It’s Friday, which means it’s “Photo Friday” here at The B-Town Blog, and today we’re featuring Photographer Michael Brunk’s mid-week excursion to the Woodland Park Zoo, where he captured numerous exotic animals on pixels.

As some animals awakened from their mild winter hibernation, Michael was there, telephoto lens and monopod at the ready, to get these great shots:

Click to View Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

PREVIOUS PHOTO FRIDAYS:

• “Springtime In Burien” Nature Photos By Francis Zera
• SoundSlideshow Of Jason Smith’s Photos At Vino Bello
• Art Clock Sign Reflection, Cherry Blossoms & More…

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Photo Friday is a new weekly feature here at The B-Town Blog. Are you a local Photographer? Have some pics shot in Burien you think we should showcase? Or just some amazing photos worth sharing with our Readers? Please email us a link and explanation and we'll consider posting yours!]

by Gina Bourdage

Set in the familiar location of Snoqualmie Pass, an unlikely group of travelers find themselves trapped by the snow-closed passes in “Snowbound,” which opens Friday, Jan. 15th at BTB Advertiser E.B. Foote Winery.

In the solitude of a quaint local inn, each guest is faced with conflicting personal struggles, not only with themselves but with the other guests as well. Learning that the local sheriff (a guy reminiscent of Barney Fife, played by Scott Green) is looking for an escaped convict only adds to their heightened sense of self preservation and sends each person seeking answers about who they can trust and what they are really looking for.

The cast of this Breeders Theater production showcases an array of experienced talent, all of whom holds your attention and keeps you guessing. Each actor brings a unique perspective to their role, including:

• Binky (played by Brenan Grant) the “emo” young man who relishes in his own misery.
• Lovely (played by Teresa Widner) whose out of control hormones seem to be too much for even her to handle at times let alone her trail of conquests.
• Ike (played by Martin J. Mackenzie) the innkeeper who had such a convincing of role of the friendly small town fellow whose trustworthy and friendly nature draws people to him.
• Glenda (played by Kelly Johnson), Binky’s mother, shows hints of a 50s sitcom housewife whose traditional values are challenged by raising a rebellious young man.
• Hank Thompson (played by Andrew Smith) the seemingly sincere, reliable and at times dryly sarcastic chef finds himself thrown into uncomfortable positions of his fellow traveler’s dilemmas.
• The young couple “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (played by Stephen Scheide and Laura Smith) who find themselves in a suspicious bind that even they are unsure of how to resolve.

Each guest is presented with the overwhelming concern of not only wanting to avoid an encounter with the escaped convict, they have to question; could the convict be among them? Distracted by only their own egotistical veils, each person reveals humorous and deeper struggles among each other.

While I found each performance to be well played, I struggled with the level of general air-headedness that most of the women and at times the men possessed. Being confused is one thing, but as the script rolled along the naivety prevailed leaving me to question the characters’ intended intelligence.

The lack of an actual set was at first distracting for me; however the actors/characters got and kept my attention quickly enough for me to get past it. The theater in the round, or more like “audience as bookends,” might be new for some viewers, but brings a complete perspective to the show and allows you to see each scene as if you were actually there.

All in all this TM Sell play directed by Michael Brunk was humorous, charming and engaging while bringing a level of the traditional whodunnit to an unsuspecting ending that I can only say was jarringly layered and thought-provoking.

I would recommend not missing this performance of “Snowbound,” especially for Alfred Hitchcock and Twilight Zone fans, as the references are abundant…just be sure to bring a coat.

No, seriously – it can get a little chilly at E.B. Foote Winery this time of year.

Tickets are $20, and include the play, hors d’oeuvres and a wine tasting by E.B. Foote.

You can purchase them at the winery (127-B SW 153rd in Burien; 206-242-3852), at CorkyCellars in Des Moines (206-824-9462) or online here.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Non-Reviewer Doesn’t Review Breeders Theater’s “Snowbound”
• PHOTOS: Behind-The-Scenes Peak At Breeders Theater’s “Snowbound”
• The Pass May Be Closed, But Tickets Are Now On Sale For Breeders Theater’s “Snowbound”

by Mark Neuman

We had a regularly scheduled staff meeting at The B-Town Blog’s dorm room-like offices Wednesday morning, where a non-regularly scheduled question was asked.

“Hey Neuman. Can you do a review of the dress rehearsal of the comedy ‘Snowbound’ at E.B. Foote Winery (BTB Advertiser) tonight?”

“Well, uh, I’ve never actually reviewed an actual play before,” I stammered.

“Good,” said Blog Editor Scott Schaefer. “I’ll expect your review in the morning.”

Great. What do I do now?

Honesty is the best policy I reminded myself, so hours before I arrived at the winery, home of many Breeder Theater’s productions over the past several years, I “pre-wrote” my opening review paragraphs, which I now present, for the reader’s approval:

In the spirit of full disclosure it should be noted that, first of all, in addition to never having reviewed a play before, I met ‘Snowbound’s’ author, playwright T.M. Sell, almost a third of a century ago, while hanging out at the Highline Community College newsroom, where my pals would, late at night, put the school newspaper, The Thunderword, to bed, as they say in the biz.

Second, I intended the above paragraph to be as run-on-ish as it appears.

Third, I was lucky enough to have made the pleasant acquaintance of ‘Snowbound’s’ director, Michael Brunk, last year. He is a brilliant Photographer, and we work together with Schaefer on the blog.

Michael’s skill with the camera is amazing. He reaches the summit on his photographic mountain climbs so amazingly frequently that we blog staffers just stare skyward and declare: ‘Good Brunksmanship!’

And fourth, speaking of E.B. Foote Winery, I actually know THE E.B. Foote. The Footes were among my best friends growing up, going way back to first grade. Chris Foote and I visited his parents as they were just finishing building out their first winery, in South Park, also about a third of a century ago.

Okay. Full disclosure is out of the way.

At the winery Wednesday night, minutes before the house lights did what house lights do just before a play is about to start, I looked over and Thank Goodness there was my blog colleague Gina Bourdage, with her friend Jack, who reminds one of a quiet and calm Jack Black.

“I’ll be doing the review of the play tonight,” said Gina, confidently. Wisely, Schaefer had recalculated the assignment.

“And I’ll just tell the story of a Regular Joe such as myself who never sees theater,” I responded.

“Fine,” smiled Gina as she and Mr. Black moved on.

Relieved, to say the least, that Ms. Bourdage would handle the rough stuff, I felt free to muse over and note such things as the jar full of multicolored M&M’s at the table of hors d’oeuvres.

“M&M’s at the hors d’oeuvres table!” I said to myself, because, well, no one else was within earshot. “Clearly Sell’s and Brunk’s contracts demanded the confection. And just as clearly, the winery refused to be limited to just one color, Led Zeppelin style. Or was it The Who? Lynyrd Skynyrd? Well, anyway.”

Gina will provide details of the play under a different headline, but let me give you a thumbnail of “Snowbound”:

Dean Martin plays an airline pilot who has an affair with a beautiful flight attendant, played by Jacqueline Bisset…

Then…oops, sorry…those are my notes from the first film I reviewed, “Airport,” for the Lafayette Elementary School Gazette back in 1970.

Let’s see here. Lemme get a little better organized. Okay. Here we go:

“Snowbound” is a mirthful production that concerns a group of unique personalities stuck in a lodge near the pass, just off I-90, in a wicked snow storm. The roads are all closed for the foreseeable future. And wouldn’t you know it? An inmate has escaped from the state pen in Monroe. A killer, perhaps? Is he among those stuck in the lodge?

What will T.M Sell think of next? See the play (it starts this Friday, Jan. 15th), and find out. It’s terrific, especially for the $20 price, which includes wine tastings, hors d’ouevres and of course, a great and entertaining play chock full of lots of Sellishness and Brunksmanship (you can buy tickets online here).

Stage Manager, Andrew Pogue, when asked before the show what advice he gives to anyone about to stage manage their first play, said: “Don’t start out with ‘Annie.’ And use checklists. Lots and lots of checklists.”

When asked after the dress rehearsal by this reporter what advice he had for anyone wanting to write their first play, T.M. Sell said “Know what you want to write, and stick with it. The initial writing part is relatively easy. It’s the rewriting process that can be difficult.”

He then said “Now Neuman, please go away and don’t contact me again for another third of a century.” (Just kidding, folks.)

Nancy Warren arranged the music and sang beautifully. Word is that regular Breeder Theater goers complain if Nancy does not sing somewhere during a performance.

An audience member, who I will refer to as “Becky” because, well, her name IS Becky, said “Of the four Breeder Theater plays I’ve seen, ‘Snowbound’ is the funniest. I laughed repeatedly.”

Kelly Johnson, who plays Glenda, the mother of Binky, has been acting since childhood. She has advice for prospective actors about to read for their first part: “Go bravely,” said the auburn beauty.

Go, ready to enjoy yourself, to “Snowbound.” I heartily recommend it. It runs through January 31st.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• PHOTOS: Behind-The-Scenes Peak At Breeders Theater’s “Snowbound”
• The Pass May Be Closed, But Tickets Are Now On Sale For Breeders Theater’s “Snowbound”

Story & Photos by Michael Brunk

Coming soon to Advertiser E.B. Foote Winery is Breeder Theater’s latest production: “Snowbound,” which opens Friday, Jan. 15th

Written by local playwright T.M. Sell, the story is set at a lodge in the Washington mountains. As winter snows block the passes stranding the guests, the local sheriff stops by with troubling news about an escaped convict:

• Could one of the guests be the suspected killer?
• Can any of them really be trusted?
• And just how many references to Alfred Hitchcock titles are in the show anyway?

The cast and crew have been hard at work since the end of November preparing the show for its debut on January 15th. The process includes extensive scene rehearsals as actors work with the director and stage manager to refine their movements on stage, their characterization and the all-import line memorization. In collaboration with the author, the script is also put through a final scrubbing as it is finalized for the show. The schedule for “Snowbound” was especially challenging logistically with interruptions for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

All of the hard work will soon pay off as the production concludes the final technical rehearsals this coming week and is finally performed in front of a live audience. This is the part that makes the effort worthwhile, as the audience feedback lets the cast know how well they’ve done their job.

“Snowbound” is directed by The B-Town Blog’s own Michael Brunk with music by Nancy Warren. The stage manager is Andrew Pogue. The cast includes Andrew Smith, Laura Smith, Teresa Widner, Steve Scheide, Kelly Johnson, Scott Green, Martin J. McKenzie and Brenan Grant.

The show will open on January 15th and run through January 31st with twelve performances. Show times are 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 2pm on Sundays. In addition there are 7pm performances on the 20th, 27th and 28th.

Here’s the schedule:

• Friday Jan. 15
• Saturday Jan. 16
• Sunday Jan. 17
• *Wed. Jan. 20 (benefits Highline College Foundation)
• Friday Jan. 22
• Saturday Jan. 23
• Sunday Jan. 24
• Wed. Jan. 27
• Thursday Jan. 28
• Friday Jan. 29
• Saturday Jan. 30
• Sunday Jan. 31

*Jan. 20 show benefits Highline College Foundation

Tickets are just $20, and include the play, hors d’oeuvres and a wine tasting by E.B. Foote. You can purchase them at the winery (206-242-3582) and also at Corky Cellars in Des Moines (206-824-9462).

For more information please visit www.breederstheater.com.

For more info on E.B. Foote Winery, their website is here.

And of course, since “Snowbound” is Directed by Photographer Michael Brunk, you know we just have to include his Photo Slideshow:

Click to View Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

Well, 2009 was a year wasn’t it? And now that it’s over, it’s time for us to find another way to reflect on it – this time courtesy Photographer Michael Brunk, who put together a special SoundSlideshow of what he considers the best B-Town Blog photos of the year, as shot by himself, Scott Schaefer, Francis Zera, Maureen Hoffmann, Janet Grella and Gregory Rehmke:

Click to Play Michael Brunk’s SoundSlideshow

Sure, we’ve already posted a video of the wacky event (see it here), but that won’t stop us from posting this outstanding Photo Slideshow of the annual Three Tree Point Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s Day, as shot by Photographer Michael Brunk:

Click to View Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

[NOTE: If you happen to see yourself in one of these pics and want to download it (for FREE of course, courtesy the BTB), just click here and you'll be taken to the Flickr page where the photos live. Once there, click through the shots, and when you see one you want, click on "All Sizes" above it, then download the "Large" or "Original" image, which are suitable for printing!]

You know ’tis the season when Santa Claus himself arrives in Burien, delivered to the city’s big ol’ fir tree at Advertiser Economy Wiring/YB Tubless by B-Town’s finest firefighters!

Ol’ St. Nick made it safely of course, led this time not by a reindeer with a bright red shiny nose, but driven in a bright red shiny fire truck courtesy the Burien/Normandy Park Fire Department.

Children from St. Francis School sang carols, goodies were given out, the tree was lit up, and our own Photographer Michael Brunk showed up to capture this Photo Slideshow:

Click to View Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

Longtime owner Gwin Smith started this tradition in 1966 when he first bought Economy Wiring. In the first eight years of the tree lighting, Gwin climbed the huge fir tree himself to install the lights and then climbed back up in January to take them down. This changed some years ago, when the fire department took responsibility for installing and removing the lights.

You can see the festive bright lights on the big tree yourself every day around dusk at Economy Wiring’s location at 633 SW 148th Street (Phone: 206-244-7542).

[Would you like to have a “Blogvertorial” story, event listing and/or Ad like this on a popular, fast-growing website seen by nearly 50,000 interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

Breeders Theater’s newest production is “Snowbound,” where the pass is closed (both ways), and the guy in the next room might be a killer.

Written by local playwright T.M. Sell, Directed by BTB Photographer Michael Brunk, with music by Nancy Warren, Breeders’ latest comedy premieres Friday, Jan. 15th at E.B. Foote Winery in Burien.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Snowbound. The pass is closed. Both ways. And the guy in the next room might be a killer.

WHEN: Premieres Friday, Jan. 15th; Doors open Fri/Sat/Wed/Thur at 6:30 p.m./show starts at 7 p.m.; 1:30 p.m./2 p.m. Sundays:

• Friday Jan. 15
• Saturday Jan. 16
• Sunday Jan. 17
• *Wed. Jan. 20 (benefits Highline College Foundation)
• Friday Jan. 22
• Saturday Jan. 23
• Sunday Jan. 24
• Wed. Jan. 27
• Thursday Jan. 28
• Friday Jan. 29
• Saturday Jan. 30
• Sunday Jan. 31

*Jan. 20 show benefits Highline College Foundation

WHERE: E.B. Foote Winery, 127-B SW 153rd St., Burien 206-242-3852

INFO: Written by T.M. Sell. Music by Nancy Warren. Directed by BTB Photographer Michael Brunk.

TICKETS: Just $20, including hors d’oeuvres and tasting of E.B. Foote wines.

Tickets available at E.B. Foote Winery (127-B SW 153rd St., Burien; 206-242-3852) and at CorkyCellars (22511 Marine View Dr., Des Moines; 206-824-9462)

More information available at www.breederstheater.com.

Payment options: Cash, check, or credit card* (*Credit cards accepted with a $5 fee per ticket in addition to the $20 ticket price.
OR 
Your credit card can guarantee the tickets, and you can pay at the door with cash or a check.  
If your card is charged, you will be charged a $5 fee per ticket in addition to the $20 ticket price).

Tickets available:

• E.B. Foote Winery
  127-B SW 153rd St.
  Burien, WA
  206-242-3852
• Corky Cellars
  22511 Marine View Drive
  Des Moines, WA
  206-824-9462

Refund policy: No refunds. Exchanges on availability for the run.

Fall has definitely fallen unto our area, and to celebrate the refreshing, crisp air and colorful leaves, we present to you a very zen-like Photo/Audio Slideshow created at Seahurst Park by Photographer Michael Brunk:

Click to Play Michael Brunk’s Zen-like Autumn SoundSlideshow

As a public service, and because we’re givers (give give give we say…but hopefully not H1N1), we here at The B-Town Blog have decided to open up our Flickr digital archives from this weekend’s first-ever Burien Brat Trot, and allow everyone full, FREE access to all the photos we shot.

To start, we’ve uploaded 578 photos of race day (Pub Crawl pics are coming soon…), including dozens of runners crossing the finish line. That’s right – there may be a photo of you crossing the line, or in at least one case, about to hurl chunks as you cross it. And hey, if you’re not in there, we apologize…um, just as you crossed the line we ran out of film…yeah, that’s right…

All you have to do to access the pics is join our new “Burien Brat Trot” Flickr group here, then browse photos, click on them, view ‘em, upload your own, and if you see something you like, you can order prints right there (Flickr charges a fee), or download the photo for no charge, then print it yourself or make it your new desktop/screensaver.

HELPFUL HINTS:

• Join the “Burien Brat Trot” Flickr Group here
• Browse photos at will
• Click on a photo to view it
• If it’s something you like, click on “All Sizes” directly above the pic (it has a magnifying glass icon)
• You can then download “Large Size” or “Original Size” from the next screen for FREE right to your desktop
• If you find something you dig, be sure to send your positive vibrations to both Michael Brunk and Scott Schaefer, our race-day Photogs

BTB Advertiser E.B. Foote Winery will host the new T.M. Sell play “The Last Magician,” beginning Friday, July 10th, and here are highlights of a recent rehearsal in a slideshow by Photographer Michael Brunk, who also happens to be in the play:

Click to View Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

Breeders Theater launches its 16th production with a new show, “The Last Magician,” which is a comedy with music.

“The Last Magician“ is an environmental parable about sacrifice and responsibility. Book and lyrics are by T.M. Sell with music by Nancy Warren. Teresa Widner directs, with costumes by Melissa Sell.

The cast features:

• J Howard Boyd
• Eric Hartley
• Doug Knoop
• Steve Scheide
• Adrienne Grieco
• Michael Brunk
• Nathan Hicks
• Kelly Johnson
• Brenan Grant
• Pamela Mohn

Shows are July 10, 11, 15, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25 at 7 p.m. and July 19 and 26 at 2 p.m.

All performances are at E.B. Foote Winery, located at 127-B SW 153rd Street in Burien, 206-242-3852.

Tickets are available at the winery or at CorkyCellars in Des Moines, located at 22511 Marine View Drive, 206-824-9462.

More information is available online here, and tickets are just $20 and include wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres.

Tickets are available at E.B. Foote Winery (206-242-3852) or at Corky Cellars in Des Moines (206-824-9462).

Day #1 of the 2009 Burien Strawberry & Arts Festival was a smashing success despite overcast skies, with a generous crowd that enjoyed free entertainment, from live music to a packed skateboard competition, roving performers and much more.

The fest continues Sunday from 10am to 5pm, and we’ll be at our booth right across from the Skate Park, where you can enter to win one of 38 prizes from local businesses.

Here’s a slideshow by Photographer Michael Brunk:

Click to View Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

Story and Photos by Michael Brunk

Wednesday afternoon (May 20th), Tai Oh of Burien (right, below) and Terry Torbet of Kent (left) stood on SW 148th near First Avenue South holding a large banner protesting City Manager Mike Martin’s recent DUI incident, as seen in these pictures by Michael Brunk:

“The City of Burien deserves better than a DUI felon,” said Oh, the organizer (picture above). “Residents of Burien should demand and expect more for their tax dollars.”

When asked if they planned to protest again, Torbet (pictured above) said “We’ll keep coming back until he’s gone!”

Tai Oh says he’s protesting because he contacted the city council as a body and each member individually via e-mail and voicemail and not a single councilmember responded to him.

His position is that he looked to his city leaders to take action and they did nothing.

On Saturday (May 16th), the cities of Burien and Normandy Park held a major recycling event, and Photographer Michael Brunk was there to capture these photos::

Click to View Slideshow

On Saturday (May 16th), a dozen volunteers from Burien and Normandy Park descended into the sun-dappled depths of the Fox Creek ravine on the Burien/Normandy Park city boundary on a mission that didn’t involve spray painting graffiti!

Here are some pictures taken by Photographer Michael Brunk::

Click to View Slideshow

The Creek, which flows beneath the Sylvester Road bridge, tumbles down to join Miller Creek at the Southwest Suburban Sewer District plant.

Last October (see our coverage here), volunteers removed a ton of trash from the bottom of the ravine along the creek, including many electronics that were leaching metal into the stream.  The task this last Saturday was to remove the remaining trash, which consisted of 500 pounds of electronics, broken furniture, and many bottles and cans that the thoughtless have thrown off the bridge over the years.

After dragging the litter out of the ravine between the pillars of the bridge, the volunteers also stripped English ivy from the base of trees in the ravine.  When ivy, an invasive plant, climbs into the canopy of a tree, it competes with and physically weakens the tree.  Girdling the ivy at the base of the trunk causes the plant to die, sparing the tree a premature death.  In two strenuous hours, the volunteers did their bit to improve the urban forest and stream of this part of Highline.

The project was organized through the Miller/Walker Creek stewardship program that is jointly funded by the cities of Burien, Normandy Park, and SeaTac; the Port of Seattle; and King County.

Special thanks for Dennis Clark, Miller/Walker Creek Basin Steward, for sending us the update!

The City of Burien made its big move to the new city hall building over the weekend, and Photographer Michael Brunk was there to capture these photos:

Click to View Slideshow

The city’s shiny new digs will be open for regular business on Tuesday, May 19th at 4th Ave SW and SW 152nd Street.

Burien’s King County library branch also packed their stacks and started their move this weekend, and is slated to open their new space on June 13th, the day of the big grand opening celebration for Burien Town Square.

The annual Spring Art Stroll and Plant Sale was this past weekend, and Photographer Michael Brunk was there to capture these photos:

Click to View Slideshow

Thursday, May 7th saw a rather blustery 2009 opening day of the Burien Farmers Market, and B-Town Photographer Michael Brunk was there to capture these photos:

Click to View Slideshow

New York Times best-selling author Robert Dugoni held a book-signing at Burien’s Tin Room Wednesday night, with around 100 fans packed in for a meet and greet and autograph session from the writer of “Wrongful Death,” a suspense novel with many scenes set in this area, including The Tin Room.

Here’s a slideshow from Photographer Michael Brunk:

Click to View Slideshow

To read more of our coverage of Dugoni’s latest book and the scenes set in the Burien area, including a video, click here.

Friday morning, the Seattle Red Cross dedicated a new Disaster Relief Supply Center in Burien with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and here are some photos taken by Photographer Michael Brunk:

Click to View Slideshow

The event included representatives of the Red Cross, Southwest Suburban Sewer District and the City of Burien.

The timing of this opening seems rather serendipitous considering the recent swine flu news, so all residents should have more confidence that now there’s a local shelter with emergency supplies which can be used for future disasters, with cots, blankets, hygiene kits, and more; as well as provide short term emergency shelter for up to 750 people.

The Disaster Relief Supply Center is located at 510 SW 158th Street, and was created with a generous grant from The Tiffany Circle, a Red Cross Society of Women Leaders.

On Friday (4/24), the King County Housing Authority and Federal Way Public Schools Americorps teams, in conjunction with Washington State Parks, hosted an Earth Day Fair at Saltwater State Park in Des Moines, and here’s a photo slideshow, shot by Photographer Michael Brunk:

Click to View