Audience Responses - boom

From Drew Dahl, Arts Management Intern

What did you think of boom? Below are some clips of what audience members had to say about the show in the Rep's brand new Talk-it-out Booth (previously the Rep Confessional).

Next season, plus some accordion!

Well. I apologize. This blog has been taking a big of a nap. Things got crazy around here as we started launching into our renewal campaign—with some awesome plays under consideration including a comedy about the apocalypse, one of my favorite comedies of all time You Can't Take it With You and a fun, fast and family friendly version of Three Musketeers (the U.S premiere!). Read all the titles here.

I've been scheming plans to make this blog better next season. For one, more artists (actors, directors, playwrights) writing. I know you love me, but I want to get you inside the rehearsal process. But until we get there, an update on what's new. Such as...

How? How? Why? Why? Why?
Kevin Kling's new show. It is amazing. We do audience surveys on every show, and the responses have been overwhelming. I would say 99% say they would recommend the show. We're getting comments like:

"Funny, touching, poignant and rates as one of the best plays I have ever attended."

"CALL THE BOX OFFICE IMMEDIATELY AND GET TICKETS. IMMEDIATELY."

"I have recommended this play to every single friend and close acquaintance I've spoken with in the last week. I told them how masterfully the story was interwoven with the music, and that it was easily one of the best plays I've ever seen."

Here are two videos, filmed during our hot dog roast in the scene shop to kick off the rehearsal process. In the first Simone Perrin, who plays accordion and sings in the show, does an awesome, awesome cover of Hank Williams' "Long Gone Lonesome Blues." In the second Kevin talks about what the title of the play means.

John Denver Sing-a-Long

Last Friday our Education Associate Jess and I went downtown to see if shoppers at Westlake Center 1. Like John Denver and 2. Would sing his songs for us on camera (because, you know, we're opening Back Home Again: A John Denver Holiday Concert tonight. The results? Seattle likes John Denver AND they like to sing (you can be the judge of whether or not they can sing).

By the way, we got a sneak peek of the music (performed by former members of John's band, including Dan Wheetman who co-wrote Fire on the Mountain, which we did last season). It was awesome. I didn't even think I liked John Denver, and surprise! It almost brought me to tears. Take me home, country roads.

Paying what you can

There was an article in today's Seattle Times about paying what you can for arts—case in point, Radiohead's new album. They also mentioned Seattle Rep's Pay What You Can nights (something other theaters in town also employ).

Seattle Repertory implemented a pay-what-you-will night for the usually light Halloween, and it sold out. Like many theaters, it holds one such night per performance, totaling around a half-dozen a year. The minimum cost is $1, but customers pay on average $5. But each show, there's always somebody who is willing to pay the full price of $40, because that's what they decide the show is worth, said Christy Carlson, the ticketing services manager.

The article also mentions KEXP, the band Maktub, SAM and more.

I've seen first hand the huge lines that form on the days that we offer Pay What You Can performances (usually the first Monday preview of a Bagley show). People love cheap tickets, but more than that, they love getting to decide what the experience is worth for them.

Wouldn't it be nice if everything was like that? Oh, yes Apartment Manager, this month I'll be giving you $50 because that's really what this place is worth.

Feeling Blue

If you can't tell, I'm spending a good amount of time behind the camera lately. So, my last duty before heading off to three days of cooking, eating and eating some more, is sharing with you our latest behind-the-scenes video feature.

Check out One Minute With...Chuck Smith, director of Birdie Blue. I haven't seen the show yet because last night, while everyone else was watching the opening performance, I was in the kitchen swirling up gallons of the specialty cocktail, Sock It To Me Cider. The cider was great, so I think it was worth the price.

I can say the general feeling after the show was: "Wow." Great, acting and a really touching, heart-wrenching story. We survey our preview audiences, and one person said, "You must see this play. The actors are unforgettable in their roles. The story is touching and rings true. This play would touch anyone's heart and change their view of contemporary life."

So there you have it.

Feeding Our Interns

Seattle Rep has a great internship program. I know because I, along with about 10 other staffers came up through the illustrious ranks. You learn a ton and are treated as a bonafide member of the staff, not just some coffee monkey. And I also know living on a meager stipend means learning the fine art of food scrounging, happy hour searching, and artful begging.

Seattle Rep knows that stipend only goes so far, so come holiday time, every year the staff and volunteers in the Seattle Repertory Organization pitch in to buy food, gift certificates, toilet paper and other sundry items (sometimes beer).

But we make our interns work for their food. Check out the video of yesterday's intern feeding ritual. More information about the less mysterious parts of our internship program is available here.

The Price is Right

This article came out last week in the Seattle Times. In it art critic Sheila Farr does a check in on the new Seattle Art Museum, noting a decline in admission, possibly tied to an increase in ticket prices. Some people in Seattle have deemed $15 too much for an afternoon of art.

Last year on the other side of the country (and in a different sort of arts venue), Signature Theatre Company in New York did something unthinkable: They made every ticket for every seat $15. People came out in droves, especially young people.

The Rep's $10 ticket for anyone 25 and under is certainly popular, though not close to that level (every one of Signature's productions sold out). It costs $10 to see a movie, but when I ask my under-25 friends if they want to see a play for that price, they quite often balk, "That's a lot for something I don't even know if I'll like."

So where's the line? I'm curious how people decide what's too much for art. I know my measures: trust in the company/venue, knowing people involved, interest in the subject matter. I myself have hesitated to pay $15 for a fringe theater show but now that I'm putting up my own fringe show I have no hesitation in setting a $15 ticket price. All that work...of course it's worth the price of two cocktails.

What do you think? What will you pay for art?

20 Buck Chuck

If you can't read the fine print, starting tomorrow you can buy $20 tickets to any performance in any seat for the extension week of Twelfe Night, in honor of Live Theatre Week. Go to www.seattlerep.org or call the box office at 206-443-2222 for tickets.

Not that I should have to sell you on cheap tickets, but this show is awesome. Shameless lack of modesty:

The critics say:

"Where they strut and gambol, one is happy to follow… David Esbjornson gives this many-faceted comedy a postmodern look, a fine verbal cogency and rigor. " Seattle Times

"...hilarity dances across the stage...fantastic performances." BroadwayHour.com

The audience says:

"It was fantastic... Loved this version of it."

"Magnificent, you must see it."

"The funniest Shakespeare play we've ever seen."

New things are exciting

From Joanna Horowitz, Communications Associate

For one, don't freak out. The blog looks different, but it's all the same, you know, in its heart. We're trying out a new look that looks more like the Seattle Rep homepage. Thoughts?

For two, we just made our first "behind-the-scenes" video. I'd like to share it with you now.

Magic!

I have a couple of minutes free, so I am going to pop into Twelfe Night tech. Tech (the technical rehearsals for a show, in which all of the lights, set, costumes, magical effects are put together) at the Rep is open to anyone who works here, but I usually wait until everything is put together before I see the show to, you know, save the theatre magic. But I sacrificed my savoring for you. Feel special.

Ok, so I am here, in the balcony. It appears nothing is happening. I think they're on a break. Just my luck. There are two guys, not actors, standing on stage. One offstage is operating an elevator that is raising and lowering a platform on stage. Ok, that's a little magical. One guy gets on the platform, which is exciting.

The set is spectatcular. It's reminicient of the hull of a ship, but it twists and rolls across the stage to the edge where it splinters off. Everything is blue and green.

Back from break. The stage manager asks the actors to get in position. The house lights go off and the lighting is suddenly a magnificant sunrise. Magic! The actor playing Sebastian does the end of a monologue. Olivia comes on in a giant purple dress. Fabian comes on in a leather skirt, black stockings and tiny black pumps. David, the director, asks Nick, playing Fabian: " How much traction do you have in those little pumps?"

My ten minutes are up. I have concluded: this show is going to be not your usual take on Shakespeare. And I have just remembered that I only have one week to find a dress for our black tie opening night party, so I better go. More soon.

Bench Press

Things have been slow in blogland. It's sort of like summer break around here except instead of drinking mai tais we're all still working, albeit at a more relaxed pace. Since the season has been winding down, our shop has been involved in a little extra project building this bench.



We built it because, well, the Seattle Center asked us. They asked all of the campus tenants to design and build benches. They gave us dimensions, but every bench will look completely different and be made of a different material. Ours happens to be metal. No word if it'll be a permanent fixture or just a summer thing, and we don't know where it's going on the campus grounds, but keep an eye out.



We dragged it out in front of the theater for a goofy photo shoot yesterday. You can see it's "interactivity." Who doesn't love sticking their faces in things?



Points for anyone who knows what play this season inspired this photo shoot.