Tuesday, October 14, 2008

ANNEX THEATRE OPENS 22nd SEASON WITH THE MOON IS A DEAD WORLD

ANNEX THEATRE OPENS 22nd SEASON WITH "THE MOON IS A DEAD WORLD" by Mike Daisey

DIRECTED BY: Christopher Comte
RUN DATES: Opening Night, Friday, October 17, 2008, through November 15, 2008.
CURTAIN: 8:00 p.m. all performances
VENUE: Annex Theatre, 1100 E Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98122
PRICING: $12, $7 for seniors & military, $5 for students (with ID)
PWYC PERFORMANCE: Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25.
WEBSITE & TICKET INFORMATION: http://www.annextheatre.org
HIGH-RES PRESS PHOTOS: http://www.annextheatre.org/shows/moon_world/press_photos/
PRESS CONTACT: Alex Harris (206) 919-3484, alex.harris@annextheatre.org

*****
(Seattle, WA) Annex Theatre Company begins its 22nd season of production with the world premiere of The Moon is a Dead World written by Mike Daisey and directed by Christopher Comte. The Moon is a Dead World opens on Friday, October 17, 2008, 8:00 p.m. curtain, and runs through November 15, 2008 at Annex Theatre located at 1100 East Pike Street, on Seattle’s Capitol Hill.

This first play by acclaimed monologuist Mike Daisey weaves a vision of the brutal history of the Soviet space program with an unbelievable premise: a dead cosmonaut is called back down to Earth on a radio wave when Americans in a remote Arctic base hear the beating of his dying heart. A dark and hilarious fairy tale set against the Cold War, it asks what we risk in the struggle between will and humanity, and what it means to love beyond death itself. Playwright Mike Daisey has been called “the master storyteller” and “one of the finest solo performers of his generation” by the New York Times for his groundbreaking monologues which weave together autobiography, gonzo journalism, and unscripted performance to tell hilarious and heartbreaking stories that cut to the bone, exposing secret histories and unexpected connections.

His monologues, fourteen and counting, include the controversial How Theater Failed America, the six-hour epic Great Men of Genius, the unrepeatable series All Stories Are Fiction, and the international sensation 21 Dog Years. Over the past decade he has performed his unique extemporaneous monologues at venues such as the Public Theater, American Repertory Theatre, the Spoleto Festival, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the Cherry Lane Theatre, Yale Repertory Theater, the Noorderzon Festival, the T:BA Festival, Performance Space 122, and many more. He’s been a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman, a commentator for PRI’s Studio 360 and NPR’s Day To Day, a contributor to WIRED, Slate and Salon, a web contributor to Vanity Fair and Radar Magazine, and his work has been heard on the BBC, NPR, and the National Lampoon Comedy Hour. His first film, Layover, is being distributed by Lars von Trier’s company Zentropa, and he stars in the Lawrence Krauser feature Horrible Child. His first book, 21 Dog Years: A Cubedweller’s Tale, was published by the Free Press and he is working on a second book, Great Men of Genius, adapted from his monologues about genius and megalomania in the lives of Bertolt Brecht, P.T. Barnum, Nikola Tesla, and L. Ron Hubbard. He has been the recipient of the Bay Area Critics Circle Award, two Seattle Times Footlight Awards, and a MacDowell Fellowship. He lives in New York City with his director and collaborator, Jean-Michele Gregory.

The Moon Is A Dead World is his first play. Director Christopher Comte is a 23-year veteran of the Pacific Northwest theatre community and has held a wide range of positions within the industry including acting, directing, producing, stage managing, sound and properties design, marketing and publicity, and administrative. As a performer he has worked with The 5th Avenue, Village, and Bathhouse Theatres, Spokane Interplayers, Boomer Classics, ArtsWest, Theater Schmeater, and Annex Theatre, among many others. Directing assignments include productions for Bricolage, Theater Schmeater, Theatre Babylon, The Mystery Café, and Snoqualmie Falls Theatre. He currently serves as Membership Director for the Seattle local of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), as Site Coordinator for the Kevin Hadley Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program for Performing Artists, and as Facilities Manager for Annex Theatre. The Moon is a Dead World features the talent of Jack Hamblin, Pamala Mijatov, Zachariah Robinson, and Clayton Weller. Meaghan Darling is the Stage Manager. Annex Theatre wishes to acknowledge the generous contributions of 4 Culture, Flintridge Foundation, Microsoft Corporation, The Seattle Foundation, The Boeing Company, ActiveMac, and the Mayor's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs for their support of this production.

*****
ABOUT ANNEX THEATRE: The company members of Annex Theatre, a democratic collective, continue their 22nd season by dedicating themselves to "creating bold new work in an environment of improbability, resourcefulness and risk." Since Annex opened in its former home on 4th Avenue, the theater has produced hundreds of world and Northwest premieres,including new plays by Stranger Genius Award winners Chris Jeffries and Paul Mullin; dozens of local playwrights, including Jeff Resta, Kelleen Conway Blanchard, Keri Healey, Scot Augustson, John Kaufmann, Elizabeth Heffron, Heidi Heimarck, and Suzanne Maynard; and nationally recognized playwrights such as Erik Ehn, Naomi Iizuka, Glen Berger, Anne Washburn, Jeffrey Jones, and Nicky Silver. Former Annex company members ("alumni") can be found throughout the Seattle arts scene (including former Artistic Director of the Empty Space Allison Narver, Executive Director of Town Hall Weir Harman, Development Director for Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra Josef Krebs, and Education Director of Seattle Repertory Theatre Andrea Allen) and in local and national film (directors SJ Chiro, Garrett Bennett, and Mike Shapiro; actors Jillian Armenante and Paul Giamatti). In addition to new plays, Annex produces radical reinterpretations of classic scripts, ensemble-generated performances, and non-linear wild-ass spectacles, as well as our monthly late-night variety show Spin the Bottle, now entering its 12th year. Annex has just finished its first year at its new home at 11th & Pike in Capitol Hill. Annex Theatre's Artistic Director is Bret Fetzer

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Wednesday, October 15 – Exposed: Inside Film with composer Bear McCreary at EMP|SFM

Sorry about not posting this sooner. A notice on one of the email lists reminded me about this upcoming event ~ Jim

Wednesday, October 15 – Exposed: Inside Film with composer Bear McCreary at EMP|SFM

Enjoy an evening with Bear McCreary, the popular composer for the re-imagined series of Battlestar Galactica, as well as Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. McCreary will be showing clips from these series and discussing how his scores enrich the characters and plotlines of the shows. Warren Etheredge will host the evening.

Revolution Bar & Grill is pleased to offer a film-themed happy hour before the screening. Stop by the restaurant to mingle and take advantage of appetizer and drink specials from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Time: Happy Hour: 5:30 p.m. - Screening: 7 p.m.

Venue: EMP|SFM, 325 5th Avenue North

Tickets: Free to EMP|SFM and The Warren Report members; $5 general public. Reserved seats unclaimed 10 minutes prior to the event are subject to be released to the wait list.

Information: Call 206-770-2702 or 1-877-EMP-SFM1

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Zombie Walk News!

Here is some news from Seattle Zombie Walk for you to nibble on!

October 11th Sat.4pm till Midnight
Revenant Magazine Zombie Film Festival
at MOHAI in McCurdy Park

There are some great films lined up for this year. You can find more info and watch trailers at www.revenantfilmfest.com. This year, there will be a spectacle of shambling costume oriented zombie activity focused close around the venue but no Zombie Walk. The area by the canal, field and surrounding brush and trees is a fabulous setting to try filming your own little scenes, stage some gory photographs, performance art etc. This is also a great place to park/show off the tricked out hearses, ambulances and grizzly vehicles I know some of you have. Please contact cleozombie@gmail.com for help with executing your zombie shenanigans.

Oct 25th, Sat.10-11:30am
Thriller dance downtown!
(exact Location not yet established)

A Worldwide Simultaneous Dance of Michael Jackson’s THRILLER For World Record Attempt & Charity Fundraising in Seattle.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's Thriller music video which was released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis. On Oct 25th Seattle Zombies and Zombies from 80 groups in 15 countries will gather to perform the Thriller dance at the exact same moment.

Website: http://www.seattlethrillers.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/seattlethrillers

The Thriller dance is fun and easy to learn. It takes an hour to become familiar with the individual steps and another hour to put them together into the routine. The Thrill the World website has free online videos that teach the dance and Seattle Thrillers is hosting weekly local rehearsals in Seattle and on the Eastside.
In addition to building community and having a great time, Seattle Thrillers is using the project as an opportunity to raise money for ROOTS (Rising out of the Shadows) which is a homeless shelter for teens and young adults in the University District of Seattle.

Oct 26th 4:00pm
4th Annual Seattle Zombie Walk
West Seattle

Yea yeah, we like it in Fremont……but it’s become a parade. I like the idea of invading small town America. Where else has that feel in Seattle than California Ave in West Seattle. Let’s case down some fresh meat for our rotting bodies…..
Here is the rough plan…….We gather at the Rite Aid just south of the Alaska junction to amass the horde. There is a big parking lot there and lots of free residential parking all around that area. Plus the 55, 54, 21 and 22 buses go straight to the California Alaska junction. The 54 will drop folks off directly at the Rite Aid on California.

We could then shamble around the junction and Jefferson square which would be great places for a Zombie Marching Band to appear or maybe the hazmat suit guys want to come out again and attempt to keep the crowd “safe”.  Then we trek up California to the Admiral Junction which is about a mile away and end up at the toward the movie theater and try Zombie kareoke, bowling, riding the ferry to Vashon or just disperse.
From that point on Admiral Junction, the buses that go downtown are 56, 57 and 55.

More info TBA. http://www.livejournal.com/users/cleozombie (how to's, inspiration, planning)
http://www.myspace.com/seattlezombiewalk

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Pure Speculation in Edmonton

Pure Speculation Festival
October 18th-19th, 2008
Hazeldean Community Hall
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
http://www.purespec.org

Pure Speculation Festival is Edmonton's one and only sci-fi and fantasy festival! Each year we bring Edmonton's geeks the very best of what they love the most. Panels, demonstrations, readings, games: we have it all!

Registration:
Prices at the door are as follows:
Weekend Pass: $15.00
Saturday Pass:$10.00
Sunday Pass: $10.00
Costume Shindig only: $10.00

Guests:
Robert J. Sawyer - Author Guest of Honour
Monte Cook - Gaming Guest of Honour
Herman Lau - Artist Guest of Honour
Diane Walton - Managing Editor, On Spec
Robin S. Carson - Editor, On Spec
Tracy Cooper-Posey - Writer
Barb Galler-Smith - Author
Thomas Wharton - Writer
Minister Faust - Author
Stephanie Chan - Broadsword Comics
Minister Faust - Author
Steven Sadowski - Marvel/DC
Dean Welsh - Marvel Comics
Alina Pete - Creator, Weregeek!
Brian Hades - Owner, EDGE Publishing
Jennifer Hepler - Writer, BioWare Corp
Ty Templeton - Artist/Writer
Steve Rolston - Artist, Queen & Country
Sharon Wildwind - Writer/Nurse
Susan MacGregor - Writer

First and foremost, Pure Speculation is a sci-fi and fantasy festival, run by geeks for geeks. We aren't a corporate entity taking advantage of geek chic to make a quick buck. We are as passionate about this hobby as you are, and our planning team runs the gamut of geekdom, from literature, film and art, to gaming and computers. So we know what you want to see, because hey: we want to see it too!

Our goal is to bring you the best events, guests, and shows we can, year after year. And that is really the key. We plan to be running this festival for a very long time, and we plan our yearly event with longevity in mind.

Ursula K.Le Guin reads in Olympia this Friday

I just snagged this item off of one of the local SF lists. Many thanks to Michael Citrak for posting this ~ Jim


Ursula K.Le Guin reads in Olympia this Friday

http://www.washingtoncenter.org/season/season_detail.asp?event_id=1058

Friday October 10, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts - Stage I

This is a *free* event and open to the public

Ursula K. Le Guin, renowned Pacific Northwest author, will read from "A Wizard of Earthsea", the first novel of the award-winning "Earthsea" series. Questions will be taken from the audience following the performance, which is part of "Timberland Reads Together" a partnership of Timberland Regional Library and "The Big Read", an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.

See her web site for other locations: http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Calendar/index.html