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‘Julia’ Debuts this Month at On the Boards

Christiane Jatahy drives a new take on the Strindberg classic

A man and woman sitting on a stage with a screen behind them.
A man and woman sitting on a stage with a screen behind them.

This article originally appeared in the February 2016 issue of Seattle magazine.

Swedish playwright August Strindberg’s 1888 play Miss Julie, a dialogue between a young countess and her father’s valet, set in the kitchen of her family’s estate, remains a potent and complex drama in which the powerful relationships of class difference, sexual desire and gender roles are negotiated, with tragic results.

Rio de Janeiro–based author and film/theater director Christiane Jatahy has reimagined Strindberg’s work in her piece Julia, making its Seattle debut this month. Set in contemporary Brazil, Jatahy’s work adds the subject of race to its nexus. And while Strindberg’s play was a seminal work of naturalism, Jatahy’s production both expands and inverts the sense of the real by having her characters simultaneously filmed and projected on stage, integrating theater and cinema, documentary and performance, reality and fiction. 2/11–14.

Times and prices vary. On the Boards, 100 W Roy St.; 206.217.9888; ontheboards.org

 

SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction

SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction

Dance, drag, and immersive art collide in an eight-week exploration of our phone-obsessed lives, with a few surprises along the way. 

What do drag queens, smartphone addiction, art installations, and an old luggage shop have in common?  According to longtime Seattle choreographer Alana O’Farrell Rogers, a lot.  “There’s no dead time anymore,” says Rogers, explaining how the proliferation of smartphones fills the empty spaces that once served as time for rest or connection. Where we snuggled…

Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power

Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power

Ahead of their performance at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture gala, the hip-hop pioneers talk about creative ownership, connecting with new generations, and the songs that still resonate.

The Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) will host its annual ICONS of Pop Culture Gala in Seattle on October 22, honoring five artists and institutions whose work has helped shape entertainment and culture.  This year’s honorees are martial arts and film legend Bruce Lee, fashion designer Jeremy Scott, the video game franchise Halo, hip-hop pioneers…

Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan

Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan

Drawing on childhood memories, neighborhood history, and salvaged materials, Christopher Paul Jordan’s latest show at Cornish’s Behnke Family Gallery explores how the past stays with us.

Start in the middle. It’s good advice for telling a story, and a way into Christopher Paul Jordan’s paintings. By the time you encounter them, their materials have already been something else, and who knows what they might move on to become. The Tacoma interdisciplinary artist works with salvaged objects, including screens, picture frames, canvas,…

Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look 

Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look 

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

WEDDING BELLS I’ve been a bit absent from this column lately, but I think I have a pretty good excuse: I got married! It’s already been three weeks since my September 19 wedding, but I’m still reflecting on the magic of the day. My fiancé, well husband now (I can’t get used to saying it!),…