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Gray Harrison and Calista Robbins 2/24/26 Gray Harrison and Calista Robbins 2/24/26

‘Ashes, Ashes’ Snapshots Family, Grief, Humor in Kenmore

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down, written by Gretchen Douma, premiered February 5-8 at As If Theatre. The play, with its familial themes and living room-confined location suited the small, homey venue well. Staff greeted guests with warmth, ensuring all felt welcomed into the budding Kenmore arts community. Upon entering the Kenmore Community Club, a donation-based concession stand sold fresh, homemade cookies which added a unique layer of care, commitment, and connection to the performance and the theater space that often goes unfelt by patrons at larger venues.

Gray Harrison and Calista Robbins 1/31/26 Gray Harrison and Calista Robbins 1/31/26

As If Theatre Debuts New Works Program with ‘Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down’

Described as a “dramedy about what happens when the skeletons in the closet meet the ashes in the jar,” Ashes, Ashes is Gretchen’s first full-length play produced for the stage. The playwright has over thirty years of experience as an actor, ten years of writing as a theater critic, and more recently joined the storytelling community à la The Moth. She first began developing the idea for the play in 2017 while taking a playwriting class with Rebecca Touriño Collinsworth, founder of Parley Productions.

Gray Harrison 1/15/26 Gray Harrison 1/15/26

‘Lear Alone’ and ‘Walking on a Paper Moon’ Lead Baker Theater Workshop’s Winter Lineup

Last month, I was fortunate to attend the Pacific Northwest premiere of Anna Tatelman’s play Life on the Moon, produced by Ba ker Theater Workshop and performed at ReAc t Theatre. The play examined the challenges a family experiences when trying to authentically communicate their feelings with each other over the holidays. Furthering on the theme of familial complexity, Baker Theater Workshop will present two plays together from January 10-19 which dig into family dynamics: Lear (alone), and Walking on a Paper Moon.

Gray Harrison 12/18/25 Gray Harrison 12/18/25

Life on the Moon Powerfully Illuminates Familial, Autistic Expression

On December 14, I was lucky enough to attend the PNW premiere of Life on the Moon, a play written by Anna Tatelman, directed by Jeremy Radick, and produced by Baker Theater Workshop. Hosted at ReAct Theatre, Life on the Moon is a family drama that centers on the relationship between siblings Piper, an 18-year-old with autism, and her older brother Spencer, who has just returned home from the army for the holidays.

Calista Robbins 8/27/25 Calista Robbins 8/27/25

Witness Immersive Experiments with Seattle Audiences in The Double

Witness Immersive is a New York and London based company which has spread its innovative creativity to various cities around the country. Its second show in Seattle, The Double, performed by a stellar local cast, brought an interdisciplinary performance medium to the city which has thus far gone mostly untapped—immersive dance theatre.

Calista Robbins 6/6/25 Calista Robbins 6/6/25

Alice in Arabialand: An Attempt Was Made

While the play had a lot of workshopping to do, its commentary was important. It gave a wide representation of LGBTQ+ lives and showed the isolation felt beneath the weight of conservative cultures throughout the world. It also showed the resilience of Queer communities in the face of oppression and brought the conflicts in the Middle East centerstage, demanding viewers to remember them.