Dear readers:
As many of you may have noticed, the content of this column has recently undergone a change. Once filled with the all-encompassing, fence-straddling "In Arts News," this space now consists of strictly theater content, with Emily Hall's visual-art news column relocated to the visual art section, making room for The Stranger's first-ever theater column.
Like the art form it honors, this column will shift and morph with the times, to give both fans and practitioners of the dramatic arts an up-to-the-minute forum for all things gaslight and greasepaint. Some weeks will bring straight-up news of interest to the theater community, others will profile notable personages on the local scene. And every so often, I--Mr. Addison DeWitt, theater critic par excellence--will field your queries about theater in the world in general and this paper in particular.
To get the ball rolling in this premiere column, I shall answer a question that has peppered the theatrical air in this city for more than a decade: "How does one receive a theater listing, theater review, and/or Stranger Suggests?"
Getting a Listing
The key to proper coverage is proper advance notice. Press releases with all pertinent info--who, what, where, when, how much--should be sent in at least two weeks before your show's opening. Press releases can be sent to Theater Calendar c/o The Stranger, 1535 11th Ave, Third Floor, Seattle, WA, 98122 and/or e-mailed to calendar@thestranger.com and/or faxed to 206-323-7203. Don't worry about annoying anyone by sending duplicates--better safe than sorry, and smart producers habitually send at least one press release in every format. In a perfect world, we'd receive your press release three weeks before your show opens. If you're tempted to call to confirm your press release's arrival--don't. Such calls will never be taken or returned. If you're worrying about whether or not we received your info, e-mail it again. The more, the merrier.
Getting a Review
In its tireless pursuit of the best of Seattle theater, The Stranger reviews as many local productions as possible--which is why the space to the left of this column is so often packed with freakishly brief reviews. This is a necessary evil. After a show receives an enthusiastic mini-review, it may receive more ink--a Stranger Suggests, an actor profile, or a playwright interview. But this sort of follow-up attention will always take a backseat to the business of initial reviews, so don't take it personally if no one offers to write a preview piece on your sketch comedy/Butoh extravaganza.
Getting a Stranger Suggests
Your best bet for getting a Stranger Suggests is to do a good show and make sure we know about it. Your second best bet is to do a show with an enticingly gimmicky premise during a slow week--say, between Christmas and New Year's. I suggest the first option.
Now it's your turn. Send your burning theater questions--from "Do you prefer actual photos or JPEGs?" to "What's up with that Longenbaugh-fatwa rumor?"--to askaddison@thestranger.com.
