We're just about a month into spring quarter, and while many of us are starting to think not only about the end of this academic year, but the beginning of next—Have you heard? It's our 75th Anniversary Season in 2015-2016!—there's still plenty of work to be done this quarter.
Every other spring brings us the opportunity to see our first-year MFA directing students make their UW Drama main stage debut. This year, instead of a program of one acts, Malika Oyetimein and Sean Ryan are collaborating on a full production of William Inge's Bus Stop, with Sean directing Act I and Malika taking over Acts II and III. The cast switches roles, too! We're excited to see the results, and we hope you'll join us in getting to know these talented artists.
See the show during the first week and receive 25% off the regular ticket price, excluding opening night on Friday, April 24. Use promo code: inge. Discount valid on 4/22, 4/23, 4/25, and 4/26.
Bus Stop
by William Inge
directed by Malika Oyetimien and Sean Ryan
April 22 through May 3
Opening Night: April 24 at 7:30 pm
Jones Playhouse
25% of the regular ticket price April 22, 23, 25, and 26. Use promo code: inge, before selecting number of tickets.
BUY TICKETS
Sixty-years after its Broadway premiere, first-year MFA directors Malika Oyetimein and Sean Ryan lead us back to the small town diner 30-miles west of Kansas City where the great American playwright William Inge revealed simple truths of our common humanity.
Five weary travelers and their bus driver find themselves stranded in the middle of the night, waiting out a snow storm. A nightclub chanteuse, a belligerent cowboy and his guitar-strumming sidekick, a hard-drinking college professor on the run from his past, the bus driver, the proprietor of the diner, and a naïve young waitress, reveal their hopes, dreams, loves and fears, while the town sheriff does his best to maintain order. As the temperature drops and the night progresses, tensions and passions rise in Inge's classic bittersweet comedy.
A post-show talk will be held on Thursday, April 30.
On the eve of their main stage debut—a co-direction of William Inge’s Bus Stop—first-year MFA directors Malika Oyetimein and Sean Ryan sat down to talk about what brought them to the University of Washington School of Drama, Bus Stop, and what they’re looking forward to directing next.
What brought you to the School of Drama?
Sean: The UW School of Drama was one of the reasons I moved to Seattle in 1998. It just took me 17 years to realize the dream of getting my master’s here. After I moved, I started a dance-theatre company and a play reading series. I became immersed in the Seattle theatre scene, as an artist and an arts administrator. For the past 10 years, I worked in artistic development at On the Boards, a contemporary arts presenter here in Seattle, working with artists to develop their ideas and their craft. And now I’m living the dream.
Malika: In my career, I’ve been working towards graduate school for a while. When I visited the University of Washington, and got to meet Valerie Curtis-Newton (professor, head of MFA performance, directing, acting) and see the environment in which I could be spending my next three years, I knew this was the school for me. With the way the program is structured, the individual attention that I would receive, and Valerie’s mentorship, I knew it would be the push I needed...
Read more
The University of Washington School of Drama and Seattle Office of Arts & Culture present an innovative and exploratory theater conference that traverses through the heart of Seattle’s Chinatown. History and memory come alive through site-specific theatrical performances, new works by local Asian American playwrights, and a discussion panel on Asian American Theater with top Seattle-based theater artists. There will also be a dim sum luncheon featuring keynote remarks by Philip Kan Gotanda, award winning playwright and seminal figure in the Asian American Theater movement.
This day long conference event runs from 11:30 am–4:30 pm. It involves a moderate level of walking and an ability to climb stairs.
INCLUDED IN TICKET PRICE
- Full dim sum luncheon (vegetarian option available)
- Keynote address by American playwright Philip Kan Gotanda
- Three site-specific theater performances inside the historic West Kong Yick Building and Chong Wa Chinese School
- Panel discussion with leading Seattle Asian American theatre artists
- All day access pass to the Wing Luke Museum
- Free reserved parking in Pacific Rim Center parking garage
Tickets are limited and can be purchased at storiesfromchinatown.brownpapertickets.com
CONSIDER MAKING A...
Read more
Samer Al-Saber (PhD 2013) is currently finishing a two-year Mellon post-doctoral fellowship at Davidson College. He will begin a tenure-track position at Florida State University this August. Read more about Samer's research and fellowship here.
Preesa Bullington (BA 2010) and Michael Minahan (MFA 2011) work as the design team for Big Green Theatre, a project of the theatre company Superhero Clubhouse. The project was recently written up in the American Theatre magazine. Read the story here.
Andrew McGinn (MFA '13) plays the title role in the Portland Center Stage production of Cyrano, running through May 3. Professor Deborah Trout designed the costumes.
Since graduating last year, J Jha (PATP '14) has been busy establishing himself San Francisco. He was recently profiled by...
Read moreUpcoming Performances and Events
Bus Stop—MFA director debut
April 22–May 3
More details
Extending a Hand: Gesture, Duration and the (Non)Human Turn
Lecture by Rebecca Schneider, Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, Brown University
Organized by the Performance Studies Research Group
Friday, April 24 at 4:00pm
More details
Boy's Life—featuring undergraduate actors
May 27–June 7
More details
UTS Presents: On the Verge
May 28–June 7
More details
STORIES FROM CHINATOWN: a living theater project
May 30
More details
Designer Showcase
Featuring graduating designers from UW Drama, Cornish College of the Arts, and Seattle University
Save the date for June 8
More details coming!
Banner Photo Credit: Hazel Lozano and AJ Friday and Cherie and Bo in William Inge's "Bus Stop." Photo by Mike Hipple.