Seattle Shakes Announces 18/19 Season Including An All Female “Richard III” With upstart crow collective

March 14, 2018• byMichael Strangeways

Seattle Shakespeare Company became the latest local theater group to announce their 2018/2019 season…apparently, March is now the “go to” month for such announcements as Village Theatre and the 5th Avenue Theatre both just announced their seasons and Seattle Rep will release theirs next week.

Seattle Shakes has a variety of shows planned for 18/19…including two shows that aren’t from the quill of The Bard himself. Oliver Goldsmith’s 18th century farce, She Stoops To Conquer and George Bernard Shaw’s Arms & The Man will both get stagings in the new season. The rarely produced All’s Well That Ends Well will be staged by veteran area director Victor Pappas in January of 2019 while local actor/director Kelly Kitchens will put her spin on the popular comedy As You Like It in April and May of next year.

Shakes will once again partner up with the all female theater collective upstart crow (lowercase deliberate) to present a sequel to last season’s hugely popular joint production of three of Shakespeare’s history plays that chronicled the War of the Roses into a mega two part opus they titled Bring Down The House. Reprising her role as the diabolical Richard of Gloucester from that production will be actor Sarah Hartlett in the title role in Richard III which will open the 2018/19 season at Seattle Repertory Theatre’s Leo K. Theatre in September of this year.

Here’s the full release with info on all the mainstage shows plus their popular outdoor summer productions and state wide traveling shows.

Sarah Hartlett will star as RICHARD III in all female production of the play produced by Seattle Shakespeare Company and upstart crow collective in September of 2018

SEATTLE, WA – Classical plays with strong female leads make up Seattle Shakespeare Company’s upcoming season just announced by Artistic Director George Mount. Plans for the company’s 2018-2019 season include Richard III, Arms and the Man, All’s Well That Ends Well, She Stoops to Conquer, and As You Like It. “The thematic narrative for the shows is All’s Fair in Love and War,” said Mount. “Each of the plays has something to say about the efforts that people go through to get what they want either in the field of combat or the field of romance.”

The company previously announced its selection for the free Wooden O summer 2018 park shows: King Lear and The Merry Wives of Windsor.

In the spring of 2019 Seattle Shakespeare Company will tour Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet to schools and venues across Washington State.

“Even though some of these plays deal with heavy subjects as well as compelling ideas, I felt that it was time for a bit of theatre escapism,” said Mount. “This season is more of a way to let ourselves be entertained, distracted, elevated, absolved, or removed from the daily headlines.”

Following up on the success in 2017 of Bring Down the House, a two-part adaptation Shakespeare’s Henry VI trilogy, Seattle Shakespeare Company will partner again with upstart crow collective to finish out the final chapter in the Wars of the Roses with Richard III. “The compelling nature of that production and the riveting performance of Sarah Harlett as Richard of Gloucester made it too irresistible not to produce Richard III,” said Mount. Rosa Joshi will direct an all-female staging of the rise and downfall of Shakespeare’s most cunning villain. Richard III will perform at the Leo K. Theatre September 12-October 7, 2018.

“Shaw is so great at popping the bubble of our conventional notions. I’m glad his words and ideas will be back on our stage,” said Mount. Arms and the Man is a story about romantic love and about the romantic notions of war and valor. “It’s a near perfect comedy. It’s so charming it’s so funny, and it unfolds in such a delightful and unexpected ways. I’m excited to welcome David Armstrong, outgoing Artistic Director at the 5^th Avenue Theatre, into the fold of our family to direct this show.” Arms and the Man will perform at the Center Theatre October 23-November 18, 2018.

Director Victor Pappas, who staged the company’s productions of The Importance of Being Earnest and Mrs. Warren’s Profession, returns to direct All’s Well That Ends Well. “This is a play that Victor really, really wanted to do. It was on his ‘bucket list!’” said Mount. “I know Victor will bring his thoughtful care to this often challenging comedy. All’s Well That Ends Well will perform at the Center Theatre January 8-February 3, 2019

“This is a play I’ve wanted to produce for quite some time, and director Makaela Pollock and I have batted around the best time to bring it to the stage. This is the season,” said Mount. “She Stoops to Conquer is probably the funniest of the Restoration comedies. While it does have disguises, mistaken identities, and goofy characters, it’s really more about the wile, charm, and intelligence of some of the characters. Well, that and some really ridiculous situations and bawdy jokes. It’s an absolute delight.” She Stoops to Conquer will perform at the Center Theatre March 19-April 14, 2019.

“We’ve had such great times with Kelly Kitchens as an actor on our stage and recently as director when she created such a exhilarating Medea for us,” said Mount “As You Like It is a play that she’s enamored with. She’s performed in it several times and has long wanted to direct it. Having her back to romp around in the woods in Shakespeare’s comedy is a slam dunk.” As You Like It will perform at the Center Theatre, April 23- May 19, 2019.

The largest audiences for Seattle Shakespeare Company are the more than 16,000 students who get to experience one of the company’s touring productions. Seattle Shakespeare Company’s touring program crisscrosses the state with two 90-minute, 6-actor shows that bring Shakespeare to communities that don’t often see professional productions. During the spring of 2019 Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet will tour to schools and venues from Pullman to Wenatchee to Port Angeles.

Free Shakespeare in the park is now a summer tradition for much of the region. Seattle Shakespeare Company’s Wooden O productions of King Lear and The Merry Wives of Windsor will perform in parks throughout the region from July 12 through August 12, 2018. The full schedule of dates and venues is available on the company’s website.

Season ticket packages will go on sale April 17 and range from $100 to $210 for all five indoor productions. Season ticket packages can be purchased by calling the ticket office at (206) 733-8222 or online at www.seattleshakespeare.org.

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WOODEN O SUMMER 2018

King Lear

Directed by George Mount
July 12-August 12, 2018
Performed in parks throughout the Puget Sound regionAn aging monarch’s last act could destroy his kingdom. After ruling for many years, Lear decides to divide his lands and wealth between his daughters. Overestimating their love and loyalty, Lear finds everything that defined him as a king ripped from his hands. Only after wandering purposeless and tossed about in a storm of pain and madness, the once mighty ruler begins to discover his own humanity.

The Merry Wives of Windsor

Directed by Corey McDaniel
July 12-August 12, 2018
Performed in parks throughout the Puget Sound regionOn the make in the sleepy suburb of Windsor, the fat knight John Falstaff hopes to score a pretty penny by seducing two of the town’s wealthy wives, Mistress Page and Mistress Ford. But it’s the women who know how to play the game better. They soon orchestrate a scheme to scam the scammer. A warm-hearted and antic romp with some of Shakespeare’s most clever and comic characters.

2018-2019 INDOOR SEASON

Richard III

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Rosa Joshi
September 12-October 7, 2018
Performed at the Leo K. Theatre
Produced in partnership with upstart crow collective

A gripping portrait of a cunning villain’s rise and fall from power with an all-female acting company.

Arms and the Man

By George Bernard Shaw
Directed by David Armstrong
October 23-November 18, 2018
Performed at the Center Theatre

Two rival soldiers fight for the heart of an idealistic young woman in Shaw’s charming and witty love triangle.

All’s Well That Ends Well

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Victor Pappas
January 8-February 3, 2019
Performed at the Center Theatre

A young woman pursues her heart’s desire in Shakespeare’s bittersweet comedy, and despite the odds gains a new understanding of love and relationships.

She Stoops to Conquer

By Oliver Goldsmith
Directed by Makaela Pollock
March 19-April 14, 2019
Performed at the Center Theatre

A raucous comedic romp about a practical joke that leads to mistaken identities, and a young woman clever enough to use it to her advantage.

As You Like It

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Kelly Kitchens
April 23- May 19, 2018
Performed at the Center Theatre

Rosalind and Orlando engage in a glorious game of love, lust, and mistaken identities in Shakespeare’s magical forest.

2018 SPRING TOUR

Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Ana Maria Campoy
March-May 2019

Seattle Shakespeare Company’s 90-minute touring productions maintain the beauty of Shakespeare’s language and introduce these dynamic stories in fresh, accessible productions for students across Washington State. Six-person ensembles play multiple parts with quick changes and distinctive character choices that make for a showcase of great acting.

About the Author: Michael Strangeways

As the Editorial Director/Co-Owner, Michael Strangeways writes, edits and does about a million other jobs for Seattle Gay Scene, Puget Sound's most visited LGBTQ news, arts and entertainment website now celebrating its 14th year as a media outlet. A semi-proud Midwesterner by birth, he's lived in Seattle since 2000. He's also a film producer who would like you to check out the Jinkx Monsoon documentary, "Drag Becomes Him" now available on Amazon.com. In his spare time, he gets slightly obsessive about his love for old movies, challenging theater, "otters", vodka, chocolate, "I,Claudius", Lizzie Borden, real books made out of paper, disaster films, show tunes, Weimar era Germany, flea markets, pop surrealistic art, the sex lives of Hollywood actors both living and dead, kitties, chicken fried steak, haute couture and David Bowie. But, not necessarily in that order.