Chamomile in the cracks of the Sidewalk
In Seattle, the spring time usually generates an intense interest in cherry blossoms - truly lovely for the brief time they are with us (usually until the next rain/hail/wind storm…) In a recent conversation two of us agreed that we feel more like the chamomile growing in the cracks of the concrete - weedy, useful, nearly indestructible, and holding the power to take out a sidewalk in a single summer.
TSGP is spending the spring growing another set of new plays through our Plays in Progress readings: a series of script development workshops centering the creative growth of playwrights as they tell their unique stories. The springtime metaphor could be extended to say: take one script, turn the soil with one director, seed with mixed actors, and fertilize with audience feedback. Audience members are the final element to growing new, relevant, unique, and dare we say, inclusive theatre in our community and the world.
Making theatre, like leaving the chamomile to grow through the concrete, is a revolutionary act of not only resistance, but also of hope. Under the current circumstances as the NEA changes their funding policies at the federal level, we cannot stress HOW important your financial donations are, not only to The Shattered Glass Project but to other arts organization who focus on gender or who center women artists, nonbinary artists and transgender artists of all genders.
GiveBig is coming up at the beginning of May. You don’t have to wait! PLEASE MAKE A GIFT of any size as soon as you can - show all of us that you believe in and support the arts as well as the hope we are bringing to our community and our country.
Enjoy your spring!
-The board and artists at TSGP
Early giving starts at the end of April…don’t worry, we’ll remind you! SGP has the expansive goal of raising $10k this time spring, and we invite you to help us get there with any amount you’re able to contribute.
In Between Places, written by Carolynne Wilcox and directed by Zanne Gerrard will be the fourth play in our Plays in Progress 2025 series:
Two anachronistic strangers wake up in an unfamiliar and unsettling place that keeps changing as they try to figure out where they are, why they’re there and what they need to do to move forward. Every shift is a small clue…if they can stop arguing long enough to figure it out. As they travel through the nightmare landscape, with help of two ciphers who take on different aspects from both their pasts and the landscape, they slowly begin to put together the pieces of the puzzle regarding where they are, and more importantly, who they are to each other.
Trigger warnings: descriptions of the 9/11 experience; accidental death and grief
In Between Places will be presented at 7:30pm on Friday, April 18th in our room at the MLK Fame Center, located in Seattle’s Central District. There will be beverages, some popcorn, amazing local actors performing(Adrian Cerrato, Christine Shaw, Kirsten McCory & Steven Davis), and the opportunity to give your thoughts, opinions and feedback so the playwright can continue to sharpen and develop it. We’d be so thrilled if you’d come and join us.
Plays in Progress So Far
As of this newsletter, we’re halfway through the series, which seems a great time to look back and reflect on the first three readings, A Scythe and a Skeleton the Sandglass Bore (Mariah Lee Squires & S.W. Jones), (((god/hole))) (Nelle Tankus) and Inside the Head of Mimp (Miriam BC Tobin). Below is just a fraction of the reaction we’ve received from audiences as well as those involved in the readings. Read what they had to say, check out the photo gallery (above), and come to the next reading to find out for yourself what a truly special series of events PIP is.
“Public staged readings benefit the playwrights, the actors and the audience. The actors get to practice their reading skills and work on a low-time commitment project. The playwrights get an idea of how their words sound, if the acting choices are present, what stage directions are necessary and how an audience receives their work. The audience, a key component, inspires the play's evolution by giving feedback and attention and by their presence, inattention, boredom, fascination, confusion, identification give the playwright a window into the play's impact.”
-Kristin McCory, audience member Inside the Head of Mimp
“The Plays in Progress reading felt a bit like a playwright party with so many of us in the audience (and getting to visit before the show and at intermission). As if at a critique group, but with very talented folk reading the script, we focused, all of us in analytical mode when the reading was underway. Were I the playwright, I would have been thrilled to listen to my words from people trained to read this well, and having had dedicated direction and rehearsals. From the audience reception and my observation of reactions, I’d be ready to return to my desk to draft the next iteration of the script.”
-Pamela Hobart Carter, audience member, A Scythe and a Sandglass the Skeleton Bore
“A staged reading allows actors to spend more time with a script than a cold table reading. This is useful for us because it offers the chance to hear what actors do with the text after becoming a bit more familiar with it and exploring their characters. Hearing the play come to life is invaluable because it highlights moments you might miss when just reading it on the page.”
-Mariah Lee Squires, playwright, A Scythe and a Sandglass the Skeleton Bore
Get Involved!
JOIN THE SGP BOARD OF DIRECTORS
We are looking for new board members!
We would love to connect with YOU as a prospective board member for our working board of directors. As a working board, members have the usual fiduciary responsibilities, but the primary requirement for board membership is a love of theatre.
Visit our mission, vision and values webpage for more details: www.shatteredglassproject.org/tsgp-mission
Fill out our interest form here: https://forms.gle/WnWSPLD8xXuR2WcJA
BE AN USHER FOR REMAINING PLAYS IN PROGRESS
We need ushers for the Plays in Progress readings as well as other, upcoming volunteer opportunities! See the show for free & receive our undying appreciation. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/1Ux9o9Dn58w6XR6YA
GRANT UPDATE$
We are delighted to report that TSGP has been awarded both Sustained Support AND Public Free Access Grants from 4Culture this year.
These awards represent an investment in SGP's capacity to provide quality free and reduced cost experiences to the public. We're over the moon to be included in this group of grantees and immensely grateful to 4Culture!
GREAT SHOWS TO CATCH IN THE COMING WEEKS
Go support SGP associate artists out in the greater Seattle theatre community - there’s still a few more chances to catch Blue to Blue at Annex, an original work co-directed by Incubator/Mentor Cohort alum Alison Kozar; Cornelia’s Visitors at West of Lenin, directed by SGP associate artist Montse Garza; and Fermin’s Great Book of Dreams at Centerstage, featuring performances by SGP marketing associate, Carolynne Wilcox. Get out there, experience some art, and see what our friends and collaborators are doing!