History
1960s
Seattle Rep's first home was the Seattle Playhouse, built as part of the fair grounds for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition, Seattle's 1962 World's Fair.[7] The building, extant as of 2009, was renovated in 1987 as a home for the Intiman Theatre.[7] Actor Hal Holbrook had appeared at the Playhouse during the fair, and is believed to be the person who suggested it as a home for a repertory theater company.[7] Seattle businessman and arts patron Bagley Wright and others raised money and recruited artistic leadership to found what became Seattle Repertory Theater ("Seattle Rep" or formerly "The Rep").[7] Stuart Vaughan was the founding artistic director[8] and directed the first production, King Lear, which opened the new company's first season on November 14, 1963. The original acting company included Seattle native Marjorie Nelson and a young associate member from the University of Washington, John Gilbert. Both went on to become mainstays of Pacific Northwest theater. Donald Foster came aboard as executive director in 1964. The first summer "Theater-in-the-Park" production was The Taming of the Shrew. The first Northwest tour included Twelfth Night and Ah, Wilderness! by Eugene O'Neill. Peter Donnelly joined Seattle Rep on a Ford Foundation grant as a management intern. In 1966, Allen Fletcher became Seattle Rep's second artistic director. The "Off-Center" series (held at other local theaters outside Seattle Center) focused on contemporary works. The first "Off-Center" production, in 1967, featured The Death of Bessie Smith and The American Dream, two one-act plays by Edward Albee. Seattle Rep was invited to the Bergen International Festival in 1968.[citation needed]
1970s
In 1970, Peter Donnelly became producing director, and W. Duncan Ross became artistic director. In 1972, Seattle Rep's artistic role in the state was acknowledged with the Washington State Governor's Arts Award. That same year was the beginning of "Rep ‘n' Rap", a summer tour program featuring Thurbermania. The following year, there was a special presentation of Promenade All directed by Hume Cronyn. "The 2nd Stage" series began a year later with Max Frisch's Biography. In 1975, a tour of the western states included Seven Keys to Baldpate by George M. Cohan. Private funding and a citywide bond issue raised $5.8 million for a new theater, which was begun in 1977 and completed in 1983. The first "Mobile Outreach Bunch" (MOB) toured Washington and Idaho schools with The Energy Show, launching Seattle Rep's education programs in 1979. John Hirsch joined as consulting artistic director with Daniel Sullivan as resident director that same year, and "Plays-in-Progress," initiated by Daniel Sullivan, began developing new plays.[citation needed]
1980s
In 1981, Daniel Sullivan became artistic director and the Seattle Repertory Organization held the first "Elegant Elephant Sale", an event that continued for nearly two decades. On December 29, ground was broken for the new Bagley Wright Theater, which opened in 1983 with the world premiere of Michael Weller's The Ballad of Soapy Smith, directed by Robert Egan. In 1984, Herb Gardner's I'm Not Rappaport starring Harold Gould, Cleavon Little and David Strathairn opened prior to its Broadway run. That year also saw the start of "Dollar Theatre" with Big and Little (selections from Botho Strauß). In 1985, Benjamin Moore was appointed Seattle Rep's third managing director. In 1988, Seattle Rep premiered Bill Irwin's Largely/New York and Richard Greenberg's Eastern Standard. The following year Wendy Wasserstein's Pulitzer Prize winning The Heidi Chronicles premiered there.[citation needed]
1990s
In 1990, Seattle Rep won a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Inspecting Carol, developed by Daniel Sullivan and the SRT company, premiered as part of the "Stage 2" productions in 1991. That same year Conversations With My Father by Herb Gardner premiered, and Inspecting Carol went on national tour the year after. The premieres of London Suite by Neil Simon and The Sisters Rosensweig by Wendy Wasserstein took place in 1994. The following year, in collaboration with Tom Hulce and Jane Jones, The Rep developed The Cider House Rules, adapted by Peter Parnell from John Irving's novel, which was then presented as part of the 'New Play Workshop Series'. In 1996, the Leo Kreielsheimer ("Leo K.") Theater opened after a successful fundraising drive. Sharon Ott became the artistic director in 1997. That year, in conjunction with the Leonardo exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, written and directed by Mary Zimmerman, was staged in the new Leo K. Theater. Sisters Matsumoto by Philip Kan Gotanda premiered in 1999, followed by the first "Stars and Stories" special event, featuring readings by community artists and leaders, for the benefit of Seattle Rep's education programs.[citation needed]
2000s
Lily Tomlin's one-woman show by Jane Wagner, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, played at Seattle Rep prior to its engagement on Broadway. In 2001, Seattle Rep led a consortium of local theaters in presenting Peter Brook's Hamlet in the Mercer Arts Arena. That same year, Daniel Sullivan returned to direct Proof, for which he won the Tony Award on Broadway, launching its national tour, and a $15 million "Endowment Campaign" under the leadership of Chap Alvord and Janet True was also announced. The 40th Anniversary Season was celebrated in 2003. David Esbjornson became artistic director in 2005. Ping Chong's Cathay: Three Tales of China, Ariel Dorfman's Purgatorio and Restoration Comedy, by Amy Freed, (which went on to be nominated for Best New Play by the American Theatre Critics Association) were among the premieres in 2006. That year also saw a tribute to August Wilson, featuring performances from all ten of his plays. Esbjornson departed in summer 2008, replaced in 2009 by Jerry Manning.[citation needed]
2010s
In 2012, Seattle Rep celebrated its 50th anniversary season.[9] In 2014, Braden Abraham became the 10th Artistic Director after the death of Jerry Manning.[10] That same year, Jeffrey Herrmann became the fifth managing director.[11] In 2017, the final show of the season was David Byrne's Here Lies Love, which required removal of the entire main floor seating area of the Bagley Wright Theatre in order to fit the format of the production.[12]
