The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window (Image: Intiman Theatre)
One year ago, Intiman Theatre was preparing for its first production in its new home on Capitol Hill. It begins its 50th season in February with a partnership to stage a powerful exploration of race, class, and politics.
Intiman Theatre and The Williams Project are co-producing The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window by Lorraine Hansberry and directed by Ryan Guzzo Purcell. This production marks the first time that Hansberry’s play will be professionally produced in the city of Seattle. The show is scheduled to run from February 7th to 25th at Harvard Ave’s Erickson Theatre as part of Intiman’s residency at Seattle Central College.
“In a lot of ways, it’s a play about the struggle between idealism and practicality,” said director Ryan Guzzo Purcell. “How do you live your values and your ideals, and particularly, when you’re no longer young and in college?”
The Williams Project is a Seattle-based theater company that specializes in producing lesser-known works and re-imagining classics. Their mission is to create productions that are accessible to diverse audiences and to give a platform to underrepresented voices in the theater community.
This collaboration between Intiman Theatre and The Williams Project is not the first time the two companies have worked together. In 2015, Intiman presented The Williams Project’s production of “Orpheus Descending,” which received rave reviews from audiences and critics alike. The two companies are thrilled to join forces once again and bring Seattle audiences a thought-provoking and dynamic production of Hansberry’s classic play.
The latest partnership between Intiman and The Williams Project came about a year ago, when Intiman’s artistic director Jennifer Zehyl reached out to Purcell. They considered productions such as A Streetcar Named Desire and a revamped version of “Orpheus Descending” before ultimately choosing Hansberry’s play.
The formation of The Williams Project and its focus on producing accessible theater and living wages for artists brought Purcell back to Seattle. He has been living and working in the city since 2016. After graduating from Boston University, he discovered that directing was his true passion and finds excitement in the audience and community members paying attention to how art is currently being made and if it supports a healthy artistic ecosystem.
“The minute I found directing, I was like, this is for me. This is the creativity I really enjoy, but also the intellectual side and the visual side,” Purcell said.
Purcell calls Hansberry one of the best writers of characters and dialogue and believes that if she hadn’t died young, she would have been America’s top playwright. He describes The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window as a political play where passions shine through.
“Lorraine Hansberry is one of the best writers of characters and dialogue that we’ve ever had, so these arguments become very alive, very human, very funny, and very sexy in a way,” Purcell said.
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window will be staged February 7th to 255th in the Erickson Theatre, 1524 Harvard Ave. Some dates are mask-mandatory. You can purchase tickets and learn more at intiman.org/sign/.
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