A high chance of rain didn’t stop Intiman’s “Homecoming: Performing Arts Festival’’ celebration on Capitol Hill last weekend. In fact, development and communications director Wesley Frugé called the weather “a wonderful way” to welcome the Intiman Theatre into its new space at the Erickson Theatre on Harvard Avenue.
“Intiman did not have a home theater for the past 5 years,” said Frugé, explaining the move. “Our offices were at Seattle Center but we produced all around town in different locations for every show.”
Fury-fueled crowds of chanting protestors, clever and insightful picket signs, and collective action to transform or eradicate unjust laws and cultural practices — this is how many see social justice. But when Intiman Theatre began to look for a new home and contemplated how they could advance their mission, they imagined how social justice could be advanced by backstage storytellers — costume designers, lighting designers, sound riggers, set builders, and other technical theatre artists. The answer was a two-year Associate of Arts degree in Technical Theatre for Social Justice (AA-TTSJ) and a partnership with Seattle Central College (SCC). But what does that mean, exactly? Who can participate? And what does social justice in technical theatre really look like? During our telephone interview, Intiman’s Educational Director, Dr. M. Crystal Yingling, gave a sneak peek into the program.
Barbecue, by satirist and playwright Robert O’Hara, is a play full of twisty turns, politics, tons of f-bombs, and the kind of dark comedy you’re not sure if you should laugh or grimace at. One (of only two) full-scale productions put on byIntiman Theatrefor their 2017 season, the play is quick-witted, inappropriately appropriate, and an experience you won’t likely forget. It opened in Seattle last week at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, under the direction of Malika Oyetimein who previously directed O’Hara’s Bootycandy for Intiman in 2015.Continue reading Robert O’ Hara’s Satirical Barbecue is Inappropriately Appropriate→
Prior to 2 weeks ago, when I met with Intiman Theatre’s Artistic Director Andrew Russell, I’d never heard of Alice Childress. I admitted this fact to him with some embarrassment. He assured me that, unfortunately, I was not alone in my ignorance calling the incomparable Black playwright “the Tennessee Williams you should have heard of.” Continue reading Wedding Band: Alice Childress’ Brilliance Shines on Intiman Stage→
Amplifying the Authentic Narratives of South Seattle
