Submitted by Working Class Theatre Northwest
Tacoma’s Working Class Theatre NW (WCTNW) presents its third full-length production, David Mamet’s “A Life in the Theatre,” opening at Olympia’s Midnight Sun in a pay-what-you-will preview on May 21 and continuing with performances at Tacoma’s 733 Commerce through June 7. Tickets are $10–$12 and are on sale now.
“A Life in the Theatre” is a play in one act written by David Mamet, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “Speed-The-Plow.” Portraying the lives of two actors: John, young and rising into the first flush of his success; and Robert, older, anxious, and beginning to wane, in a series of short and increasingly raw exchanges, Mamet depicts the estrangement of youth from age and the wider, inevitable and endless cycle of life, in and out of the theatre.
Working Class Theatre NW’s production of “A Life in the Theatre” is directed by Luke Amundson and stars local actors Mark Peterson as John and Frank Thompson as Robert. Amundson is reviving the show (previously presented with the help of Spaceworks as a reading in 2013 and in preview form in 2014) as a fully staged production.
“I’m thrilled at the chance to return to direct “A Life in the Theatre” again with WCTNW and to have Frank Thompson and Mark Peterson returning to their roles,” stated Director Luke Amundson. “The play’s backdrop of two actors working on shows over the years is one of my favorite works of Mamet’s. While the setting is wholly a theatrical one, their conflicts are all too familiar to any working environment of political positioning, petty arguments, and friendships that spring from unlikely scenarios.”
“A Life in the Theatre” opens at The Midnight Sun at 113 N. Columbia St. in downtown Olympia with a pay-what-you-can preview on May 21, with performances on May 22, 23, and 24, before reopening on the third floor of Tacoma venue 733 Commerce, for a pay-what-you-can preview on May 28 and performances May 29, 30, and 31 and June 5, 6, 7, and 8. All performances are at 8:00 p.m. Suggested donation is $12 for general tickets and $10 for students, seniors, military and union members. Tickets are available online through Brown Paper Tickets, or at the door.
Working Class Theater Northwest was founded in 2013 by Christina Hughes and Tim Samland. The nonprofit community theater was honored with a mention in The Weekly Volcano’s Best of 2014 issue. Working Class Theater Northwest’s mission is to provide and encourage an inexpensive, high-quality theatre experience that is grounded in the diverse culture of Tacoma. Find out more at workingclasstheatrenw.com.