>>>
>>> GOOD
>>> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE AND WELCOME TO "NEW DAY NORTHWEST".
STARTING THINGS OFF IS A NEW
MUSICAL FROM THE VISIONARIES
BEHIND AVENUE Q AND SPRING
AWAKENING.
AWAKENING. IT'S DESCRIBED AS A
LIGHTHEARTED LOVE STORY.
"HEAD OVER HEALS " IS SET TO
THE MUSIC OF THE 80s BAND, THE
GO-GO'S, WHICH SOUNDS LIKE A
BLAST SO HERE TO PERFORM ONE OF
THE SONGS, WELCOME, MILA JAM.
♪ ♪ THERE ARE SOME THINGS I
MUST NEVER REVEAL ABOUT THE WAY
I THINK AND WHAT I FEEL.
KEEP THE SURFACE SMOOTH, CALM.
IN DEEP AND BLUE AS A SWIMMING
POOL.
POOL.
POOL. ♪
POOL. ♪ ♪
POOL. ♪ ♪ LIKE A PICTURE THAT'S
BEEN PAINTED.
BEEN PAINTED. AND IS HANGING ON THE WALL.
ADMIRED BUT UNTOUCHABLE.
♪
♪
♪ >>
♪ >> EARTH STANDSTILL.
THE SUN WILL HIDE HIS FACE FROM
HALF THE GLOBE AND FREEZE IT
INTO DARK OBLIVION.
THE OTHER HALF, AND ENDLESS
OCEAN OF FIRE FROM WHICH NO
BEING CAN ESCAPE.
ALL CAUSED BY YOUR ARCHAIC AND
INFLEXIBLE RULE.
INFLEXIBLE RULE. ♪ I AM YOUR CURIOSITY.
NOTORIOUS.
NOTORIOUS. YOU'LL NEVER GET WHAT THEY SEE.
LIKE A PICTURE THAT'S BEEN
PAINTED AND IS HANGING ON THE
WALL.
WALL.
WALL. AND
WALL. AND ADMIRED BUT UNTOUCHABLE.
REFLECTION OF NOUN THIS.
A VISION OF, A VISION OF, WATCH
FOR THE FLAME.
♪[ APPLAUSE ]
>> ALL RIGHT.
COME ON OVER AND JOIN US.
WELCOME MATTHEW WRIGHT, THE
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR FOR ARTS
WEST.
WEST.
WEST. >>
WEST. >> YOU LOOK REALLY SPECIAL.
HOW DO THE LIPS HAPPEN.
>> IT'S A THEATER TRICK.
IT'S REAL GLITTER AND YOU
BASICALLY TAKE IT ON WITH A
LITTLE BIT OF EYELASH GLUE.
>> I LEARNED SOMETHING NEW.
WOULD YOU INTRODUCE US TO YOUR
KEYBOARD AS TO A SUPERTALENTED
OVER THERE?
OVER THERE? >> THAT IS RJ.
>> HELLO, RJ.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. IT WAS FUN TO SEE YOU PLAY.
IT SOUNDS LIKE A FUN SHOW.
TELL ME ABOUT THE STORY.
>> WELL, IT'S BASED ON A 1585
LONG PROS ROMANCE BY A GUY
CALLED SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.
IT'S CALLED, THE COUNTESS OF
PEMBROKE'S ARCADIA.
PEMBROKE'S ARCADIA. JEFF WHITTY, HOWARD AVENUE Q
AND HELP THEM ADAPT THE BOOK
DECIDED TO TAKE THAT.
IT WAS A POSE POEM AND COMBINED
IT WITH THE MUSIC OF THE GO-
GO'S TO TELL A STORY ABOUT A
KINGDOM THAT IS GOVERNED
ACCORDING TO AN OPPRESSIVE AND
ARCHAIC RURAL, AS YOU HEARD IN
THE SONG.
THE SONG.
THE SONG. >> THERE ARE THINGS I NEED TO
KEEP TO MYSELF.
>> HER CHARACTER SHOWS UP.
THEY ARE A NON-BINARY ORACLE
WHO USES THEY AND THEM AND
SHAKES THINGS UP IN ARCADIA AND
LET THE KING KNOW THAT CHANGES
NEED TO BE MADE IN ORDER FOR
THE SOCIETY TO FUNCTION.
>> UNIQUE.
>> UNIQUE. ONE-OF-A-KIND.
ONE-OF-A-KIND. I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A MOMENT
TO BREATHE.
TO BREATHE. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER.
>> THE ORACLE KINDA TAKES ON
DIFFERENT FORMS THROUGHOUT THE
SHOW.
SHOW.
SHOW. I
SHOW. I COME IN AS A SERPENT AND THEN
I'M AN OWL AND ALSO I COME OUT
AS MYSELF.
AS MYSELF. IT SORT OF REPRESENTS THE
HIGHER ENERGY THAT IS IN THE
WORLD THAT COMES DOWN AND I
THINK IS IN OTHER THINGS AND IN
OTHER CREATURES.
OTHER CREATURES. I COME DOWN TO GIVE THE MESSAGE
OF, LOOKOUT FOR THE SIGNS,
THESE FLAGS BECAUSE THINGS ARE
GOING TO HAPPEN.
YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO BEAT, BUT
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BEAT.
LIKE IN SOCIETY WE GET CAUGHT
UP IN THIS THAT WE'VE GOT IT WE
KNOW WHAT WERE DOING AND WHO WE
ARE.
ARE.
ARE. AND
ARE. AND WE HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO
LEARN AND SO MUCH MORE TO FIND
OUT.
OUT.
OUT. THE
OUT. THE JOURNEY IS REALLY ABOUT
GOING THROUGH ALL OF THESE
THINGS TO GET BACK TO THE
BEGINNING AND TO THE START OF
WHO WE ARE.
>> VERY COOL.
I THINK OF THE GO-GO'S AS MY
GENERATION'S MUSIC.
GENERATION'S MUSIC. THE PEOPLE STILL LOVE IT TODAY
?
?
? >>
? >> IS
? >> IS VACATION IN THE SHOW ?
>> IT IS.
>> IT IS.
>> IT IS. VACATION, HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON
EARTH AND MAD ABOUT YOU.
DEVELOPING ABOUT THE SHOW ARE
THE WAY THE SONGS ARE USED.
SONGS WRITTEN IN THE 80s BUT
REPURPOSED SPECIFICALLY THE
TELLING OF THE STORY AND IT
FEELS LIKE THEY WERE WRITTEN.
>> 80s POP ROCK AND PROS, YOU
CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THAT.
>> WE ARE LOOKING AT PART OF
THE PRODUCTION AND ONE OF THE
THINGS I LOVE IS EVERYONE IS IN
SUCH A GREAT STAGE SETTING AND
COSTUMING THAT JUST LOOKS LIKE
JOY.
JOY.
JOY. I
JOY. I PRESUME THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT IS FUN FOR ALL AGES AND
LOTS OF PEOPLE.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> ONE THING I LOVE ABOUT THE
SHOW IS EVERYONE'S ENERGY AND
SPIRIT COMES OUT.
I THINK WHAT LEADS THE SHOW IS
THE STORY IN THE CHARACTER WORK.
IT'S REALLY NICE TO BE ABLE TO
DO BIG, FLASHY THINGS AND TO
HAVE REALLY PRETTY DRESSES AND
STUFF BUT AT THE HEART OF IT,
EACH ACTOR IS REALLY IN TOUCH
WITH WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THE
SHOW MEANS TO THEM AND WE ALL
COLLECTIVELY CAME ON A
BEAUTIFUL NOTE TO BE SUPPORTIVE
OF EACH OTHER'S JOURNEYS COMING
EACH OTHER'S REPRESENTATION OF
THEMSELVES WHICH IS SO
IMPORTANT AND LEARNING MORE
ABOUT BEING INCLUSIVE BEYOND
THE THEATER COMMUNITY.
THAT'S REALLY WHAT THE SHOW IS
ABOUT.
ABOUT.
ABOUT. >>
ABOUT. >> AND MAYBE FOR THE AUDIENCE
AS WELL.
AS WELL.
AS WELL. I'M THINKING WHEN YOU'RE
DESCRIBING YOUR CHARACTER AS
NON-BINARY HOW MEANINGFUL IT
MUST BE TO AUDIENCE MEMBERS WHO
SEE THEMSELVES ON STAGE AND
HEAR THIS MESSAGE AND THOSE WHO
LOVE THEM AND ARE AROUND THEM.
WE ALL KIND OF NEED TO THINK
THROUGH THESE THINGS AND YOU
ARE INVITING US TO IN A WAY
THAT WE CAN HEAR BECAUSE IT'S
THE GO-GO'S FIRST OF ALL AND
SECONDLY IT'S OUT OF OUR
REALITY BUT INTO OUR REALITY AT
THE SAME TIME IF THAT MAKES ANY
SENSE.
SENSE.
SENSE. >>
SENSE. >> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT
>> SO, TELL ME HOW LONG THE
SHOW WILL RUN ?
>> THROUGH DECEMBER 29.
>> GOOD.
>> GOOD.
>> GOOD. SO IT'S OPEN FOR THE HOLIDAYS.
PEOPLE CAN ENJOY IT BUT YOU
WILL BE OFF FOR NEW YEAR'S EVE?
WHICH EVERYONE SHOULD BE.
WE ARE LOOKING AT OTHER
COSTUMES.
COSTUMES.
COSTUMES. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR COSTUME.
>> JOCELYN FOWLER, THE DESIGN
OF THE SHOW IS INTENDED TO
FEEL, THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE
SPACE IS A LITTLE BIT LIKE AN
OPEN STATEMENT IN THE COSTUMING
JOCELYN AND I STARTED TALKING
ABOUT BOY GEORGE AND MADONNA
AND OTHER PEOPLE, CYNDI LAUPER,
FROM THE 80s, AND WE STARTED
TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS ANALOGOUS
TO THAT NOWADAYS AND WE STARTED
THINKING ABOUT LADY GAGA AND
ADAM LAMBERT AND, SO, THE
COSTUMES BECOME A FUSION OF THE
ELIZABETHAN AESTHETIC ALONG
WITH THINGS THAT YOU WOULD SEE
THOSE ARTISTS WHERE.
IT FEELS A LITTLE BIT LIKE A
MUSIC VIDEO THAT ADAM LAMBERT
AND LADY GAGA WOULD MAKE OF AN
ELIZABETHAN SONG.
ELIZABETHAN SONG. >> MILA, TELL ME -- THAT SOUNDS
A LOT OF FUN -- TELL ME A BIT
ABOUT YOUR CAREER OUTSIDE OF
THE SHOW.
THE SHOW.
THE SHOW. YOU'RE A SINGER AND SONGWRITER.
>> A SINGER/SONGWRITER.
I'M MILA JAM, THE ONLY ONE AND
I DO A LOT OF ENTERTAINING
THINGS AROUND THE WORLD.
I PERFORM. I'M A RECORDING
ARTIST.
ARTIST.
ARTIST. I'VE BEEN TOURING AROUND THE
WORLD DOING PRIDE TOURS AND
I'VE JUST BEEN GEARING UP FOR
NUMB SOME NEW MUSIC COMING UP.
I JUST CAME BACK FROM TAIWAN.
I WAS DOING AN AMAZING MUSICAL
NUMBER SONGWRITING CAMP.
AND I'VE BEEN WORKING ON MY
MUSIC AND MY SOUND TO TRY TO DO
A LITTLE BIT OF ACTIVISM AND
ADVOCACY WITH MY WORK.
JUST BEING A WOMAN OF TRENDS
EXPERIENCE, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR
ME TO JUST BE AND EXIST IN A
WORLD THAT SAYS I'M NOT
IMPORTANT AND I DON'T EXIST.
SO, GUESS WHAT, WE ARE HERE AND
I EXIST AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO
HAVE THAT.
HAVE THAT. I WISH THERE WAS A MILA JAM
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP AND
THAT'S WHY I DO WHAT I DO.
>> ME TO.
>> ME TO.
>> ME TO. YOU ARE MOST WELCOME HERE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH COME UP
BOTH."HEAD OVER HEALS " RUNS
THROUGH DECEMBER 29 AT ARTS
WEST IN WEST SEATTLE.
GO TO SEE THE SHOW . I THINK
YOU WILL HAVE FUN.
>>> WHEN WE COME BACK AN
INTRIGUING NEW BOOK ON