BTB Advertiser E.B. Foote Winery wants our Readers to know that this is the final week for Breeder Theater’s “Snowbound,” which ends its run Sunday, Jan. 31st.

The only shows with tickets available are this Wednesday (Jan. 27th) and Thursday (Jan. 28th), so you’d better act fast (you can order online here).

Written by local playwright T.M. Sell and directed by BTB Photographer Michael Brunk, the story is set at a lodge in the Washington mountains (see our Review here and our Non-Review here). 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?

“Snowbound” also features 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.

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 – TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE
  
• Thursday Jan. 28 – TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE
• Friday Jan. 29 – SOLD OUT!
• Saturday Jan. 30 – SOLD OUT!
• Sunday Jan. 31 – SOLD OUT!

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

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• And Now, Our Actual Reviewer Reviews “Snowbound”
• 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 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

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.