Local theater artists Martha Enson and Kevin Joyce are busy these days helming a new, interactive rock musical, and they want to make sure that the show’s island friends and supporters make the trek to Seattle to experience the extravaganza’s debut.
“Venus and the Vixens: Games of Love,” running for 12 performances from May 30 to June 16 at Emerald City Trapeze Arts in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood, couldn’t have been created without the backing and love of Vashon community members, Enson said.
“This project feels like it’s a gift from the island to our region and our society right now, and really, it’s a gift from Vashon,” she said, crediting supporters and donors she has known since first moving to Vashon in 1989, as part of the island’s now-famed UMO theater troupe.
Islanders also know Enson and Joyce through EnJoy Productions, an enterprise they founded together many years ago to host and produce special events for regional and national non-profit organizations, corporations and civic municipalities. Now, the couple is following their artistic muse to produce “Venus and the Vixens” under the EnJoy banner.
“Venus and the Vixens: Games of Love” is a fresh take on the mythic tale of Cupid and Psyche’s epic love story, with heart-pumping electro-pop sounds, participatory games of chance, aerial flourishes, physical challenges, and playful surprises.
The show, written and directed by Enson, boasts an all-star company of regional talent: Sari Breznau (music director), Caela Bailey (Venus), Joel Domenico (Cupid), Shadae Simone (Choreographer and Psyche), Kaleb Kerr, Chay Dixon, Patricia Charms, Richard Peacock and Alanna Francis (Game Lead Gods and Goddesses) and band members Melissa Montalto, Marina Christopher, Teryn Kilgore, Baylee Harper, and Leah Thomas.
The Seattle venue where it will be staged, Emerald City Trapeze Arts, was chosen specifically for its unconventional aerial performance space and flexible layout: it accommodates the mad whirl of music, food, drink, games and theatrics that make the show so different and fun, Enson said.
The show was first conceived during the darkest days of the pandemic, as Enson and Joyce dreamed of an experience that was completely absent in the COVID lockdown — a joyful and playful show for the public, rooted in connection and love.
Equally important, they wanted to make a positive contribution to the struggling local arts scene that had generously fueled their creative juices for over 35 years.
In late 2020, the couple began working on the show’s concept and script — an idea Enson said had germinated in her brain almost two decades prior.
“As young children, we practice play and playing with new people all the time,” she said. “As adults, we don’t let ourselves do either very often. I wrote this show so adults could have a chance to play in an easy, fun environment — with a little food, drink, and rock music on top.”
The play was rehearsed and workshopped at Open Space for Arts & Community, on Vashon, and has key links to Vashon businesses including The Ruby Brink, which will offer food and beverages sold at the show, Vashon Print & Design, which is producing posters and other material for the show, and Wagons of Steel, which has screen-printed the production’s merchandise.
Local theater-makers Ellie Hughes, and Madaleine and Jon Schroeder are also playing key behind-the-scenes roles in the production.
Enson and Joyce also said they are welcoming islanders as front-of-house volunteers for the show — with free tickets for those who sign up for shifts at venusandthevixens.com.
The call for participation and island audience members comes complete with a bold promise, from Joyce:
“Islanders have supported this production so much, we’re thrilled for them to see it,” he said. “It’s a great night out — and 10 minutes from Fauntleroy, so you’ll be back on the 10:35 ferry, guaranteed!”
Find out more, get tickets, and sign up to volunteer at venusandthevixens.com. Emerald City Trapeze is located in Seattle at 2706 6th Ave S. — an easy commute on and off the West Seattle Bridge.
