On the Boards Showcases Northwest Talent

Get your dose of the Northwest’s latest and greatest performing artists at On the Boards Northwest New Works Festival the next two weekends, May 9-11 and 16-18.

The festival showcases 20-minute sections of eight groups/artists’ works in progress, four on the mainstage, four in the studio. The segments include music, theatre, puppetry, dance, and drag. Whether you’re watching a simple solo narrative or a twenty-person musical extravaganza (and we’ve seen them!), you’ll be placing your finger on the pulse of what’s new and innovative in the Seattle performance world. This ain’t no test-run of Shrek, The Musical.

When you go to their website and click on the artists' names, you can download interviews with each of the artists and hear what makes them tick. Watch out especially for Faith Helma of Hand2Mouth Theatre, whose bosoms were seen in last year’s season at On the Boards, the bluegrass strummings of The Half Brothers, a pair of cleverly puppeteered pants from Toutonghi | Gonzales | Savas, and Holcombe Waller, who cites "the world" as his biggest influence. "I mean, look at it—it’s pretty interesting."

5 p.m. and 8 p.m. // On the Boards // 100 W Roy St // $14 - 1 showcase, $20 - 2 showcases, $24 - 3 showcases, $30 - 4 showcases