December at 18th & Union: an Elf, a Truck Driver, and a Guy in Red Underwear

18th & Union is pleased to announce a lineup of artistic visitations that are guaranteed to temper the icky sweetness of holiday kitsch. Three productions will run in rotating rep throughout December: The Santaland Diaries, by David Sedaris; The Slipknot, by TJ Dawe; and Emmett Montgomery's Sugar Plum Gary.

Opening Thursday, December 1

The Santaland Diaries

By David Sedaris, adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello

Performed by Patrick Lennon

Directed by Kelly Kitchens

When a down-on-his luck wannabe actor arrives in New York City at the end of the year, the only employment he can find is at Macy's department store -- working in Santaland for the holiday season, as a reluctant, but relentlessly cheerful, elf. Based on his beloved humorous and autobiographical essays, David Sedaris' The Santaland Diaries is a wry and witty look at the combination of retail hell and theatrical spectacle that is the holiday season, a sharp, narrowly observed dark comedy. The perfect Christmas treat for grownups, this one-man show has been an annual tradition at theaters across the United States for the past twenty years.

December 1, 2, 3, 5, 15, 17, 22, 24 @ 7:30pm

Tickets $15-$25

Opening Friday, December 2

Sugar Plum Gary

Created and performed by Emmett Montgomery

Christmas "enthusiast" and "Santanist" Sugar Plum Gary used to not believe in Christmas until one magical Christmas Eve when Santa came to visit and he was the only survivor. He is now possessed by the Christmas spirit and has travelled the country educating people about the magic and danger of the holiday season, including performances at Seattle Sketchfest, San Francisco Sketchfest, Portland's Fertile Grounds New Works Festival and the Bumbershoot Arts and Music Festival.

December 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 @ 9:30pm

Tickets $10-$20

Opening Thursday, December 8

The Slipknot

by TJ Dawe

Performed by Andrew Litzky, theater simple

Directed by K. Brian Neel

From the author of theater simple's international hit 52 Pick-up, TJ Dawe's The Slipknot is a spellbinding comic monologue about three equally lousy jobs: stocking shelves at a drugstore, driving a truck, and answering phones at the post office. In turns hysterical and heartbreaking, frantic and thoughtful, The Slipknot offers wise and outlandish observations on long-distance relationships, the history of Santa Claus, recreational Dramamine, and why you should never, ever put meat in the mail.

December 8, 9, 10, 12, 16, 21, 23 at 7:30pm

December 18 at 4pm

Tickets $15-$25

Advance tickets for all productions are on sale now.

Online: http://18thandunion.org

By phone: 866-811-4111

18th & Union is a 47-seat arts space in Seattle's Central District. Housed in the space created by and formerly known as New City Theater, 18th & Union is a home for Seattle's solo and other portable performing artists: theater, poetry, music and more. For up-to-date information about all events at 18th & Union, visit the website at http://18thandunion.org.

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