12th Ave Arts – Page 3 – Shows I've Seen

Our Dear Dead Drug Lord – Play – Washington Ensemble Theatre

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Our Dear Dead Drug Lord play by Washington Ensemble Theatre at 12th Ave Arts. Middle-class suburban private school teens gone wild with cocaine, ouija board seances, & blood sacrifices. #PabloEscobar

Synopsis from the Theatre: Set in the face of the 2008 presidential election, the Dead Leaders Club meets in an abandoned treehouse to summon the ghost of Pablo Escobar. Are these teenage girls actually summoning the leader of the Medellín Cartel? Or are they just playing tricks on one another? This roller coaster ride through the trials and terrors of girlhood dabbles in blood sacrifice, the uncertainty of growing up, and a journey to unleash their personal power.

Reviewed Performance: 4/29/23 Opening Weekend

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings: One, a treehouse

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: None

Defined Plot/Storyline: It was consecutive but not quite defined. There’s only so much plot and storyline one setting can accomplish!

Recommendation: See it if you like plays that are weird and unconventional

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes

Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
4.25 stars (Out of 5 Stars)

Equity Actors: 0

Total Number of Actors: 4 but there were 2 other actors mentioned in the program who I assume were the background voices

Length (Including Any Intermission): 90 minutes

Intermission: No

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts

Trapdoor: The play takes place in a treehouse, so the actors entered/exited from a trapdoor, which was novel.
Tissue: One of the characters blew their nose with tissue from their padded bra. It was a funny way to show the audience how young the characters were.
Favorite Line: “I lost my virginity while watching [President] Bush II’s ‘we got him’ speech. So basically, I’m fucked.”

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

Meaning: I couldn’t assimilate the message from this play. Was there any symbolism? If so, I missed it.

Theatre Company: Washington Ensemble Theatre

Venue: 12th Avenue Arts

Venue Physical Address: 1620 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

Price: Cheap

Dates: April 28 to May 15, 2023

Seating: General Admission

Parking: Paid lot or paid street parking. Street parking is extremely limited since it’s Capitol Hill. Your best luck would be East of Cal Anderson Park on 11th or 12th Ave. Cheapest paid lots are on 11th Ave next to the park. I highly suggest parking far away or taking the bus since the lots are expensive in Capitol Hill.

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Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

https://washingtonensemble.org/season-19/season-19-our-dear-dead-drug-lord/

Other Video +/- Pictures: Sorry, I’m still waiting for the theatre company to send me press pictures. In the meantime, see my video below.

@showsiveseen "Our Dear Dead Drug Lord" #play by Alexis Scheer w/ @wet.seattle at 12th Ave Arts. Middle-class suburban private school teens gone wild w/ cocaine, ouija board seances, & blood sacrifices! Review: showsiveseen.com/5170 #PabloEscobar #theatre ♬ Da Girls – Ciara

The Squirrel Plays: Infestation, Compensation, Eradication – Play – Mirror Stage

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Squirrel Plays – Infestation, Compensation, Eradication by Mia McCullough w/ Mirror Stage at 12th Ave Arts. Allegory on government/politics. It was fun guessing what each thing symbolized. Probably the best opening performance reception spread I’ve seen! #play #symbolism #symbolic

Synopsis from the Theatre: Tom and Sarah finally find the suburban house of their dreams with probably the nicest garden on the market. Everything is blissful, until an unwanted squirrel gets trapped in the attic, interrupting their lives and causing a rift in their marriage. Once an exterminator, the neighborhood association, and animal control all get involved, violence and turmoil unsettle the entire subdivision.

Reviewed Performance: 4/30/23 Opening Performance Matinee

Type: 3 connected consecutive plays

World Premiere: No but USA premiere

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings: Few – Around three settings

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: None

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes

Recommendation: See it if you like exploring symbolism in live theatre or other art forms

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes

Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
4.25 stars (Out of 5 Stars)

Equity Actors: 0

Total Number of Actors: 6

Length (Including Any Intermission): It was 2.25 hours with a long 1st act and a shorter 2nd act. I suggest moving some material to the 2nd act.

Intermission: Yes

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts

Symbolism: Halfway through the first act in a sudden epiphany, I finally realized what the squirrels represented. I scrambled to replay the previous scenes in my mind to gather any missed nuances. If I had the time, I would rewatch those scenes with my newly-opened eyes. However, later on, it felt like the playwright changed what squirrels represented. Whether or not this change was intentional, the squirrel symbolism seemed unsatisfactorily inconsistent. Other than squirrels, this play was full of other political symbols. It was fun guessing what each thing represented. But for the life of me, I still couldn’t successfully guess what the bird feeders meant. Leave a comment in my social media links below if you have any ideas!
Stagehands: The stagehands were costumed and in-character as home movers. I always appreciate when the technical crew does not stick out on-stage.

Rant(s)

Stage Curtain: It’s a shame they covered part of the stage when scenes weren’t occuring there. The stage looked much more complete with all the curtains open, and it would have made a better first impression to audience members walking into the theatre space. When half of the stage is covered, it looks awkward and incomplete.

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

Numerous Commentaries: The play has a lot to say politically but it needs to hone its focus more to avoid becoming a hodgepodge of random leftist ideas.
Ending (No Spoilers): While I appreciate the conclusiveness of the ending, it felt a little too clean and idealistic. The raised social issues aren’t neatly resolved with a bow in real life.
Sounds: There were scenes that felt a little too quiet. Maybe include more background noise. But what does suburbia sound like? Maybe rustling leaves or birds chirping? What non-musical background noise do they play in Desperate Housewives? The transitional music between scenes was appropriate though.

Theatre Company: Mirror Stage

Venue: 12th Avenue Arts

Venue Physical Address: 1620 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

Price: Cheap

Ticket Affordability Options: Pay-what-you-can (PWYC) and 20 radical hospitality free tickets for every performance

Dates: April 27 to May 20, 2023

Seating: General Admission

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Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video by Michael Poggenburg

Mirror Stage, *The Squirrel Plays*, featuring [L to R] Emily Hoffman, Valerie Ryan Miller, Caitlin Frances Branston, Jason Marr and Serin Ngai . Photo by Michael Poggenburg.

Mirror Stage, *The Squirrel Plays*, featuring [L to R] Valerie Ryan Miller and Jason Marr. Photo by Michael Poggenburg.

Mirror Stage, *The Squirrel Plays*, featuring [L to R] Caitlin Frances Branston, Serin Ngai and Jason Marr. Photo by Michael Poggenburg.

Mirror Stage, *The Squirrel Plays*, featuring Angie Bolton. Photo by Michael Poggenburg.

Mirror Stage, *The Squirrel Plays*, featuring Valerie Ryan Miller. Photo by Michael Poggenburg.

The Standby Lear – Play – Thalia’s Umbrella

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Standby Lear 2-person play at 12th Ave Arts w/ Thalia’s Umbrella. Neat stage reminded me of an ancient Greek theatre. Interesting to see behind-the-scenes of the theatre industry through the eyes of aging has-beens. Smart dialogue. Unexpected twist at the end. #shakespeare #kingLear #stageFright

Synopsis from the Theatre: Augie is the understudy in a major production for one of the most demanding roles in the theater, King Lear. He may have to go on tonight! His wife, Anna, is ready to help him rehearse. But she has got a secret (or two), and he’s got a problem…

Reviewed Performance: 4/1/23 Evening Opening Weekend

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: One Scene

Several or Few Settings: One Location

Defined Plot/Storyline: No – lots of dialogue, which is common for plays with few characters

Recommendation: See it if either

You like Shakespeare or King Lear
You work in the theatre industry, or you know how the theatre industry works
You see lots of plays
You’re okay with 2-person shows
Or you’re okay with all dialogue and little story action

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes

Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
4 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)

Equity Actors: 3

Total Number of Actors: 2 on-stage and 1 off-stage

Length (Including Any Intermission): 90 minutes

Intermission: No

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

Earlier Ending: The play could have ended earlier when the characters revealed the twist and all their secrets. It seemed little too drawn out after that.

Theatre Company: Thalia’s Umbrella

Venue: 12th Avenue Arts

Venue Physical Address: 1620 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

Price: Medium

Dates: March 30 to April 15, 2023

Seating: General Admission

Parking: Paid lot or paid street parking. Street parking is extremely limited since it’s Capitol Hill. Your best luck would be East of Cal Anderson Park on 11th or 12th Ave. Cheapest paid lots are on 11th Ave across from the park. I highly suggest parking far away or taking the bus since the lots are expensive in Capitol Hill.

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Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video below by Annabel Clark Photography

Cast and Production Team: See after pictures and video below

@showsiveseen "The Standby Lear" 2-person #play at 12th Ave Arts w/ Thalia's Umbrella. Neat stage reminded me of an ancient Greek #theatre. Interesting to see behind-the-scenes of the theatre industry through the eyes of aging has-beens. Smart dialogue. Unexpected twist at the end. Photos by Annabel Clark. Review: showsiveseen.com/4655 #shakespeare #kingLear #stageFright #marriage #actors ♬ Sail Away – lovelytheband

Larry and Jeanne Paulsen. Photos by Annabel Clark.

Jeanne Paulsen. Photos by Annabel Clark.

Role	Name
Augie	Larry Paulsen*
Anna	Jeanne Paulsen*
Leonard (Off-stage)	Terry Edward Moore*
Augie Standby	Terry Edward Moore*
Anna Standby	Diana Trotter
—	—
Director	Terry Edward Moore
Associate Artistic Director	Daniel Wilson
Playwright	John W. Lowell
Stage Manager	Phillip James Randall*
Assistant Stage Manager	Eric Newman*
Scenic & Lighting Designer	Roberta Russell**
Costume Designer	Jae Hee Kim
Sound Designer	Johanna Melamed
Properties Designer & Technical Director	Richart Schug
Production Manager	Matthew Ray
Master Electrician	Levin Ritzen
Scenic Artist	Matthew Lazure
Carpenters	Sasha Chung, Dylan Howard, Matthew Lazure, Britta Baer-Simon
Electricians	Rob Falk, Joseph Inglish, Kristopher Jones, Rhys Kiernan, Liza Vaughn
Board Operator	Clint Bull
Sound Engineer	Kyle Thompson
Sound Assistant	Marty Sisk
Outreach Coordinator	Ariel Rose
Graphics Designer	Leslie Law
Casting Director	Cornelia Duryée

*Appearing through an agreement between this Theater and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the USA
**Member United Scenic Artists, Local 829

Gloria: A Life – Play – Strawberry Theatre Workshop

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Gloria: A Life #play w/ Strawberry Theatre Workshop reminded me of the Mrs. America TV miniseries & In the Time of the Butterflies Book-It Repertory Theatre play. Loved Ayo Tushinde’s portrayal of Flo Kennedy w/ her distinct accent & iconic hat. I wish I owned bras to burn in solidarity. Shake the patriarchy! A woman w/o a man is like a fish w/o a bicycle! #feminist #feminism #feminists #GloriaSteinem @GloriaSteinem

Synopsis from the Theatre: Five decades after Gloria Steinem began raising her voice for equality and championing the voices of others, she remains a leader of the American women’s movement. Emily Mann’s play traces the progress of Steinem’s extraordinary life, from her undercover Playboy Bunny exposé in the 1960s, through her founding of Ms. Magazine in the 1970s, to her speech at the 2017 Women’s March. Staged for Strawberry Theatre Workshop by Makaela Milburn in a living room set, Gloria: A Life puts the words of the famed journalist into action through an ensemble of six actors, played by Alanah Pascual, Kathy Hsieh, Marion Jacobs, Ayo Tushinde, Sarah Harlett, and Sharon Barto Gouran. Steinem’s journey to activism is traded between voices and distinct cultural origins, giving the movement less historical and more contemporary energy, and the early feminists’ accomplishments drawn as less individual and more collaborative. For Strawshop, Gloria is one of the most pertinent expressions of its mission to activate community conversation. Gloria expands the conversation in the second half of the evening to a discussion of local activism, bounded by four guidelines directly inspired by organizing principles of Black Lives Matter: “Lead with Love, Low Ego, High Impact, and Move at the Speed of Trust.”

Reviewed Performance: 1/26/23 Opening Performance – Original previous opening weekend delayed because of COVID-19. 🙁

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Defined Plot/Storyline: Like other biographical plays, there isn’t a strong plot. It’s a series of chronological scenes … like real life!

Recommendation: See it especially if you’re into women’s rights!

Was This the First Time I Saw a Production of this Show: Yes

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: Yes, if it was an Equity production

Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
5 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)

Equity Actors: One but all were very good

Number of Actors: 6

Length (Including Any Intermission): 90 min performance + 20 min talkback

Intermission: No

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts

Favorite Line: Other than the classic “a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle,” I’ve never heard of “if women could sleep their way to the top, there’d be a lot more women at the top.” Apparently, this was a real quote from Gloria Steinem.

Rant(s)

Projections: Projections were a a little hard to see. However, I acknowledge it’s a fine line to balance shining enough light on actors vs reducing the light so projections are brighter.

Other Musing(s)

Mild Audience Participation: Actors paused occasionally so the audience could shout out answers to wall-projected questions or enter the answers on a website via smartphone. There was also a segment where audience volunteers were asked on-stage. Additionally, there was a talkback immediately after the show when actors actively requested the audience to stay for 20 mins.
Other Iconic Feminists: This play wasn’t just about Gloria Steinam. It also covered other major historical feminists during her time like Dorothy Pittman Hughes, Flo Kennedy, Wilma Mankiller (what an ironic name!), and Bella Abzug. However, I was surprised Betty Friedan wasn’t featured.
Historical Tidbits: A couple interesting historical facts were mentioned throughout the show:
- Gloria Steinem’s (arguable) claim to fame was when she wrote an exposé as an undercover Playboy Bunny. Sex truly does sell!
- Gloria ironically originally wanted to be a Rockette
- The continental congress drew inspiration from the Iroquois Native Americans when designing the USA federal government

Theatre Company: Strawberry Theatre Workshop

Venue: 12th Avenue Arts

Venue Physical Address: 1620 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

Price: Cheap to Medium

Dates: January 19 – February 18, 2023

Seating: General Admission

Parking: Paid lot or paid street parking. Street parking is extremely limited since it’s Capitol Hill. Your best luck would be East of Cal Anderson Park on 11th or 12th Ave. Cheapest paid lots are on 11th Ave across from the park. Sigh, “cheapest” was $16 dollars for me. :-/ I highly suggest parking far away or taking the bus.

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Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

https://www.strawshop.org/gloria.html

Other Video +/- Pictures: See below

Cast and Production Team: See below video

@showsiveseen “#Gloria: A Life” #play w/ Strawberry #Theatre Workshop reminded me of the “Mrs. America” TV miniseries & “In the Time of the Butterflies” Book-It Theatre play. Loved @ayotushinde ‘s portrayal of Flo Kennedy w/ her distinct accent & iconic hat. I wish I owned bras to burn in solidarity. Down w/ the patriarchy! A woman w/o a man is like a fish w/o a bicycle! Review: showsiveseen.com/3605 #feminist #feminism #feminists #gloriasteinem ♬ Gloria (Glee Cast Version) – Glee Cast

Role	Name
Gloria (Reverse Alphabetical Order)	Sharon Barto Gouran Sarah Harlett (AEA Member) Marion Jacobs Kathy Hsieh Ayo Tushinde Alanah Pascual
—	—
Projections	Adam Zopfi Hulse
Artistic Director	Greg Carter
Scenery	Bella Rivera
Sound	Kyle Thompson
Lighting	Maryalice Weed
Costumes	Lizz C Williams
Graphic Designer	Melanie Wang
Playwright	Emily Mann
Director	Makaela Milburn assisted by Jasmine Lomax
Stage Manager	Jasmine Lomax assisted by Brandon Eller

Arlington – Play – Washington Ensemble Theatre

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Arlington play w/ Washington Ensemble Theatre at 12th Avenue Arts. Experimental-like & abstract. Intriguing scenic/lighting design. Dystopian postapocalyptic Orwellian feel in an asylum-like prison. Peer into the disturbed mind! #theatre

Synopsis from the Theatre: Isla waits for her number to be called. A young woman finally understands her fate. And a young man faces a stark decision. In a cacophony of poetry, art, + dance, Enda Walsh’s Arlington tells an unsuspecting love story amidst a bleak Orwellian dystopia.

Reviewed Performance: 1/14/23 on opening weekend – Sorry for the late review! I was busy because my dad is in town.

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Awards: None

Defined Plot/Storyline: No, this is more abstract, open-ended, & mysterious. Lots of dialogue and dance.

Recommendation: See it if you like weird, abstract, & experimental theatre that make you think and is open to interpretation

Was This the First Time I Saw a Production of this Show: Yes

Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
4 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)

Equity Actors: None

Length: 1.5 hours

Intermission: No but there were technical difficulties that forced them to call an “intermission” and ask the audience to exit the theatre. I actually thought it was part of the performance since the play seemed experimental. Oh, the magic of live theatre!

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts

Portrayals of Abused/Disturbed Minds: Great depiction of prisoners who are losing their minds in bleak isolation. They also sprinkled in some mild self-abuse and (reverse?) Stockholm Syndrome.
Bizarre Scenes: For some reason, I enjoyed the parts when Kiki Abba romanticized a homemade stuffed mannequin or when her captors fed her food from a slot near the floor like in an asylum.
Scenic and Lighting Design: Portrayed a mysterious dystopian aura that was enhanced by the intriguing steampunk factory-like lighting design/effects.
Dance Break: There was a major scene in the middle of the play dedicated to an abstract/experimental solo dance.

Rant(s)

Technical Difficulties: As mentioned previously, there were some technical issues in the middle of the show. While I typically don’t ding performances for these unexpected events, it made me wonder what details I missed before they resolved the technical difficulties. For example, before the audience was asked to leave the theatre, I was thinking to myself that the surveillance room on the stage could use video footage on the screens and more lighting. When we arrived back in the theatre, there was video and more light in the surveillance room. What else did I miss due to the technical issues?

Other Thought(s)

Accents: While I appreciate the actors’ effort to speak with UK accents, I doubt speaking with their actual American accents would have detracted any value from the play.

Theatre Company: Washington Ensamble Theatre

Venue: 12th Ave Arts

Venue Physical Address: 1620 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

Price: Cheap

Dates: January 12 to January 30, 2023 – Get your tickets now since the opening night was sold out!

Seating: General Admission

Parking: Paid lot or paid street parking. Street parking is extremely limited since it’s Capitol Hill. Your best luck would be East of Cal Anderson Park on 11th or 12th Ave. Cheapest paid lots are on 11th Ave across from the park. Sigh, “cheapest” was $16 dollars for me. :-/ I highly suggest parking far away or taking the bus.

Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Posts About this Performance:
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Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

https://washingtonensemble.org/arlington/

Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures in video and under video.

Cast and Production Team : See below pictures

@showsiveseen "#Arlington" #play w/ Washington Ensemble Theatre at 12th Avenue Arts. #Experimental-like & #abstract. #Intriguing scenic/lighting design. #Dystopian #orwellian #postapocalyptic feel in an #asylum-like #prison. Peer into the disturbed mind! Review: showsiveseen.com/3222 #theatre ♬ We Appreciate Power – Grimes

Name	Role
Kiki Abba	Isla
Ricky Spaulding	Young Man
Amber Tanaka	Young Woman
Corinne Park-Buffelen	Supervisor
Andreya Pro	Maureen
Van Lang Pham	Michael
Antony Leroy Fuller	The Usual Man
—	—
Elda Walsh	Playwright
Maggie L. Rogers	Director & Sound Design
Andy Walker	Assistant Director & Dramaturg
Symone Sanz	Choreographer
Kimberly Le	Stage Manager
Tristan Roberson (Member of United Scenic Artist, IATSE local 829)	Scenic Director
Nabilah S. Ahmed	Projections Designer
Hannah Gibbs	Lighting Director
Saira Barbaric	Costume Designer
Castor Rosencrantz Kent	Sound Designer
Elliott Hartman	Properties Designer
Ryan Dunn	Associate Technical Director
Justin Duffiance	Shop Supervisor
Annie Duffiance	Resident Scenic Artist
Robert Mitchell	Master Electrician
Jeanette Sanches	Intimacy Coach
Kayla Walker	Dialect Coach
Monty Rozema	Assistant Stage Manager