5th Annual LIVE THEATRE WEEK Boasts Record Participation from Area Arts Organizations 10/12-18

Come out & PLAY! October 12th through the 18th when Theatre Puget Sound hosts Live Theatre Week 2009. This 5th Annual Live Theatre Week boasts record participation from Puget Sound area arts organizations with over a dozen new theatres joining in this year with special events and/or Free Night of Theatre offers. First time 2009 Live Theatre Week participants include: ArtsWest, Centerstage, Teatro ZinZanni , UW World Series, The Moonpaper Tent, Youth Theatre NW, Burien Little Theatre, Printers Devil Theater, Seattle Cold Readers, Seattle Playwright's Collective, Sky Performing Arts, The Satori Group and Umbrella Theatre.

This promises to be the biggest Live Theatre Week ever and the excitement begins on October 4th from 12-3 pm, at the Kick Off Event at Fisher Pavillion in Seattle Center, when dozens and dozens of arts organizations will be on site with information, special one-day ticket offers, prizes and discounts. The special discounts listed below are ONLY available to on-site attendees during the 3 hour kick-off event.
2009 Live Theater Week Kick-Off Event Special Offers
Available On Site Only 12-3pm, October 4, 2009

· ACT - Enter to win tickets to Runt of the Litter
· ArtAttack Theatre - $10 tickets
· Balagan Theatre - Season Pass for $70
· Book-It Repertory Theatre - Two-for-one tickets to select performances of The River Why
· Burien Little Theatre - $2 off any 2009 performance.
· Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas - Discount tickets to Rigidigidim de Bamba de: Ruptured Calypso .
· Live Girls! Theater - 2 for 1 tickets to Bone Portraits
· Our American Theater Company - Sign up for the mailing list and get 2 FREE tickets to Angels Fall (06/2010)
· Pacific Northwest Ballet - ½-off Thursday and Friday tix to DIRECTOR'S CHOICE
· Performers' Forge - Discount tickets for Night of the Fights
· Pork Filled Players - 2 for 1 coupons to SpamORama
· Seattle Arts & Lectures - Discount subscription packages to: LiteraryArts Series, Poetry Series & Wed. University courses
· Seattle Children's Theatre - A 2-play "Pan plus one" subscription package
· Seattle Glee Clubs - 1 month free membership in any chorus
· Seattle Musical Theatre - 2 for 1 tickets to any show this season
· Seattle Theatre Group / Broadway Across America - ½ off August: Osage County tickets
· SIFF - 2 for 1 admission to the 10/30 - 11/5 screening of Act of God
· SIS Productions - $2 off regular admission tickets to the October show
· Taproot Theatre - 2 for 1 tickets to Enchanted April
· Teatro ZinZanni - $25 off regular admission tickets
· The Driftwood Players - $2 off any ticket
· Town Hall - Enter to win FREE tickets to Short Stories Live
· Umbrella Theatre - Enter to win 4 pairs of season tickets
· Washington Ensemble Theatre; 2 for 1 tickets to 10/4-10/25 shows to Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom
· Wing-It Productions - 2 for 1 tickets (adult admission only)

2008 saw over 3000 Live Theatre Week participants and reached over 2 million people region wide. 2009 promises to be even bigger. Last year hundreds and hundreds of people lined up around with chairs and blankets at Seattle Center's Fisher Pavilion for the Kick-Off event. They all wanted to be the first to secure tickets, normally priced from $8-$120, to a theatre they've never visited before. Remaining free tickets (those not snatched up at the kick-off event) will be posted online beginning Monday October 5th; simply log on to www.seattleperforms.com to reserve them.

Some of the FREE Tickets Available at the Oct 4th Kick-Off Event Are:
· 5th Avenue Theatre - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
· ACT - Rock 'n Roll
· Eclectic Theater Company - SUBPRIME! Inside the Heart of the Mortgage Meltdown
· Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center - Obama On My Mind
· Live Girls! Theater - Bone Portraits
· Printers Devil Theater - Sgt Rigsby 's "Teensploitation"
· Seattle Children's Theatre - If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
· Seattle Theatre Group / Broadway Across America - August: Osage County
· Strawberry Theatre Workshop - Lady Day at Emerson 's Bar & Grill
· Village Theatre - Chasing Nicolette
· Teatro ZinZanni presents Beaumont & Caswell - Together Forever

In addition to the wildly popular Free Night of Theater, dozens and dozens of other FREE live theater events will occur October 12th - 18th, all over Puget Sound. Fifty-five theaters and performing arts organizations are participating with over 90 different regional events. This 7-day theater festival is an all-access backstage pass to this region's vibrant performing arts groups. It's a once-a-year opportunity to connect with artists and experience the magic of live theatre in a completely different way. These events include: open houses, invited dress rehearsals, workshops, kid's activities, receptions, play readings and artist meet n' greets. Peek behind the scenes. Rub shoulders with artists. Be the first to hear and critique new works. And share the magic and imagination of live theatre with children on Target Family Day (Oct 17th). Listed below are just a few of the free planned events. The complete list can be found at www.seattleperforms.com/ltw. Interviews and special press access can be coordinated through Jennifer Rice at (206) 285-5175 or rice1234@yahoo.com

Some of the FREE Live Theatre Week Special Events Are:
ArtsWest - Reception/Rehearsal
10/15/2009, 7pm
Arts West
Join us at ArtsWest October 15th for a sneak peek at "Measure for Pleasure", a deliciously naughty Restoration-romp-meets-modern-sex-farce. And would we invite you over without providing snacks? Never; our mothers wouldn't approve. Ages: 17+

Bellevue College and SecondStory Repertory Theatre - Highlight Night of Eastside Theatre
Bellevue College's Carlson Theatre
10/16/2009, 7pm
BCC and SSR team up for an exciting event of improvisation and scenes, free for participating viewers! Highlights to include a free improv workshop, as well as performances from professional and amateur stage actors, highlighting performers on the Eastside.

New Century Theatre Company - New Play Reading
ACT Theatre's Bullitt Cabaret
10/18/2009, 7pm
Several of the fearless ensemble members of New Century Theatre Company are sure to spook and delight with their first reading from local playwright Louis Broom 's newest work, A Trick or Treat. Think Halloween meets Orpheus in the Inferno. Teen lust unleashes the evil dead, Lucifer falls hard for the Prom Queen, and the boy next door battles the Minions of the Damned to the pit of hell to rescue the girl he loves. A Trick or Treat is a play in progress, and The New Century Theatre Company passionate about developing this work into a howlingly successful Halloween tradition.

Olympia Little Theatre's Diamond Anniversary Celebration - Reception
Olympia Little Theatre
10/17/2009, 7pm
This season, Olympia Little Theatre turns SEVENTY(1939-2009)! To celebrate our Diamond Anniversary, OLT will be hosting a glittering evening of food, fun, and a live theater reading (a preview of our upcoming production, Jeffrey Hatcher 's "Murderers"). Not only is the event free but we will be holding drawings throughout the evening for fabulous prizes. Please join us to celebrate the enduring creative spirit of Community Theater!

Seattle Playwrights' Collective, Caravan Showcase - Reading
Odd Duck Studio
10/14/2009, 7:30pm
The Seattle Playwrights' Collective (SPC) will be presenting its first annual Page to Stage Showcase of 10-Minute Plays as part of Live Theatre Week. Come see staged readings of 8 short scripts a night developed over the course of our Short Takes workshops by local playwrights John C. Davenport , Lyn Coffin , Miryam Gordon , Katherine Luck , Daniel Tarker , Sherry Narens , Elena Naskova , and Cheryl Carvajal .

Seattle Repertory Theatre - Reading
Bagley Wright Theatre
10/12/2009, 7:30pm
Seattle Repertory Theatre presents The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later written by Tectonic Theatre Project members Moisés Kaufman , Leigh Fondakowski , Greg Pierotti , Andy Paris , and Steven Belber . This free staged reading is an 80-minute epilogue to The Laramie Project, the groundbreaking 1998 play about the murder of 21-year old gay man Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming. It focuses on the lasting effects of Shepard 's murder on the small town and the epilogue was written after the members of the Tectonic Theater Project returned to Laramie to find out what had happened since their initial visit. The reading will be held concurrently in over 100 theatres across the globe including all 50 states, Spain, Hong Kong and Australia. Seattle Rep Producing Artistic Director Jerry Manning will direct the Seattle presentation.

The Satori Group - Workshop/Preview Performance
Little Theater on Capitol Hill
10/16/2009, 7:30pm
In November, the Satori Group will present its second Seattle performance, Artifacts of Consequence, at the Little Theater on Capitol Hill. Please join us on October 16th for a special workshop showing of the piece, performed in a site-specific location. The Satori Group develops each production in its Laboratory, a space where works are researched, rehearsed, designed, taken apart, put back together, and exhibited for small audiences. Come and be a part of this exciting process!

Wing-It Productions / Jet City Improv - Open Rehearsal
Historic University Theater
10/12/2009, 8:30pm
See the inner workings of JET CITY IMPROV, Seattle 's best comedy, as they rehearse new games, work on skills and practIce Together. This weekly rehearsal is what creates the tight ensemble work audiences have come to expect from JET CITY IMPROV.

Some of the FREE Family Events Are:

ACT - Family Playwriting Workshop
Allen Theatre (ACT)
10/17/2009, 12pm
Start off your Family Day with some quick, fun lessons on how to write a play! A professional playwright/teaching artist from ACT's Young Playwrights Program will lead a few games and exercises introducing kids (and parents!) to the art of character creation, dialogue and telling unique stories that jump off the page.
Ages: 12-18

Harlequin Productions - Shakespeare Workshop
State Theater
10/17/2009, 2pm
Harlequin actors have put together a special Shakespeare Workshop and titled it, As You Love It. They'll perform some of Shakespeare 's funniest love scenes and talk about acting like you're in love.
Ages: 10+

Last Leaf Productions - Free Family Performance
Edmonds Public Library (650 Main Street)
10/14/2009, 7pm
Last Leaf will be presenting its adaptation of Puss 'n Boots based on the French fairy tale about a clever, magical cat and the young man who inherits it. The performance is approximately 45 minutes in length.
Ages: 3-12

SIS Productions - Family Pinata Prop-Making Workshop
Richard Hugo House
10/17/2009, 11am
Enjoy snacks, meet the SIS staff and help make props for SIS Productions' 2010 opening show! Have fun discovering your creative side as you learn how to make a festive pinata that will be showcased in SIS Productions' Northwest premiere of Ching Chong Chinaman by Lauren Yee . Make an extra to take home as a souvenir. All supplies will be provided.
Ages: 8+

Taproot Theatre Company - Free Family Performance
Greenwood Library
10/17/2009, 11am
Taproot Theatre's Road Company will host a free performance of Super School by Bethany Wallace , at the Greenwood Library. It's back to school at Asteroid Academy, and the first rule is, no superpowers on the playground! But when some superhero kids break the rules one day, they risk big trouble. This play, which The Road Company performs at schools throughout the Pacific NW, teaches kids about bullying prevention, emotional management, problem solving and more.
Ages: 4-10

Youth Theatre Northwest - Family Costume Workshop
Youth Theatre Northwest
10/17/2009, 1pm - 4pm
If you want to make your own Halloween costume but don't know how, here is a chance for you! Taught by a professional YTN costume designer, this workshop will help you put together your dream costume for Tricks and Treats. Bring your ideas and walk away with your best costume ever. Only 10 slots available for Live Theatre Week participants!
Ages: 9+

Umbrella Theatre - Reading & Workshop
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
10/17/2009, 4pm
A staged reading of Washington Irving's story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, followed by an informal workshop/discussion on sound effects, puppetry, costuming and makeup used in the 30-45 minute performance.

Complete List of 2009 Live Theater Week Participants
We have 55 participating companies and a total of 90 events (36 special events and 54 Free Night performances), 17 of these are Family Day offerings.

5th Avenue Theatre
ACT Theatre
Annex Theatre
ArtAttack Theater Ensemble
ArtsWest
Balagan Theatre
Bellevue College
Book-It Repertory Theatre
Burien Little Theatre
Capital Playhouse
Centerstage Theatre
Cornish School for the Arts
Eclectic Theater Company
Harlequin Productions
Intiman Theatre
Langston Hughes Perf. Arts Center
Last Leaf Productions
Little Red Studio
Live Girls! Theater
Macha Monkey Productions
New Century Theatre Company
Northwest Playwrights Alliance
Olympia Little Theatre
One Lump or Two Productions
Open Circle Theater
Our American Theater Co.
Printers Devil Theater
Redwood Theatre
Renton Civic Theatre
Seattle Children's Theatre
Seattle Cold Readers
Seattle Musical Theatre
Seattle Playwright's Collective
Seattle Public Theater
Seattle Repertory Theatre
STG / Broadway Across America
SecondStory Repertory Theatre
SIS Productions
Sky Performing Arts
Stone Soup Theatre
Strawberry Theatre Workshop
Studio East
Taproot Theatre Company
Teatro ZinZanni
The Driftwood Players
The Moonpaper Tent
The Satori Group
Umbrella Theatre
Unexpected Productions
UW World Series
Village Theatre
Washington Ensemble Theatre
Whidbey Island Center for the Arts
Wing-It Productions / Jet City Improv
Youth Theatre Northwest

THEATRE PUGET SOUND (TPS) is a leadership and service organization founded in 1997 to advocate for the region's growing theatre community's causes and administer much-needed services. TPS is now the Northwest's premiere arts advocacy and leadership organization. TPS has a two-fold mission: To promote the spiritual and economic necessity of theatre to the public, and to unify and strengthen the theatre community through programs, resources, and services. TPS serves more than 1,500 theatre practitioners and 140 organizations within our region. In addition to Live Theatre Week, TPS sponsors workshops and seminars, regional auditions, manages affordable rehearsal and performance space in the Seattle Center House, produces the Seattle Performs Theatre Guide, and coordinates and promotes events which strengthen and celebrate our local community.

LIVE THEATRE WEEK - In 2005 the Seattle City Council unanimously passed Resolution 30765 which established one week each year to be known and celebrated as "Live Theatre Week" in Seattle. Theatre Puget Sound capitalized on this proclamation and began producing an annual Live Theatre Week festival in the Puget Sound region of Washington State . The festival functions as a bridge between our region's performing arts community and the public at large - extending a collective invitation that transcends cultural, social, racial and economic barriers. The open door philosophy inherent in the Live Theatre Week programming creates a true culture of generosity that encourages participation and personal investment in our theatres, while simultaneously building relationships, strengthening neighborhoods and creating access to and awareness of our region's performing arts opportunities. Live Theatre Week is an annual festival taking place during the third week of October.

NATIONAL FREE NIGHT OF THEATER - Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for professional not for-profit American theater, developed National Free Night of Theater as an audience development initiative and to raise public awareness about live theater. The idea germinated in 2003 in response to the field-wide threat of declining audiences. National Free Night of Theater launched in 2005 and has expanded to include 120 participating cities and close to 700 theater companies, introducing 75,000 new theatergoers to professional theaters in their community. The program has been designed to help stimulate attendance at live theater through an annual nationwide event and public awareness campaign. The goal is to put aside the inevitable competitions and work together to overcome the perceived barriers of price and time that discourage patrons from attending live theater. As the program continues to expand across the country, TCG has established partnerships with Arts Councils and local arts service organizations. More than 65,000 free tickets were distributed in 2008 by local theaters via the program's national interactive website, www.freenightoftheater.net. For 2009, the goal is to give away 100,000 tickets to over 2,000 performances nationwide.

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