Media contact: Melanie Apostol

(206) 296- 6114

Media Contact: Christine Kolodge

(206) 547-7633 x105

For Immediate Release
September 27, 2005

Seattle University and The Empty Space Theatre Join Forces,
Fusing Art & Education to Enrich Community

 Seattle – Seattle University and The Empty Space Theatre today announced a creative partnership that will bring The Empty Space as theater-in-residence to the Seattle University campus.

The resulting partnership will maximize educational opportunities; increase the capacity for creation of new work; and develop new opportunities for Northwest artists and audiences. By fusing art and education, Seattle University and The Empty Space Theatre aim to bridge the gap between study and practice, art and community.

“The creative collaboration between Seattle University and The Empty Space offers students exceptional opportunities to learn in collaboration with theater professionals,” said President Stephen V. Sundborg, S.J. “The partnership will contribute to the vitality of the Seattle arts community and provide a terrific new venue for theater-goers.”

“We’re very excited about this partnership,” said The Empty Space Artistic Director Allison Narver. “It will broaden our ability to put on new work, ensure institutional stability, and infuse 35 years of professional theater experience into the educational experience of students.”

The collaboration between Seattle University and The Empty Space Theatre is made possible by the construction of a new space for performance and visual arts at SU: the Jeanne Marie and Rhoady Lee, Jr. Center for the Arts, due to open in February 2006. The Empty Space Theatre, currently located in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, will move its offices to the Fine Arts building at Seattle University and will present its regular season at the Lee Center for the Arts. The company will also present an annual co-production with Seattle University.

 Residency Details:

  The Empty Space will relocate its administrative offices to the Seattle University Fine Arts Building in January 2006 in order to integrate artists and staff with students and faculty.

The Lee Center for the Arts
 The Jeanne Marie and Rhoady Lee, Jr. Center for the Arts is located at the corner of 12 th Avenue and East Marion Street. Slated to open in February 2006, the $6.75 million arts center will house a 150-seat flexible space theater designed for drama, dance and ensemble music. The lobby, with its dramatic façade—90 linear feet of plate glass fronting 12 th Avenue—will become a visual arts gallery showcasing the work of SU’s fine arts students and guest artists.

Founded in 1970, The Empty Space Theatre is known for its daring and unconventional theatrical productions. As Seattle’s third-oldest non-profit professional theater, The Empty Space strives to make theater an event - bold, provocative, celebratory - bringing audiences and artists to a common ground through an uncommon experience. Over its 35-year history, The Empty Space has been a cornerstone of Seattle’s vibrant theatre community, bringing professional quality to alternative voices and building a national reputation for dynamic, cutting-edge productions.

 Seattle University, founded in 1891, is an independent university located on 48 acres on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. More than 6,800 students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within eight schools. U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges 2006” ranks Seattle University among the top 10 schools in the West that offer a full range of masters and undergraduate programs. Seattle University is one of 28 Jesuit Catholic universities in the United States.

Note to Editors:

To arrange an interview with Carol Wolfe Clay, chair of the Fine Arts Department at Seattle University, or with Allison Narver, artistic director of The Empty Space Theatre, contact Melanie Apostol (Seattle U) at (206) 296-6114 or Christine Kolodge (The Empty Space) at (206) 547-7633 x105.