To attract new audiences to live theater in the Puget Sound region, four North End theater groups will offer free tickets and host special events as part of Live Theatre Week.
From Oct. 16 through 22, participating theaters throughout the city will open their doors to the public, offering access to rehearsals, special meet-the-artist events, receptions and behind-the-scenes tours.
New this year, Theatre Puget Sound, the coordinator of Live Theatre Week, will also present Theatre Communications Group's national Free Night of Theatre.
The theaters will offer a select number of free tickets to attend a certain performance, making their theater available to both new patrons and the economically challenged.
In total, 36 companies throughout the Puget Sound region will offer complimentary tickets, which equals about $58,000 worth of tickets, according to Sam Read, membership and programs manager of Theatre Puget Sound.
Participating North End theaters include Taproot Theatre, Seattle Public Theater, The University of Washington's School of Drama and Wing-It Productions.
Free performances
Greenwood's Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., will offer 40 free tickets to the Oct. 19 performance of George Bernard Shaw's romantic comedy, "Arms and the Man" at 7:30 p.m. Taproot's road company also will have a performance of its elementary- and secondary-school assemblies "Star Power" and "Witness," addressing bullying prevention, at the Woodland Park Zoo's Education Center Auditorium on Oct. 14.
"We really value the community and feel that live theater is a real benefit to the community," said Marie Frederickson, Taproot's community relations manager. "We encourage anyone who hasn't been to live theater to attend and participate."
Green Lake's Seattle Public Theater, 7312 W. Green Lake Dr. N., will offer free tickets to its present production of Harold Pinter's drama about sexual infidelity, "Betrayal," on Oct. 19 through 22 at 7:30 p.m. The theater group also will also an open tour of its facility on Oct. 16.
The University of Washington's School of Drama will offer free admission to its Oct. 19 production of Mikhail Bulgakov's comedy "Black Snow" at the Penthouse Theater, located on campus. The play, which begins at 7:30 p.m., tells the story of a young writer whose failed novel is made into a play by a successful Moscow theater.
Wing-It Productions, 5510 University Way N.E., in the University District, will give away 100 free tickets to its Oct. 19, 8 p.m. performance of "Clues," an improvised murder mystery.
"We need to get more people aware of what we do and what we are," said Andrew McMasters, artistic director of Wing-It Productions. "I think this is a fantastic event to make people aware of the fantastic theater we have in Seattle."
Wing-It Productions participated in Live Theatre Week last year, when it began as a result of a Seattle City Council proclamation to dedicate one week a year to live theaters.
"There is a great deal more participation [this time around]," Read said. "This year, it's actually pretty enormous, and it's really exciting to have these theaters open[ing] their doors to the public and reaching out to the community."
The launch
Theatre Puget Sound will launch Live Theatre Week on Sunday, Oct. 1, with a party at Seattle Center's Fisher Pavilion, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Patrons can register for Free Night tickets before the on-line registration goes live on Oct. 5. For more information, call Theatre Puget Sound, at 770-0370, or visit www. seattleperforms.com or www.freenightof theater.net.[[In-content Ad]]
