West of Lenin to Welcome Mik Kuhlman's HOUSE #30 This June

Mik Kuhlman comes to Seattle and West of Lenin to perform her latest solo theatre piece. Collaborating once again with visual and textile artist, Patricia Toovey, Mik incorporates an original installation, weaving movement, poetry, household objects, and personal story for a visceral journey into home.

The show opens in the dark with a phone ringing.

"Hello, this is Mik." / "Mik, it's Janet." / "Hi, Janet." / " You need to be sitting down and you need to take a deep breath."

Lights rise slowly revealing Mik standing in a white silk house that hangs from the ceiling.

I do it. I sit down. I take a deep breath. The world narrows.

"Your house is on fire. There's a fire truck in front of it."

My desk suddenly disappears, the walls disappear, people vanish, the phone becomes an isolated object. "What is it today?" I hear my distancing voice say out loud. I watch as a hand sets the receiver down. It's my hand. I'm in a room, in an office. Co-workers become visible once again but no longer holding reality. As though they too are disembodied entities floating in the air. This moment searing into time, like the phone's ring, never to be forgotten.

We all have a House #30. It can be a fire, or failure, death, rape, hurricanes, illness. An event that shakes you to your marrow; forcing a reckoning deep within as you choose how to put the pieces back. House #30 is about the mysteries and miracles in life and what's found under all the rubble. It's full of island lore, ghost stories, humor and heart.

From the Playwright: "Artistically, I am very excited...Although I have done a number of solo shows, I have always told other people's stories, usually an interpretation or adaptation from literature or film or history. HOUSE #30is my personal story. It's not about a house. It's about home, outside and inside oneself. I started with one idea and have slowly, over time, stripped it down to the story that lay below all of it. A beautiful, magical story; a story I could not have ever set out to tell without going through the loss of this one particular house. To quote Jean-Luc Godard, 'It's not where you take things from - it's where you take them to.' This is the first time I'm writing the story with words first and not my body, going from the personal to the universal instead of the other way around. Please join me on this journey."

House #30 has been in development for the last two years with several partners, starting with Vashon Allied Arts' New Works Festival; a six month dialogue and idea exchange with visual and textile artist Patricia Toovey; administrative support from Meg McHutchison; adding musician Gretta Harley and director Jennifer Jasper; with additional input from Jon Milazzo and Martha Enson through a residency at Hanna Barn Studios.

NYC development partners include Joseph Gallo and Artistic New Directions, Sol Kjøk and NOoSPHERE Arts, director Nancy Smithner, musician Leslie Kernochan and intern Stephen Thornton for House #30's House Concert version. And now...AJ Epstein presents at West of Lenin with additional design elements of lights (AJ Epstein) and Sound (Michael Keck).

Mik Kuhlman has been working non-stop since 1988 as an actress and performance artist in Seattle, Paris, and New York with additional artistic residencies in Germany, Hong Kong and the Middle East. A performer with sublime comic timing, serious depth and cross-disciplinary training, Mik has over twenty-five years experience creating original work. She has credits in ensemble and solo theatre; classical and contemporary plays; European-style clown; site-specific, immersion, and dance theatre; film, television, commercial and radio theatre. She was the Associate Artistic Director of Seattle Mime Theatre and a five year company member of UMO Ensemble. She is a current member of Sandbox Radio, and a Mazan Award winning frequent participant in 14/48. Based in both Brooklyn, NY and Vashon Island, WA, she finds joy in observing the gestural world around her, bringing truth and playfulness into her work.

West of Lenin is a modern 88-seat black box theatre and studio space located in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. Owned and operated by Seattle arts entrepreneur AJ Epstein, West of Lenin is also available as a rental venue. A well-equipped and intimate space, West of Lenin offers a wide range of programming, from in-house and guest produced plays, to film and music events, readings and more, West of Lenin is a local entertainment destination. For more information, visit West of Lenin online at www.westoflenin.com.

DETAILS:

HOUSE #30
Written and performed by: Mik Kuhlman
Director: Jennifer Jasper
Visual Design: Patricia Toovey
Sound Design: Michael Keck
Lighting Design: AJ Epstein
Production Liaison: Susanna Burney

Performance Dates: June 25 - 29th
Performance Times: Thursday - Saturday 8pm, Sunday 4pm, Monday 8pm.
Venue: West of Lenin, Address: 203 North 36th Street, Seattle, 98103
Phone: 206-352-1777
Tickets Prices: $20 General $12 for Students, Seniors, TPS Members.
Special Events: Thursday, June 25th - PWYC Preview; Monday, June 29th - PWYC Industry Night
Online Sales: http://house30.brownpapertickets.com

For more information, visit www.westoflenin.com, www.house30.org or www.mikkuhlman.com.

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