July 26 Salon Cast Announced!

Goody GoodyWe have some exciting announcements about our July 26 Sunday Salon reading of John Longenbaugh’s Noir thriller, The Sound in the Next Room!

The cast assembled for this reading is absolutely stellar:

EUCA/CLARICE – Alex Highsmith
MELANIE/LESLIE – Annie Paladino
CLEO – Emily Jo Testa
DANIELLE – Kate Kraay

Playwright John Longenbaugh will join us for the reading and discussion, as well.

If you haven’t already made plans for what promises to be a hot, midsummer Sunday, we hope you will join us for this great night of theatre and conversation. Registration information.

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Reviews Are In & Word Is Out About Our Secret Performance

“Poets say the moon is passionate and desirous. Others see an ethical-religious meaning in moonlight. Youth sees the moon as a promise of all those tremendous things which await it; The old find a memento that the promise was never kept, a reminder of all that broke and went to pieces. And what is moonlight?” | Joseph Lavy as Dr. Glas | Photo: Joe Patrick Kane

Although we restricted marketing for The Glas Nocturne to social media and word-of-mouth, word has gotten out quite well. So well, in fact, that we are extending our run by a full week beyond our initial expectation!

If you haven’t yet gotten a seat, we have just 30 available between now and June 7.

Check out some of what’s being said about this truly remarkable performance!

Just 30 seats remain through June 7, so act quickly to get your invitation!

REQUEST INVITATION BUTTON

Would You Do It?

"I wasn't planning a suicide, but a wise man should always be prepared." | Joseph Lavy is Dr. Glas | Photo: Joe Patrick Kane

“I wasn’t planning a suicide, but a wise man should always be prepared.” | Joseph Lavy is Dr. Glas | Photo: Joe Patrick Kane

Is it ever justifiable to take the life of another human being? Under what circumstances?

The Glas Nocturne asks this and other challenging questions without leading us to any easy answers.

In preparation for their attendance at APL’s latest world-premiere, we asked our audience to share their thoughts about these questions. From now through the end of the run, we will share their responses with you.

Join the conversation at #WouldYouDoIt? on Facebook or Twitter — or follow Would You Do It? on Storify.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject, too!

Annie Paladino Named Associate Artistic Director

Headshot - Annie Paladino

Annie Paladino

We are thrilled to announce that Annie Paladino has joined  Akropolis Performance Lab’s leadership team in the newly created role of Associate Artistic Director.

APL met Annie when she showed up for our first Performers Lab on August 18, 2013. She remained a steady participant throughout the three-months of open training sessions and we quickly recognized her affinity for our process. We were delighted when she agreed to assistant direct Uncle Vanya (2014). In the sixteen months since work began on Vanya, Annie has consistently demonstrated commitment and vision aligning with our best hopes for the work of this Company. And since becoming an Artistic Associate last May, she has established herself as a trusted advisor to Co-Artistic Directors Zhenya and Joseph Lavy and as a passionate advocate for Akropolis in the Seattle community and beyond.

During the past eighteen months, as APL has moved into a period of unprecedented activity for the Ensemble, Annie has been among the few key people whose role behind the scenes of this growth has been critical.

As Associate Artistic Director, Annie will continue to partner with the Artistic Directors on organizational leadership, strategic planning, and outreach. She also will expand her artistic voice within the Company, taking on directorial responsibilities for select projects.

Joseph and Zhenya write, “Although inviting another person into APL’s artistic leadership was never previously part of our plan, Annie has earned our deep trust as a steward of Akropolis Performance Lab’s artistic aesthetic and vision. We feel incredibly fortunate both for this professional partnership and for Annie’s friendship.”

Please join Akropolis in enthusiastically welcoming Annie as Associate Artistic Director!

Learn more about Annie.

Pomegranate & Ash Makes a Strong Debut

Yesterday we premiered Pomegranate & Ash: An Experiment in Theatre of Polyphony in On the Boards’ Open Studio #6 — and today OTB has confirmed that we are the first group to fully pack the house!

The Sad Days that are Surely to Come

"This is the time of tension between dying and birth -- the place of solitude where three dreams cross." | Henry James Walker, Trevor Young Marston, and Zhenya Lavy | Photo: Joe Patrick Kane

Dance of Separation

Dance of Separation | Front: Sara Kaus and Annie Paladino. Back: Linnea Ingalls, Margaretta Campagna, Zhenya Lavy. | Photo: Joe Patrick Kane

Dance of Seduction

Dance of Seduction "Oh, ho, I will have it. I will bow and bend to get it." | Trevor Young Marston and Sara Kaus | Photo: Joe Patrick Kane

The Abduction of Persephone

The Abduction of Persephone | Annie Paladino with Zhenya Lavy, Catherine Lavy, Margaretta Campagna, Linnea Ingalls, Emily Jo Testa. | Photo: Joe Patrick Kane

Clairvoyant Action

Clairvoyant Action | Emily Jo Testa with Henry James Walker, Joseph Lavy, Sara Kaus | Photo: Joe Patrick Kane

An Angel Hath Troubled the Water

An Angel Hath Troubled the Water | Trevor Young Marston with Catherine Lavy, Annie Paladino, Margaretta Campagna, Emily Jo Testa | Photo: Joe Patrick Kane

An Angel Hath Troubled the Water

An Angel Hath Troubled the Water "These waters will heal you, they will set you free." | Linnea Ingalls & Trevor Young Marston | Photo: Joe Patrick Kane

Low, Low

"And the sword I will wield, and the sword I will wield... for this is my work while here below." | (L-R) Back: Joseph Lavy, Trevor Young Marston, Henry James Walker. 3rd Row: Annie Paladino, Emily Jo Testa, Sara Kaus. 2nd row: Margaretta Campagna, Linnea Ingalls. Front: Zhenya Lavy, Catherine Lavy. | Photo: Joe Patrick Kane

 

Here’s a sampling of audience responses:

  • “The ensemble was so tight. Precise and tuned into each other.”
  • “The music was amazing!”
  • “Their dance [Dance of Seduction by Sara Kaus and Trevor Young Marston] was really powerful!”
  • “The girl’s [Catherine Lavy] song made me cry!”
  • “It’s hard to believe you’ve only been working together as an ensemble for three months!”
  • “Very moving. Even though there was no story, the imagery and the way you layered everything together was striking.”
  • “It was refreshing to see a performance that was truly interdisciplinary!”

Were you there? We’d love to get your feedback, too! Please email us or comment below.

Thank you to On the Boards for organizing this event.

Pomegranate & Ash continues to evolve. Look for additional showing announcements through this Spring and Summer.

Cast Set for Pleasure & Sorrow of Your Company

Omer Fast, 5000 Feet Is the Best, 2011, digital film stills © Omer Fast

Omer Fast, 5000 Feet Is the Best, 2011, digital film stills © Omer Fast

The cast for January 25th’s New Year New Play reading of Stacy D. Flood’s The Pleasure & Sorrow of Your Company has been finalized.

We are excited to announce that APL Company Members and apprentices will be joined by local talents Natural Israel, Samara Lerman, and Paul Budraitis in giving voice to Flood’s examination of warfare in the drone age.

The event is wrapped in lively conversation; generous and careful discussion of the play; great food; and  ample opportunities to network with artists, intellectuals, and enthusiasts.

Learn more about the play, view the complete casting, and RSVP on the Salon page.

APL’s Uncle Vanya Earns 2 Gypsy Rose Lee Award Nominations

Marina (Zhenya Lavy) and Astrov (Carter Rodriquez) | Photo: Annie Paladino

Marina (Zhenya Lavy) and Astrov (Carter Rodriquez) | Photo: Annie Paladino

The Seattle Theatre Writers critics circle slow-released its nominations this week for the 2014 Gypsy Rose Lee Awards.

Akropolis Performance Lab is very proud to announce that two members of the Uncle Vanya ensemble garnered nominations:

  • Zhenya Lavy, for best local composer (in a category that pit her against theatres of all sizes and budgets) for her deeply evocative musical composition.
  • Carter Rodriquez, for best supporting actor (small theatre category) for his remarkable work as Dr. Astrov.

See the complete slate of the 2014 Gypsy Rose Lee Award Nominations.

Pomegranate & Ash to Premiere in OTB’s Open Studio

Pomegranate & Ash | On the Boards Open Studio | Feb. 8, 3:30 PM.

Pomegranate & Ash | On the Boards Open Studio | Feb. 8, 3:30 PM.

The fullest manifestation to date of APL’s Theatre of Polyphony, Pomegranate & Ash premieres at On the Boards in the Open Studio on Sunday, February 8, at 3:30pm.

Pomegranate and Ash takes TS Eliot’s Ash Wednesday, Monteverdi madrigals, the Hymn of Demeter, music from the Shaker tradition, and each performer’s personal biography as source material for an original performance rooted in themes of separation, loss, and reunification.

The entire ensemble performs in this piece, including all our new Artistic Associates and Apprentices.

Admission to Open Studio is by donation only: $5 suggested.

Learn more about Pomegranate & Ash and APL’s Theatre of Polyphony.

The Director, The Actor & The Difficult Task

I often reject during the rehearsal process suggestions and recommendations which arise as quick, easy solutions to perceived problems; usually because they tend to be superficially driven by theatrical practicality and lack authenticity for the moment. Too often, the job of a director seems to be to find solutions to make things easy for the actor. I believe it is sometimes (mostly) the contrary: to present the actor with the difficult task. To create problems that must be continually confronted and confronted, not “solved.” To demand that the actor work through what must be done and not skim over it. Truth and Authenticity are not–and should not be–easy to come by.