Annex Theatre to Present PRECIOUS LITTLE, 8/2-31

Precious Little tells the story of Brodie, a gifted linguist who chooses to become a single parent at age 42. When genetic testing reveals a possible problem with her pregnancy, unexpected emotions complicate both her research of a dying language and her romantic relationship with Dre, a grad student with a mind of her own. Amid the noise, Brodie forms an unexpected connection with a 'talking' gorilla at the local zoo.

Written by Madeleine George, and directed by Kathereine Karaus, Precious Little is an intimate play, examining our relationships with language and with each other. While it touches on choices women make for themselves and their bodies, it is not a political play. Rather, it is a personal and carefully drawn story of one woman's experiences: her work, her passions, her desire to be a parent, and her coming to terms with life's inadequacies.

Madeleine George is a playwright currently based in Brooklyn. She is a member of New Dramatists, and a founding member of the playwrights collective 13p. This Obie award winning group recently disbanded after completing their mission of fully producing one play by each of its thirteen members.

Katherine Karaus met Madeleine George in 2009 during an alumni playwright festival at Cornell, where she directed an excerpt of an early draft of "Precious Little". The play has since been produced in New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Berkley, and Annex is proud to bring it to Seattle for the Pacific Northwest premier production.

While Annex generally favors brand new plays by local writers, Precious Little was exceptional enough to demand a place in the season. As a contemporary play by a living female playwright, as a beautifully written story with touches of magical realism that would work nowhere but on stage, and as a challenging acting piece for three actresses of distinct generations, Precious Littlefits Annex's mission to produce bold new work.

Each role in "Precious Little" is a plum for actresses. The play follows Sarah Papineau as Brodie; it is in her dream world that we find Taryn Pearce transforming between five distinct young women, and Mary Murfin Bayley as three maternal figures, most notably, the Ape.

Annex Theatre is a democratic collective of theatre artists dedicated to creating bold new work in an environment of improbability, resourcefulness and risk. Annex Theatre produces new plays by living playwrights, radical reinterpretations of classic scripts, and ensemble-generated non-linear spectacles. Now in its Capitol Hill venue, Annex originally opened its doors in 1987 in a former dance studio on 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle. Since then the theater has produced hundreds of world and Northwest premieres.

Precious Little Performs August 2nd -31st Thurday - Saturday 8pm. Tickets $5-$20. All Thursdays Pay-What-You-Can.

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