Tag: Shane Regan

What happens to white privilege when there are no more black people?

Annex Theatre invites you to the town of Mini-Salt-Lake-in-the-North-Woods, where the local cloud factory has produced “quality clouds for over half a century.” This is a world in which the whites are immortal, where Death itself is running for high political office, and where there is always an abundance of pink cake.

“Is She Dead Yet?” updates Euripides’ tragicomedy “Alcestis”—about a young wife who sacrifices herself to save her husband from death—into an absurd exploration of American whiteness. In this adaptation, the young wife turns out to be the last black person on earth, and her sacrifice will render the planet entirely white.

Written and directed by Brandon J. Simmons, with music by Christen Audio Group, choreography by Noah Duffy and featuring the talents of Page Clark, Hannah Victoria Franklin, Soren Gillaspy, Yesenia Iglesias, Alex Matthews, Dani Suder, Shane Regan, Carol Thompson, Tom Wisely and John Wray.

Don’t miss this topical, hysterical, “white comedy”!

“…a vitally important drama for all of us at this very distressing time in American race relations…It is about the human condition, about justice and equality, about racial arrogance and insensitivity, about love and how it defines everything that matters in our individual lives…it’s the best locally written play that I’ve seen this year. Don’t let it get past you.” – Seattle Actor

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“It’s often very funny. At times, the dialogue is so sharp it feels like what might happen if David Mamet concerned himself with such trivialities…. As Chloe, Pilar O’Connell has most of the best lines, and the comedic timing to get some of the best laughs of the play…. Shane Regan, who plays Arthur (or Art, but not Artie), also deserves praise for his performance. Like O’Connell, I enjoyed his comedic timing, but I also thought he did a great job playing a character that has to be a different person for his boyfriend, his girlfriend, and his coworker…. I think Marcus Gorman nicely captured a time when every personal dilemma feels like melodrama to its participants…. there are some great moments with some great performances and some great laughs to be found in here.” – The Journal of Preciptation

The twelve year old president of the Lady Jean Ladies Horseback Riding Club will sacrifice anything or maybe everything to keep the club together. But her bubblegum-pink world cracks as the lives of the ladies beloved equines are threatened forcing them to question their loyalty to each other.

“This short, bitter, and bloody gallows comedy takes place in the pink and frilly bedroom of an imperious 12 year-old named Ashley who runs a club for ‘horse girls’—classmates who gather at Ashley’s home to ride her horses, conduct obsessively ritualistic meetings about those horses, and engage in the frighteningly hierarchical social rituals of pre-teen Americans… Playwright Jenny Rachel Weiner has a sharp ear for viciousness—when one character says she’s had a stressful day, the others swarm around to check her arms for slash marks—and Horse Girls could be the promising start to a gleefully devastating body of work.” – The Stranger

“Take ‘Mean Girls,’ add a pinch of ‘National Velvet,’ a dash of ‘Carrie.’ Stir briskly and you get Jenny Rachel Weiner’s ‘Horse Girls.’ A satire of pubescent female equestrians at their most insufferable, the raucous black comedy is like an extended ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit (featuring Gilda Radner or Amy Poehler) — with a macabre twist. Weiner… handily, hilariously nails a kind of peer and class pressure, and obsessive pony love, in this unbridled spoof… The youthful audience at a recent show howled throughout at the sharp mockery and teen nightmares… Weiner is a young humorist to keep an eye on.” – Seattle Times

“Directed by Norah Elges with the complete seriousness this snarky material deserves… A fantastic pink horsey bedroom set by Jenna Carino and costumes by Devon Allen, lights by Ryan Dunn and sound by Shane Regan combine to support the fun. If you have an evening free, try to see this. It’s a hoot.” – Miryam Gordon

“One of the delights of Annex Theater is their ‘off night’ productions, taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday nights; the current Off Nighter, Horse Girls by Jenny Rachel Weiner, is no exception…The director, Norah Elges assembled a strong cast…Horse Girls was only one hour…there is a snide song and dance number about an almost famous First Lady equestrian (not Jackie) which is not to be missed….you can grab a bite to eat in an un-crowded restaurant, have a good laugh during the middle of the week, to help you get through the week.” – Drama In The Hood

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Family secrets ripple through time when three sisters in 2013 discover the truth about a young African-American woman in 1958 who realizes she can pass for white. What happens in-between is a frank and funny look at the shifting boundaries of tolerance and what identity really means.

“Thoughtful, crisp, and incredibly funny in the best tragicomic way… [Atkins’s] ability to find comedy through the entire piece is excellent. Her eye for characterization and her ear for immediate, intimate dialogue are faultless.” – Seattle Star

“Both funny and chilling… Black Like Us is a sharp slice into the racial history of an American city from an unusual perspective.” – The Stranger

“Candid, compassionate and engagingly humorous” – Seattle Times

“Unlike many good plays that leave you with much to discuss over coffee after you leave the theater, I suspect this play will leave me with internal discussions and conflicts that I’ll debate for the rest of my life. Once again, the tiny little Annex Theatre on Capitol Hill has brought us a bigger, more important show than any of the giant houses in Seattle.” – Seattle Actor

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