Seattle Shakes Announce A 4 Show 2019-20 Season Including “Macbeth” and “The Tempest”

March 18, 2019• byMichael Strangeways

Macbeth is one of 4 plays scheduled for Seattle Shakespeare Company’s 2019/20 season. Image: Shakespeare Center of L.A.

They’re gonna be short a show for 2019/2020.

Seattle Shakespeare Company announced the line-up for the 2019/2020 season and instead of their “normal” 5 show indoor season, the venerable theater company best know (obviously but not entirely) for their productions of Shakespeare works, will only be doing 4 shows.

Reason given: inability to find a venue that works with their schedule. Seattle Shakes shares “custody” of the theater space with a billion names….the lower level theater at the Center House/Armory/Food Circus at Seattle Center…with Book-It Repertory Theatre. At least once a season, Shakes needs to find another home for one of their productions. In the past, the company has used the Cornish Theater/old Intiman space over on the Mercer Street side of Seattle Center as well as the smaller Leo K. theater at Seattle Rep, also on the Center’s campus.

Apparently, none of those spaces would work for the next season so Shakes will be producing 3 plays by Shakespeare and one non-Shakes. The actual Shakespearean productions will include re-visits to popular plays Macbeth in the spring of 2020 and Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest performed this fall. A rarely performed Troilus and Cressida will complete the trio of works by Shakespeare while the 18^th century British comedy The Rivals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, will be staged in January of 2020 with all four shows being staged at the Center House space.

Already announced: Seattle Shakes’ Wooden O free “Shakespeare in the Park” shows, Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet.

The full press release:

SEATTLE, WA – Characters at the crossroads of love, power, war, or forgiveness populate Seattle Shakespeare Company’s upcoming season just announced by Artistic Director George Mount. Plans for the company’s 2019-2020 season include The Tempest, The Rivals, Troilus and Cressida, and Macbeth. “Each of these plays in their own way has a moment when it comes down to a singular choice,” said Mount. “The course of the action is set by that defining decision out of which things will never be the same.”

The company previously announced its selection for the free Wooden O summer 2018 park shows: Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet.

In the spring of 2019 Seattle Shakespeare Company will tour 90-minute, small cast productions of Hamlet (a bilingual English/Spanish adaptation) and Romeo and Juliet to schools and venues across Washington State.

Seattle Shakespeare Company’s indoor season has been shortened from five to four mainstage productions for the 2019-2020 season. “As a theatre company without a permanent home, we have to rely on and negotiate with organizations that have stages. While we made every effort to try to secure a fifth venue for this season, we just were not able to make it happen,” said Managing Director John Bradshaw. “Either space wasn’t available at the times that we needed to produce, wasn’t suitable to our needs, or venues weren’t able to commit.” Seattle Shakespeare Company has produced a 5-play indoor season since 2014. All plays in the 2019-2020 indoor season will perform at the Center Theatre at Seattle Center.

“To accompany the four play mainstage season, I’m working on lining up three one-person shows from national/internationally renowned Shakespeare performers who will give their unique and personal perspectives on performing and living with Shakespeare,” said Mount. Artists, dates, and venues for the series will be announced at a later date.

Seattle Shakespeare Company will launch their new season with The Tempest directed by Annie Lareau, co-artistic director at Seattle Public Theater. “Personally, The Tempest is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays,” said Mount. “Every time I see it, or work on it, or read it, I get hopeful about people and our power to change and let go of what may be holding us back.” The Tempest will perform October 15 – November 10, 2019.

Mount will direct the 18^th century comedy The Rivals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan January 7- February 2, 2020. “The Rivals is a celebration of wit and language,” said Mount. “Goofy characters skewer romantic expectations in an utterly charming way. Audiences will see shades of As You Like It and The Merry Wives of Windsor in the play, as well as see the roots of Oscar Wilde and Shaw. I’m really looking forward to getting silly with Sheridan’s broad characters and circumstances.”

John Langs, artistic director at ACT Theatre, returns to Seattle Shakespeare Company to stage Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida. “This is going to be a play that most people aren’t familiar with or haven’t seen, but it’s one that Langs has wanted to do for some time,” said Mount. “This is an anti-war war play, and an unromantic romance wrapped up in a chunk of time out of Homer’s The Illiad. The thorniness of this play is so intriguing, and, in the hands of John Langs, I know it will be an event worth seeing.” Troilus and Cressidawill perform March 17-April 12, 2020.

“2020 is going to be a very fraught, political year,” said Mount. “Misplaced ambition and the price of power exact a heavy toll in this play. Desdemona Chiang has knocked it out of the park for us with her stagings of Measure for Measure and The Merchant of Venice. While I don’t think her view of Macbeth will be overtly political, it will be a timely and worthy look at the consequences of abusing power for personal gain. And hopefully scary.” Macbeth will play April 21-May 17, 2020.

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 2020 Hamlet 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 Twelfth Night and Romeo and Julietwill perform in parks throughout the region from July 11 through August 11, 2019. The full schedule of dates and venues is available on the company’s website.

Season ticket packages will go on sale April 23 and range from $88 to $176 for all four 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 2019

Twelfth Night

Directed by Mary Machala
July 11 – August 11, 2019

Shakespeare’s great comedy of love lost and found in a land where passions overtake reason and nobody is quite what they seem.

Romeo and Juliet

Directed by Leah Adcock-Starr

July 11 – August 11, 2019

Shakespeare’s most famous story of love at first sight where two young people taught to hate each other risk everything to be together

2018-2019 INDOOR SEASON

The Tempest

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Annie Lareau
October 15-November 10, 2019
Performed at the Center Theatre

Shakespeare’s final masterpiece of revenge, family, and forgiveness set in a world of magic and spirits.

The Rivals

By Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Directed by George Mount
January 7 – February 2, 2020
Performed at the Center Theatre

An 18^th Century delight filled with extravagant characters and hilarious circumstances that proves just how far to go to capture the elusive magic of true love.

Troilus and Cressida

By William Shakespeare
Directed by John Langs
March 17-April 12, 2020
Performed at the Center Theatre

A rare chance to see Shakespeare’s savage and bitterly funny condemnation of the follies of war told through the eyes of two passionate lovers.

Macbeth

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Desdemona Chiang
April 21-May 17, 2020
Performed at the Center Theatre

Shakespeare’s dark tale of ambition, consequences, and witchcraft.

SPRING TOUR 2020

Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Ana Maria Campoy
March-May 2020

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.