Intiman Theatre Unveil Their March Showcases on The Day With Trae
Photos by Breyahna Coston
Jennifer Zeyl, the Artistic Director of Intiman Theatre, joined Trae Holiday on The Day With Trae to unveil the exciting lineup of events for March. These events are part of the Share the Love, a peer-to-peer, crowdsourced campaign to raise $50,000 for Intiman's 50th anniversary. This month, on Wednesdays, the 13th, 20th, and 27th, the Theatre will present three showcases highlighting artist responsibility during revolution and political strife. Zeyl emphasized her position as the Artistic Director when choosing productions for Intiman Theatre.
"On paper, you're responsible for the selection and interpretation of works for the stage. But what that entails is a lot of listening to the community, listening to the silences, listening to the stories that are not being told or passed over," Zeyl said. "So there are a number of events that I go to outside of the theater. I go to a lot of protests. I go to town hall. I go to a lot of talks, and I'm always kind of listening and hearing what's lighting people up and where there are knowledge and information gaps."
For the first event on the 13th, the Theatre will delve into Gorky & Chekov: Theater as Revolution, a production focused on the works of Maxim Gorky and Anton Chekhov right before the beginning of the Russian Revolution. For the second production on the 20th, Intiman Theatre will present a reading of My Name is Rachel Corrie, a play edited by journalist Katharine Viner and late actor Alan Rickman based on emails and diary entries from Washington-born activist Rachel Corrie. Corrie died in 2003 by an Israeli military bulldozer while trying to prevent the destruction of a Palestinian home in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. After the reading, a panel moderated by Intiman board member Farheen Ahmed comprised of local artists, writers, and musicians will talk about the function of art during times of conflict and explore how local communities respond to global issues. Panelists will include Zeyl, musician Gabriel Teodros, Jewish Voice for Peace representatives, Palestinian community weaver Hala Saleh, and more.
For the third event, taking place on the 27th, Intiman Theatre is Celebrating Langston Hughes with a panel made up of Vivian Phillips of Arte Noir, artistic director of The Hansberry Project Valerie Curtis-Newton, and others who will discuss his legacy and the importance of his writing, poetry, and plays in the Harlem Renaissance.
In early May, Intiman Theatre will also present The Lion Tells His Tale, an immersive theatrical production. The show will feature Delbert Richardson's American History Traveling Museum, part of his organization, The Unspoken Truth.
"Intiman is working diligently to provide artistic experiences for the community," Holiday said. "It's great to know they can offer opportunities beyond the stage!"
Intiman Theatre strives to offer immersive experiences that bring art directly to the community, a core element of their mission that Zeyl emphasizes.
"We're seeing folks' capacity for sitting in a chair and having art made at them kind of diminish. Folks for whom that is their thing, there's attrition in the ranks," Zeyl said. "Honestly, I think that in order for theatre to survive, it needs to be less mono-directional; it needs to be essential to its community that it's saying that it serves."
Intiman Theatre is currently focusing on fostering up-and-coming talent by offering opportunities to participate in productions and providing a space where young artists can flourish creatively. This commitment stems from Zeyl's recognition of the limited options available to early-career artists, a gap she says wasn't there when she started.
" We have a lot of great arts training programs where we're taking young people's money in order to help them develop a skill set, but the immediate pathway that was available for me when I was finishing my studies, it's just not there anymore. There aren't these smaller showcases, like five minutes max, 12 minutes max, to have some of these artists get something out in the world and engage with a response," Zeyl said. "So that's what Wesley [Frugé], my Managing Director, and I are working on right now, creating a place for emergence and incubation."
To check out more of Intiman Theatre and their upcoming work, click here.
For more stories about arts and culture happening in Seattle and beyond, tune into Trae every weekday at 11 am on all Converge Media platforms and The Day With Trae YouTube Channel.
