by Scotto Moore
August 1-30
Thurs-Sat at 8pm | Mon, Aug 11 industry night
All Thurs PWYC
$20 general/$18 advance tickets
$12 senior, military, TPS / $5 student
The creators of the hit mobile game “Sparkle Dungeon 5: Assassins Of Glitter” are celebrating their latest success with a wild costume party for artists, agitators and hackers. But in the condo next door, a Senate campaign fundraiser is coming to town, attracting politicos, CEOs and media celebrities. As the two events spill out onto neighboring balconies, can an unlikely romance succeed in the midst of steadily increasing mayhem? A screwball comedy from the playwright of “Duel of the Linguist Mages” and “A Mouse Who Knows Me.”
“The setup indicates a Noël Coward–style farce for the 21st century, and that’s what we get as a parade of oddballs from either side of the cultural divide fight, flirt, and baffle each other… ‘Balconies’ has an enthusiastic, I’ve-got-a-barn-let’s-put-on-a-show kind of feel, with the pleasure of watching a band whose members aren’t exactly masters of their instruments but are consistently entertaining. Special mentions go to Jason Sharp for his unctuously graceful performance as Lonso, and Mike Gilson for his marvelous deadpan as the senator’s head of security, Brick.” – The Stranger
“You should go. It’s complicated–and hugely entertaining, dealing with competing parties, cults, video game devs, revenge, and more… ‘Balconies’ gets under the skin of Seattle and pokes all the raw nerves. Required viewing for all start-ups, all indie devs. Required viewing for cult members. Big laughs, big payoffs… Go see it.” – Wonder and Risk
“Moore has a gift for setting up a great joke, then riffing on it; and by its conclusion, the farce finally delivers on its promise. At its best moments, Moore’s work reminds you of Joss Whedon’s ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ or ‘The Avengers’: He juggles an array of characters while still driving the plot forward and giving everyone a moment to shine. Having strong actors in key roles certainly helps. Katherine Karaus is warm and winning as Annalise, the condo owner whose mother’s political ambitions may be her undoing.” – Seattle Weekly
“If gaming is your thing and you can’t wait for Comicon, you’ll find much to like in this hip new play… Just as ‘Book of Mormon’ does a number on the Mormon Church, this play makes fun of the Scientologists… it also has something to say about politicos and the unseemly collaborations they sometimes make all in the effort to be reelected… It’s a funny play studded with clever lines…” – Arts Stage-Seattle Rage
“”This is smart and funny theater and a great choice for summer fun. The description of Sparkle Dungeon makes me long for someone to really create the game…” – Miryam Gordon
CAST
| Andy Buffelen | Whisper |
| Evelyn DeHais | Sophie |
| Zane Exactly | Morning Bell/Tad |
| Mike Gilson | Brick/Mayor |
| Arika Gloud | Monica/Jordon |
| Laura Hanson | Violet |
| Drew Highlands | Cameron |
| Justin Ison | Gridstation |
| Katherine Karaus | Annalise |
| Tadd Morgan | Cody |
| Pilar O’Connell | Gabby/Emily |
| Jason Sharp | Lonso |
| Jessica Stepka | Cordelia/Cynthia |
| Raymond Williams | DJ Luscious/Chief |
CREW
| Playwright/Director | Scotto Moore |
| Stage Manager | Maureen Webb |
| Light Designer | Carolina Johnson |
| Set & Prop Designer | Robin Macartney |
| Sound Designer | Kyle Thompson |
| Costume Designer | Cami Funk |
| Graphic Designer | Evelyn DeHais |
| Featured Music | Fog People (Rachel Jackson & Michael Hayes) |
| Production Manager | Katie McKellar |
| Technical Director | Ian Johnston |
“When I Come To My Senses, I’m Alive!” is a near-future sci-fi story about a technological provocateur who invents a method for capturing emotions as digital information, as part of a project to “chart the emotional genome.” She develops a cult following of fans who download her very addictive “emoticlips” – each delivered with cryptic, poetic file names like “the surprise of an unfamiliar memory” – and play them back in hobby-built receiver helmets. The experience is not full blown virtual reality; instead, emotional responses & sensations are triggered, and each fan experiences something unique. A seedy television executive tries to coopt her technology to syndicate the emotions of TV stars, hiring an elite P.I. to figure out what her weaknesses are when she refuses to sell out… but in the meantime, publishing digital versions of her emotions to the internet has unexpected consequences amongst the botnets of the world.
When 8 year old Kirsty Vanderkamp finds a hidden world in the nooks and crannies of her house — dust bunny farmers under the bed, a burlesque show in the butter compartment, a tabloid published in the china cabinet — she also finds herself caught up the wake of Aura Rotter, an ambitious social climber working her way up the rungs of society, and the lovelorn Iota Potts, a farmboy who risks everything that ever mattered to him to win Aura’s heart. Kirsty travels from the depths of the drains to the heights of the lighting fixture as she tries to make sense of this miniature world — and her own.
