posts about live theater, live performances, actors, acting, shows, and other theatrical things…
“Double Shot Festival of Overnight Plays” is a weekend play festival produced by Theater Northwest in partnership with Northwest Playwrights Alliance at Tacoma Arts Live at Tacoma Armory, on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21 in which the same five 10-minute plays are written, rehearsed, and performed, all within 24 hours — a challenge to playwrights, actors and directors — and an opportunity to creatively present new, short-form theater in a dynamic way.
Through Strip at the Crypt, the art of burlesque is melded with elements of improvisational comedy into one tongue-in-cheek show that’s bound to skirt expectations. Strip at the Crypt was established in 2019, and after experimenting with the layout over the years, each one-night show features around eight performers as well as a live song from co-creators and hosts, Hattie Hotpants and Vanessa the Witch.
Tacoma Spring Theatre Preview – by Adam McKinney
By now, we’ve become used to the bounty of quality offerings that local theaters in South Puget Sound routinely churn out. No matter where you may find yourself, you’re constantly reminded of just how much talent is bound to be lurking in the woodwork. So, just as a taste from up north, here are some theatrical Spring gems to look out for in the Tacoma area.
Nagle Jackson’s ‘Taking Leave’ at Dukesbay Theater in Tacoma through April 7th is a show that not only depicts a man descending into the throes of Alzheimer’s but gives us a glimpse into his mind’s final moments of connection.
Theater Artists Olympia’s production of “The Liar” by David Ives is at OlyTheater in Capital Mall, March 22 through April 7 with Aaron Gotzon as Dorante and Teresita Brimms as Clarice. The play is directed by Tom Sanders who said, “It’s not an absurdist play. It’s actually a straight farcical comedy.”
Olympia Family Theater’s executive director Mark Alford who plays Barney’s dad in “Barney Carey Gets His Wings” said, “The show is hilarious, but it doesn’t sacrifice any heart. At its core [it] is a discussion of self-identity and self-expression.”
Once the action begins at State Theater, you’ll find yourself in the post-and-beam framed, antique-studded, expensively repurposed barn that serves as the living room/study of playwright Sidney Bruhl. Harlequin Productions’ Deathtrap by Ira Levin is a classic thriller, with five actors, two acts, and one set. And therein hangs a gun.
Olympia’s new WineBox Theatre — the grownup wing of Juice Box Theatre — is paying homage to the three-hour tour with “Island Castaway Christmas” at OlyTheater in Capital Mall this Friday and Saturday as a fundraiser for Juice Box, which creates monthly snack-size shows for children 6 and younger.
The Seafarer at Lakewood Playhouse is a Christmas fable that mightily hoists up the light and the dark on either of its shoulders, resulting in a dark comedy and family drama that still, somehow, defies characterization.
It’s the third season for Harlequin’s Christmas Carol. Aaron Lamb’s adaptation of the redemption story is both familiar and fresh, and he plans to refine it each year. There’s a twist in casting in this production: The spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future are all female.