Category Archives: Engagement

Tommer Peterson’s play selected for Jan Salon

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • December 11, 2015 - 10:59 PM , , , ,
Playwright Tommer Peterson

Playwright Tommer Peterson

The New Year New Play Salon, held annually since 2014, features the work of a Pacific Northwest playwright and/or Pacific Northwest themes. A team of four evaluated all the submissions for 2016, and we are delighted to announce that out of a very competitive pool of applicants, the play selected to be read at our January 17 New Year New Play Salon is Tommer Peterson’s No One on Board Took Notice.

Perhaps best known for his work as a designer, Peterson also has authored or co-authored several plays, including Va-Va-Va-Voom and (with KJ Sanchez) two documentary plays: Night at the Opera (2012) and Duck Soup (2011).

No One on Board Took Notice starts from a simple yet infinitely complex premise: What we see is largely determined by where we stand…. or perhaps even more by where we choose to gaze and what we choose to remember.

Learn more about Peterson and this exciting new play.

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APL Offers Voice Workshop in Ohio

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • November 5, 2015 - 11:57 AM , , ,

Co-Artistic Director Zhenya Lavy will lead a voice workshop — The Awakened Voice: Vocal Empowerment Through Song — in Akron OH on November 22. In this dynamic, vocal workout, which is hosted by Wandering Aesthetics, Zhenya will share tools and techniques she’s developed through 25 years of practical research to

  • awaken your complete instrument
  • expand your expressive capacity
  • build mindful, engaged, precise strategy for approaching song in the context of theatrical performance that is deeply musical but not musical theatre

Please help us get the word out to everyone interested in taking their vocal expressivity to the next level! We hope to see many of our Ohio friends there! Links of interest:

Click here for complete information, including the online registration form.

 

*** Reminder: This workshop is scheduled in coordination with Akropolis Performance Lab’s Ohio performances of The Glas Nocturne, Nov 20 (8pm) & Nov 21 (2pm & 8pm), which are presented by Akron’s Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture/New World Performance Lab. Click here to reserve tickets for the performance! ***

Playwrights, send your new scripts!

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • September 1, 2015 - 11:41 PM , , , ,
(L-R) Playwright Stacy Flood takes notes on the discussion about his new play, The Pleasure & Sorrow of Your Company, as fellow playwrights Olivia Pi-Sunyer and Ina Chang listen. | Photo: Zhenya Lavy

(L-R) Playwright Stacy Flood takes notes on the discussion about his new play, The Pleasure & Sorrow of Your Company, as fellow playwrights Olivia Pi-Sunyer and Ina Chang listen. | January 2015 New Year New Play Salon | Photo: Zhenya Lavy

We are now accepting submissions for our annual New Year New Play Salon. Entering its third year, this popular New Year New Play Salon features the work of a Pacific Northwest playwright and/or Pacific Northwest themes.  Check out our guidelines, and help us spread the word to area playwrights!

Submission Deadline: Nov 1
Notifications Made: Dec 11

Mephisto Cast Announced

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • August 16, 2015 - 10:37 AM , , , , , , , , ,
L-R: Gustaf Gründgens, Erika Mann, Pamela Wedekind, Klaus Mann | At the time this photo was taken, Erika was engaged to Gustaf but was having an affair with Pamela, who was engaged to marry Klaus, who was romantically involved with Gustaf. They also were appearing in Klaus's play, Anja und Esther, based on the affair between Erika and Pamela.

L-R: Gustaf Gründgens, Erika Mann, Pamela Wedekind, Klaus Mann | At the time this photo was taken, Erika was engaged to Gustaf but was having an affair with Pamela, who was engaged to marry Klaus, who was romantically involved with Gustaf. They also were appearing in Klaus’s play, Anja und Esther, based on the affair between Erika and Pamela.

Our October 11 Sunday Salon reading of Klaus Mann’s Mephisto, as adapted for stage by Ariane Mnouchkine, is not to be missed! We have assembled a thrilling cast of local talent to illuminate Mann’s unforgettable and largely autobiographical collection of socialists and incipient fascists as they react to Hitler’s ascension and make fatal choices about art and life.

THE CAST

Klaus Mann/Sebastian Bruckner – Craig Bradshaw
Hendrik Hofgen – Brandon J. Simmons
Carola Martin – Tracy Michelle Hughes
Hans Miklas  – Tyler Polumsky
Theresa von Herzfeld / Emelyne – Valerie Curtis-Newton
Otto Ulrich – Joseph Lavy
Myriam Horowitz / Actor – Emily Jo Testa
Alex / Tyler Trerise
Magnus Gottchalk / Thomas Bruckner – Carter Rodriquez
Mrs. Efeu – Eva Doak
Knurr / Publisher – Dean Wilson
Juliette / Lorenz / Ludwig – Ayo Tushinde
Erika Bruckner  / General Fonnesique – Alex Highsmith
Nicoletta von Niebuhr – Sara Kaus
Theophile Sarder / Hans Josthinkel – Ben Gonio

Join us October 11 for what promises to be an exciting reading and lively discussion!
More information and RSVP.

Now Auditioning Men for Ensemble Membership

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • August 2, 2015 - 8:25 PM , , ,
Clairvoyant | Emily Jo Testa, Henry James Walker, Joseph Lavy & Sara Kaus | Photo: Joe Patrick Kane

Pomegranate & Ash (2015 at On the Boards) | “Clairvoyant” | Emily Jo Testa, Henry James Walker, Joseph Lavy & Sara Kaus | Photo: Joe Patrick Kane

Akropolis Performance Lab seeks male artists with baritone or bass singing voices for ensemble membership. The audition process, which will include a preliminary interview and several practical working sessions with APL, will be held during the month of August. We recommend requesting an invitation to audition before August 15.

This is a rare opportunity to work with an established and highly regarded ensemble-based company with deep artistic lineage and an international reputation. APL is committed to rigorous work in a highly focused and personally supportive environment. Our aesthetic signature is Theatre of Polyphony. We seek artists with a sincere commitment to ensemble development, a strong connection to or curiosity about their cultural heritage, and a desire to explore their individual potential through the vehicle of performance prioritized as artistic expression over commercial endeavor.

Committed to strengthening a more multicultural artistic community and the principle of diversity, we strongly encourage applications from historically underrepresented groups.

For complete details about this call and information about how to request an invitation to audition, click HERE.

July 26 Salon Cast Announced!

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • July 18, 2015 - 7:59 PM , , , , ,

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.

For you! Recipe for Norwegian Blonde Cocktail

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • July 7, 2015 - 7:41 PM ,

RECIPE card - Norwegian BlondeEveryone who had the Norwegian Blonde at our post-show reception after The Glas Nocturne raved about it, so we are sharing the recipe with you! It’s designed by Old Ballard Liquor Co and made with their scrumptious, caraway infused Riktig Aquavit. #GlasNocturne

Click here for the PDF: RECIPE card – Norwegian Blonde

Free Summer Workshop for Young Actors

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • June 25, 2015 - 7:50 PM , ,

2014-10-19 10.54.06Moving Beyond the Script: Creative Physicality for Young Actors

Akropolis Performance Lab continues its year of giving with an exciting, 8-week workshop for kids in middle or high school. Meets Saturday mornings, 10:30am – noon, from July 11 to August 29, in the Sand Point area of Seattle. Indoors and outdoors activity. Limited to 16 spots — don’t delay!

Click here for complete details and registration instructions.

Would You Do It?

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • May 12, 2015 - 12:29 PM , , , , , , ,
"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!

Meet our Sponsor: Old Ballard Liquor Co.

  By Akropolis Performance Lab • May 10, 2015 - 11:39 AM , ,

Old Ballard Logo
We are thrilled to announce that Old Ballard Liquor Co. — Ballard’s inimitable artisan nano-distillery — is sponsoring our production of The Glas Nocturne and has designed a tasty cocktail just for our show!

Old Ballard Liquor Co. pays homage to the area’s history as a Scandinavian fishing and blue collar neighborhood by focusing on forgotten and neglected traditional old-fashioned liquors and liqueurs. Their  products rotate and change with the seasons, so there’s always something new to try in our tasting room. If the door is open, you’re always welcome! And they offer discounts for maritime workers and Scandinavian language speakers.

Currently on the shelf are multiple flavors of Aquavit (a caraway- or dill-spiced spirit produced in Scandinavia since the 15th century) and Bounce (an aged sour fruit liqueur based on 200-year-old heritage recipes), as well as many other options. Co-Artistic Director Joseph Lavy was overheard declaring that the distillery’s classic, Norwegian-styled Riktig Caraway Aquavit is his new favorite drink and tastes like rye bread in a glass.

“The Norwegian Blonde” — designed especially for The Glas Nocturne — features the  Riktig Caraway Aquavit, accompanied by a sweet lemon syrup and dill. Everyone who donates $30 or more to see The Glas Nocturne will get to enjoy a post-show drink on us!

Don’t forget to like Old Ballard Liquor Co. on Facebook, or stop by the Ballard distillery in person, and thank them for supporting live theatre!

And word on the street is that at this very moment they are harvesting spruce tips for this year’s Spruce Top Aquavit… which sounds like something to keep an eye out for!