TeenTix Blog

One of our community partners, Foundry10, is hosting a hip hop dance competition later this month!

The words “let go,” sends five girls, ages nine and ten, into a surreal routine. What must be meticulously choreographed, seems somehow loose and reminiscent. One girl dances as if completely alone, twirling and waving her arms gracefully. The others run back and forth across the tiny stage, arms locked, unified as one. They trade giggles and grins as they jostle up and down. This scene is beautiful.

Besides the laughter, the only sounds are the slapping of bare feet on the stage floor, like rain on thick windowpane. Rows of tulips, or the gentle sway of a willow branch in the wind. A robin crossing my vision, alighting and settling. The acting is pure: intentionally unintentional. At its best, Employee of the Year achieves the delicate beauty of nature itself.

All we see on stage when we go to see a play are the actors and the set pieces. We notice the lights and sound, and maybe the tech crew, but there are so many parts to running a fully-functioning theater that people may not realize. I considered myself pretty knowledgeable about all things theater, but I still had a lot to learn on my mini-mentorship with Robert Hankin, the Associate Director of Development at ACT Theatre. He was a great person to have as a guide and mentor for the day because he said he has had nine different positions in his nine years at ACT!

I was surprised by the dozens and dozens of people who work behind the scenes to make everything run smoothly. A few departments I can rattle off: Development (a.k.a. fundraising), Sales, Marketing, Graphic Design, Casting, Costuming, Set Design, Tech Design, Outreach, Front-of-House, Executive Team, Artistic Team, and more! I remember meeting one person in the elevator who's only job was to paint things. In a large-scale theater like ACT, so many different moving pieces have to work together cohesively. What mattered was that everyone cared about what they were doing and enjoyed putting in the effort to create amazing theater.

Wanna get acquainted with the TeenTix community? There's no better way than to attend one of our ~special events~ produced in cooperation with our partner organizations. The best part about seeing one of these shows? Proceeds from the tickets you purchase always support TeenTix and our mission to ensure equitable access to the arts for all young people. Ready, set, GO get some art!

DANCE

On Wednesday, April 9th, representatives of TeenTix partner organizations, supporters, and other friends gathered at the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at Benaroya Hall for the First Annual TeenTix Partner Meet-Up. The Meet-Up closed with a half-hour-long panel where members of The New Guard, TeenTix's Teen Arts Leadership Society, talked about their experiences as avid arts-goers, and answered questions from the audience.

Our panelists jotted down their thoughts after the panel, and we provide them here for anyone who is interested in a glimpse into the world of an arts-going teen. Enjoy! Our panelists:

The Arts & Culture Coalition of Pierce County and the City of Tacoma are working with us in hopes of bringing TeenTix to The 253! The most important part of this feasibility study is hearing from YOU. We want to know if/how the arts fit into your life now, and if/how that could change if TeenTix was introduced to your home turf.

If you're a teen that lives in Pierce County, please take this survey that'll ask about your arts-going habits, hopes, and desires!

Looking to step up your media skills this Spring? You've come to the very specific, totally right place. Reel Grrls is offering TWO short classes in April that YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT.

Bellevue Arts Museum and the Teen Arts Council are pleased to present an exhibition showcasing young artists in the Puget Sound area. Local artists under the age of 20 may apply to have their artwork featured in the 20 Under 20 Exhibition, which will be on view in BAM's Community Education Gallery from June 3 to October 9.

This exhibition is designed to feature youth ages 13 – 19 as emerging artists, and is juried by the Teen Arts Council in collaboration with Bellevue Arts Museum curators. This exhibition is an exciting opportunity to display work in a public and professional space, and will showcase a range of artistic media highlighting some of the best talent of the next generation of artists and craftspeople.

Are you a musician? Obsessed with musical theatre? Think you have what it takes to compose an original, winning song? THIS IS FOR YOU.

DANCE

Roméo et Juliette

EMP’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is hosting Oh Snap!, a photography contest highlighting live performances in the Seattle music scene.

A maximum of eight winners will be selected to have their photographs displayed in Soundboard Alley at EMP, a youth-designed and curated section of the museum. Those selected will also win tickets and passes to events hosted by EMP partners Vera Project, The Crocodile, and Youth in Focus. The winners will be chosen by the Youth Advisory Board.

Youth Voice, Youth Choice is a new Participatory Budgeting (PB) Initiative from the City of Seattle. Focusing on engaging people who have historically not been involved in government, PB is a democratic process where community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget.

Youth Voice, Youth Choice involves four steps. First, community members will come up with ideas for public projects they would like to see in their communities. Second, youth volunteers will turn those ideas into concrete proposals with support from the Department of Neighborhoods and City staff. Third, Seattle youth will vote for the projects they would like to see implemented in their communities. Fourth, the winning projects will be funded and implemented by the City of Seattle and other local agencies.

Spring has almost sprung, and our partners' education programs are in full swing! Check out these opportunities below and make the most of the season.

Henry Teen Collective @ Henry Art Gallery February 25 through May 12 Thursdays, 3:30–5:00 PM

Big, super happy, exciting news: TeenTix just added FOUR new partner organizations to our list! Wowza, this list is growing fast--give a warm welcome to our newest additions: Hugo House, Moisture Festival, West of Lenin, and Mirror Stage!

Very exciting news is on the horizon--TeenTix is working with a group of incredible folks to build a mobile app so you can have your pass/our calendar wherever you go!

The thing is--we can't do it without your feedback. Fill out this survey and enter to win ~prizes~: tickets to Brooklyn Bridge @ SCT, Unexpected Productions, and a couple of framed SEATTLE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE and SEATTLE OF THE DEAD old-movie-themed posters. The survey closes on February 3rd, so fill it out TODAY! The sooner we have your help, the more time our team has to work on it and make it the best app of your life. #trill

Is this real life, or are we dreaming? *pinch* OH YEAH NO IT'S REAL. Teatro ZinZanni is now a TeenTix partner! (Our 60th, at that!)

Please join TeenTix in welcoming foundry10 into our growing list of FRENZ (aka Community Partners)! Foundry10 is a not-for-profit educational organization. They see learning as an opportunity to be curious and explore both inside of classrooms and beyond. Their work includes running programs, collaborating with teachers and industry partners, and conducting scientific research, all to build an expanded and accessible understanding of what it means to learn.

Always offering some sort of awesome, student-led free or extremely low-cost opportunities ($1 a class, what!)–especially in the areas of dance (from hip-hop to ballet) the performing arts, and music-making–they're most active in the fringes of Seattle. For instance, check out what they have going on in the next few weeks in Tacoma and Edmonds!

As all you old school TeenTixers know, Pacific Northwest Ballet's wildly popular Nutcracker ballet is the only PNB show all year that is not TeenTix eligible. However, because they love us so much, PNB always puts aside a little stash of TeenTix tickets for one Nutcracker performance each year. It is an amazing, annual tradition that draws teens from far and wide. You won't want to miss it.

And this year, there's a new Nutcracker in town. PNB’s production of George Balanchine's Nutcracker features all new sets and costumes designed by children’s author and illustrator Ian Falconer (Olivia the Pig). This year's TeenTix-able Nutcracker show is Sunday, December 27th, 2015 at 5:30 PM.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to go to Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Emergence. The program featured four contrasting pieces, each of which were incredibly unique, and brought a different tonality to the theater.

To begin the program, the curtain opened up to a piece titled Sum Stravinsky choreographed by Kiyon Gaines, that made its world premiere in 2012. I found it to be an excellent way to introduce the program. It is exactly what one imagines when they think of ballet–while the following pieces were extraordinarily unique and contemporary. The set and costumes are composed of shades of blue, and have a sort of delicacy to them. The dancers movements feel newly classic and youthful. I got a sense of innocence and nostalgia watching this piece.