perceptions and challenge preconceived notions.” Check out a video message from Michelle Matlock, the creator of The Mammy Project, opening at Intiman Theatre next month.
- Seattle Opera’s education programs are bringing the magic of opera to young audiences across the state. Now through early May, the School Opera Tour will present Earth to Kenzie—a one-act opera designed for youth audiences—to over 50 schools, reaching an estimated 18,000 students. Filled with engaging and accessible music, the fully staged and costumed production features professional singers and live piano accompaniment, offering students a meaningful introduction to the world of opera. Know of a school that would be interested in bringing this opera to their students? Bookings are available now.
