Since moving to Seattle, I’ve struggled to identify medium and small theaters, especially those staging uncommon classics, new works, and small-scale musicals. The only lists of theater companies that I could find were wildly out of date, or highlighted individual productions rather than standing companies. Having now done the legwork out of necessity, I’m now paying it forward so you don’t have to repeat the process.
In order to be included:
- The theater venue or company must stage mostly narrative works, whether scripted or improv. That means concerts, revues, cabarets, stand-up comedy, and non-narrative dance don’t count. They’re totally awesome art forms, but they’re not theater as I am interested in capturing.
- The company must be active within the last 2 years.
- The venue must be close enough to Seattle that a person could drive there, see a show, and go home to Seattle without absolutely hating themselves afterwards for the terrible decisions that led to driving back 50+ miles at rush hour from a matinee, or getting home 3am from an evening show.
Some theaters don’t have their own venues, and some venues don’t have permanent companies. I’ve tried to label this as best I can, but sometimes it’s fuzzy or hard to tell.
Corrections? Additions? Broken links? Contact me with the details.
STAGES MOSTLY PLAYS:
12th Ave Arts
- Capitol Hill
- http://www.blackboxoperations.org/
- Mostly new works
- Also houses other theater groups without their own home theaters
ACT Theatre
- Downtown
- https://acttheatre.org/
Annex Theatre
- Capitol Hill
- http://www.annextheatre.org/
- Exclusively new works
- Available for rentals/hosted productions
Arts West
- West Seattle
- https://www.artswest.org/
Book-It Repertory
- Usually Center Theater (Seattle Center)
- http://book-it.org/
- All plays based on books
Burien Actors Theatre
Center Stage Theatre
- Federal Way
- http://centerstagetheatre.com/
- Mostly plays, some musicals
Dukesbay Productions
- Tacoma
- https://dukesbay.org/
Edmonds Driftwood Players
- Edmonds
- https://edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org/
- Mix of plays and musicals
Fern Shakespeare Company
- SoDo – Slate Theater
- https://fernshakespeare.com/
- All Shakespeare and Shakespeare-inspired works
Greenstage (Shakespeare in the Park)
- Various parks in King County
- https://greenstage.org/
- Free Shakespeare in the Park all summer!
The Horse in Motion
- Various theatre and non-theatre venues in Seattle
- http://www.thehorseinmotion.org/
- Experimental and site-specific works
Infinity Box Theatre
- Various venues, mostly in north Seattle
- https://infinitybox.org/
- Science and technology-related theatre, often in conjunction with science orgs or scientists
Intiman Theatre
- Various venues, especially around Seattle Center
- http://www.intiman.org
Lakewood Playhouse
- Lakewood (south of Tacoma)
- https://www.lakewoodplayhouse.org/
Latino Theatre Projects
- Various venues
- http://latinotheatreprojects.org/
On the Boards
- Lower Queen Anne
- https://www.ontheboards.org/
- Mostly new works
ReAct Theatre
- Various venues
- http://www.reacttheatre.org/
Red Curtain Foundation
- Marysville (north of Everett)
- https://redcurtainfoundation.org/live-plays
- Plays and musicals
- Lots of classes, including classes for adults
Renton Civic Theatre
- Renton
- https://rentoncivictheatre.org/
- Mostly plays, some musicals
Seattle Experimental Theatre
- Various venues
- http://www.seattleexperimentaltheater.com/
- Experimental works and improv comedy
Seattle Immersive Theatre
- Various venues, depending on the story
- http://www.seattleimmersivetheatre.org/
- Experimental, immersive, site-specific works
Seattle Public Theater
- Green Lake
- https://www.seattlepublictheater.org/
Seattle Repertory Theatre
- Seattle Center
- http://www.seattlerep.org/
- Mostly plays, some musicals
- Lots of new works
Seattle Shakesbeerience
- Various bars in Seattle
- https://www.facebook.com/seattleshakesbeerience/
- Drunk Shakespeare
Seattle Shakespeare Company
- Various venues, including Seattle Rep, Center Theater (Seattle Center), and parks in and around Seattle in the summer
- https://www.seattleshakespeare.org/
- Free Shakespeare in the Park all summer!
Second Story Repertory
- Redmond
- http://www.secondstoryrep.org/
- Mostly plays, some musicals
Sound Theatre Company
- Various theatre and non-theatre venues, including Center Theatre (Seattle Center) and Discovery Park
- https://www.seattleshakespeare.org/
Tacoma Little Theatre
- Tacoma
- https://www.tacomalittletheatre.com/
- Mostly plays, some musicals
Taproot Theatre
- Greenwood
- http://www.taproottheatre.org/
Theater Schmeater
- Belltown
- Also summer shows in the parks
- http://schmee.org/
upstart crow collective
- Various venues
- http://www.upstartcrowcollective.com/
- Stages classic works with all-female casts
Washington Ensemble Theater
- Performs at 12th Avenue Arts in Capitol Hill
- http://washingtonensemble.org/
- Mostly new works
West of Lenin
- Fremont (west of Lenin, literally)
- http://www.westoflenin.com/
- Available for rentals
Woodinville Repertory
- Woodinville
- http://www.woodinvillerep.org/
- Performs in a slab and tile warehouse!
STAGES MOSTLY MUSICALS:
5th Avenue
- Downtown
- https://www.5thavenue.org/
- Mostly touring shows and original works testing before Broadway
Cafe Nordo
- Pioneer Square
- http://www.cafenordo.com/
- Dinner theater!
Ovation Performing Arts
- Bainbridge Island
- http://www.ovationmtb.com/up-next-for-mainstage
Pacific Northwest Ballet
- Seattle Center
- https://www.pnb.org/
- Ballets are technically a kind of musical with very little talking, right?
Paramount Theatre
- Downtown
- https://www.stgpresents.org/paramount
- Mostly touring shows
Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society
- Various venues, including Seattle Rep and 12th Ave Arts
- https://seattlegilbertandsullivan.com/
- Mostly but not entirely G&S, all musicals
Seattle Musical Theatre
- Sand Point
- http://www.seattlemusicaltheatre.org/
Seattle Opera
- Seattle Center (mainstage) or South Lake Union (second stage)
- https://www.seattleopera.org/
- Operas are technically a kind of musical, right?
Showtunes Theatre
- Various venues in Seattle
- http://showtunestheatre.org/
- Concert (i.e., minimalist) versions of rarely staged musicals
Twelfth Night Productions
- West Seattle
- http://www.twelfthnightproductions.org/#
- Mostly musicals, some plays
Village Theater
- Issaquah and Everett
- All shows run at both locations
- https://villagetheatre.org/issaquah/index.php
- Strong kids’ program
STAGES MOSTLY COMEDY:
Ghost Light Theatricals at the Ballard Underground
- Ballard
- http://ghostlighttheatricals.org/
- Available for rentals
- Scripted
Pocket Theater
- Greenwood
- https://thepocket.org/
- Only a venue – all productions by outside artists
- Including me (Proof)
- Mostly semi-scripted improv and standup
Pork Filled Players
- Various venues in Seattle
- https://porkfilled.com/wp/
- Scripted sketch and other new comedy
Theatre Off Jackson
- International District
- http://theatreoffjackson.org/
- Available for rentals/co-productions
- Scripted, themed improv, and improv
Unexpected Productions at the Market Theater
- Downtown/Pike Place Market
- http://unexpectedproductions.org/
- Improv and themed improv
STAGES MOSTLY SHOWS BY AND/OR FOR CHILDREN:
Broadway Bound
- University District
- https://broadwaybound.org/
Seattle Children’s Theatre
- Seattle Center
- http://www.sct.org/
Seattle Historical Arts for Kids
- Various venues in and around Wallingford
- https://www.historicalarts.org/
- Historical music and theater classes for kids only
Stone Soup Theatre
- Wallingford/Fremont border
- http://www.stonesouptheatre.org/
Thistle Theatre
- Various venues in and around Seattle
- https://www.thistletheatre.org/
- Puppet theatre
COLLEGE THEATER:
Bellevue College
Cornish College of the Arts
- Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center
- http://www.cornish.edu/playhouse/
- Theatre and dance
Edmonds Community College
Seattle Central College
Seattle Pacific University
Shoreline Community College
- Shoreline
- https://www.shoreline.edu/theater/
University of Washington
- University District
- Main Drama Dept season: https://drama.washington.edu/performances
- Ethnic Cultural Center: http://depts.washington.edu/ecc/
OTHER:
Freehold Theater
- SoDo
- https://www.freeholdtheatre.org/
- Classes for adults, workshopping resources for new plays
- Not a performance space
NW Puppet Center
- Maple Leaf
- http://nwpuppet.org/
- Mostly a museum of puppets and puppet history, some performances
