TeenTix Blog

Yeah, 39 Steps and Merchant of Venice. Also Peter Pan @ SCT! And the Nutcracker of course. Oh and Taming of the Shrew that Wooden O did this summer!

Mecca... I forget who did it. Seattle Rep?

Young American's Theatre Company's Past Curfew!!

Compiled by Teen Tix members and staffLucas M. loved A Tale of Two Cities at Seattle Children's Theatre.Joseph P. loved Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with Leonidas Kavakos at Seattle Symphony.Leonidas Kavakos rockedBrook W. loved Titus and A Cure for Pain both at Washington Ensemble Theatre.Madeleine D. loved Merchant of Venice at Book-It Repertory Theatre.Washington Ensemble Theatre makes really good plays (and pies)Beth R. loved Mysterious Gifts at Seattle Children's Theatre and The Mistakes Madeline Made at Washington Ensemble Theatre.Tucker C. loved Roméo et Juliette at Pacific Northwest Ballet.Roméo et Juliette: oui, c'etais magnifiqueHolly B. loved The 39 Steps at Seattle Rep.Daniel S. loved Walt and El Grupo at SIFF Cinema.Rachel K. loved The Seafarer at Seattle Rep.Tessa, Josh G., Rachel K., and Fiona B. all loved Equivocation at Seattle Rep.Equivocation: why don't you marry it?Our friends over at ACT Theatre loved the Michaelangelo exhibit at SAM.Here at Teen Tix HQ, we love everything of course, but this year we especially swooned for The Shipment by Young Jean Lee's Theatre Company at On the Boards, Target Practice at Seattle Art Museum, and the Mapplethorpe Polaroids at Henry Art Gallery.Mapplethorpe. Mapplethorpe. Mapplethorpe. We just like saying the name.Did you love something that we missed? Tell us!The art at the top "If you see anything interesting, please let someone know" is by Mads Linerup.

The Mighty Marya Sea Kaminski (you may remember her as Rachel in MY Name is Rachel Corrie at Seattle Rep, to name just one of her dozens of lauded local performances) gives us a little taste of her ElectraElectra starts previews January 5th @ Seattle Shakespeare Company

Check out the rival's video that Shorecrest challenged them to make. It was shot BACKWARDS.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7TI-AJi2O8

What? Art making, cake eating, theatre watchingWhen? Sunday, December 17thWhere? Seattle Repertory TheatreHow much? $5.00 for you, $5.00 for your guestMore please: Teen Tix and Seattle Rep are pleased to invite you to Extemporaneous Commentary, a party that will include art-making (specifically: artworks created on old-fashioned cafeteria trays), cake-eating (specifically: delicious), and theatre watching (specifically: Seattle Rep’s hotly anticipated production of Speech & Debate).The art-making starts at 5:00 pm in the Rep’s scene shop. Artworks will be created, hung in the Rep’s lobby, and the gallery opened all in two hours! Invite your friends and family to come and see what you’ve created – the gallery opening party starts at 6:30. There will be cake! Then at 7:30, the special sneak-preview performance ofSpeech & Debate begins. The artworks that are created will be shown in the Rep’s lobby during the run of Speech & Debate.5:00 – 6:30 = art-making 6:30 – 7:30 = gallery opening/cake-eating 7:30 – 9:30 = show watchingSmall print: this party is open to Teen Tix members and their guests only. Teen artists who wish to participate in the art-making portion of the evening must RSVP as space and materials are limited. Just like eating cake and watching art? Come to the party and the show! Your $5.00 Teen Tix ticket gets you into the pre-show gallery reception.FAQsCan adults come to the art-making part? Nope. The art-making portion of the evening is just for teen artists. But if you’d like to bring an adult as your guest for the party and show, you can leave a ticket for them at the box office.What if I just want to see the show (and eat cake)? Come at 6:30 for the gallery opening party and preview performance. Tickets are 2 for $10, so bring a guest!Can I take my art home with me? The artworks that are created will be displayed in Seattle Rep’s lobby during the run of Speech & Debate (a great opportunity to have your work exhibited publicly). After the show closes on February 21st, 2010, you can come and collect your art.Can I reserve my tickets just for the party and show? Yes! In fact, we encourage you to do so, as the show is expected to sell out.To RSVP, send an email to teentix@seattle.gov with your full name and phone number. Please let us know how many tickets you are reserving (1 or 2) and whether you are reserving for just the party and show, or for the art-making, too!Learn more about Speech & Debate on our facebook page.Extemporaneous Commentary is a Teen Tix special event hosted by the Teen Tix Teen Steering Committee and Seattle Repertory Theatre. seattlecenter.com/teentixseattlerep.org

Note: Speech & Debate is recommended for ages 14 and above for mild profanity, teens engaged in discussions of sex, drinking and drug abuse.

Review of Handel's Messiah at Seattle Symphony by Monet C.

Handel’s Messiah premiered on April 13, 1742 as a charitable benefit, raising 400 pounds and freeing 142 men from debtor’s prison. A year later, Handel staged it in London. Controversy emanating from the Church of England continued to plague Handel, yet the King of England attended the performance and, as the first notes of the triumphant Hallelujah Chorus rang out, the king rose. Following the royal protocol, the entire audience stood too, initiating a tradition that has lasted more than two centuries, up to today.

Georg Frederick Handel

New blog feature! On the fifteenth(ish) of every month, we will publish a look ahead at the arts events that we're most psyched about for the upcoming month. Know of something coming up at one of our participating organizations that you think should be in the datebook? Let us know!JANUARY, 2010

visual artThe Telephone Project by Stray at Henry Art GalleryIt started with a poem. One artist interpreted it into an artwork. The next artist took that artwork and made it into a poem. The next artist turned that poem into an artwork, which the next turned into a poem. And they did it over and over again until all 25 artists (UW student members of the poetry collective, Stray) had made a poem or an artwork. Come see their work and hear them talk (or maybe whisper into the ear of the person sitting next to you) about what they did.Thursday, January 14th 7:00 - 8:45 FREE henryart.orgNew New: Recent Acquisitions in Contemporary Asian Art at Seattle Asian Art Museum

Spencer T. on the "Dark Side of Oz" phenomenon Drugs inspire you to do weird things. Just ask Pink Floyd. Their 1973 rock classic, The Dark Side of the Moon, is rumored to have been created to sync with the visuals from a classic of a different vein: The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland. It is unknown where this story came from, but since the theory took off in the 90s, the internet has been inundated with lists of hundreds of instances where the music synchronizes the movie. People theorize the album is a tribute to Garland among other things. The album is played approximately 2 1/2 times during the course of the film and contains such moments as Dorothy being chased by the tornado only to have the song comfort her, singing, “Don’t be afraid!”. Then, when she steps into brilliant technicolor, the first cash register from the song “Money” rings. Later, the Cowardly lion appears to be dancing perfectly in tune to the soundtrack. For a (much) longer list, check out this website: http://thepinksync.tripod.com/ The evidence may sound a little underwhelming, and so the big question remains: is the so-called “Dark Side of Oz” real or a hoax?Vocab word of the day: apopheniaDefinition: The brain’s tendency to attempt to recognize patterns in chaos; to create order where there is none.Pink Floyd has repeatedly denied any intention on the part of the band to create this “alternate soundtrack”, leading most people to believe the similarities are just happenstance. But hey, even if it wasn’t intentional, why can’t we enjoy a good coincidence?Judge for yourself. “The Dark Side of Oz” is playing at SIFF Cinema Friday, December 18, at 7:30

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The kids of A Christmas Carol @ ACT Theatre talk to actor Brandon Whitehead (Mr. Fezziwig) about the show:There are five more Teen Tix-eligible performances of A Christmas Carol:Friday, December 11th at 6:00Tuesday, December 15th at 6:00 and 8:30Wednesday, December 16th at 6:00 and 8:30Please note that there are NO companion (2 for $10) tickets available for any of these performances.Our reviewer, Jenny S. says "Once one allows high school enforced reading prejudices to fall away, Dickens’ words, bright and polished as sleigh bells, really do fulfill the great expectations one has of the literary giant...I’ll be the first to admit that Tiny Tim’s travails actually had my eyes welling up. So stock up on peppermint humbugs, Kleenex, and good cheer, and bear witness to a show that was captivating theater-goers when your parents still believed in Santa." Read Jenny's whole review here.For more information about the show, visit acttheatre.org

Review of Twelfth Night (Or What You Will) at Seattle Shakespeare Company by Yvette J.It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Shakespeare expert or a newbie to his work, Twelfth Night (Or What You Will) is a great play to watch Shakespeare’s work come to life. All of the characters seem to have jumped right out of the pages and onto the stage with no extra flourishes, add-ons or anything taken out of the characters. Director Stephanie Shine stayed true to each character, enhancing certain characteristics within the role to better display the type of person Shakespeare imagined his characters to be. Twelfth Night is full of confusing love triangles, complicated plans and misleading identities; it’s a story too complicated to forget and a play that will only pique your interest until the very last act.José A. Rufino as Duke Orsino and Chris Ensweiler as Feste in Twelfth Night at Seattle Shakespeare Company. Photo by Erik Stuhaug.Twelfth Night was written by William Shakespeare and first published in 1623. The story takes place in mythical Illyria, a kingdom that is home to Duke Orsino and Lady Olivia. The audience first becomes acquainted with a woman named Viola who is believed to have lost her twin brother in a storm. Viola, who stumbles upon Illyria, needs to find work and decides to work for Duke Orsino, but disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Orsino is madly in love with Olivia and one of Cesario’s tasks is to deliver love messages from Orsino to Olivia. While completing the task, Olivia falls for Cesario, but is really Viola. But Viola has fallen in love with her master, Orsino, but remember…she’s really a woman dressed up as a man. And don’t forget about Orsino, who is still in love with Olivia. Confused yet?As complicated as the storyline seems, the director and the actors do a great job in making the storyline simple and easy-to-follow. There are just so many characters involved in the love triangle and the confusion only heightens when we involve Viola’s not-actually-dead twin, Sebastian, a butler, a maid, and a drunken uncle. The story moves fast, as it was naturally written by Shakespeare, but it’s not hard to catch up if you missed anything. Each actor captures the essence of their characters perfectly. Suzanna Milonzi (Viola/Cesario) plays a convincing male and she manages to sweep a woman off her feet; you can feel your heart ache as José Rufino (Duke Orsino) never manages to get the girl he wants until the very end, and Chris Ensweiler plays a lovingly enchanting, yet still mischievous fool. Twelfth Night is the perfect sort of entertainment you and your friends may seek on a cold, wintery night. What else could be better than love triangles and a little bit of mischief just to complicated things even more? Exactly: nothing else could be better.- Yvette J.Friday, December 4thTwelfth Night (Or What You Will) runs through December 27thMore info and show times at seattleshakespeare.org

Review of Black Nativity at Intiman Theatre by Marissa B-TAn element of audience participation was evident from the beginning of Black Nativity: A Gospel Song Play. It commenced with a rocking number from the fantastic jazz quartet. Then silence reigned and a spotlight fell on director Patrinell Wright, singing the first notes of “Joy to the World” from the back of the house. She paused a few seats down to greet a “handsome young” audience member of seven or eight, who was befuddled by the attention.Photo by Chris BennionBlack Nativity is in its twelfth and final year at the Intiman Theatre; next year it will be staged at a larger venue. The show is quite a collaborative effort, directed by Jacqueline Moscou, but with musical direction and arrangements by the multitalented Wright and choreography by Kabby Mitchell III. An African-American retelling of the Christmas story interspersed with over twenty gospel songs, Black Nativity was written by Langston Hughes, so this is a fairly old tradition -- it debuted on Broadway in 1961. Admittedly, this version is different from the original, with closer to forty performers than the 160 in 1961. Also, parts of the play have been interpreted differently, with newer songs incorporated under various directors. The heart of Black Nativity remains unchanged, however. Its joyful exuberance and message of unity and hope are clear.About half of the songs on the program are traditional Christmas and/or gospel pieces and the rest are original. Whether familiar or new, all are arranged with a focus on energy and harmonization that is phenomenal to hear and see. A quintet of women harmonizing beautifully a cappella in the second act absolutely awed the crowd on opening night. From “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” to “Steal Away,” “We Three Kings of Orient Are” to “Looking for a Miracle,” the Total Experience Gospel Choir and the dancers threw their whole selves into this celebration of life. The party didn’t stop at the edge of the stage, however; dancers shimmied up the aisles, and soloists shook hands with audience members. The infectious happiness of most songs incited the audience to clap along.Black Nativity is uplifting, energizing, and everything else that is necessary for a stirring welcome into the season of Christmas. As religious as it all is, it is not only for Christians; Pastor Wright asked for a show of hands from a dozen religions, which revealed the audience to be surprisingly diverse. The second act seemed too long -- the run of the play is approximately two hours and fifteen minutes, excluding intermission. The duration should not be a deterrent, though; you’ll be kept awake (and sometimes even on your feet) by the expressive voices, whirling dances, and inspirational poetry of Black Nativity!- Marissa B-TDecember 4th, 2009Black Nativity runs through December 30th at INTIMAN TheatreMore info and show times at intiman.org

La Danse: Le Ballet de L'Opera de Paris @ Northwest Film ForumDance lovers, film lovers, French lovers (ooh la la!) this is for you:"To say that the film, sumptuous in its length and graceful in its rhythm, is a feast for ballet lovers is to state the obvious and also sell Mr. Wiseman's achievement a bit short. Yes, this is one of the finest dance films ever made, but there's more to it than that." -A. O. Scott NY TimesWatch the trailer (in French - the version playing at the Film Forum will be subtitled):The Paris Opera Ballet is one of the world’s storied ballet companies and Fredrick Wiseman is one of the world’s legendary filmmakers. In his latest film, Wiseman employs his fly-on-the-wall technique to following the rehearsals and performances of seven ballets: Genus by Wayne McGregor, Le Songe de Medée by Angelin Preljocaj, La Maison de Bernarda by Mats Ek, Paquita by Pierre Lacotte, Casse Noisette by Rudolph Noureev, Orphée and Eurydice by Pina Bausch, and Romeo and Juliette by Sasha Waltz. The film reveals the work of administering the company and the coordinated and collaborative work of choreographers, ballet masters, dancers, musicians, and costume, set and lighting designers.La Danse: Le Ballet de L'Opera de ParisDecember 4 - 10Northwest Film ForumMore info at nwfilmforum.org

Jody Diamond and Gamelan Pacifica @ Cornish College of the ArtsTONIGHT!Okay, first, what's a gamelan, right? Let's go to Wikipedia:"A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included."Gamelan Pacifica is a 30 year-old Seattle-based gamelan orchestra. It is an active and adventurous ensemble, with a reputation for creating diverse productions merging traditional and contemporary musical forms with dance, theater, puppetry, and visual media.Jody Diamond is a composer, performer, and scholar and one of the premier proponents of contemporary gamelan music in America today.But none of that is really why you're gonna go to this concert. This is why:Want some more?Jody Diamond and Gamelan PacificaSaturday, December 5th @ 8 pmPONCHO Performance Hall, Cornish College of the ArtsMore info at the Cornish Music Series site

A review of Plaid Tidings at ArtsWest by Shannon L.The Plaids, a barbershop quartet, were killed when broadsided by a bus on the way to a show. They returned to earth just one more time in the show Forever Plaid… or did they? The Plaids are back at Arts West in Plaid Tidings, and I certainly hope it will be back for many more. These four men, plus a small orchestra, executes spot-on choreography, never waver off-pitch, and still manage to stay perfectly in-character as they blend Christmas tune after Christmas tune into a wildly entertaining show for the holidays. Musically directed by R.J. Tancioco, the harmonies are bitingly bright and pristinely in tune.Aaron Finley, John Bartley, Daniel Stoltenberg, and Ryan McCabe in Plaid Tidings at ArtsWest. Photo by Matthew Durham.Of all the holiday shows out there, I don’t remember one that has made me cry from laughter (actual tears were streaming down my face), and again from an exquisitely simple and touching final line… until now. On their opening night, the cast of Arts West’s Plaid Tidings was, unfortunately, playing to a less-than-half-full house of elderly people, my mother, my younger brother, and me. We were the ones laughing the hardest. Even after a long Wednesday at school and two unbearable hours of mind-numbingly bland Driver’s Ed, this show is the perfect pick-me-up for any teenager. It has something for almost everyone; be ready to jump out of your seat and onto the stage, because these boys need help, and they’ll ask for it! The fact that it had little plot barely mattered. This sequel to the show Forever Plaid is filled with singing and precise barbershop-style songs, relatable characters, and hysterical comedy. Featuring John W. Bartley as the Charlie Brown-esque Smudge, Aaron C. Finley as leader-of-the-group Frankie, Ryan McCabe as baby brotherly Jinx, and Daniel Stoltenberg as endearingly quirky Sparky, this cast fails to disappoint. It would definitely be a mistake to miss this one.Plaid Tidings plays at ArtsWest now through December 27th.

Our video of the day is a short little promo for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival production of Equivocation, currently playing at Seattle Rep (and our Pick of the Week).This video makes you want to see the play, which is remarkable considering that it simultaneously reminds you of how all theatre - even really really good theatre - always always always looks absolutely stupid on video. Enjoy.EquivocationSeattle Repertory TheatreThrough December 13th

Rashomon @ SIFF CinemaHey! You! Dude who's never seen Rashomon! I *know* I didn't just hear you call yourself a real film nerd, right? RIGHT? Yeah, that's what I thought.RashomonDecember 4 - 10SIFF CinemaMore info at siff.net

Equivocation @ Seattle Repertory Theatre"Equivocation is a stunningly thoughtful play. It boldly holds its audience accountable for its response. It stands and says: Listen up. Art matters, because life matters...Cain’s provocative script, performed by Ashland’s riveting actors, makes for one night at the theatre you are not permitted to forget." - Teen Tix reviewer Lauren WPhoto by Jenny GrahamIn Equivocation, the Prime Minister to King James commissions William Shakespeare to write a play about a thwarted attempt to kill the king. But when Will and his band of actors discover the government’s version is neither true nor interesting, they must choose between losing their artistic integrity or losing their heads. Bill Cain’s contemporary writing is brilliantly woven with threads of King Lear and Macbeth. This production was a smash hit at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and this marks the first time in 25 years that an OSF show will be seen in Seattle."...this is a thrilling night of theater and you should treat yourself to catching this incredible show before it moves on. And that is the truth." - BroadwayWorld.comEquivocationThrough December 13thSeattle Repertory TheatreMore information at seattlerep.org