[Seattle, Wash., March 3, 2022]— Book-It Repertory Theatre (Book-It) is thrilled to return to in-person, live performance on the Center Theatre stage after postponing their winter show due to the Omicron wave of Covid-19. Adapted by Jeff Award-winning Chicago playwright Frances Limoncelli (she/her) and directed by Gregory Award-winning Seattle favorite Kelly Kitchens (She’s Come Undone, Hand to God) this stinging parable grabs your heart and doesn’t let go. Running March 23 to April 17, 2022 at the Center Theatre in the Armory at Seattle Center.

“It is my esteemed honor and inestimable joy to welcome audiences back to Book-It with the weird and wonderful Mrs. Caliban. Gothic romance, social satire, monster movie, and none of the above, Rachel Ingalls’ tale of Woman and Fish-Man will bring a sense of wonder to the Center Theatre,” enthuses Artistic Director Gus Menary (he/him).

A blend of fantasy and domestic politics Mrs. Caliban is, at its core, a work of empathy and humanity. Exquisitely rendered grief is embodied as a backdrop for joy and yearning, survival and belonging. Director Kelly Kitchens explains, “The style is so unique. It deftly balances the familiar and the fantastical, the comic with the tragic, the surreal with the quotidian. It’s a clever, taut, masterfully rendered, and beautifully strange tale. It allows us to grieve and to hope, to laugh and to cry—maybe even at the same time. Which feels so necessary to me for the moment in which we find ourselves.”

THE STORY
Dorothy lives a perfectly pleasant life. Her husband, Fred, is a perfectly pleasant man. His job is good; her home is spotless; their world is as it should be. As long as you don’t mention the children they’ve lost, then everything is fine. As long as she doesn’t yearn for excitement and passion, Dorothy is fine. Until excitement opens her screen door. Standing there is Aquarius the Monsterman (though he prefers Larry), a “gigantic six-foot-seven-inch frog-like creature,” and he is divine! Welcoming Larry into her home and her heart is the most natural thing Dorothy can do. And her world will never be the same.

THE ARTISTS
The cast includes Sunam Ellis (she/her) as Dorothy, Quinlan Corbett as Larry, Angela DiMarco (she/her) as Estelle, Benjamin McFadden (he/him) as Fred, Zenaida Rose Smith (she/her) as Sandra/Ensemble, with Annie Yim (she/her) as Understudy for Dorothy/Estelle and Dylan Smith (he/him) as Understudy Larry/Fred. The creative team includes Adaptor Frances Limoncelli (she/her), Director Kelly Kitchens, Stage Manager Darian Clogston (she/her), Assistant Stage Manager Jasmine Ritter (she/her), Production Assistant/Covid Compliance Manager Lindsay Merino (she/her)Scenic Designer Christopher Mumaw (he/him), Lighting Designer Thorn Michaels, Costume Designer Chelsea Cook, Sound Designer Rob Witmer (he/him), Props Designer Robin Macartney (she/her), Intimacy Director Francesca Betancourt (she/her), Creature Fabricator Brendan Mack (they/them), and Wig Designer Joyce Degenfelder.

ABOUT THE SEASON
The 2021-22 season line-up includes Zen and the Art of an Android Beatdown, by Tochi Onyebuchi, an audio journey to the heart of identity and connection that will have you on the edge of your seat; The Three Musketeers, an audio adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic swashbuckling, buddy adventure filled with intrigue and romance; Beowulf, this one-person adaptation by renowned thespian Julian Glover (Game of Thrones, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), is a mythic tale that reminds us of the importance of a good story well told; Mrs. Caliban, a delicious combination of social satire and fantasy from author Rachel Ingalls and The Bonesetter’s Daughter, by celebrated author Amy Tan, offers a bittersweet and deeply moving chronicle of war and revenge, through which we are reminded that forgiveness is always closer than it seems.

PROOF OF VACCINATION & MASKING REQUIRED
In keeping with the contracts signed with our artists and their unions, as well as the sales agreements made at time of purchase, Book-It Repertory Theatre will continue to require masking and proof of vaccinations or negative COVID-19 testing for entry to any and all performances at The Center Theatre at Seattle Center. All patrons, artists, and staff will need to wear a mask and provide proof of vaccination (in a clear and legible format) or negative COVID-19 test (PCR within 48 hours or antigen within 24 hours. Please, do not attend your scheduled performance if anyone living in your household, or to whom you have regular exposure, is awaiting a Covid test within your 48- or 24-hour test period.) There will be no separate sections for vaccinated/unvaccinated patrons. Policies will evolve over time in response to the pandemic.

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND SINGLE TICKETS
Subscriptions for the 2021-22 season are available online, by phone and by mail-in order form. Subscription packages range from $82-$185. Single tickets to the audio dramas are priced at $20 (Zen) and $25 (Musketeers). Single tickets to the in-person productions are on sale now. Prices range from $26-$50. Students of all ages receive $20 tickets and must show a valid student ID. Groups of eight or more tickets are eligible for a 10% discount. Pay What You Can performances will also be available; check the website for more information. Purchase tickets at book-it.org or by calling the box office at 206.216.0833. The box office is open Tuesday – Friday, noon to 5pm.

ABOUT BOOK-IT REPERTORY THEATRE
Book-It Repertory Theatre, founded in 1990, is a non-profit organization with a mission to transform great literature into great theatre, through simple and sensitive production, and to inspire its audiences to read.

 

###

Contact:
Torrie McDonald (she/her)
Marketing & Communications Director
torriem@book-it.org