REMINDER: ‘Red‘ by John Logan opens at BAT Theatre this Friday at 8 p.m., and runs through May 5, 2024 at the Kennedy Catholic High School theater in Burien.

Performances will be held on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., with no performance on Sunday, April 28.

Red is at the Kennedy Catholic High School theater space (140 S 140th St, Burien, WA 98168), with free parking and entrance around the back of the building – follow the signs!

(Masks are required at all performances. Don’t have a mask? BAT will give you one!)

Synopsis:

From Artland Magazine:

“In the spring of 1958, Philip Johnson approached Mark Rothko about creating a series of paintings for the smallest of two dining rooms at the Four Seasons Restaurant on the ground floor of the Seagram Building. Mies van der Rohe, the former leader of the Bauhaus, was the architect selected to design the building. With Johnson’s assistance, he created an elegant, expensive office tower, the crowning glory for Samuel Bronfman, the man who had started the Canadian Seagram liquor business. Johnson and Rothko agreed that Rothko would supply 500 to 600 square feet of paintings for 35,000 dollars.

“Shortly after accepting the commission, Rothko rented an old YMCA gymnasium at 222 Bowery and set to work. He usually arrived around 08:30 or 09:00 and would work for hours, sometimes even days, on end. He worked on the project for about two years and created three sets of murals; each set changing color and becoming increasingly darker. Starting out with orange and brown, he concluded with deep maroon and black. A year after he had started painting, Rothko visited Europe with his wife Mell and daughter Kate to take a break from his hard work, and explore the creative realms of his fellow artists. In the ship’s tourist class bar, Rothko approached John Fischer, in need of a conversational partner. “So far I’ve painted three sets of panels for this Seagram Job,” Rothko said. “The first one didn’t turn out right, so I sold the panels separately as individual paintings. The second time I got the basic idea, but began to modify it as I went along – because, I guess, I was afraid of being too stark. When I realized my mistake, I started again, and this time I’m holding tight to the original conception”.

“Shortly after returning from his travels, Rothko decided to have a meal at the Four Seasons restaurant with his wife to take in the space that was to house his murals. The extravagant surroundings combined with the luxurious courses proved too much for him. That very evening, he called his friend and art advisor Katherine Kuh and told her he was returning the 35,000 dollars and claiming back his paintings. He famously stated: “Anybody who will eat that kind of food for those kind of prices will never look at a painting of mine.”

“The paintings are now part of the Tate Gallery in London, except when on tour, the paintings reside in the Rothko Room at the Tate Modern.“

Tickets & Coupon

Save $3 off tickets by using the passcode BLOG at the link below:

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

The Cast, Director and Designers 

Stage director Beau Prichard directs the talented cast of Scott C. Brown (Mark Rothko) and Seamus C. Smith (Ken), along with Michael Mendonsa (understudy Mark Rothko) and Colin Madison (understudy Ken). Cyndi Baumgardner is the show’s stage manager. The rest of the creative team for the show includes: Jacob Viramontes, lighting design; Rochelle-Ann Graham, costume design; Cyndi Baumgardner, props design; and Maggie Larrick, set design. 

About BAT Theatre 

Exciting live theater has been a tradition in Burien since 1955. Incorporated in 1980, BAT Theatre is a leading producer of quality live theater serving residents of the Puget Sound region. BAT gives audiences an intriguing and invigorating theater experience with unusual productions. The theater’s mission is to “welcome and embrace our shared humanity through live theater. We question norms and thrive because of our diversity and energetic commitment to excellence.” BAT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) entity and operates on revenue from ticket sales, donations, grants, sponsorships and volunteers. 

More info at https://www.battheatre.org/.