The Seattle Pacific University Theatre is kicking off its production of David Mamet’s The Frog Prince this Tuesday on the Backstage Theatre of McKinley Hall.
The SPU Theatre department describes the play as a twist on the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale with the prince turned into a frog when he refuses to give up a bouquet of flowers. The Prince and his Servingman embark on a journey to find the only Milkmaid who can undo the spell.
Mamet’s version of the classic Grimm fairy tale was first staged in 1982 as a short play in Chicago in 1982. The Chicago Tribune described it as follows:
“In Mamet’s treatment, this familiar tale is a tender and witty account of the prince’s education, from spoiled snob to loving friend. Through adversity, he learns the value of devotion and bravery, and becomes a sadder, wiser and better person because of it… The play, only about a half-hour long, is a beautifully constructed work, beginning and ending with the prince picking a bunch of flowers in the woods. In between those two events, however, Mamet shows, in a few spare scenes and with a few simple words, how much the character of the once vain and selfish prince has changed.”
SPU promises it will provide entertainment for the whole family, but notes that children under 5 will not be admitted. On their Facebook page, they suggest that a 4th grader will enjoy it, but it may not hold the attention of a 1st grader.
The production runs May 21-25, with a 2pm matinee performance only on the 25th. All performances begin at 7:30pm except for May 25, which is a matinee only performance at 2pm. Tickets are $6 each, with group rates available for 20 or more.
For tickets, visit the box office online or call 206.281.2959.
Sherlock Holmes first came to life in 1886 in the page of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A” Study in Scarlet” – a work that he wrote in 3 weeks and published in 1887. Since then, over 125 years later, Holmes has appeared in books, television shows, and feature films, remaining relevant today.
A free talk by the Seattle Times’ Tom Keogh will examine the history and allure of Doyle’s character over the years. The discussion is part of a series of arts lectures from Humanities Washington and is being hosted by Bayview Retirement Community. “Dr. Doyle and Mr. Holmes: The Cultural Staying Power of Sherlock Holmes” will be held at 7pm next Tuesday, May 7th at Bayview’s Albertson Center at 11 Aloha St.
Tom Keogh
Photo courtesy of Humanities Washington
A member of the 2012-14 Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, Tom Keogh is an arts journalist and critic forThe Seattle Times and contributor to various arts-industry magazines. A lifelong Holmes fan, Keogh was recently commissioned by Seattle Children’s Theatre to write an original drama featuring the detective.
The presentation will take a conversational format, with Keogh leading the discussion about Sherlock Holmes, the story of his creation by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Doyle’s subsequent love-hate relationship with the character over decades. Key issues for the talk include why Holmes still matters in the 21st century, and why we remain so attached to a character invented in 1886.
The talk is free and open to all, so Holmes fans should mark their calendars for next Tuesday!
For more information, contact Nancy Weinbeck via email or at 206.284.7330.
This Saturday, April 27th, the Queen Anne Book Company will host award-winning author Sherman Alexie from 1-5pm.
Alexie will be selling and signing copies of his books, doing spontaneous readings, recommending additional books, and chatting with readers. Plus, according to the shop, he’ll also take the floor as a bookseller for the day!
Stop by Queen Anne Book Company at 1811 Queen Anne Ave N on Saturday to meet Alexie and talk books between 1pm and 5pm. The shop will have copies of his books for sale, and feel free to bring in your own Alexie books for signing.
On Thursday April 25th, the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY, pronounced “Nifty”) kicks off at Seattle’s Cinerama and then moves to the SIFF Uptown for 3 days of films. NFFTY is the premier showcase for directors under the age of 23, and occurs every spring right here in Seattle.
This year’s festival begins with a red carpet gala of short films at downtown’s Cinerama, followed by an after party at South Lake Union’s MOHAI. The films to be shown on opening night include works from the United States, Egypt, South Africa, and New Jersey. The after party is an all ages event, with hors d’oeuvres, and if you’re not one of the talented younger film makers, a cash bar too.
After opening night, NFFTY moves to SIFF Uptown. Over the course of the weekend over 200 films will be shown, with Friday including discussion panels on filmmaking in the digital age, as well as pursuing a career in film. Friday will also see Happy Hour Shorts, with a beer tasting compliments of Fremont Brewing beginning at 5:30pm, followed by the screening of several short films beginning at 6:30pm.
The films continue on Saturday, along with a Masterclass on Documentaries The Danish Way with award winning documentary director Pernille Rose Grønkjær, and the festival ends with the jury and audience awards on Sunday at 8:00pm. Tickets to the films and panels are $11 (10$ youth), with the opening night gala costing $35 ($25 youth). The awards ceremony is free and open to all.
Whether your tastes run to comedy, drama, sports, zombies, or local issues such as Referendum 74, NFFTY has something for you. Head on over to SIFF and see what the next generation of filmmakers can do. Check out the NFFTY 2013 Festival Trailer to get a taste of what’s to come.
Beginning this week, the Seattle Pacific University’s Theatre Department is presenting “Letters to Sala” on its main stage, as well as an accompanying traveling exhibition of letters, photographs, and documents on loan from the New York Public Library and the French Children of the Holocaust Foundation.
Photo courtesy of Seattle Pacific University
Letters to Sala is a new play by Arlene Hutton, based on Ann Kirschner’s book Sala’s Gift: My Mother’s Holocaust Story. Kirschner based the book on over 300 letters that her mother received from friends and family when she lived in a World War II labor camp. This week’s opening will be the Northwest premiere of the play.
The traveling exhibit of letters, photographs, and documents from the Sala Garncarz Kirschner Collection is on loan from the New York Public Library and the French Children of the Holocaust Foundation. It’ll be on display in SPU’s Kreider Gallery in McKinley Hall during the month of April.
The play runs April 18-20 and 25-27 on the main stage in SPU’s McKinley Hall. Following the Friday, April 19th performance, both Hutton and Kirschner will participate in a Q&A session with the audience.
Per SPU, tickets are going fast, so get yours now; $12 general admission and $10 for students/seniors. Tickets are available online or by calling 206.281.2959.
The Friends of the Seattle Public Library Spring Sale is this weekend, April 6th and 7th at North Seattle Community College’s cafeteria. This go-around, there’s no Member Preview night due to time constraints with the venue, instead, both days of the sale are open to the public with free admission. The Member Preview will return in the Fall with the September sale.
The prices are unbeatable – hardback books for $2, children’s books for $1, and paperbacks, DVDs, and CDs are all only $1 apiece. The sale will also feature “better and rare” books that will be individually priced. All books and media items will be at these prices throughout the weekend. Key Details:
What: Friends of SPL Book Sale
When: Saturday, April 6th, 9am-5pm; Sunday, April 7th, 9am-4pm
9600 College Way N: enter the College Center Building (orange building in the map on the right) on the 1st floor; take an immediate right and walk down the long hallway to the cafeteria.
Are you an Arrested Development fan? Do you find yourself quoting memorable lines? Yelling out “Steve Holt” or doing the chicken dance? Well, join your fellow fans at the SIFF Film Center this Saturday to celebrate all things Bluth for a special 4-episode screening at SIFF’s Arrested Development: Celebrating TVs Funniest Comedy.
Photo courtesy of SIFF
The SIFF FutureWave Committee will be hosting the event, which will include 4 of their favorite episodes (which ones? show up to find out…) plus trivia, a chicken dance contest, and prizes!
The special celebration will benefit the SIFF FutureWave Committee, and a $5 donation is suggested. FutureWave works with schools and community organizations to provide kids with digital cinematic skills, offering opportunities for students and educators to connect with SIFF and the local filmmaking community. A great cause and a fun event!
If you’re missing Arrested Development, new episodes will be available on Netflix in May – but in the meantime, celebrate Bluth camaraderie at Saturday’s SIFF event. And remember, there’s always money in the banana stand…
The Seattle Pacific University (SPU) Music Department has been using Yamaha pianos for its program via a loan program with Classic Pianos. It’s now time to refresh their program, benefitting the community with a public sale of the used Yamahas (grands, uprights, player, and digital pianos) as well as new pianos from Bösendorfer, Schimmel, Estonia, and Steinway.
All pianos have been professionally maintained and include a new factory warranty. The pianos will first be offered to SPU alumni, faculty, and staff before the general public sale on Sunday, March 24th. The Sunday sale will be held at SPU’s Crawford Music Building from noon to 5pm.
SPU is also offering interested buyers the option to see the available pianos in advance. You can call 206.281.2842 to set up a private appointment for Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
Proceeds from pianos purchased during the sale will benefit the SPU Music Department loan program.
The National Educators Association (NEA) sponsors Read Across America every year on Dr. Seuss’ birthday, March 2nd, and a local group of Seattle Library Walkers will be trekking 30 miles as they criss-cross Seattle to visit each and every SPL branch (27 in total). And, as you likely know from our Wednesday post, the Queen Anne Library will be hosting the Sundays are Special event this weekend – so, naturally, the group has planned its two day walk to include a Sunday stop at the Queen Anne library.
The group members will be sporting striped Cat in the Hat hats and stopping to read from “Oh the Places You’ll Go” at each library branch. Everyone is welcome to join in!
The walk starts at 7:30am on Saturday at the Columbia City branch, and the Sunday walk picks up at the Broadview branch the next morning. The schedule is below if you’d like to jump in, and keep your eyes peeled on Sunday for the group making their way from Magnolia between roughly 1:30pm and 2pm, stopping at our branch by 2pm, then winding their way to Fremont.
Updated - route info from the group:
We’ll be working our way up Dravis from Magnolia and then through Queen Anne to the Aurora Bridge.
Saturday, March 2nd:
1. Columbia (7:30am) 2. New Holly (8:10am) 3. Rainier Beach (8:50am) 4. South Park (10:30am) 5. Southwest (11:40am) 6. High Point (12:20pm) 7. Delridge (12:45pm) 8. West Seattle (1:45pm) 9. Beacon Hill (3:30pm) 10. Madrona-Sally Goldmark (4:45pm) 11. Douglass-Truth (5:10pm) 12. International District/Chinatown (5:40pm) 13. Central Library (5:50pm)
Sunday, March 3rd:
1. Broadview (7:30am) 2. Lake City (8:20am) 3. Northgate (9:00am) 4. Northeast (10:00am) 5. Greenlake (10:40am) 6. Greenwood (11:10am) 7. Ballard (12:00pm) 8. Magnolia (1:00pm) 9. Queen Anne (2:00pm) 10. Fremont (2:45pm) 11. Wallingford (3:10pm) 12. University (3:40pm) 13. Montlake (4:30pm) 14. Capitol Hill (5:20pm) 15. Central Library (5:50pm)
Earlier this month, Feet First hosted a Stairway Walks Day that included a SW Queen Anne Stairway Walk that sold out overnight. Granted, there were only 20 spots – but other neighborhoods had openings up to the day of the event. We all love our hidden and not-so-hidden stairways, and they’re apparently popular with visitors to our neighborhood as well.
Now’s your chance to showcase our stairways via an art & photo contest hosted by Feet First. Photographers and artists of all ages and experience levels can submit their two-dimensional art and photos with finalists’ work exhibited in Nord Alley behind Feet First’s Pioneer Square office during the First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square on April 4th from 5pm-8pm.
Adults will compete in the categories of Traditional Art, Photography, and Digital Art and kids will compete in age groups (Grades K-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12). Judges will be from The American Institute of Architects Seattle, City of Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, 4Culture, Seattle Parks & Recreation, and Neighborhood House. The public will also vote for a People’s Choice Award during the First Thursday Pioneer Square Art Walk. Winners will be announced at 6pm on April 4th in the Nord Alley.
The entry deadline is March 15th, with finalists chosen and notified by March 28th. In addition to the award announcement on April 4th, winners will be highlighted on the Feet First website and their artwork will be on display in Nord Alley through the end of May.
Contest rules and an application form are available online.
You don’t have to limit yourself to Queen Anne, but wouldn’t it be great to see our staircases in the final exhibition? Get out your cameras, sketchpads, and easles and start capturing our staircases as art!
You may have come across a striking photography exhibit at the Seattle Center late last year, featuring large portraits of young entrepreneurs that are making a difference.
Looking Forward: the new heroes installation included 15 life-size portraits of young, local entrepreneurs and was commissioned as part of The Next Fifty celebration of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. If you missed it, the installation is now on view at the Washington State Convention Center through April 2nd – you have another chance to see the work of Davis Freeman, an internationally known, Queen Anne-based artist.
Davis Freeman’s work highlights 15 young social entrepreneurs from around the world via life-size portraits on brushed aluminum that celebrate their lives and work. Through these portraits, Davis’ exhibit tells the story of how these people are the “super heroes of our time”, who identify a problem, make it right, and leave a lasting positive impact. Among the images, you can also spot his signature portrait style, a triptych alongside 12 individual portraits.
The project began in July 2011 with the selection of the subjects – Davis read dozens of bios to identify the final subjects who have received recognition for their work.
“I had to work with a limited exhibition space and had less than nine months to pull together the project. I was very interested in a balance of diversity and people who had the right kind of energy. A subject’s energy, personality, and spirit always show in a good portrait. These are interesting, well rounded young adults with great heart, individual style, and a strong sense of responsibility.”
The subjects in Davis’ installation include some Queen Anne connections as well – Brad Gillis and Ben Friedman are the co-owners of HomeGrown, located on the corner of Boston and Queen Anne Ave N; Lauren Burman owns Material Good, a Queen Anne-based business that sells Little Shirley ceramic vases, with proceeds supporting cancer research.
Brad Gillis and Ben Friedman Courtesy of Davis Freeman
Lauren Burman Courtesy of Davis Freeman
The exhibition is on display now through April 2, 2013 at the Washington State Convention Center (view Level 2, North Gallery, 800 Convention Place).
Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude… romance, dark comedy, uplifting sentiments, and a Cat Stevens soundtrack – a perfect way to spend Valentine’s Day!
At the special SIFF Valentine’s Day showing, there will be tragic-romantic candy hearts and prizes for the couples with the biggest age gap. And well if you want to sing out, sing out, there’s a pre-show Cat Stevens sing along.
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The Seattle Pacific University Theatre is kicking off its production of David Mamet’s The Frog Prince this Tuesday on the Backstage Theatre of McKinley Hall.
