Hand2Mouth's "Something's Got Ahold of My Heart" features at first a plaid clad ensemble telling and the sweet-tragic narrative of a blessed-by-a-curse love triangle. Voices transpose for other actors and the image of, "where we can just sit and hold each others darkness," really got me--and had my fellow dress-rehearsal attendee checking her mascara for smears. The self-sufficient ensemble moves around their own equipment in plain sight and is even their own band--the piece transforms into something of a rock opera.

It begins with Tahni Holt's "Sunshine" begins with the word "Satisfaction" written in neon pink spray paint on an unfolded box. The piece sets up fluctuating dualities between artificial and natural (are we able to find satisfaction in either?). With his back to us, Robert Tyree's sequin-ey black sweatsuit was a body-size garbage bag and Lucy Yim's recycling bin blue dress a sparkly piece of re-purposed plastic. Kraft paper feather-wings taped to Yim's arms made me think of the paper as skin and her skin as paper.

Tim Summers photographed last night's dress rehearsal for the Studio Theater showcase in weekend one of the festival. Take a gander at what's happening tonight through Sunday:

[Tahni Holt]

[Danny Herter]

[Corrie Befort]

Crosscut has a the downlow on this year's festival. Give it a gander: "When the creative process is the main act"

We're experiencing some technical difficulties this morning, but hope to have NW New Works tickets and 12/13 Season subscriptions back online shortly. Check back this afternoon and thanks for your patience in the meantime!

UPDATE - tickets are now working again!

The 2012 NW New Works Festival includes an intimate installation by KT Niehoff/Lingo Productions, Paper Trail.
    
Paper Trail takes place in three performance cycles on Sunday, June 17th from 4:45pm-6:30pm. The performance is intimate in scale, and only 45 festival ticket holders (a maximum of 15 per showing) will be able to access this special festival offering.
 

Today The Stranger launched the A&P, a quarterly arts magazine with comprehensive arts listings for everything coming up in the Seattle area in the next few months. We're thrilled to have 2012 NW New Works artist Mike Pham represented on the cover:

The lineup for the 2012 NW New Works Festival was announced today. More information about the artists will be released in the spring, but check out this goodness in the meantime:

[In response to Eric's questions for Vanessa]

Here are the reviews so far:

"NW New Works Festival closes with strong Mainstage show" - Seattle Times

"NW New Works Festival Challenges Conceptions of Time, Space, and Self" - Seattle Dances