Visions of Bellevue
Anyone who has ever been forced to attend a theatrical event at Bellevue's architecturally sterile Meydenbauer Center has thought, "Man, this town needs a real theater." This week, Bellevue is one step closer to the possibility, with political leaders agreeing on the need for a centrally located performing arts center. Monday, said leaders got down to the numbers, agreeing that a total of $60-$80 million would be needed to fund the project, more than half of which would be made up of public contributions. The long-term nature of the fundraising means the project remains amorphous for now, but initial visions center around a 1,500-2,000 seat theater (the Meydenbauer theater seats only about 400). TRACI VOGEL
Tantalizing Space
The Terry Avenue building that houses Consolidated Works has been slated for demolition ever since the arts center opened there in October 1999. Well, it looks like that demolition will finally occur this summer. But lovers of the stylish ConWorks needn't fret: Rumor has it that a fabulous new location will be announced within the month. Stay tuned. TRACI VOGEL
Parks are Complicated
How hard is it to design a place to plunk down a bunch of sculpture? Pretty hard, apparently. This week, the Seattle Art Museum announced the super-qualified finalists in the competition for the Olympic Sculpture Park's lead designer: Caruso St. John Architects (London), Tom Leader Studio (Berkeley), Michael Maltzan Architecture (Los Angeles), Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (New York), and Weiss/ Manfredi Architects (New York). Almost all of these firms have experience in the weirdly specific field of sculpture-park design, and all have built museums and galleries. If you're interested in what the future might hold for the waterfront property near Myrtle Edwards Park, come to SAM's Plestcheeff Auditorium on Tuesday, May 8 from 12:15 to 5:30 p.m. to see each finalist's presentation. EMILY HALL
Man About Town
Kurt Beattie--actor, director, playwright, former artistic director of the Empty Space, former literary manager of the Seattle Repertory Theatre--has just been hired as an associate artistic director of A Contemporary Theatre. Beattie denies that his secret plan is to infiltrate every theater in town: "I think I'll turn into a pile of dust before that happens," he says disingenuously. He admits that his duties at ACT will include helping with programming (particularly in the Bullitt Cabaret space, which emphasizes new plays and performers) and directing (including the world premiere of Joyce Carol Oates' Miss Golden Dreams in the 2001 season). Beattie claims the emphasis on directing was what led him to accept this position; his prior position at Seattle Rep, which lasted for around eight years, primarily involved producing. Only time will reveal his sinister ulterior motives, which will doubtless lead him to further positions of power at Intiman, Seattle Children's Theatre, New City Theater, and countless others. BRET FETZER
Reading as Punishment
Last week, a 19-year-old man from North Carolina, after being convicted of skinning and beheading his mother's pit bull, was given three years of probation and ordered to read the Lassie novels as rehabilitation. Art as punishment is a brilliant idea--what a way to guarantee its survival! Pedophiles could be assigned Lolita; corrupt scientists, The Island of Doctor Moreau. For poster-ban violators and illegal skateboarders in Seattle, we recommend a mandatory subscription to Martha Stewart Living. LISA SIBBETT
