TeenTix Logo
Login
Sign Up

She *is* Emma

Review of Tell Me on a Sunday at ArtsWest by Monet C.The last time I saw Danielle Barnum, she was teaching me about the importance of standing and sitting straight while singing, and playing the part of April in Company at the Seattle Musical Theatre. Now, in a one person extravaganza, she is Emma!

Danielle Barnum as Emma in Tell Me on a SundayPhoto by Matthew DurhamEmma is, at least in the beginning, a somewhat shyly outspoken English fashion designer who makes hats. Emma moves to NYC and meets up with her ”boyfriend,” Chuck, then goes to Beverly Hills with another bf, Sheldon Bloom, then off to Greenwich Village to see Joe, and finally, to Chelsea with a “Married Man,” Paul. Of the non-existent boyfriends, Emma says that “… I sometimes feel like I have misplaced my imaginary friend onstage …”The score is racous, but, on the night I went, the instruments were shamefully out of tune. This is a real jewel of a play, one of many reasons is that it is performed only very rarely, and is a hit on both sides of the pond.I had a wonderful opportunity to speak to Danielle after the performance. She was very sweet to allow me to interview her.Me: How are you like Emma?Danielle: I am very multifaceted, and I get to be myself in many of the songs, such as “Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad.”M: How hard was it to be a one person cast?Danielle: High pressure, Very rewarding, and lots of fun.M: How old are you?D: I am 24!M: Thank you!D: You are so welcome!Oh, and the dress towards the end, with the slit, yeah. She wants to take that home!Bring your imagination, and this is a play for 13+ year olds!*Sayonara,Monet- Monet C.May 1st, 2010Tell Me on a SundayArtsWestThrough May 23, 2010*NOTE: ArtsWest recommends this show for people ages 10 and up.

Read More

Special Offer for Rimini Protokoll/Best Before

We heart On the Boards! For their season closer, Rimini Protokoll's Best Before, they are extending a special offer to Teen Tix members: 2 for $10 for the Saturday matinee AND you can buy your tickets in advance - no waiting 'til day of show.You totally want to see this show. It's a participatory video game where every audience member gets a game controller and an avatar. WHAT?!? I know. Here's OtB's Director of Communications, Jessica Massart, to explain it all to you:Rimini Protokoll/BEST BEFOREMay 6 - 9On the BoardsTEEN TIX INFO:Regular (day-of-show) Teen Tix tickets are available for all performances, with normal 2 for $10 day-of-show tickets on Sunday. ADVANCE 2 for $10 Teen Tix tickets are available for the performance on Saturday, May 8th at 2 pm. Call OtB's box office at 206-217-9888 to buy those.

Read More

Pick of the Week

A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light by Lingo Dance at ACT TheatreRemember last month when we couldn'tstoppostingvideos of people dancing in public places? That was Part One of KT Neihoff/Lingo Dance's 3-month project A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light, in which 30 random Seattle-ites had dances made and performed for and about them in public places (including two Teen Tix members, Mykaila O and Anna B.) It was totally cool. Here's one of the videos, in case you missed it:For Part 2, the dancers made themselves into living sculptures at Seattle Art Museum:

Photo by Anne LawrenceNow it's time for Part Three, a dance in which, according to ACT's website, "Niehoff and her posse of vibrant performers sculpt uncommon encounters, moody collisions, raucous spectacle, and virtuosic dancing." The SunBreak's Michael van Baker calls it "one of the more spectacular, unpredictable, and mood-altering performances I've ever been a party to." The Seattle Times' Michael Upchurch says "this is rough stuff. No move seems out of bounds. No mood seems taboo. And every inch of the Bullitt Cabaret is utilized.""Thematically," says director Niehoff, "it is a very dark show. Right now, I’m obsessed with vampires. So this is glitz and glamour..."This will NOT be your typical night watching ballet. But if you're willing to be a little bit brave, Glimmer will reward you, we promise.NOTE: This show is NOT for children. It contains sexual themes and nudity. Recommended for mature audiences ages 16 and up.A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or LightLingo Dance @ ACT TheatreThrough May 15thMore info at acttheatre.org

Read More

NFFTY starts today!

It's time again for our homegrown, now internationally known, film festival, NFFTY (The National Film Festival for Talented Youth.) NFFTY is the largest and most influential film festival for filmmakers age 22 and under.video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo playerThis year's festival, Film Starts Here includes Drama, Comedy, Documentary, Music Video, Animation, Experimental, and Action Sports films from young filmmakers from 33 states and 16 countries. NFFTY also includes 6 film panels and workshops featuring top talents from Hollywood and Seattle. See the whole schedule, watch trailers, and get psyched for a whole weekend of youthful film mania, at nffty.orgNOTE: All NFFTY screenings are Teen Tix eligible at the door. The opening night gala/party is not.

Read More

Passport to the Arts

If you hate money, stop reading.Okay, the rest of you: the Teen Tix Passport to the Arts contest is on right now. It works like a coffee card for art: everytime you use your Teen Tix pass in the next 5 months, get your card stamped. When it's full, send it in. If we pull your card, you win. You win money. First prize is $200 (yes, two hundred dollars).What's the catch, you say? We applaud your wise skepticism, but there is none. Seriously. We just thought Teen Tix wasn't quite awesome enough already. Last time we did this, three actual live teenagers won actual dollars.Okay, we do have an ulterior motive: to get you to see more art at different places. The more different places you go and different kinds of art you see, the more money you can win. Passport to the Arts. Get it?Okay, go download your passport from our website and start collecting stamps. You have until July 9th, 2010 to fill up your card. Go go go!

Read More

Teen Night at Seattle Symphony

Hey music lovers!We're helping Seattle Symphony plan their upcoming Teen Night with Broadway star Marvin Hamlisch, and we need your help making it bigger, better, and more, like, actually teen-friendly. If you're interested in being on the committee that makes this June event happen, please send an email to teentix@seattle.gov with "symphony event" in the subject line and we'll send you all the details. Service learning credit is available.

Marvin wants YOU to help out with this teen night

Read More

Crush-of-the-Month

"Awesome"Part 6 of 6: Back to the Grindby Kaya P"Awesome"'s show West closed yesterday after a triumphant weekend. They are taking it up to Calgary this week, and then they'll put it to sleep for a while and get back to their regular-people jobs (whilst, no doubt, plotting their next opus.) Rock stars: they walk among us.Kaya: Do you have a job besides being in the band, and if so what is it?BASIL washed dishes in high school, but moved on to working for a PR firm. Currently unemployed, he is spending time with his daughter.EVAN works in the student activities office at the U dub, where he collaborates with the student government and various clubs. Recently he used his influence there to get his band a gig...well there were other factors.DAVID is a professor of philosophy at UW Bothell. Though his teaching and music used to be very separate, he is recently discovering that they can be integrated through such classes as History of Music!ROB made his debut in the work force playing the clarinet for a show at Village Theater, in high school. Currently he is self employed; he makes a living through music composition and performing with his various bands.JOHN has found a way to bring his passion for music to his day job, he teaches parent/child music classes. According to him, there is no joy like hearing a young child sing and create music.KIRK experienced a great deal of work related injury (electrocuting himself, falling from scaffolding etc.) before he found his current position at Amazon. No one there knows he leads a double life as a musician. Sorry Kirk, secret's out.- Kaya PFind all the "Awesome" you could possibly need at awesometheband.com and on facebook.

Read More

video of the day

Local teen composers talk about the works they've created as part of The Merriman Family Young Composers Workshop, a 12-week program led by Seattle Symphony Composer in Residence Samuel Jones.Seattle Symphony performs the world premieres of these works is TONIGHT, Monday, April 26th at 8pm at Benaroya Hall. Admission is free.

Read More

Huh. . .Interesting discourse. During that Act, I…

Huh. . .Interesting discourse. During that Act, I was listening mostly to the music. Which I tell you was mesmorizing in that section. I took in and "got" the shifting perspective set trick quickly, and so could almost then close my eyes and just listen. and enjoyed.all too short, though. . . lovepete

Read More

Aright Holly, I will bite… Lets say it was inte…

Aright Holly, I will bite...Lets say it was intentional. You were right in saying it was a choice, one I did not like. Part of what I consider to be my job when seeing a piece of art, is to in take the presentation of the work. I felt, ascetically Act II did not show the same detail and polish in it's set design and lighting as the rest of the performance. It felt more loosely constructed. (The column did not move smoothly, people could be seen through the sheet pulling the strings.) If the directors intention was to obstruct the audiences view, then it should be more evident to patrons of the theatre that this, was in fact his intention. I as an audience member, could not tell and intermission began with me feeling angry and confused. (and NOT in an artistically stimulated manner) Thank you for your comments.

Read More

I’m the guy that Josh sat next to who made the…

I'm the guy that Josh sat next to who made the comment "You have to be fucking kidding me"...I also reviewed the show for Seattle Gay Scene and my initial reaction remains the same. A 15 minute act that requires 15 minutes to set up and 15 minutes to take down and results in a third of the audience being unable to SEE any of the action on stage is pretentious and an artistically selfish act that ultimately reduces the value of the rest of the (largely excellent) piece. The director, the designer and "Awesome" are all very talented people; they need to rise above the urge to be "arty" and just make entertaining beautiful art.

Read More

Hey Josh, this is Holly. I don’t think it wou…

Hey Josh, this is Holly. I don't think it would really be appropriate for me to share my personal thoughts on this show (full disclosure: I'm married to the director), but, in re: Act II, I have a question and a response from another patron. My question is: Did you consider the possibility that it might be intentional? This is of course not to say that you're required to *like* the choice, but I think that in this case there are good reasons to suspect it that it was a choice (a show of this scale requires the efforts of many professionals to pull off - it's unlikely that they just didn't notice that they were obstructing the audience's view), and to judge it as such, not as faulty execution.2, just to show that art is in the eye of the beholder, I'll share this reaction from another patron: "But it’s really all about the second / middle act. I did not want that thing to end. There needs to be a place where that section is performed in a loop 24 hours a day (change the performer / musicians every hour, on the hour) and people can simply come in an watch for whatever amount of time they want, for whatever reason, and leave of their own accord. I’d visit once a week, minimum."That's all. Thank you for your thoughtful, heartfelt response. - H

Read More

An Enjoyable Hard-Shelled Crab

Review of West at On the Boards by Joshua G.West is a frustrating experience to discuss objectively. In more than 2 hours of wondrous inexplicably appearing objects, freshly cut human scalps (Yummmm!) and falling bouncy balls; there is a LOT to like here. Disappointingly, the performance switches from pure whimsical (at times stunningly beautiful) awesomeness, to a dull mind numbingly amateur exhibition.“Awesome”, a local Seattle Performance Art/Band is the brain behind West. Assisted by director Matthew Richter, the team depicts our very own beloved Northwest. You can feel a sense of autobiography in the piece. Especially when West depicts the pained necessity to get away, “But don’t you see… you have already forgotten me.” Through memorable songs, unfunny metaphorical jokes, and animated montages; West discusses moving away from home, the Native American’s plight and Lewis and Clark. If anything “Awesome” puts on original inventive theatre.As West reminds us “all things change” and it’s not always for the best. Yes, the performance takes a while to get going and can be at times….slow. The band frequently aimlessly pokes about the set, adding to themes of lost disillusionment in an unfamiliar setting. But these observations are minor when compared to West’s real monster in the closet.To quote my adjacent patron at the end of Act II, “You have to be F*ck’n kidding me”Although this comment may be a bit harsh, I was this close to leaving. The act begins with a perfectly acceptable tale of a man who has fallen into a depressing rut of day to day life. The audience sees a man side stepping, left and right between two narrow columns. It’s all that is visible, because attached to the columns are white sheet’s covering the rest of the stage. It’s a memorable image. (It’s the only image we get… so it had better be!) But Richter made the most amateur mistake possible. He apparently never checked his sight lines. So, 2/3rds of the audience can't see anything but the white sheet for the seemly never ending boring entirety of the WHOLE ACT!!!!!!!At least when something is consistently mediocre you can call it bad. But West doesn’t deserve to be called an unworthy venture. I love the music. The show can be shockingly violent, atmospheric and heartfelt. Looking back I would like to remember West as an enjoyable hard shelled crab. The worthwhile stuff is really hard to get at. Eating it, can be an at times tedious activity, but the added effort makes it’s deliciousness that much more rewarding.West has two more performances: tonight, Saturday April 24th and tomorrow, Sunday April 25th, both at 8:00 pm. As always, Teen Tix tickets are just $5.00 at the door. More info at ontheboards.org. OtB's box office: 206-217-9888.

Read More

Let Them Entertain You

Review of Seattle Pops: A Tribute to Stephen Sondheim by Jenny S.A popular TV show with a cast of talented, attractive actors (no, I am not referring to Jersey Shore,) recently aired an episode in which its protagonist, the dashing Tracy Jordan, becomes determined to conquer his natural lack of talent and grace and achieve what Wikipedia calls “The Showbiz Award Grand Slam”-an EGOT. Standing for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, Tracy aspires to garner these prestigious awards, but in the end settles on slinging a six-figures worth of bling around his neck, reading ‘EGOT’ in large, diamante letters. Streisand, he is not. History teachers roll in their…rolling chairs at their desks as I type this, but referring once again to Wikipedia, I find that only twelve people in history have ever EGOT-ed. One of them is Marvin Hamlisch. Hamlisch is best known for his dynamite score of A Chorus Line, he is a child prodigy, and he is the only person besides Richard Rogers not only to EGOT, but also to win a Pulitzer Prize. Tracy Jordan, eat your heart out.

Tracy Morgan and the EGOT bling

Hamlisch is entering into his second season as the Principle Pops Conductor of the Seattle Symphony, and two months ago he graced Benaroya Hall with a tribute to Stephen Sondheim. When two geniuses of Sondheim and Hamlisch’s ilk combine, mate with Benaroya, and mix in some of Seattle’s purest professionals, one expects two hours of bliss. Alas, one receives stumbles, technical mishaps, and the unsettling feeling that something is amiss. Hamlisch is double cast as a conductor and emcee, as the latter he is often wrong footed and clunky, but he nevertheless manages to charm the cheerful audience, made up largely of cosmopolitan Seattleites dressed to the nines in gortex and NorthFace. Regardless of his bumbling, he conducts the ever-poised Seattle Symphony in impressive renditions of much of the Sondheim cannon, including wringing and haunting renditions, respectively, of orchestral pieces from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Sweeney Todd. The vocalists seemed as a rule unprepared, under rehearsed, and less than warmed up. This grim outlook was happily disproved-after an awkward beginning all of the singers revealed themselves to be equal to their Broadway pedigrees. Carol Swarbrick twinkles, growls, and eventually wrings tears from the audience in her superb reckoning of a Sondheim standard “Send in the Clowns.” She and her fellow Broadway babies Liz Callaway and Patti Cohenour endear themselves to the audience not only with their startling sopranos but also their ability to wear scandalously slit evening dresses with style that would make women half their age wring up Jenny Craig. These are battle worn professionals with a talent level as high as the slits in their gowns.These ladies are impressive, but the true star of the evening is Mr. Sondheim. While we’re counting awards, the man has won nine Tony awards, an Oscar, a handful of Grammys, and a Pulitzer. Not quite up to Tracy Jordan’s standards, but impressive nonetheless. This year marks Sondheim’s turn as an octogenarian, a shocking admission when the artist’s relevance and steady success is acknowledged. This year heralded the revival of Sondheim’s A Little Night Music on Broadway, Sondheim on Sondheim, a celebration of the legend’s life, debuting on Broadway under the direction of James Lapine, and many tributes in the style of Hamlisch. Broadway devotees tend to favor Sondheim as a genius, however, many find Sondheim’s work difficult, eerie, bizarre, and absurd. On one harrowing car trip I forced my family through two hours of Into the Woods. Musical theater connoisseur that I longed to become, I knew Sondheim music was as good for the artist’s soul as it was repulsive to my ears, and I forced it down like spinach. When the cacophony of set pieces killing half of the characters in the show rent our ears, my parents made the executive decision to go back to Webber. It wasn’t until the teenage angst years that I realized that Sondheim’s music is not spinach, it’s dark chocolate, a day at a museum, listening to NPR. Sondheim is so good he’s bad, often annoying yet simultaneously deep. Anyone can turn on the radio and listen to songs sung by someone who spell his name with a dollar signs in it, it is music by the likes of Sondheim that is an investment, an exercise of the mind and soul.

Sondheim: what would we do without him?As Hamlisch’s review drew to a close, I looked for the eleven o’clock spot, the traditional end of evening show-stopper, but I couldn’t locate one. All of Sondheim’s pieces are so perfect-complex in theme, witty, verbose, elegant, and slammed with musical integrity. From one of the first songs in the evening, the shockingly relevant “Being Alive” from Company, to the final dazzler, “Move On” from Sunday in the Park with George, Hamlisch concocted an orgy of music, a look at all that is sophisticated, intellectual, and happily frenetic in musical theater. For the generous five dollars I paid for my Teen Tix ticket it would have been nice for Benaroya to spend time fixing spotlight and microphone problems rather than projecting psychedelic, whirling lights on the wall because, who knows-the man next to me in the poncho and Keens sandals might have paid more than five bucks. But oh, Sondheim! As Bobby’s adoring friends said to him in Company “How would we ever get through? What would we do without you?” Broadway, Benaroya, and the musical community of Seattle have spoken--without Stephen Sondheim, we could not do.- Jenny S.February 19, 2010

Read More

Crush of the Month

"Awesome"Part 5 of 6: What is "West"?by Stephanie HWest. Whether used as a noun, adjective or adverb, this four letter word usually refers to that cardinal point on the compass, opposite of east, the direction of the sunset. West, "Awesome"'s new concert-play-performance art hybrid of a piece does not mold to this definition, but rather creates a new experience about the word.Every member of "Awesome" moves beyond the definition in their descriptions of West; they talk about the history of movement West, and movement in general, an idea perhaps autobiographical as at least half of the group originated from East of Seattle. Evan describes West as not a place, but rather “a direction, moving toward something, and away something else.” Rob’s description of West consists of a list: cartographers, mapmaking, Lewis & Clark, Starbucks, Microsoft, and Silicon Valley. To "Awesome", these elements represent both the traditional American idea of westward expansion, but also the modern day technological hotspot that is the West Coast. Adding to Rob’s list, David speaks of the destruction of Native Americans by the westward movement of American settlers, a part of the history of the West too great to ignore. He and John noted that West, while evoking feelings of “hugeness” and “grandness”, also brings a sense of melancholy. They explain that with the excitement and novelty of movement comes the inevitable fact of leaving home, the memories that you take with you a sometimes sorrowful, sometimes sweet reminder of the past. For Kirk, though, the message he hopes to convey is to “never stop moving,” despite it’s bittersweet nature. Basil’s description was most personal, relating West to his feelings after growing up in a small New Hampshire town for his entire life. After completing college, he wanted to “get as far away from [his] hometown as possible,” somewhere where he was a stranger and, akin to the pioneers of the West, his success or failure was dependant completely on himself. With its myriad of ideas, emotions, historical references and at least eight instruments, West and its performers bring a dynamic culmination to more than a year’s worth of hard work."Awesome"'s new show WEST runs this weekend, April 22 - 25 at On the Boards.

Read More

Pick of the Week

"Awesome"'s West @ On the BoardsLISTEN: Brother DoubtNobody can really explain what West is. It's theatre, but it's not a play. It's music, but it's not a concert. They say things like "song cycle" and "spectacle" and "performance...art?" Whatever. Our guess is that, five minutes in, you'll be so visually and aurally stimulated that you'll stop caring what it is and just go with it."If you've never seen "Awesome", these are some crazy talented musicians who aren't making your standard music-theatre fare" - Jeremy Barker, The SunbreakLISTEN: Man_fest Dest_"What I like so much about this concept is that when you are starting out, whether you're a pioneer or a college student, you're coming out to the West with this idea of what it's going to be like when you get there. And that's what has taken over as a general concept of 'West,' this ideal form of what you're going to. And then when you get there it's never exactly like that." - John Osebold of "Awesome"

Photo by Victoria Lahti"Awesome" is the kind of band that makes you glad to be alive. They make music with their voices and banjos and trumpets and guitars and theramins and accordions and drums that transcends the sum of its parts. They take you places. This time, they'd like to take you west, toward the horizon, toward, as Brendan Kiley put it in this week's Stranger Suggests "an ideal destination that does not exist." It's a show about being restless, about wanting to break free and strike out on your own, and what you might find when you get to wherever you're going - if you ever do. In short, it's a show about being a teenager. (See how I did that? That's why they pay me the big bucks.)LISTEN: Columbia"Their impressionistic spectacles...have pushed against the boundaries of musical theater and are practically their own genre." - David Schmader, the Stranger

Photo by Charlie Schuck

WestONE WEEKEND ONLY! Thursday, April 22nd through Sunday, April 25thOn the BoardsNOTE: Most of this weekend's performances are expected to sell out HOWEVER, Teen Tix members are encouraged to show up anyway and get your names on the wait list. Folks on the wait list usually get in.On the Boards box office: 206-217-9888

Read More

Crush-of-the-Month

"Awesome"Part 4 of 6: Princessesby Anna BBASIL If Basil would steal a trait from anyone, he would borrow Rob’s “uncanny ability” to play nearly any instrument. Seriously, Rob can play any instrument you throw at him, and he’s pretty much indispensable.Photo by Amelia GydéJOHN John would steal the other John’s songwriting skill, to just let the music flow—that true artistry. But he’s pretty envious of Rob’s musical career (Rob makes his living as a musician, the rest of "Awesome" doesn’t), and of course, Rob’s ability to play 20 different instruments. John’s favorite Disney princess is Arielle.Photo by hot avocados photographyDAVID David’s favorite Disney princess is Belle, because she’s independent and educated, but also her yearning to be free of her small town. He can also sing the beginning song of Beauty and the Beast quite well.Photo by Amelia GydéROB Rob once played accordion on Tom Sawyer Island in the middle of Disneyland Tokyo. He wishes he was a tenor instead of a bass, but otherwise thinks he’s perfect.Photo by hot avocados photographyEVAN Evan wishes he could steal Rob’s ability to play a million different instruments and sound design and everything. His favorite Disney princess is Pocahontas, because of West.Photo by Victoria LahtiKIRK If Kirk would steal anything, he would steal David’s brain (yes, we discussed the zombie aspect), because David is a crazy smart professor, and he’s always a bottomless well of creativity. Kirk’s favorite Disney princess is Snow White.Photo by Antoinette Hippe"Awesome"'s new show WEST runs this weekend, April 22 - 25 at On the Boards.

Read More

The “Awesome”/Teen Tix Speed-Dating Crush-of-the-Month Interview Extravanganza

Okay, let's get one thing straight: we did not actually send six teenagers to speed date the members of "Awesome". We just borrowed the idea of speed dating - each interviewer got 5 minutes to interview each member of the band (minus number seven, the raven-haired John O, who was terribly missed.) This flash of brilliance, by the way, was the idea of Teen Steering Committee member Mykaila O. Thanks, Mykaila!Anyway, these boys are the bees' knees, and it was super fun. Here's a little taste of what happened:If you want more "Awesome" (and really, who wouldn't?) check out their facebook page, and then go see their big bad new show, WEST, this weekend ONLY at On the Boards. It runs Thursday - Sunday at 8:00 pm. Tickets to On the Boards' shows often sell out in advance, but Teen Tix members are welcome to put their names on the standby list, and standbys usually get in. Believe us, this show is gonna be worth waiting around for.

Read More

Crush-of-the-Month

"Awesome"Part 3 of 6: On Surviving High SchoolBy Arista BQuestion: What is your best piece of advice for surviving high school?BASIL Basil offers an extended view of high school as a stepping stone rather than a life changing experience. He says, “Trust that it’s not the ultimate time of your life. It’s a jungle now but later you’ll look back with nothing but rosy memories.” He says that, “It’s simply a step to bigger and better things.” In other words, don’t stress the small stuff because in the end, high school does not define you.JOHN From John, a very practical perspective is offered. He says that the best way to survive high school is to not procrastinate, but try to form valuable habits early on. When asked how to make friends, his advice is, “Try to expose yourself as much as possible to a variety of new activities.”

Arista notes Kirk's wise advice: "Don't ever apologize for who you are."DAVID David’s advice is loaded with optimism and he says that what he notices among adults as well as high school students is that, “Fear is the most paralyzing thing, especially fear of failure.” That being said, he urges people to embrace every new experience as an opportunity. For him, it means appreciating the positive things in all situations. When he turned 36, he thought, “I’m so glad I’m not 35 anymore.”ROB Rob disproves the popular stereotypes of high school students by saying, “You don’t need to drink or do drugs to survive high school.” His solution? He kept busy by getting involved with an underground newspaper called The Kneely News and Rolfe.EVAN Joking about how he was always picked last for dodge ball, Evan admits he was short in high school. He came from a small town and says, “I wished I had grown up in a place with more opportunities.” However, he made surviving high school possible by staying busy in his school’s numerous arts programs.KIRK In high school, Kirk was bullied frequently. However from this experience, he is able to offer valuable advice to current students. Comparing his past with bullies to conditioned submissiveness, he says, “Don’t ever apologize for who you are.” Kirk stresses the importance of not falling victim to trends, but rather developing individuality as a way to staying true to your own goals."Awesome"'s new show WEST runs THIS WEEKEND, April 22 - 25 at On the Boards.Read all SIX "Awesome" Crush-of-the-Month interviews here.

Read More

Tech-Noh

Review of RoboPop! at Washington Ensemble Theatre by Tavis H.The theater is a fickle broad; she’s either flooring and fantastic, or mediocre and disappointing. However, Washington Ensemble Theater once again has managed to produce a show so sexy, so fresh, and so Robo-dacious, that you'll want to rip off your clothes with the performers and do the robot; a dance once thought dead, now gloriously revived by WET.RoboPop! Is an epic piece of performance art yet, simultaneously, it is extremely difficult to label what exactly RoboPop! is. It’s not a ballet, not a neo-opera, but it’s more an extraordinarily hip narrative of modern theater that falls more on the side of hardcore Japanese theater. Yes my friends, we are dealing with tech-Noh.

If you don't go see this there is clearly something wrong with you.The premise of the piece is a baffling extravaganza including inter-technological romance, a clashing society, partial nudity, and plot-triggers involving teddy bears. Despite its seemed ridiculousness, it is truly a fantastic work of art that will make you want to bust it out on the dance floor as well as restore your faith in the future of modern theater.It is very difficult to reveal more of the plot because, if one were to do so, it would ruin the surprise of the technical phantasmagoria concocted by Heidi Ganser, Ben Zamora, and WET. Despite this journalistic flaw, all one can say is that RoboPop! is a great piece of art, theater, and entertainment that will never cease to enthrall and surprise you with tender depth and gut-busting laughter.RoboPop! most certainly is one of the hottest tickets in town, and it would show great shortcomings in one’s personality if they didn’t at least make an attempt to attend a showing; you won’t be disappointed.- Tavis H.April 16th, 2010RoboPop!Washington Ensemble TheatreThrough May 10th

Read More

Login

Create an account | Reset your password