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<\/a>There are many great theatres thirty minutes to an hour from campus. The Seattle Center is home to multiple theatres, including the Intiman Theatre (which will reopen this summer), Seattle Children\u2019s Theatre, and perhaps the most well-known Seattle theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre. Plus, the ACT theatre is only a few blocks away \u2013 that\u2019s right, the Seattle Center houses not only the Space Needle, but also lots of theatre.<\/p>\nSeattle Repertory Theatre (or Seattle Rep) just finished playing Red<\/em>, a tony-winning play about artist Mark Rothko, known for painting canvases covered in red. The play presents a fascinating look at the relationship between past and present, artist and businessperson, and the challenges of creating and maintaining an original artistic voice, all seen through the lens of Rothko\u2019s interactions with his painting assistant. The New York Times describes it as, \u201ca combative Socratic dialogue between teacher and pupil, a master class of questions and answers about the methods and purpose of Rothko\u2019s art.\u201d \u00a0Although I did not get a chance to see the Seattle Rep production, I did see the play in Portland at Portland Center Stage, and it was one of the best plays I have seen recently (more about that later). It closed this weekend at Seattle Rep, but up next is what should be another great play, Clybourne Park.<\/p>\n Also located a short distance from Puget Sound is the Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington. In addition to performing five\u00a0mainstage\u00a0shows If you are willing to venture a bit further from campus, Portland, Oregon, just two and a half hours from campus, is home to an exceptional theatre scene. The two main equity houses in Portland are Artist\u2019s Repertory Theatre and Portland Center Stage.<\/p>\n I had the opportunity to see plays at both theatres over spring break and I was thoroughly impressed. Portland Center Stage\u2019s performance of At Artist\u2019s Repertory Theatre, I had the chance to see Race <\/em>and Circle Mirror Transformation<\/em>. Race<\/em> is a play by David Mamet that examines racial issues in the court system. Mamet has a way of taking challenging issues and bringing them, literally, center stage, and he accomplished it to great effect with this piece. The cast was an exceptional small ensemble, and their fast-paced, impassioned performances kept me enthralled the whole time. Circle Mirror Transformation<\/em>, a quirky comedy about an acting class that quickly grows very personal, was also a fun and well-performed piece. The acting was consistently impressive, the direction was great, and the play\u2019s minimalist set worked quite well. Having done almost all of the acting exercises that the characters perform in the show at one point or another, I could certainly relate! Artists Rep will also be producing Next to Normal<\/em> to close off their season, making it one of the first regional theatres to obtain the rights to the musical and which I look forward to seeing. There is certainly no shortage of exceptional off-campus theatre in the Pacific Northwest. I\u2019ve only mentioned a few of the larger theatres, too \u2013 there\u2019s a huge variety of theatres all over Seattle and Portland that present all types of theatre. The one drawback to theatre is that it can be expensive, especially at the bigger houses, but many theatres offer generous student discounts and ushering gets you in to most shows for free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The University of Puget Sound has a countless number of artistic, academic, and athletic events going on all the time, which means that there is always something to do at Puget Sound. Between the music department\u2019s orchestra, band, jazz, choir, … Continue reading <\/a> per year, the theatre is known for developing original musical theatre in its Village Originals \u201cFestival of New Musicals.\u201d The Village Theatre produced and developed the short musical, Feeling Electric, <\/em>which became the Pulitzer-Prize winning Broadway musical, Next to Normal. <\/em>The Village Theatre also produced and developed the Broadway musical, Million Dollar Quartet. It Shoulda Been You<\/em>, currently playing at the Village Theatre, is eying a potential Broadway run in 2012. The Village Theatre is a great place to see some of the newest musicals that have the potential to make it to Broadway, and it is conveniently located less than 30 minutes from Puget Sound!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> Red<\/em> was masterfully produced. The two actors completely embodied their characters (quite a feat, too, for the actor playing world-famous artist Mark Rothko). The set was extremely well-designed and dynamic, depicting Rothko\u2019s studio and his abstract art, but ultimately and tellingly placing the imaginary canvas that Rothko observed and developed across the proscenium, at the interface between actor and audience, artist and viewer.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n