New City Theater
Seattle
The New City is an alternative, artist-run theater producing contemporary work in Seattle since 1982 under the continuous artistic leadership of director John Kazanjian and performer Mary Ewald.
The New City aims to commission and produce language centered plays that grapple with the socio-political issues of our time.
Since 2000, the New City has commissioned and premiered THE TOASTER by Seattle novelist Rebecca Brown, THE DESIGNATED MOURNER by Wallace Shawn, BASH by Neil Labute, FAR AWAY by Caryl Churchill, the commission/premiere of LEFTOVER FUTURE by W.David Hancock, THEATER NOT FIT FOR THE WHITE HOUSE, a political cabaret (with writing from Kushner, Shawn, Whitman, Dove, Felinghetti, Gibran, the Tao Te Ching, excerpts from The Bush Dyslexicon, Falmenco dance, & a 12 yr. old girls accapella choir), the commission/premiere of SNOW by John Jesurun, KING LEAR with Clayton Corzatte, & the commission/premiere of BIG BOSS by Ki Gottberg.
Previous commission/premieres that were made with the New City ensemble and were written & directed by the following artists include: EDDIE GOES TO POETRY CITY by Richard Foreman, ENTER THE NIGHT by Maria Irene Fornes, PILGRIMS OF THE NIGHT by Len Jenkin, A HISTORY OF SEXUALITY by David Schweizer & Theatre X,Milw.
THE TOASTER:"...an emotional tidal wave...writer, director,and actors each have flashes of brilliance...bringing [Rebecca Brown] into the theater is exactly the kind of generative,unblinkingly forward-looking move we should expect from our artistic leadership." THE STRANGER///
THE DESIGNATED MOURNER:"Meanwhile, the New City Theater kept quietly producing low-rent, must-see meditations on American society that felt more urgent than anything in either the fringe or regional scenes." THE SEATTLE WEEKLY///
BASH: "Irresistible BASH" SEATTLE PI ..."Brilliant BASH...nearly every note in this bracing evening of theater rings right." THE STRANGER///
FAR AWAY: "[a] scrupulous production..a clear, direct rendering of Churchill's harrowing fable." SEATTLE TIMES..."This modest production resonates more than almost any two hours you can currently spend in some other venue." SEATTLE WEEKLY///
LEFTOVER FUTURE:"This fantastically peculiar evening of sci-fi prose and theatrical alchemy is simply not to be missed." THE STRANGER///
THEATER NOT FIT FOR THE WHITE HOUSE: "Rarely is a theater piece as fresh and topical as Theater NOT FIT...the evening was electric..." SEATTLE TIMES.