Seattle Public Theater to Stage AMADEUS

Seattle Public Theater (SPT) is proud to present Amadeus, Peter Shaffer's magnificent story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, directed by Shana Bestock at the historic Green Lake Bathhouse Theater from January 29 through February 21, 2016. Tickets are $34 for adults, $32 for seniors, $17 for youth under 25, and $5 for youth under 12. Tickets are available by calling the SPT Box Office at 206-524-1300 or visiting www.seattlepublictheater.org.

About Amadeus:

In 18th-century Vienna, music is the currency of power and Court Composer Antonio Salieri is the toast of the town. That is, until a young prodigy by the name of Mozart comes on the scene. Reeling from the realization of his own mediocrity in the face of true genius, Salieri swears vengeance on the God that gave Mozart his breathtaking talent. Winner of seven Tony Awards including Best Play, Amadeus explodes with musical masterpieces and richness of language, juxtaposing the petty world of human excess, indulgence and jealousy with the transcendent achievements of human artistry, passion and genius.

Amadeus features the acting talents of: Brandon J. Simmons (Salieri), Tim Gouran (Mozart), Keiko Green (Constanza), Kevin Lin and Sunam Ellis (Venticelli). Heather Hawkins (Emperor Joseph), Pam Nolte (von Swieten), Kathy Hsieh (von Strack), and Rebecca Davis (Count Orsini-Rosenberg). Designers include Richard Schaefer (scenic), Tim Wratten (lighting), Brendan Hogan (sound), Chelsea Cook (costume), Ashley Banker (properties), and Caitlin McCown as Stage Manager. Amadeus is directed by SPT's Artistic Director, Shana Bestock.

Peter Shaffer is the author of numerous award-winning plays including Amadeus, Five Finger Exercise and Equus. Shaffer was born May 15, 1926 to a Jewish family in Liverpool, England. He graduated from Trinity College of Cambridge University in 1950 and worked numerous jobs including a coal miner during World War II, assistant at the New York Public Library, and literary critic for Truth before beginning his successful career as a playwright.

His first play, The Salt Land, was presented on the BBC in 1954. After discovering his literary talents, Shaffer went on to win Tony, Academy and Golden Globe Awards for a number of his stage and screenplays, including Best Play for Equus. Shaffer received the William Inge Award for Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre in 1992 and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2007.

Shaffer's plays challenge the relationships between the rational and the irrational, the intellectual and emotional. "I passionately believe that people come to the theater to be surprised, moved, illuminated."

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