JULY 2015
2015 SEASON:
THE EXPLORERS CLUB
JAN 28 – FEB 28
THE BEST OF ENEMIES
MAR 25 – APR 25
JEEVES INTERVENES
MAY 13 – JUN 20
GODSPELL
JUL 8 – AUG 15
CONCEIVED AND ORI
GINALLY DIR
MUSIC AND NEW LYR ECTED BY JOHN-MICHAEL TEBELAK
ORIGINALLY PRODUC ICS BY STEPHEN SCHWARTZ
ED ON THE
EDGAR LANSBURY / STU NEW YORK STAGE BY
ART DUNCAN /
JOSEPH BERUH
DIRECTED BY
KAREN LUND
JULY 8-AUG 15
DRACULA
SEP 23 – OCT 24
A piece of Queen Victoria’s diplomatic furniture:
Buckingham Palace to Iolani Palace, 1899
“AND SHE WILL SING THE SONG
THAT PLEASETH YOU”
~ HENRY IV part 1
Lady Mortimer (Catrin Glyndwr) and Queen Liliuokalani were musically gifted
female monarchs from tiny island kingdoms. Both were robbed of their
thrones and both were imprisoned in the towers of royal palaces.
Queen Liliuokalani’s music cabinet, the world’s most expensive piece of furniture, is now in Seattle.
Asking: $40,000,000.00 ($40 million) ~ John Cook ~ jfaycook@yahoo.com
July-August 2015
Volume 11, No. 7
Paul Heppner
Publisher
Susan Peterson
Design & Production Director
Ana Alvira, Robin Kessler,
Kim Love
Design and Production Artists
Marty Griswold
Seattle Sales Director
Brieanna Bright, Joey Chapman,
Gwendolyn Fairbanks, Ann Manning
Seattle Area Account Executives
Mike Hathaway
Bay Area Sales Director
Marilyn Kallins, Terri Reed,
Tim Schuyler Hayman
San Francisco/Bay Area Account Executives
Brett Hamil
Online Editor
Jonathan Shipley
Associate Online Editor
Carol Yip
Sales Coordinator
Jonathan Shipley
Ad Services Coordinator
www.encoreartsseattle.com
PRESENTING
LIVE IN
CONCERT
BLANCA
AND
Phil
Keaggy
Saturday August 1 at the Seattle Memorial Stadium, 6:30 PM
PROVIDING “QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT…WITH A MESSAGE”
This is a WorldHopeOutreach.org benefit event. A $10.00 donation is requested at the door.
WHO 052615 concert 1_6h.pdf
Leah Baltus
Editor-in-Chief
Paul Heppner
Publisher
Marty Griswold
Associate Publisher
Dan Paulus
Art Director
Jonathan Zwickel
Senior Editor
Gemma Wilson
Associate Editor
Amanda Manitach
Visual Arts Editor
Amanda Townsend
Events Coordinator
www.cityartsonline.com
Paul Heppner
President
Mike Hathaway
Vice President
Genay Genereux
Accounting
Corporate Office
425 North 85th Street Seattle, WA 98103
p 206.443.0445 f 206.443.1246
adsales@encoremediagroup.com
800.308.2898 x113
www.encoremediagroup.com
Encore Arts Programs is published monthly by Encore Media
Group to serve musical and theatrical events in the Puget
Sound and San Francisco Bay Areas. All rights reserved.
©2015 Encore Media Group. Reproduction
without written permission is prohibited.
50 years ago, some parents had
just two choices:
institution or revolution.
So they started Northwest Center — and a revolution to include people of
all abilities at school, at work and in the community.
Join the Revolution.
nwcenter.org/revolution
Celebrating 50 Years
50th Anniversary
Title Sponsor
Media
Sponsors
encore art sseattle.com 3
CONTENTS
JULY 2015
2015 SEASON:
THE EXPLORERS CLUB
JAN 28 – FEB 28
THE BEST OF ENEMIES
MAR 25 – APR 25
JEEVES INTERVENES
MAY 13 – JUN 20
GODSPELL
JUL 8 – AUG 15
DRACULA
SEP 23 – OCT 24
Godspell
A1
Directed by Karen Lund
CONCEIVED AND ORIGINAL
LY DIRECTED BY JOHN-MIC
MUSIC AND NEW LYRICS
HAEL
BY STEPHEN SCHWART TEBELAK
ORIGINALLY PRODUCE
Z
D ON THE NEW YORK
STAGE BY
EDGAR LANSBURY / STUART
DUNCAN /
JOSEPH BERUH
DIRECTED BY
KAREN LUND
JULY 8-AUG 15
godspell_encore_final.indd 1
ES075 covers.indd 2
5/20/15 10:59 AM
6/22/15 2:38 PM
ENCORE ARTS NEWS
Visit EncoreArtsSeattle.com
Q & A with
Stephanie Timm
BY BRETT HAMIL
She’s currently working on an Elizabeth George Commission
from the Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory
Theatre. (She also recently collaborated with NCTC’s Brenda
Joyner on the first edition of Encore’s One Minute Webcam
Monologue.)
Continuing our streak of notable Seattle playwrights,
Timm joined us for a handul of questions. See more
interviews with Seattle theatre artists every Friday over at
EncoreArtsSeattle.com.
4 ENCORE STAGES
PHOTO COURTESY STEPHANIE TIMM
Stephanie Timm is a playwright and Cornish teacher with
collaborative ties to Seattle’s most esteemed theatre houses.
She was playwright-in-residence at ACT where she adapted
The Ramayana with Yussef El Guindi, an alumna of the
Seattle Rep Writers Group, a company playwright and
affiliate artist with New Century Theatre Company (NCTC)
and a member of ACT’s Affiliate Artist Working Group. Her
newest play, Tails of Wasps, premiered with NCTC last spring
and won a Gypsy Award and a Footlight Award.
ENCORE ARTS NEWS
What’s the best performance you’ve seen
lately?
Live! From the Last Night of My Life [by
Wayne Rawley] is the best performance I’ve
seen lately and one of the top performances
I’ve seen, ever! It’s a brilliant script, full of
comedy and pathos, about an important
subject. As Dana Perry, winner of the Oscar
for Best Documentary Short, Crisis Hotline,
said, “We should talk about suicide out
loud.” The actors, direction, and design were
superb as well.
TRUE
What’s the best meal in town?
The best meal I’ve had in Seattle was the
prix fixe meal at Art of the Table in
Wallingford. Highlights were smoked
goat and a palate cleanser of raspberry
sorbet with sea salt and the chef with his
ringmaster-style mustache coming out
between each course and telling us all about
the food, the happy organic life it had before
its ultimate fate in the food chain.
What’s the ideal setting for writing a
play?
Ideally, when writing the first draft of a
play, I’d have a series of quiet mornings
without interruption in which I’d crank out
a very mediocre first draft. Then, ideally, a
theater company (like New Century) would
read it, see all its potential and I’d get to
workshop it with actors. Actors are the best
dramaturgs, and my best writing occurs
when I’m submerged in conversation during
a workshop or during rehearsals. I love
playwriting best when I’m involved in this
kind of collaborative development process.
What’s the best advice anyone ever gave
you about working in theatre?
Don’t take things personally, especially
rejection. This is a highly subjective art form.
For more previews, stories, video and a look
behind the scenes, visit EncoreArtsSeattle.com
PROGRAM ARCHIVE
CALENDAR
PREVIEWS
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
AN
AMERICAN
DREAM
August 21 & 23
Dorothea Lange photo, War Relocation Authority 1942 - 1945
What music gets you pumped up? What
do you listen to when you’re sad?
Music that gets me pumped up: Augustines,
Raveonettes and Pixies. Music I listen to
when sad: I don’t really listen to music when
I’m sad. I just sit silently and stare at walls.
Jack Perla
Jessica Murphy Moo
MCCAW HALL
206.389.7676
800.426.1619
SEATTLEOPERA.ORG
WORLD PREMIERE—
INSPIRED BY TRUE STORIES
FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Treasured possessions become symbols
of home as two Puget Sound women
struggle to maintain a sense of place
during displacements related to World War
II. This world premiere includes interactive
pre- and post-show experiences to deepen
your understanding of the situations and
characters depicted in the opera.
In English with English Subtitles.
Featuring members of
Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21 8:00 PM
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 2:30 PM
SO
PRODUCTION SPONSOR: TRUE-BROWN FOUNDATION
encore artsseattle.com 5
ENCORE ARTS PREVIEWS
As summer winds down, the Seattle theatre
calendar heats up with world premiere
musicals, nationally touring Broadway
shows and original commissioned works.
Check out these upcoming shows.
Bloomsday
Sept. 11–Oct. 11
James Joyce’s literary masterwork Ulysses
provides the backdrop for this new play
commissioned by ACT. It’s the story of an
American man who returns to Dublin to
reconnect with the Irish woman who stole
his heart 30 years ago. Weaving through
the intervening years and divergent life
paths separating the two lovers, Bloomsday
explores heartache with humor and hope.
Written by Stephen Dietz and directed by
Kurt Beattie.
ACT Theatre
Annie
Sept. 20–26
From its humble beginnings as a Depressionera newspaper comic strip, this beloved
musical won seven Tonys and spawned three
movies including the 2014 iteration starring
Quvenzhané Wallis and Jamie Foxx. Annie
never grows up and will always sing that
eternally optimistic anthem, “Tomorrow.”
With Daddy Warbucks, Sandy the dog and a
cameo appearance from FDR, this revitalized
national touring production is helmed by
original lyricist and director Martin Charnin
and choreographed by Liza Gennaro.
The Paramount
Waterfall
Oct. 1–25
The 5th Avenue Theatre presents the
world premiere of its 18th new musical.
Waterfall is based on the contemporary Thai
novel Behind the Painting, the story of a
tempestuous romance set in 1930s Thailand
and Japan as the monarchy crumbles and
Japan is on the brink of war. A young Thai
student falls in love with the American wife
of a Thai diplomat and their forbidden love
parallels the shifting world around them.
With book and lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr.,
music by David Shire, choreography by Dan
Knechtges and directed by Tak Viravan.
5th Avenue Theatre
For more previews, stories, video and a look
behind the scenes, visit EncoreArtsSeattle.com
PROGRAM ARCHIVE
6 ENCORE STAGES
CALENDAR
PREVIEWS
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Visit EncoreArtsSeattle.com
ENCORE ARTS NEWS
Michael E.
Greer, M.D.
OFFERING
One-Two hour
presentations
on
Herbal, Holistic
and Natural
Remedies for
Health and
Beauty
Michaelgreermd@gmail.com
Facebook: Dr Michael Greer
www.michaelgreermd.com
TICKETS
FROM
26
$
CND
From Opera to Metal
Jeran Michael Brown’s musical journey
BY BRETT HAMIL
But the siren song of the dark arts
beckoned Brown [pictured above in a
headshot from his opera days]. He dropped
out of the opera scene and moved to
Seattle seeking new sounds. A growing
fascination with metal took over and he
exchanged his arias and oratorios for
primal screams and growls. He’s now
preparing to release his first metal album
as the singer of Whythre (pronounced
“Whither-ee”), the culmination of a long
transformation. I talked to Brown about
his unusual musical journey and the many
similarities between the two disciplines.
Readers
Tell me how you began to transition
from opera to metal.
There’s something very dark, theatrical,
brutal and beautifully angry about black
metal and death metal. It evoked a darker
side of myself. I became attracted to the
lyrical concepts, the aesthetic value; an
aural assault on the senses that awakened
something really exciting in me. I began
thinking if I took my training as an opera
singer and applied it as a metal vocalist I’d
probably be able to go really far with it. It’d
be an interesting route to take.
When I started to reveal my love of metal
music to my opera peers, they always
looked at me like I had something on my
face. But there are so many similarities
between the grandiose natures of both
genres that really meet in the middle. Some
of the best operas are tragedies where the
heroine dies in the end in the name of love
or freedom. Metal music is a lot like that.
My first year in Seattle, I ran into Shon
Under the Tents • Vanier Park, Vancouver, Canada
On Stage to Sept 26
1-877-739-0559 • bardonthebeach.org
Photo courtesy of Seattle Opera. Bill Mohn photographer
PHOTOS COURTESY JERAN MICHAEL BROWN
Jeran Michael Brown crossed over to the
dark side, from opera to metal. The son of
two musicians in Northern California, he
showed an early aptitude for singing and
received vocal training from a young age.
He worked his way up from community
theatre shows and collegiate workshops to
the Fresno Grand Opera, where he played
such roles as the Imperial Commissioner in
Madame Butterfly and the Herald in Verdi’s
Othello. He hadn’t gotten his vocal studies
degree yet and was already performing
professionally alongside world-renowned
singers.
Howard Family Stage
Readers
Captivated
Sophisticated Consumers
Sophistic
Advertise in
206.443.0445 x113
Performing for you
adsales@encoremediagroup.com
encore art sseattle.com 7
EMG0
ENCORE ARTS NEWS
FRESH HANDMADE TORTILLAS
SEATTLE’S BEST NACHOS
CHARRED VEGGIES
COLD BEER
PERFECT MARGARITAS
Cantina Leña, a bright new spot
in downtown Seattle to grab addictive
and a frosty beverage to wash it down
HOURS OF OPERATIONS
Mon-Fri 11am-11pm
Sat & Sun 9am-11pm
HAPPY HOUR during the week from 3-6pm
and weekend BRUNCH 9am-3pm
(206)519.5723
2105 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
www.cantinalena.com
SoUNd theatre company
2014 GreGory AwArd TheATre of The yeAr
Untitled-1 1
Summer 2015 SeaSon
Revolution and Revelation
SeaTTLe PremIere!
by MARCUS GARDLEY
JULY 16 - AUGUST 2
CENTER THEATRE
Seattle Center Armory
a co-production with
BRoWnBoX tHeatRe
directed by tyrone Brown
TIckeTS - brownpapertickets.com
www.SoundTheatreCompany.org
8 ENCORE STAGES
Petrey and we kicked it off by listening
to music and talking about our
philosophies in life musically, spiritually
and humanistically. The creative process
took off and we spent the next four years
developing this project. Now we have our
very first album coming out.
There’s a history of classically trained
vocalists who get into metal, right?
There are definitely a lot of classically
trained metal musicians and rock
musicians. The lead singer of System of a
Down (Serj Tankian), modern symphonic
metal like Nightwish, Cradle of Filth—a
lot of them bring a classical influence
into their music.
There’s a high level of virtuosity there.
When you think of metal, at first you
think of this loud stuff, but if you dig
deeper—
TDR 061515 cantina 1_6v.pdf
Dimmu Borgir is a perfect example.
They’re so inspired by romantic music:
Wagner, Beethoven. Chopin, Liszt, Holst.
Big, dramatic theatrical music that
evokes emotions.
The most important thing about opera
is it engages your emotions and brings
them out for the world to see. Metal does
that as well. The concept of horror and
darkness and brutality is what makes it
so attractive. It reaches in and pulls out
this seething arcane feeling that is very
peaceful but at the same time is made
of chaos. In both genres you might not
know what is being sung, you might
not even speak the language, but the
emotion is being communicated.
A lot of people will say it’s brutal and
gory and satanic and evil. Well, yes, it’s
an invocation of the brutality within man
that is put into the medium of music so
we are able to hold this force out in front
of us and view it for what it is. It’s a good
way to spiritually exorcise the filth.
Speaking of brutality, I listen to that
stuff and think: How do you protect
your voice? Do you use the techniques
you learned in opera?
ST 061515 jesus 1_6v.pdf
There’s a book called The Structure of
Visit EncoreArtsSeattle.com
Singing by Richard Miller. To quote him,
singing is just air escaping the body. I
was able to take that concept to metal
vocals. I do engage all of my body and my
diaphragmatic muscles especially when
I inhale to scream, but I keep my throat
open as though I’m yawning. It takes a
while for your vocal chords and vocal
folds to get used to such turbulence. It’s
not actually screaming; it’s just a high,
intense sound that comes from air being
pushed out of the body.
Which is harder, opera or metal?
I’d say opera wins that one because it’s a
lifelong achievement.
You’re never done learning about your
own voice. But it’s the same for metal
vocals. Who knows how I’m going to
sound after ten or so years of doing this?
An opera singer, that’s what they do,
just like any musician. They eat, sleep
and breathe technique. They practice
and practice and practice. It’s all about
support. You have to use your body as
a vessel and manipulate all the right
muscles in order to produce the right
volume, frequency and sound.
I spent 15 years trying to perfect my vocal
6/17/15
technique in opera. Now that I’ve taken
it to the metal I’d say that opera is harder
because that took 15 years of training.
I took those concepts and put them
into metal and that just shot it off like a
rocket. It’s getting easier and easier to
sing the metal stuff.
What would growth look like in terms
of metal vocals, having already been
through that process in opera?
Basically, challenging ourselves to
write more agile music. I’d see myself
succeeding in metal vocally if I continue
to increase my volume every day. The way
I see the entire project working out is to
be able to hook that inspiration and meet
the dark side of music and love it. We
wanna be able to turn heads and make
people happy with our music, which is
the lifelong goal. Listen to more of Whythre’s music at
https://soundcloud.com/whythre
11:51 AM
ConCeived and originally direCted by John-Michael Tebelak
MusiC and new lyriCs by STephen SchwarTz
originally produCed on the new york stage by edgar lanSbury / STuarT duncan / JoSeph beruh
Scott Nolte,
Producing Artistic
Director
Karen Lund,
Associate Artistic
Director
Thank you To our
2015 SeaSon
SupporTerS
cASt
Ryan Childers - John the Baptist
Katherine Jett
Tyler Todd Kimmel
Jessi Little
Sara Porkalob
Simon Pringle
Bethanie Russell
Mike Spee* - Jesus
Asha Stichter
Daniel Stoltenberg
MuSiciAnS
Michael James Adams - guitarist
Edd Key - Drummer
Production
Director
Music Director
Choreographer
Scenic and Sound Design
Costume Design
Lighting Design
Stage Manager
Dramaturg
Fight Choreographer
Karen Lund
Edd Key
Beth Orme
Mark Lund
Nanette Acosta
Andrew Duff
Kristi Matthews
Kathryn Stewart
Matt Orme
SEtting
A public market in present day Seattle
Godspell is approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes including intermission.
opening nighT
SponSor:
Godspell is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also
supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684 www.MTI Shows.com
The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
The upper CruST
*Member of the Actors’ Equity Association,
the Union of Professional Actors and
Stage Managers in the United States.
encore artsseattle.com A-1
dirEctor’S notES
“Father, hear thy
children’s call
Humbly at thy
feet we fall
Prodigals
confessing all
We beseech
thee, hear us!”
Stephen Schwartz
John-Michael Tebelak conceived Godspell when he
was a young directing student at Carnegie Mellon
University. Needing to create a proposal for his master
thesis project, he turned to the New Testament
gospels for inspiration. What he saw in those books
surprised him. He was astonished by what he
identified as JOY in the gospels. It was a JOY that he
didn’t always feel in standard church services. It was
a JOY that he had never before associated with the
character of Christ. He decided that this JOY was what
he most wanted to share with a theatre audience.
Tebelak approached his CMU professors with a proposal to create a play using the
New Testament gospels that he hoped would cast a kind of God “spell” of joy over
an audience. Lucky for all of us they said “Yes.” With the Gospel of Matthew as a
starting point, a cast of creative improv actors, and eventually a talented Stephen
Schwartz to write new songs and set old hymn lyrics to modern melodies, Tebelak
molded a show called Godspell. In time the show grew from a thesis project to
a Broadway hit to a musical theatre classic that has been casting its spell over
audiences for 44 years.
In the published script of Godspell, Stephen Schwartz’s Authors Note to the
Director tells us, “…[the] director is free to altar the specifics …[but] it is
important to remain true to the subtextual content, motivations and dramatic
structure.” For Taproot’s production I’m asking you to imagine yourself in present
day downtown Seattle among a group of young urbanites: a barista, a fishmonger,
a shop manager, a tour guide, and a musician or two. What would happen to their
world if they suddenly encountered JOY—strange, astonishing, inexpressible JOY?
What happens next will hopefully be fresh, funny and familiar.
Enjoy!
Karen Lund
Associate Artistic Director
Serving revolutionaries
since 2008.
oneicity.com
Pleased to be partnering with Taproot Theatre
www.systemsixbookkeeping.com
206-851-4330
Providing business owners peace of mind
through strategic bookkeeping and accounting solutions.
A-2 TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY
godSPEll MuSicAl nuMbErS
“Prepare Ye”.......................................................................................... Ryan Childers and Company
“Save the People”....................................................................................... Mike Spee and Company
“Day by Day”.............................................................................................. Jesse Little and Company
“Learn Your Lessons Well”...................................................................... Asha Stichter and Company
“Bless the Lord”................................................................................... Sara Porkalob and Company
“All for the Best”........................................................... Ryan Childers and Mike Spee and Company
“All Good Gifts”...................................................................................... Tyler Kimmel and Company
“Light of the World”.............................................................................. Simon Pringle and Company
“Turn Back, O Man”.............................................................................. Katherine Jett and Company
“Alas for You”............................................................................................. Mike Spee and Company
“By My Side”.................................................................................... Bethanie Russell and Company
“We Beseech Thee”........................................................................ Daniel Stoltenberg and Company
“On the Willows”.................................................................. The Band (Michael Adams and Edd Key)
“Finale”.............................................................................................................................. Company
Music and New Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
“By My Side” by Peggy Gordon, Lyrics by Jay Hamburger
WaiT!
Text ROOT to 20222 to give $10
to Taproot Theatre.
Before you
turn off
your phone ...
Thanks!
A one-time donation of $10.00 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. All donations must be authorized by the
account holder. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service
provider. All donations must be authorized by the account holder. User must
be age 18 or older or have parental permission to participate. By texting
YES, the user agrees to the terms and conditions. Service is available on
most carriers. Message & Data Rates May Apply. Donations are collected
for the benefit of “TAPROOT THEATRE” by the Mobile Giving Foundation and
subject to the terms found at www.hmgf.org/t. You can unsubscribe at any
time by texting STOP to short code “20222”; text HELP to “20222” for help.
encore artsseattle.com A-3
tAProot thEAtrE StAff
Artistic/Production stAff
scott nolte - Producing Artistic Director
Karen Lund - Associate Artistic Director
Mark Lund - Design Director
Micah Lynn trapp - Production Stage
Manager
sarah Burch Gordon - Costume Shop
Manager & Resident Designer
Wendy Hansen - Resident Propsmaster
AdMinistrAtive stAff
Pam nolte - Community Liaison
rick rodenbeck - Finance &
Operations Director
nikki visel - Marketing Director
elizabeth Griffin - Communications
Manager
tanya Barber - Creative Marketing
Specialist
isaiah custer - Marketing Associate
Acacia danielson - Executive Assistant
deveLoPMent
Lauren cooper - Director of Development
sonja Lowe - Development Associate &
Resident Dramaturg
PAtron services
Jenny cross - Patron Services Manager
Acacia danielson, Laura Kelm,
stephen Loewen, sonja Lowe,
cathie rohrig, Bethanie russell,
dave selvig - House Managers
Kristi Matthews - Box Office Manager
Josh Krupke - Box Office Lead
erin Barber, sarah diener, Joyel
richardson, Jd Walker, Alek White Box Office Representatives
Marty Gordon - Custodian
Jacob Yarborough - Facilities Maintenance
educAtion & outreAcH
nathan Jeffrey - Director of Education
& Outreach
shelby Parsons - Associate Director of
Education & Outreach
Jenny cross - Resident Teaching Artist
A-4 TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY
THEATRE BRINGS US TOGETHER
At the theatre, there is always a story to tell.
The stories on stage can lift your spirits and transport you. But the stories you bring—first dates at the
theatre, lifelong seatmates, passion passed down through generations—are most important.
Your story is center stage
at Taproot Theatre.
Your support connects more than 145,000 people in the Pacific
Northwest with professional theatre experiences each year.
That’s 145,000 stories—of families and friends connecting through this powerful art form.
Will you help us bring more people together with theatre?
Your donation to Taproot Theatre makes theatre stories
possible, on and off stage. Think of your story.
What if you could inspire another like it?
Please consider a gift
to Taproot Theatre today.
CALL 206.529.3672
EMAIL sonja@taproottheatre.org
VISIT taproottheatre.org/donate
encore artsseattle.com A-5
thE coMPAny
ryan ChiLDerS (John the Baptist) is
thrilled to be back on stage at Taproot
Theatre. As always, he loves to perform
with this amazing company. Past
Taproot favorites include The Whipping
Man, Around the World in 80 Days, An
Ideal Husband, and Big River. His love
goes out to his wife Sydney and their
beautiful new baby boy, Digory.
BeThanie ruSSeLL received her B.A.
Degree in Theater Arts from Pepperdine
University. Past credits: Legally Blonde
(Judge), Proof (Claire) Rogers
& Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Fairy
Godmother), Christmas in Flight
(Taproot Theatre Company). She’s been
so blessed to work with such a talented
and fun group of people! Hope you enjoy the show.
kaTherine JeTT is delighted to be making
her Taproot debut. She was most
recently seen in the new musical,
For All That, at Centerstage Theatre.
Other Seattle area credits include
Love’s Labour’s Lost (Greenstage),
Starling (Confrontational Theatre),
The Merry Wives of Windsor (Seattle
Shakespeare Company), and three English pantomimes
with Centerstage.
Mike Spee (Jesus) is ecstatic to be
making his Taproot debut in the show
that years ago convinced him to make
theatre a major part of his life. Recent
credits include Goodnight Moon, Dick
Whittington, James & the Giant Peach
(SCT); and Fiddler on the Roof, Anne of
Green Gables (Village Theatre). LOVE
TyLer ToDD kiMMeL is making his Taproot
debut in Godspell. He has music
degrees from Pepperdine University
and Florida International University,
and works as a conductor, composer,
arranger, music director and vocal
coach. He will be the new choir and
drama director at Seattle Christian
Schools this fall. Glory to God!
JeSSi LiTTLe is thrilled to be making her
Taproot Theatre debut! Dallas/Fort
Worth credits include Casa Manana,
WaterTower Theatre, and Circle
Theatre. Northwest credits include
Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre, The
Modern Theatre-Spokane, SecondStory
Rep., Village Theatre’s Festival of
New Musicals, and STAGERight Theatre. BFA Theatre;
emphasis Musical Theatre-Texas Christian University.
Sara porkaLoB has performed at the
5th Avenue Theater, Artswest, Book-It,
Annex Theater, Seattle Public Theater
and other local venues. Sara thanks her
family, friends and Toast for all of their
love and support. For more information,
you can visit her website at www.
saraporkalob.com.
SiMon pringLe Credits at Taproot include
Appalachian Christmas Homecoming
(Ryan), Jane Eyre (Robert), Illyria (Sir
Andrew), Chaps (Archie), An Ideal
Husband (Nanjac/Mason), and The
Beams Are Creaking (Klaus). Simon has
also performed locally for Centerstage,
Harlequin Productions and Storybook
Theater. Simon is also a teaching artist and director at
Studio East. www.facebook.com/simonpringleactor
A-6 TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY
aSha STiChTer is excited to be back on
Taproot’s Mainstage with this joyous
and creative cast. For the past 5 years
she has been a proud member of TTC’s
Road Company. Past Taproot credits
include The Matchmaker (Minnie Faye)
and Jane Eyre (Grace Poole and Mary
Ingram).
DanieL SToLTenBerg still remembers
seeing Taproot’s 1998 production of
Godspell, so it’s a unique and exciting
honor to perform this show on the
Taproot stage. His previous roles at
Taproot include Brian in Mr. Pim
Passes By and Malvolio in Illyria. Catch
him as Jonathan Harker in Dracula this
October.
naneTTe aCoSTa (Costume Designer) Nanette’s first show
for Taproot was Terra Nova. Other Seattle credits include
Seattle Children’s Theatre, 5th Avenue Theatre, The
Empty Space, Seattle Shakespeare, The Village, and The
Bathhouse. Nanette has been designing costumes for
theatre, film and TV for over 25 years. She is just starting
her seventh season as the Costume Shop Manager at
Seattle Children’s Theatre.
MiChaeL JaMeS aDaMS (Guitar) is an LA-based musician,
composer, voice-over artist, luthier, writer, and cofounder of Seattle’s vintage guitar speakeasy Mike &
Mike’s Guitar Bar. He’s thrilled to be a part of Taproot
Theater’s production of Godspell. His wife Charissa is the
most inspiring, beautiful person he knows.
anDreW DuFF (Lighting Designer) is happy to be back at
Taproot. His previous lighting designs include Jane Eyre,
The Whipping Man, Freud’s Last Session, Something’s
Afoot, The Beams are Creaking, Man of LaMancha, Big
River, Seven Keys to Baldpate, Mary’s Wedding, Voice of
The Prairie, The Fantasticks, Shadowlands, and All My
Sons.
thE coMPAny
eDD key (Music Director, drums) is pleased to revisit
Godspell with this great ensemble. He has Music
Directed most of Taproot’s summer shows for the last
two decades and performed such roles as H. C. Curry in
The Rainmaker, Boolie Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy,
Burl Sanders in the Smoke on the Mountain series,
and Tom in last December’s Appalachian Christmas
Homecoming. Composer/Co-creator credits include Red
Ranger Came Calling for Book-It Repertory Theatre, and
Wuthering! Heights! The! Musicial! for The Empty Space.
He appeared in Actor’s Theatre of Louisville’s production
of W!H!T!M!, and in Los Angeles with Mark Taper Forum’s
epic production of The Cider House Rules.
karen LunD (Director) is celebrating 22 years at Taproot
as Associate Artistic Director where she’s directed or
performed in more than 100 productions. Recent work
at TTC includes The Explorers Club, Jane Eyre, Mr.
Pim Passes By, and Diana of Dobson’s. She is currently
serving as President of the Theatre Puget Sound Board
of Directors. Her national credits include productions
at Cincinnati Playhouse, Idaho Shakespeare, and
Kentucky Shakespeare. She has garnered numerous film
awards including three Tellys. Karen thanks her amazing
husband Mark, and their children Jake and Hannah for
making her life wonderful.
Mark LunD (Scenic & Sound Design) has designed over
100 TTC shows. 3rd Sound Design, 2nd Set Design and
1st time not being in the cast for Godspell. Other design
work includes Seattle Shakes, Book-It and award-winning
short films. Mark is also a voice-over actor. Love to
Karen, Hannah & Jake.
kriSTi MaTTheWS (Stage Manager/Master Electrician) is
Master Electrician and Box Office Manager at Taproot.
She designs, stage manages and teaches for many local
theatres, high schools and universities. Recent credits:
Illyria, Amish Project, Jeeves Intervenes (Taproot);
Yonkers, As It Is In Heaven (SPU); Jane Eyre, Spitfire
Grill (NU); Almost, Maine (NHHS); Little Mermaid, Mary
Poppins (RHS).
Michael Owcharuk and choreographer Markeith Wiley to
create an original ensemble interpretation. Since moving
to Seattle, she’s enjoyed working with theatres such
as ACT, Intiman, Book-It, 14/48 Projects, and Theatre
Battery. Taproot often feels like her theatre home.
Memories of Godspell past...
Ben Keller, drummer for TTC (back in the day) and current
Director of Admin. at RAM Technologies
I played drums in the 1993 production of Godspell at the old Roosevelt school. I don’t remember whether the band named itself or
whether we were dubbed with the name, but in any case we were
called “The Heathens.”
One memory I have is of rehearsing for Godspell as just a band,
setting up in the dilapidated lobby of what was to become Taproot’s
new theater in Greenwood. The main area of the theater was still
gutted and filled with dirt and detritus at that point. But it’s cool to
think about practicing in a space that has seen so many people in
it since that time.
BeTh orMe (Choreographer) is thrilled to work at Taproot
theatre again. She currently teaches Math at Roosevelt
HS. Recent Taproot productions are Appalachian
Christmas Homecoming and Jane Eyre. Other favorite
production credits include Quilters, 42nd Street,
Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Midsummer Jersey. She
is blessed with her husband, Matt, and children Grace
and Henry.
MaTTheW orMe (Fight Choreographer) is happy to be back
at Taproot. He was raised in the PNW, is a graduate
of PLU (BFA Music, BA Psychology) and has an MFA
in Acting from MSU. Matt has been involved in Stage
Combat for over 25 years and currently teaches at SPU
and SU. Matt is thankful for his family – Beth, Grace and
Henry.
kaThryn STeWarT (Dramaturg) recently directed Savage/
Love by Sam Shepard, collaborating with composer
Tori Ritchey, actor and former TTC staff member
A memory from the ‘93 production ... Catherine (Pleis) Gaffney
and I arrived at the pre-show “night club” together every night as
audience members. It was so fun, like going out on the town with
my friend. We sat at a table chatting with other audience members
until the play began and Matt Zimmerer, as John the Baptist, threw
a handful of water and baptized us. As we rose to join the actors
and become part of the play, the drums and guitars helped make
it so emotional. It still stands out in my mind as such a powerful
stage moment.
encore artsseattle.com A-7
theuppercrustcatering.com
206-783-1826
Serving the greater
Puget Sound area
Full-service catering available for
corporate functions, weddings,
fundraisers, memorials, celebrations,
and private parties of all sizes.
Making Music Fun For EvEryonE
Musical Instruction and Coaching
Private / Group / Classes
Audio / Video Demo Recording
Performance / House Concerts
Edd key and Theresa Holmes
206-295-9722
eddkey@theredbarnstudio.com
www.theredbarnstudio.com
A-8 TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY
froM thE drAMAturg
BuSking: BuiLDing a CoMMuniTy
by Kathryn Stewart
When a busker walks into a public square and begins to play an instrument or create art, the space becomes
more alive and open to the possibility of human connection. While, technically speaking, a passerby
becomes “audience” once within hearing distance of the performer, there is a moment of choice for each us
as individuals every time we encounter a performer on the street.
In his study of street theatre, Bim Mason defines buskers as “those with the simple aim of pleasing the
audience, either by making them laugh or by impressing them with skills such as juggling, acrobatics
or magic.” Buskers can be socially shunned and aligned with beggars and vagrants, or they can be
romanticized as idealistic minstrels sharing their music with the world. We as audience must choose whether
to acknowledge, stay and participate, or walk by and let the busker fade into the background. This makes the
interaction between a busker and the audience potentially more genuine than those found in a formal theater
setting. Buskers share their talents with anyone who chooses to stay, in much the same fashion that Jesus
spoke the Word of God in the streets to anyone he encountered. And then we see the disciples faced with the
same choice as us—whether or not to listen to the words offered and join the community around Jesus.
One prime example of a busker creating community is Seattle’s
Ed McMichael. Known for years as the Tuba Man, McMichael
We aS auDienCe MuST ChooSe
played consistently around the city for more than 20 years. He
WheTher To aCknoWLeDge,
appeared outside Mariners, Sounders and Sonics games, as well
as outside McCaw Hall at Seattle Center. People knew the Tuba
STay anD parTiCipaTe, or
Man, with his iconic tuba and silly hats, and would exchange
WaLk By anD LeT The BuSker
greetings and kind words along with spare change. Once, upon
FaDe inTo The BaCkgrounD.
learning that McMichael had never actually been to a Seahawks
game, a young man purchased a ticket for him and invited him
to join a group of friends in the stadium. People sitting around
them in the general seating area recognized Tuba Man and sent along peanuts, hot dogs and beverages to
welcome him. What many did not know about McMichael was his history as principal tubist for Bellevue
Philharmonic; McMichael’s choice to leave the orchestra for a more personal platform of sharing his art
clearly created a community of his own.
Busking is about the choice to enter into community. Each street encounter is an opportunity, on both sides,
for human generosity. The busker gives us their music and entertainment, and each audience member has
a chance to perform an act of benevolence by filling the hat or guitar case with money. As Claudia Maria
Chambers writes, “[Busking] draws the responding audience into a communal performance of generosity.”
Through rain or shine, through cold-shouldered strangers or smiling familiar faces, these people choose a
communal form of performing that thrives on human relationships and kindness. In Godspell tonight, we
watch Jesus draw his disciples into a community of their own, and hope that if we ourselves were passing
by, we’d choose to stay and join the singing.
Located adjacent to
Taproot Theatre
Open 11-8 on performance nights
Open 11-6 on non-performance nights
seattlestagedoorcafe.com
Where taste takes center stage
Pre-order your intermission
drinks and snacks before
the show begins and they
will be waiting for you when
you come into the cafe.
encore artsseattle.com A-9
notAblE godSPEll ProductionS
Carnegie Mellon University (1970) Pittsburg, PA - John-Michael Tebelak’s original production of
Godspell.
Original LaMama and Off-Broadway (1971) New York, NY - The show was first presented at Cafe
LaMama as a non-musical play. Songs were added by Schwartz and it then opened as a musical
at the Cherry Lane Theatre on May 17, 1971, transferred to the Promenade Theatre three months
later and closed on June 13, 1976, after 2124 performances. Directed by creator Tebelak.
London (1971) England - Godspell opened at the Roundhouse Theatre in Chalk Farm, London
on November 17, 1971. After a very successful run it transferred to the Wyndhams Theatre on
January 26, 1972.
Maseru (1973) Lesotho, Southern Africa - Godspell opened in Maseru, Lesotho in 1973… it was
immediately banned, ostensibly on the grounds of “blasphemy”. This banning was widely and
immediately recognised as a political smoke-screen for the real issue of racial mixing, a direct
challenge to the Apartheid laws of the government of the day. The show’s producers challenged
the banning in the Supreme Court, and won their case. As a result Godspell toured South Africa for
two years.
Seattle Pacific College (August, 1974) Seattle, WA - The Northwest Premiere of Godspell. Scott
and Pam Nolte were in the cast!
A Contemporary Theatre (ACT) (September, 1974) Seattle, WA - The professional Northwest
Premiere of Godspell.
Broadway (1976) New York, NY - The first Broadway production opened on June 22, 1976, at
the Broadhurst Theatre. It was directed by John Michael Tebelak… The musical transferred to the
Plymouth Theatre and later to the Ambassador Theatre, where it closed on September 4, 1977,
after 527 performances and five previews.
Off-Broadway (1988) New York, NY - This revival at the Lamb’s Theatre ran from June 12 –
December 31, 1988. It was directed by Don Scardino.
Taproot Theatre Company (1993) Seattle, WA - Taproot’s first production of Godspell, set in
a comedy night club.
Taproot Theatre Company (1998) Seattle, WA - Taproot’s second production of Godspell, set in
a rooftop penthouse.
Off-Broadway (2000) New York, NY - Godspell was revived Off-Broadway at the York Theatre from
August 2, 2000, to October 7, 2000.
Broadway (2011) New York, NY - The first Broadway revival began performances on October 13,
2011 at the Circle in the Square Theatre and officially opened on November 7, 2011 with mostly
negative to mixed reviews… It was directed by Daniel Goldstein… The production closed on June
24, 2012.
Taproot Theatre Company (2015) Seattle, WA - Taproot’s third production of Godspell, set in
Seattle’s public market.
A-10 TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY
godSPEll StAff
Production stAff
nicole song - Assistant Stage Manager
sarah diener – Assistant Choreographer
fiona Murray – Stage Management Intern
Hannah sachs – Directing Intern
Julia thornton – Rehearsal Pianist
costuMe stAff
Kelsey Mccornack - Dresser
dana friedli-neumann - First Hand/Cutter/Draper
Melinda schlimmer - Stitcher
scenic, LiGHtinG, sound stAff
Kristi Matthews - Master Electrician
Jacob Yarborough - Assistant Master Electrician
Baylie Heims - Light Board Operator
Kylie steinbach- Sound Board Operator
tim samland - Scenic Carpenter
Alex Grennan, Baylie Heims, daniel Miller, chris scofield,
robert tobias - Electrics Crew
boArd of dirEctorS
oFFiCerS
Peter Morrill, Chair
Larry Bjork, Chair Emeritus
Rob Zawoysky, Secretary
Alyssa Petrie, Treasurer
MeMBerS
Anne Ball
Mark Bullard
Jude Hubbell
Dr. Sarah Roskam
Dr. George Scranton
Steve Thomas
Dan Voetmann
Scott Nolte (non-voting)
AcknowlEdgEMEntS
• Gary Brunt, Greenwood Town Center/Piper Village
• Special thanks to Kim Case, Mark Tyler Miller,
and Angela Shen of Savor Seattle Tours.
hElPful inforMAtion
FooD & Drink
Covered coffee, hot tea and bottled
water from concessions are allowed in
the theatre. Please dispose of your cups
and water bottles after the show. No
food is permitted in the auditorium.
Snacks from concessions can be
enjoyed in the lobby.
We can no longer accommodate dinner
leftovers for patrons because the refrigerator
space belongs to the Stage Door Café. Thank
you for understanding.
DraMaTurg DiSpLay
Visit the upper lobby to view a display
with additional information relating to
the current production.
aSSiSTeD LiSTening DeviCeS
Patrons desiring an assisted listening
device may request one from the House
Manager.
LoST & FounD
If you have lost an item, check with the
Box Office in person or by phone at
206.781.9707. If you find a lost item,
please give it to the House Manager
or Box Office staff. Unclaimed lost &
found items may be donated to a thrift
store at the discretion of management.
ProP & SEt donAtionS
Do you have antique or vintage
items you no longer need?
Taproot Theatre’s production team
is now accepting:
• Vintage or vintage-style (pre1970s) select furniture, luggage,
books, trunks, telephones, radios
and kitchenware
• Period newspapers and
magazines
• Sorry, no costume donations
accepted at this time
Contact Wendy hansen at
206.529.3644 or
wendy@taproottheatre.org
viDeo anD/or auDio reCorDing
oF ThiS perForManCe By
any MeanS WhaTSoever iS
STriCTLy prohiBiTeD.
encore artsseattle.com A-11
thAnk you
Taproot Theatre gratefully acknowledges the following for their generous support of our Annual Fund and
Capital Campaign. This list reflects gifts made to both funds between April 1, 2014 and May 18, 2015.
While space limitations prevent us from including every donor, we are pleased to present a more extensive list
on the front wall of our lower lobby. If you have any questions or would like more information about making
a tax-deductible gift to Taproot Theatre Company (a 501c3 organization), please contact Sonja Lowe at 206529-3672 or sonja@taproottheatre.org.
corPorAtions/foundAtions
$10,000+
Anonymous (3)
4Culture
ArtsFund
Boeing Gift Matching Program
Margery M. Jones Trust
Moccasin Lake Foundation
The Norcliffe Foundation
The Seattle Foundation
$5,000 - $9,999
Anonymous
University Lions Club
Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund
Washington State Arts Commission
God`s Money
Horizons Foundation
$2,500 - $4,999
Anonymous
Destination Marketing
National Christian Foundation
Hagen Kurth Perman, CPAs
Oneicity
$1,000 - $2,499
Aetna Foundation, Inc.
McEachern Charitable Trust
Schiff Foundation
Microsoft Matching Gift Program
McFadzean Family Fund
Ronald Blue & Co., LLC
St. John`s Lodge
$500-$999
Estate of Albert Watenpaugh
individuALs
angels ($10,000+)
Anonymous (3)
David Allais
John & Ann Collier
Sandy Johnson
Glenna Kendall
Kraig & Pam Kennedy
George & Alyssa Petrie
Richal & Karen Smith
Daniel & Margret Voetmann
Robert & Maree Zawoysky
Marquee ($5,000 - $9,999)
Russell & Janice Ashleman
Larry & Lorann Bjork
Tom & Linda Burley
Christopher & Patricia Craig
Dennis & Deborah Deyoung
Greg & Karen Greeley
Philip & Cheryl Laube
Terry & Cornelia Moore
Scott & Pam Nolte
Mrs. Grace Rutherford
Susan Rutherford
Steve Thomas & Kris Hoots
Daniel & Joann Wilson
producers ($2,500 - $4,999)
David & Anne Ball
Inez Noble Black
Ted & Ruth Bradshaw
Benjamin & Amanda Davis
Leon & Sharon Delong
Juan & Kristine Espinoza
Gary & Deborah Ferguson
Alan & Carol Gibson
Dorothy Herley
Wayne & Naomi Holmes
Mark & Mary Kelly
Fred & Carolyn Marcinek
Peter & Megumi Morrill
Bruce & Cynthia Parks
Ralph & Joan Prins
Sarah Roskam
George & Claire Scranton
Loren & Carol Steinhauer
Jewely Van Valin-Jackson
Fred & Judy Volkers
Directors ($1,000 - $2,499)
Anonymous
Fil & Holly Alleva
Katharyn Alvord Gerlich
Melvin & Cordelia Brady
Zach & Rebecca Brittle
Mark & Elle Bullard
Margaret Bullitt
Russell & Fay Cheetham
James & Janis Cobb
Alan & Gail Coburn
James & Kay Coghlan
Jean & Paul DeGroot
Dale & Vicki Dvorak
Ronald & Virginia Edwards
Kristine Engels
Verna M. Eriks
Joyce Farley
Stanley & Jane Fields
Lee Fitchett
Virginia Fordice
Michael & Karen Frazier
Steven & Jamie Froebe
Sean & Catherine Gaffney
Robert Gallaher
Allen & Lori Gilbert
Brad Gjerding
Maren & Braden Goodwin
Arnott Gray
Bonnie Green
Tim Greenleaf
Donald & Lois Hallock
Carolyn Hanson
Rich & Judi Harpel
Peter & Anne Haverhals
Henry & Lauren Heerschap
Joseph & Elizabeth Helms
Peter & Cynthia Herley
Dr. Rick & Susan Hornor
John & Judith Hubbell
Mike & Barb Jewell
Julie Johnson
David & Christina Johnson
Agastya Kohli & Marianna De
Fazio
Susan Lamar
Frank Lawler
Mark & Karen Lund
Velma Mahaffey
Gary McDonald
A-12 TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY
Tom & Jean Mohrweis
Cliff & Beryl Moon
Tom & Linda Morris
Don & Kim Morris
George & Joy Myers
Les & Carol Nelson
Craig & Linda Nolte
Lloyd & Jackie Nolte
Gordon & Mary Nygard
John & Lucy Nylander
Mary Pagels
Nolan & Lorena Palmer
Thom Parham
Jeff & Joann Parrish
Kathy Pearson
Roy & Janice Petersen
Brian and Christa Poel
Bill & Jodie Purcell
John & Patty Putnam
Mona Quammen
Tom & Claudia Rengstorf
Vic & Kristine Rennie
Carrie Rhodes
G.M. & Holly Roe
Robert & Cathie Rohrig
Lawrence & Nancy Rudolph
Dion & Gregory Rurik
Kathryn Sand
David & Joan Selvig
Fredric & Jo Anne Sjoholm
Robert L. Smith
Ronald & Dorita Smith
Ed & Ellen Smyth
Bill Snider & Kendra
VanderMeulen
Charles & Marilyn Snow
Beverly Taylor
Stephen & Elda Teel
Jeff & Margie Van Duzer
John & Jan Vander Linden
James & Jo White
Larry & Linda Williams
Jean Winfield
Isabelle Woodward
David & Ann Woodward
playwrights ($500 - $999)
Anonymous (3)
Thomas Ackerman
Mike & Shirley Allert
Jim Angerer
Geraldine Beatty
Terry & Nancy Beckham
Betsy Bell
Kent Berg
Jeff & Anjie Berryman
Doug & Tambra Birkebak
Jack & Maralyn Blume
James & Melinda Bohrer
Tom & Jan Boyd
Chris & Connie Boyer
Jeff & Robin Brumley
Tanya Button
Michael & Linda Casteel
Don Cavanaugh
Jan Chalupny & Mark Lee
Ron Clinkenbeard
Wayne & Greta Clousing
Donald & Laura Cooper
Tom & Lauren Cooper
Todd & Sylvie Currie
Gary & Juelle Edwards
David & Peppe Enfield
Stanley & Jane Fields
Larry Fletcher
Thomas & Marybeth Fox
Martin & Esperanza Fracker
Charles & Betty Gardner
John & Sally Glancy
Lyle & Sharon Groeneveld
Richard & Louise Guthrie
Lowell & Kathie Hagan
Lewis & Elizabeth Hale
Tineke Raak Hanke
Wendy Hansen
Scott & Pattie Hardman
Jonathan Henke
David & Connie Hiscock
Evan & Molly Holzknecht
Bill & Nan Hough
Lee & Ginnie Huntsman
Karen Koon
John & Jean Krueger
Beth Kunz
Cody & Beth Lillstrom
Wesley & Merrilyn Lingren
Harry & Linda Macrae
John Madigan
Charles Maurer
Lee & Janet McElvaine
Christe McMenomy
Jerel & Bess Navarrete
Bryce & Bonnie Nelson
Eugene & Martha Nester
Sean & Carrie Nordberg
Paul & Cathy Nordman
Sue North
Vicki Olsen
Ann Owens
Danielle Palser
Mark & Camille Peterson
James & Annita Presti
Richard & Maryann Riddle
Valerie Rosman
Ron & Susan Runyon
Bruce & Candace Sagor
Frederick & Caroline Scheetz
Norman & Eden Sellers
Kelly & Eric Souder
James & Elise Stephens
William & Carolyn Stoll
Elliot & Daytona Strong
Barbara Suder
Victoria Sutter
Jordan & Megan Swanson
Chuck & Kathy Talburt
Farrel Thomas
Michael & Laura Thomason
Robert & Gina Thorstenson
Suzanne Townsend
James & Sharon Welch
John & Dianne West
Leora Wheeler
Glen & Eilene Zachry
Taproot Theatre
Company is a
professional, nonprofit theatre with a
multifaceted production
program. Founded in
1976, TTC serves the
Pacific Northwest with
touring productions,
Mainstage Theatre
productions and the
Acting Studio. Taproot
is a member of Theatre
Communications Group
(TCG), Theatre Puget
Sound (TPS) and the
Phinney Neighborhood
Association.
Taproot Theatre
Company creates
theatre experiences
to brighten the spirit,
engage the mind
and deepen the
understanding of the
world around us while
inspiring imagination,
conversation and hope.
Mailing address:
PO Box 30946
Seattle, Washington
98113-0946
administrative offices:
206.781.9705
Fax: 206.297.6882
Box office:
206.781.9707
box@taproottheatre.org
www.taproottheatre.org
www.facebook.com/
taproottheatre
twitter: @taproottheatre
ENCORE ARTS NEWS
from city arts magazine
Wearing Memories
Owuor Arunga reflects his
experiences around the globe.
BY AMANDA MANITACH
WHO Owuor Obi Otieno Arunga, musician, producer, ac-
tivist and rockstar dad. Born and raised in Kisumu, Kenya,
Arunga has called Seattle home for 15-plus years. “I convinced my parents to move [to the U.S.] after I watched
Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video,” he says.
GLOBAL VISIONARY Arunga began studying music when
he was nine, going on to earn a degree in contemporary
music from The New School in New York. His career as
a jazz trumpeter has taken him around the world—touring
with the Physics and Black Stax, and playing the New
Years show in Times Square with Macklemore & Ryan
Lewis. He recently worked on the “Music To Empower
Youth” campaign with One Vibe Africa, a global initiative
that brings the arts to orphans and disadvantaged youth in
Kisumu. He’s producing two TV episodes for Coke Studio
Africa, a Pan-African cross-cultural exchange between
African musicians in the diaspora.
THE LOOK “My number one aesthetic rule: wear the
clothes, don’t let them wear you. A man makes the
clothes. My favorite trademark look is a kilt, leather vest
and black boots. Makes me feel primal, masculine, rockstar. In general I wear clothing I associate with a time and
place or a life experience, whether that’s a trip to Monaco,
a shoe-shopping spree in Tokyo or a T-shirt from a festival
in Kenya. I love to wear my memories.”
ICONS “African Sapeurs. My parents. Slash. Diana
Vreeland’s audacity, Fela Kuti’s swag, Miles Davis’ edge.
Ishmael Butler and Tendai Maraire for consistency.
Amsterdam and Milan are my favorite cities for style.”
UP NEXT Arunga is putting the final touches on “Pamoja,”
LAUREN MAX
a song and music video made with Otieno Terry, Naomi
Wachira, Dadabass, Naomi Wamboe and Tendai Maraire,
the proceeds of which will benefit young African artists.
encore art sseattle.com 9
ENCORE ARTS NEWS
from city arts magazine
The Human Web
BY STEVE SCHER
AM FEELING very lucky. I was in a coffee shop,
thinking I had been waiting a bit too long for the
brew. A little gurgle of impatience was working its way
up and I thought it better to turn around and wander.
An artist’s paper cuts were on display, as artists’
work is everywhere these days. Art is the lingua
franca of our modern hipster economy, as ubiquitous
as homemade bitters and kale chips—and we are
lucky for it. All these opportunities for humans to
share what they make and craft, what they carve and
snip and blow and chip, all these chances to point at
themselves and at each other (and at all of us) wrap us
in the warp and weft of our own hopes and fears.
We are Homo Urbanus now, remaking the world in
the Anthropocene, and here, out of the smoldering
pits of copper and coal comes some miner making
something that burns and shines. From the acidifying
oceans swarming with jellyfish, some fisher has
hooked one of the last salmon and turned it into
sculpture.
Or here, while I waited for my short decaf latte,
a paper cutter presents me with what feels like
Victorian scenes of a modern Seattle: Here is the
space needle in cardboard, the
towers looking like the row
houses of Amsterdam; here is a
ferry plying the sound, a kayak
across its bow, the piers along the
waterfront, even the Ferris wheel.
The artist had snared me in her
web—my grumble of discontent
replaced by her delightful sense
of the city.
Price tags are posted next to
each artwork and I’m glad for
that. Creative offerings are real but payment would
be too, thank you very much. Artists don’t just reflect
the evolving culture, they shape it. Their work is an
important part of the economy.
A woman was showing a basket on Antiques
Roadshow the other night. She had bought it in a
secondhand shop for a week’s salary. It was Yokut,
a California People, circa 1900, the appraiser told
her, pointing out the quail feathers and red yarn that
ringed the rim. When the tourists arrived, weavers
started cranking them out—they were apparently very
popular with the white shoppers and sold for $100
each. Pricey stuff back when that could be a month’s
wages for the clerking classes.
Commerce helps keep art alive. But there is so
much, and added to all the other stuff we manufacture
it’s easy for people to feel overwhelmed and forlorn.
So much stuff gets made that it seems too hard to
I
separate the great from the lousy. You could just
dismiss it, or ignore it all, and hunker back down.
But then, you can’t really. You reach for a bottle
to drown your dismay, twist out the cork and there,
tattooed in ink, a filigree pattern from the cork-maker,
the company name surrounded by swirling borders
and finely crosshatched lines.
Why do that, on a cork, hidden in a bottle, if not to
send a message? I made this, the creator says, I made
this for you, tourist to my world, to admire, and maybe
to be warmed by it, as I was warmed in the making.
People can’t help it. We create. In the city, tossed
against one another like dogs in the back of a
dogcatcher’s van, rather than snarling and tearing
at each other, we sing songs, we pound out rhythms.
We turn the sidewalks over to metalworkers to adorn
the sewer covers with stories. We gobble up blank
walls, leaving behind, in archly patterned smears and
stains, our identities.
Humans are weeds and our efforts pop up in the
cracks of even the smoothest edifice. Art erupts
from our surroundings, connecting us to each other
and to our past. In front of the Museum of History
& Industry’s new digs on the
southern shore of Lake Union
are modern obelisks, honoring
the people who used to fish
and weave there. Like the ribs
of a beast presumed extinct,
they rise to reclaim their place.
Wander through them, imagine
the life those folks lived. Then
turn and walk on, steps away is
the Center For Wooden Boats’
artist-in-residence, Saaduuts.
The Haida carver and boat builder is steaming a cedar
canoe, teaching another generation a skill that chips
through layers of living culture. Wander further, onto
the docks where yet another layer of the past holds
fast against the chrome and steel crafts that crowd the
shore.
That’s the thing about the artist, crafter, singer.
There’s no giving up. There is too much work to do.
One shift ends, another begins. The fingers that plug
your information into the big modern machine of our
society, these are the same fingers that weave the
basket, the same hands that weld the sculpture, paint
the paintings, spin the tales.
When my coffee came, it was decorated with a
foamy puppy, one eye winking. Another barista
well trained in this emerging art form, sharing her
ephemeral creation, rewiring our city with a
simple act. n
Humans are weeds
and our efforts pop
up in the cracks of
even the smoothest
edifice.
10 ENCORE STAGES
ENCORE ARTS NEWS
Podcaster Aaron Roden Can’t Stop Talking
“I’ve created a hobby out of needing people,”
says Aaron Roden, which is a clever quip though
not entirely true. Roden’s hobby is podcasting
and his show, Air Raid, recently logged its 249th
episode in five-plus years. Those numbers testify
to Roden’s unwavering dedication (obsession?) to
conducting conversations with people he doesn’t
know very well—chiefly luminaries of Seattle
music, filmmaking and comedy—and making
those conversations available to the public.
Born and raised on the Kitsap Peninsula,
Roden, 34, is a married father of two and cityemployed geologist by trade. His gregarious
nature—“I’ve always had a knack for picking up
and talking to a stranger,” he says—makes him a
natural interviewer, whether or not he’s behind a
microphone.
“When someone tells me, ‘You’re good at talking,’ I don’t take that as a compliment,” he says.
“It’s gotten me into trouble and made me late a lot
of times because I don’t know how to get out of a
conversation.”
Whether driven by bravado or ignorance, when
he first started Air Raid Roden aspired to the
top-dog status enjoyed by seasoned podcasters
like Mark Maron of WTF and Luke Burbank of Too
Beautiful to Live. Unlike his heroes, he entered the
game without any preexisting celebrity to boost
his credibility. Early interviews with filmmaker
Lynn Shelton and musician/writer Sean Nelson
snowballed into subsequent interviews with performers like Trailer Park Boys and Bob Saget.
Roden developed an interview style—part
armchair psychologist, part just-happy-to-behere superfan—to tease out the kind of offbeat,
humanizing insights his subjects rarely give to
fact-finding journalists. His conversations need
to be discursive to fill Air Raid’s 45–50 minutes
of airtime. Roden says his guests are roughly 75
percent Seattle talent, 25 percent national names
that draw attention to the show. The mix of local
and national names puts Air Raid guests on an
equal playing field.
In the past few months, he’s disarmed some
notoriously prickly subjects to elicit unique, affecting on-air moments: Ishmael Butler revealed
the story behind his first-ever performance, at a
Garfield High School talent show, for example,
and he inadvertently bonded with Montage of
Heck director Brett Morgen who was fervently
missing his kids during an 18-hour press junket.
Most recently, while recording episode 249 at the
Crocodile “all hopped up on Dayquil,” he pissed
off Jon Spencer of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
by referring to his music as “lo-fi.” Roden rarely
edits out his flubs from the finished podcast.
“People enjoy hearing me fail,” he says.
Not enough so that his reputation suffers.
Roden says that these days, publicists and artists
like Spencer are requesting appearances on the
show. To Roden, that’s validation in its own right.
The show is a featured podcast on KIRO Radio’s
website and occasionally, when featuring a
bigger-named guest, gets top billing on iTunes.
“That’s something I’m always concerned
about,” he says. “Do I have any cred at all? I don’t
know.” JONATHAN ZWICKEL
IRMA VEP,
THE LAST BREATH
O P E N S J U LY 1 1
HENRY ART GALLERY
H E N R YA R T.O R G
Michelle Handelman. Irma Vep, The Last Breath [production still: Laure Leber]. 2013. 4-channel video installation (color, sound); 37:00 minutes. Courtesy of the artist
HAG 052615 vep 1_3s.pdf
NEVER MISS AN ISSUE!
Subscribe and get City Arts
delivered right to your mailbox.
1 year/12 issues/ $36
cityartsonline.com/subscriptions
encore art sseattle.com 11
get with it
Visit EncoreArtsSeattle for
an inside look at Seattle’s
performing arts.
EncoreArtsSeattle.com
PROGRAM
ARCHIVE
FEATURES
ARTIST
SPOTLIGHT
WIN IT
PREVIEWS
ENCORE ARTS NEWS
from city arts magazine
READ YOUR
PROGRAM
South Lake Union, noon, any
given weekday: dozens of
food trucks and thousands of
people looking for lunch.
Food Truck Safari
JASON JUSTICE
Wandering South Lake
Union in search of lunch
ONLY A HANDFUL of years ago, South Lake
Union was a ghost town of warehouses where
you couldn’t get a bowl of soup or sandwich
to save your life. Now the food options are
mind-boggling.
Food trucks are especially ubiquitous.
During the lunch-rush hours of 11 a.m.–2
p.m., they crop up curbside and cluster in
parking-lot pods, a convenient sampler of the
city’s food-on-wheels scene. Along Westlake
Avenue at noon on a weekday, thousands of
lanyard-clad diners pour onto the sidewalks
in pursuit of sustenance. The eating is good
and the people-watching even better.
In a small lot at Westlake and Lenora, the
line to the NaanSense truck winds down
the sidewalk nearly 30 people deep. Nearby
Biscuit Box, a petite vehicle with a tan-andrusset striped awning, demands less of a
wait. I order a ham and cheese biscuit ($8)
made with trotters, rosemary and Beecher’s
cheese fondue. The flaky golden biscuit
is lodged in a cardboard boat filled with
melted cheese and thick chunks of ham, and
garnished with a healthy helping of fresh microgreens—more a pop of color and a nod to
the notion of a balanced meal than a crucial
component.
Overcoming the gut-bomb biscuit fondue,
my lunch partners and I delve into the biscuit
bread pudding with citrus-rosemary caramel ($6). The dense biscuit is drenched with
sugar, the top caramelized to a tinge of crème
brûlée. As time evaporates, so does the caramel, which thickens to candy-apple sludge.
In the same pod, Napkin Friends offers a
Jewish twist to traditional sandwiches, replacing bread with crispy, gluten-free potato
latkes; imagine a sandwich between two
hash brown patties. Their O.G. ($10) is made
with house-cured pastrami, Mama Lil’s peppers, arugula, 1000 Island dressing, horseradish creme and gruyere cheese. Arriving in
a paper sleeve, the thing is as delicious as it is
unwieldy. For those sitting in front of a computer screen after lunch, both the oil-soaked
O.G. and the biscuit fondue are on the heavy
side, which might explain the long line for
lighter Indian food at NaanSense.
Down Westlake Avenue and around the
corner of Republican, Cheese Wizards offers
“grilled cheese magic” in a flamboyant yellow vehicle designed to wring the hearts of
D&D-obsessed nerds, its hood embellished
with leering plastic owls and Medieval battle
axes, every dish named with a fantasy or scifi reference. The “Ark of the Condiments”—a
gold-winged station of mayo and mustards
stored in inverted rubber tubes like pendulous udders—is stationed on the adjacent
sidewalk. Deeper in the interior of SLU at
Boren and Harrison, a truck called Peasant
Food Manifesto serves global fusion items
like Tillamook cheddar mac ’n’ cheese with
kimchi and a pho French dip sandwich with
house-made roast beef brined in Asian fivespice and Sriracha-hoisin-ginger sauce.
The windows on Jemil’s Big Easy truck billow with steam as it churns out a steady flow
of Cajun/Creole food even as the hour creeps
toward 2 p.m. Their Cajun sampler plate is
a mandatory splurge, heaped with jambalaya, red beans and a choice of blackened
chicken or catfish ($12.50). The cardboard
container arrives sizzling hot, a mountain of
rice, plump beans and savory sausage topped
with a slab of catfish covered in piquant,
fresh-ground spices. The side of hushpuppies—denser and less ethereal than I’d hoped
for—leave this Southern girl unsatisfied.
The only thing left to do after cruising the
food truck jungle is seek postprandial stimulation in the form of an iced Americano from
Uptown Coffee. This may be the only time
the SLU food tourist dips out of the elements
and into a brick-and-mortar store— though I
bet there’s an espresso truck parked around
here somewhere. AMANDA MANITACH
ONLINE
EncoreArtsSeattle.com/
programarchive
eas 051115 program_ridealong
encore art sseattle.com 13
1/3v.pdf
ENCORE ARTS NEWS
from city arts magazine
Clockwise from top left: installation for
Dolce Vita at Neumos; Hexagon Pendant
fixture, the first in Noble Neon’s new retail
line; pizza slices for Garlic Jim’s
Glow-rious
The artists of Noble
Neon illuminate Seattle.
IT’S HOT INSIDE this Rainier Ave. studio,
but Cedar Mannan doesn’t break a sweat as
he ignites two small open flames. They flare
brightly before settling into a pale blue blaze.
Mannan, who runs the boutique studio
Noble Neon with his wife Lia Hall, quickly
rotates a section of glass tubing in one of the
flames until it’s the consistency of honey.
Then, with sure, efficient motions he bends
the tube into a right angle. And repeat. In
minutes, the glass turns from a rigid tube
into a looping letter, on its way to becoming a
piece of neon art.
Mannan and Hall are both native
Northwesterners—she’s from Seattle, he grew
up without electricity in rural Washington
near Menlo. Mannan studied neon art at
Evergreen State College; after graduation he
repaired and installed neon for Western Neon,
a local industry giant, and interned with “an
old Hungarian dude in Shoreline who bends
glass out of his garage.” In 2004 Mannan
14 ENCORE STAGES
moved to New York to help launch Lite Brite
Neon Studio in Brooklyn, which is where he
and Hall met on the night she graduated from
the New School with an MFA in poetry.
Returning to Seattle in 2012 with an
inheritance from Mannan’s grandmother as
their seed money, Noble Neon first opened in
a live/work space in the old Rainier Brewery.
(They’re now near Jackson and Rainier.) The
shop started with a lot of subcontracting
work—for a Marc Jacobs store in New York,
at Sundance installing something for James
Franco (“He does neon, too,” cracks Mannan).
They still do installations and repairs—
Mannan was recently in Venice helping on an
install at the Biennale—but now they focus
more on custom designs and art pieces.
“[The neon field] is like a bug zapper,”
Mannan says, laughing. “Weird people are
attracted to it.”
Recent projects include a dripping knotlike fixture in a suite at the Sorrento Hotel
(designed by Brian Paquette Interiors)
and a series of geometric pendants for a
pop-up shop. They’ve also done signs for
LoveCityLove, the Spectacle exhibit at EMP
and Pilchuck Glass School’s offices, among
many others. Their art piece “This Is About
the Stories” took first place at City Arts’ 2015
Spring Art Walk Awards.
Working in neon is a complex amalgam of
sculpture and science. “It’s like a geometry
problem, because you have to plan your
moves many steps ahead,” says Hall, who
designs the templates on which the glass
is sculpted. Every bend has to be precisely
plotted so that heat never touches a section
of glass that’s already been worked. After the
glass is bent into its shape the whole thing
is capped with electrodes, evacuated of air
and filled with an inert noble gas—sometimes
mixed with phosphor or mercury for color—
and electrified. Sometimes the glass itself is
colored or coated with phosphor to give it a
different hue.
“You can really geek out on the science of
it,” Hall says. “Not just the physics but the
chemistry. What’s happening in the tube is a
microcosm of what’s happening in a nebula
where stars are being born.”
Once up and running, neon lights can last
for decades. They put off little heat, draw less
electricity than a standard incandescent bulb
and, because they contain the full spectrum
of light, ward off seasonal affective disorder.
If you’re in the market for signage, LED or
rope lighting is cheap and bright. But neon
offers something more. Says Hall, “We want
people to see it as lighting and also appreciate
it as art.” GEMMA WILSON
ENCORE ARTS NEWS
The Common Acre Swarms City Hall
On the rooftop of Seattle’s City Hall on a Thursday
afternoon in early May, hundreds of bees oscillate
against a downtown background of steel girders and
reflective windows. The bees buzz around two bluegreen box hives provided by the Common Acre, a
three-year-old nonprofit that connects agriculture to
creative culture. Three floors below, in the lobby and
the Anne Focke gallery, the Common Acre’s exhibit
“Flight Path” officially opens today, capturing the
strange fascination and pull of pollinators.
Bob Redmond, founder and executive director
of the Common Acre, installed the hives. He and
beekeeping partner Dave Schiefelbein inspect each
one, looking for the queen and signs of overcrowding. The bees circle in hypnotic, zen-like loops in
the air above.
When he’s not delivering bees, Redmond helps
organize the Common Acre’s artistic efforts and
community outreach.
“We build food culture using arts as a mechanism,” Redmond says.
The group’s goal is to lower reliance on
industry and return to agricultural traditions—
“rehabitation,” as Redmond describes it—that were
lost during mankind’s transition to industrialized
society. According to the Common Acre’s principles, art is the key.
“Flight Path” builds a comprehensive exhibit
about the beauty of bees. It features enlarged
photos of delicate wings and flowers, exquisite
encaustic layering, letterpress, sculptures, comics,
giant glass mosaics and quilts embroidered with
bee facts. Contributors include Joey Veltkamp,
Kristin T. Ramirez and Julia Haack. What could
be a didactic, one-dimensional exhibit comes to
life through lush and varied approaches by artists
looking at nature through a bee-themed lens.
“We tried to find work that people would be attracted to, knowing the battle that bees face,” says
Common Acre curator Kate Fernandez.
Before opening at City Hall, the exhibit was
staged at SeaTac Airport for almost a year. The
Common Acre installed hives in long swaths
of SeaTac’s roadside land, replacing scrub and
blackberry bushes with wildflowers to benefit the
new pollinators, fixtures which have become a
permanent addition to the area.
With the move downtown, Fernandez expanded
the exhibit, adding new pieces and artists. She also
tailored the work to a different audience. “City Hall
is a very civic-minded, maybe even hive-minded
collection of people,” she says.
The Common Acre hosted weekly beekeeping
classes on City Hall’s roof through June. On June
17 it sponsored a Town Hall talk with author Eric
Lee-Mäder, a member of Portland-based invertebrate conservation group the Xerces Society, who
discussed pollinator conservation efforts.
Redmond says the Common Acre’s next major
project will center on water—a vague and ambitious statement. But for now, he says, their plan
is to launch an artist-in-residence program with
local farms,” like a Works Progress Administration
project. Artists will create works inspired by their
time on the farms and present at an event that
brings together farmers and artists in the same
space. CAT McCARREY
encore art sseattle.com 15
L I F E
I S
A B O U T
M O M E N T S
C E L E B R AT I N G E L E G A N C E S I N C E 1 8 3 0
CLIFTON
STEEL, 43 MM
SELF-WINDING
www.baume-et-mercier.com