Our Artistic Director, Ki Gottberg, is also a professor of theatre as well as the department Chair in the Department of Performing Arts and Arts Leadership at Seattle University.  This weekend, she brings her student production on tour from SU to The Merc for two nights of William Inge's Picnic.  

In this classic play, family relationships give way to upheaval and raw passion when a beefy drifter rolls into town on the freight train that passes through a 1950's small town in Kansas.  All the action takes place on Labor Day, as everyone readies for the town picnic in the last gasp of summer. Watch the trailer from the Seattle performances to get a glimpse of the captivating ideas and actions that are as true today as they were in 1953 when the play first premiered.

Picnic
May 22nd & 23rd
7:00 PM

$15.00 Adults, children 18 and under free
Buy tickets here
or purchase at the door.
Doors open 30 minutes prior to showtime.

The Twisp Art Walk also takes place in town on Saturday from noon to 4:00.  Join us in the theater for Merc Memories, an exhibit in our gallery space that features photos, costumes, posters, t-shirts, and other memorabilia from our long history of productions at The Merc.  You may even find an artifact to take home. Enjoy the exhibit along with concessions, face painting, sidewalk chalk for kids, and other fun activities while Glover Street and Twispworks bustle with art and activity.

Here at The Merc, our Artistic Director Ki spends a good deal of time thinking about our season and planning what shows we will produce. Many factors contribute to the decision: cast size, cost of production, set size, costumes, what we've produced in the past..the algorithm to figure it all out is staggering.  That said, sometimes in the middle of all the planning, serendipity steps in and provides us with amazing opportunities.  Such is the case with some of our upcoming events that center around a common theme we didn't necessarily intend, but that we plan to maximize:  CLASSICS!

You may have noticed that at the moment we are diving deep into Shakespeare.  Don't be afraid!  Shakespeare is awesome!  I might be an English teacher that will never let go...but really, if you digest it the way we like to offer it - Shakespeare is fun, entertaining, totally understandable, and not to be missed at The Merc. Trust us...you'll love it.

Our Shakespeare fever got started with the raucous cowboy-themed version of Twelfth Night that we offered last summer. It was a great production full of confused identity, bawdy jokes, and scheming tricksters. Classic, laugh-out-loud Shakespeare that audiences enjoyed.

The Classic fun doesn't stop there.  Even after we planned all of this, The Seattle Shakespeare Company contacted us to bring a touring production to The Merc. We had to accept their offer when we learned the lead actress is Terry Weagant who performed The Amish Project here last year and has local family ties in the Methow. The Seattle Shakespeare company will bring Macbeth to our stage on May 16th at 7:00 PM and Terry will be playing Lady Macbeth.  You do not want to miss this!  Again, plot and character details forthcoming.

What could possibly be next?  Another Classic opportunity.  This spring at Seattle University, where she is the Theatre Department Chair, Ki is directing a production of Picnic, the classic play by Inge (Bus Stop & Splendor in the Grass). Through a generous grant from Seattle University, Ki will bring the production on tour to The Merc's stage.  We are very excited for yet another opportunity to present a theatre classic to our friends and audiences.  Picnic will be onstage Friday and Saturday, May 22nd and 23rd to round out the Memorial Day Weekend festivities.

There is something for everyone in all of these upcoming productions that we have scheduled.  Stay tuned for further details on each production, plus discounted ticket deals!

See ya at The Merc!
Missi