Monday nights can be a letdown on our island after a typical weekend full of arts and theater.
But Vashon Rep has the fix for that — the theater company is opening its second “Incubator Series” of readings of plays by Northwest authors at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17, at Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA). The series, curated by island playwright Trista Baldwin, is aimed at giving its audience a taste of different forms of theatrical writing — with an emphasis on plays that touch on pressing issues and ask questions about the past and the future.
The first play of the season — “¡O Cascadia!” — comes from Ramón Esquivel, a playwright, director, and educator with Seattle ties who currently teaches playwriting at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. His list of honors and accomplishments is long and includes invitations to speak at prestigious playwrights festivals and conferences, and grants and prizes for his previous works.
”¡O Cascadia!” — first developed with the Seattle Repertory Theatre’s Writers Group — tells the story of friendship and conflict between a group of friends as they discover each other among the waters, forests and mountains of the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle actor, director, and teaching artist, Sunam Ellis, will direct the play, bringing her considerable experience at ACT, Book-It, Seattle Shakespeare, Seattle Public Theatre, Sound Théâtre, Seattle Rep, and Theatre22 to the endeavor.
More play readings in the series will soon be announced.
Last year and during the 2022 Theatre Fest, Vashon Rep brought audiences into the development process of the comedy “Working for Crumbs,” by Kate Danley, the dystopian future of “The Unnamed,” by J.D. Mitchell, as well as the worlds contained in “Dreolin,” by Kat Eggleston and “Fetal,” by Baldwin.
Audiences for each of the plays are invited to provide feedback immediately after the performance, a valuable step in each playwright’s creative process.
Admission to the “Incubator Series” readings is pay-what-you-will, with a suggested donation of $10, and no one will be turned away for lack of ability to pay.
For more information, visit vashonrepertorytheatre.org.
