Shelley Dean

With every new year, theatergoers feel the excitement of the holiday-themed work produced around Seattle. They anxiously await retellings of their favorite sentimental stories and new works each year. Every once in a while, a new, fresh take on the holiday season debuts, evoking feelings deep inside that we had kept locked away for the past 11 months.  

Successful immersive theater is a difficult-to-achieve, yet, extremely sought-after experience. There’s a classic elegance to a completely seated, stationery work of art, and there’s modern excitement that comes with an interactive show. 

Friendships are one of the most valuable currencies we experience in our lifetimes. Whether you cherish those friends you've known since kindergarten or have found yourself surrounded by people you've met later in life and can't believe you went so long without, we all know what it's like to feel that unique, priceless type of love. The unexpected friendships are sometimes the best we ever get; they teach us things about ourselves we never would have noticed. The story of 'My Lord, What a Night!' is no different. Running now until October 19 at Taproot Theatre, this play from Deborah Brevoort, beautifully directed by Bretteney Beverly, is one I strongly encourage you not to miss.

Digesting art that clearly portrays substantial and timely topics, such as the dynamics of power and its abuse, is paramount. From movies, books, and plays, this highly important topic has been in the news and conversation cycle lately. Cowboys With Questions, penned by local playwright Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth, is no different. The show, meticulously directed by Suz Pontillo, runs from now until September 15 at 12 AVE ARTS.

Quite a few factors contribute to a great show, and they vary for each audience member. Vietgone is one of those rare productions that caters to a diverse audience seeking comedy, romance, and thoughtful reflection. The second Seattle production of Vietgone, written by Qui Nguyen and directed with heart by Mimi Katano, has opened at Theatre Off Jackson. Co-produced by Pork Filled Productions and SIS Productions, this show runs until August 24, and it’s one you don’t want to miss.

Are you a good person? Does anyone truly know if they are? Countless factors go into deciding such a weighted answer, for a lot of people, politics plays a large role. 53% Of is a direct work of art that attempts to answer that question, paying special attention to that factor. The show, wittingly directed by Shermona Mitchell & Teresa Thuman has opened at Center Theatre at Seattle Center.

We’ve all probably heard the story of Cupid and Psyche, a forbidden love that faces a greater-than-average amount of challenges, but in this day and age, is it really more than average? The new musical extravaganza, Venus & the Vixens: Games of Love, rockingly conceived, written, and directed by Martha Enson, and in collaboration with EnJoy Productions, is now playing at Emerald City Trapeze Arts.

There are countless modern retellings of historical events out there, I could name twenty right now, but Unrivaled does it differently, in a fresh way that deserves to be talked about. The co-production from Seattle Public Theater and SIS Productions is running from now until June 2 at Seattle Public Theater.

The biggest challenge of pulling off a show such as Romeo and Juliet is finding new ways to keep the audience interested when we all know what happens. If you’re going to put on a production of a play that has been endlessly adapted, performed, and studied for longer than any of us have been around, it has to be fresh and exciting. Fortunately, Seattle Shakespeare’s production of the famed work does just that. Innovatively directed by Sheila Daniels, the reimagined production of Romeo and Juliet is now playing at Center Theatre at Seattle Center.

History is often rewritten in a way that is easier to digest, leading to hundreds of years of misinformation and erasure of the struggles of marginalized and persecuted groups. Artfully directed by Steve Sneed, Intiman Theatre has officially opened the world premiere of The Lion Tells His Tale, the first staged production of Delbert Richardson’s nationally recognized and multi-award-winning traveling museum, The “Unspoken” Truths.

You may need to bring your own tissues for this one. Taproot Theatre Company has opened its production of Bill Cain’s play, How to Write a New Book for the Bible. The 4-person cast, artfully directed by Bretteney Beverly, tells the harrowing and heart-wrenching story beautifully. 

Best friends, betrayals, love, and lust - Keiko Green’s new work, The Bed Trick, has it all. Seattle Shakespeare's first new commissioned work is set to be a complete hit. Skillfully directed by Makaela Milburn, the dorm window blinds have opened at the Center Theatre at Seattle Center.

It takes a special group of actors and a stellar production crew to turn a show infamously known as one of Stephen Sondheim's biggest “flops” into a hit. Luckily for Seattle audiences, Reboot Theatre has opened a fresh, spunky, and wildly entertaining production of Anyone Can Whistle. Hilariously directed by Jasmine Joshua, the chaos-filled show is now playing at Theatre Off Jackson. 

How far back can you remember? When you were 10? 5? Do you remember the day you were born? Probably not. That is what makes the subject of D.W. Gregory’s Memoirs of a Forgotten Man so incredible, he can. Thalia’s Umbrella’s productions of the four-person play, masterfully directed by Terry Edward Moore and housed at 12th Avenue Arts, has officially opened, and this is one you truly don’t want to miss…or forget.

Seattle Public Theater is currently hosting the world premiere of Maggie Lee’s play, Once More, Just For You, directed by Amy Poisson. With a three-person cast and a homemade time travel machine, this show could be of particular interest to Seattle’s sci-fi fans. 

This weekend, Intiman Theatre and The Seagull Project opened their outstanding, heart-wrenching, and purposefully uncomfortable production of Maxim Gorky’s The Lower Depths. Housed at the Erickson Theater, the extremely cohesive 14-person cast takes the audience on a journey that is intertwined with effective social commentary and award-worthy performances.

Village Theatre has welcomed a new show and a new Doctor to the stage this weekend. With a set that can’t leave your mind after stepping out of the Issaquah theater, and a leading lady who steals the show (good news, since she’s the only one in it), Becoming Dr. Ruth is a labor of love and arduous work by all those involved. 

Stephen Schwartz will join Long Island Musical Theatre Festival this year as a guest artist, where the students will put on productions of PIPPIN and GODSPELL

Don't miss out on this dazzling performance of KINKY BOOTS running now through July 3rd. This is one show you won't want to miss.

Port Jefferson’s Theatre Three has cracked open their hairspray cans, turned on their radios, and opened up an absolutely fabulous production of Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias running now through May 7.