Macha Theatre Works Announces 19th Season

Macha Theatre Works is excited to announce our 2019-2020 Season, which will expand to three productions, as well as establish our status as the first Theatre in Residence at West of Lenin in November 2019.

The theme for our 19th season is Look Back, Move Forward, featuring works by local female playwrights. We start by looking back into history through the eyes of painter Artemesia Gentileschi as a survivor of sexual assault in the 17th century in Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough. The Flight Before Xmas by Maggie Lee blends traditional expectations of the holiday season with the challenges of modern families in a fresh, heartwarming comedy. Finally, we move forward into the future in The Fifth Wave by Jenn Ruzumna and Lisa Every, a world premiere play exploring the path of feminism and how it changes over time as our lives progress.

"This is my dream team season. It is such a gift to collaborate with these four local female playwrights again," said Macha Artistic Director Amy Poisson. "When selecting plays, I am drawn to the uniquely theatrical aspect of them. All three of our plays this season have the potential for exciting and beautiful theatrical staging, be it as physical movement, magical stagecraft, or modern technology."

"We are a female-focused theatre company," she said. "And I want our work to plunge head first into women's rights this season. Have we evolved beyond seeing women as purely defined by their family obligations? Where will #MeToo take us? Will things be different, and better, in the future for our daughters? I hope our audiences will see our whole season, and ask themselves: where have we been, who are we now, and where are we headed in the future?"

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Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough

In 17th century Italy, painter Artemisia Gentileschi fought for recognition at a time when female artists received no training, commissions, or support. When she is sexually assaulted by a trusted painting tutor, Artemisia refuses to stay silent and takes her rapist to trial. As she grapples with the scrutiny of the court, she turns to the Biblical subjects of her innovative paintings for support: Judith, a Hebrew widow who slayed an Assyrian general to save her people, and Susanna, a woman accused of infidelity after refusing the lecherous demands of two elders. Blood Water Paint combines silk aerialist movement with the vivid brushstrokes of Artemisia's own art to explore the raw strength and courage of women who forge their own paths to seek justice in an unjust world.

Blood Water Paint had its world premiere under Amy Poisson's direction at Live Girls! Theater in 2015, and playwright Joy McCullough has since adapted it into a National Book Award-nominated novel. Macha is honored to produce a new production of this fierce and timeless story, directed again by Amy Poisson and featuring silk aerial work choreographed by Tanya Gagne, founder of New York's The Trapeze Loft.

Parental discretion is strongly encouraged: the play contains sexual assault and violent murder.

Blood Water Paint runs September 13-October 6, 2019 at 12th Avenue Arts on Capitol Hill.

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The Flight Before Xmas by Maggie Lee

The holidays can be stressful enough, so spending Christmas Eve stranded at the airport with a bunch of strangers is the last thing anyone needs! With endless delays, kids shuffling between stepfamilies, old and new relationships being tested to their limits, and a rogue cat on the loose, the holiday spirit can disappear quicker than your lost luggage. But sometimes you just need to be a little late in order to truly appreciate what you're rushing toward. The Flight Before Xmas is a heartwarming modern holiday show about finding your way home and the family we discover for ourselves.

This family-friendly show will be directed by Amy Poisson and is appropriate for ages 7 and up.

The Flight Before Xmas runs December 6-22, 2019 at West of Lenin in Fremont.

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The Fifth Wave by Jenn Ruzumna and Lisa Every

Following a vicious attack, a young woman, Maxx, emerges as a feminist icon and changemaker for her generation. Decades of relative peace and calm follow for Maxx as she turns her focus to family and her career as a highly regarded professor. When a young man is accused of an assault on campus and finds an ally in Maxx's daughter, her world begins to unravel. Maxx must confront the demons of her past even as she tries to protect her present life. How do we claim justice without letting our rage destroy all that we love?

This world premiere play is commissioned from the writers of Macha's 2017 hit Happy, Happy, Happy... and will be directed by Amy Poisson.

Parental discretion is strongly encouraged: the play contains nudity, violence, and sexual assault.

The Fifth Wave runs March 13-29, 2020 at West of Lenin in Fremont.

For more information on Macha Theatre Works, please visit www.machatheatreworks.com.

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