Love & Wisdom
Seattle’s Most Influential People of 2011
Love them or hate them, there’s no denying theimpact these major players have had on our city.
[person of the year]Dan SavageThe It Gets Better ProjectSometimes life’s most fleeting moments are the ones that have the greatest impact. Take, for example a distinct memory Dan Savage recalls from his Chicago childhood: “I was 8 or 9, and my family was in line for a movie, and we saw two gay people holding…
Do Seattle Schools Produce Underachievers?
As if Seattle’s public schools weren’t plagued enough, now critics say they are producing underchall
“My sixth-grade son’s report card came home, and he got almost all A’s,” recalls Seattle parent David Price. But what seemed like a cause for celebration quickly turned to concern. “Later, when I asked him how hard his classes were on a scale of one to 10, he said, ‘Four.’” Price, a parent of students…
Melanie Burgess: Costume Designer
Thanks to her kid's Halloween costumes, this local costumer is in high demand at local theaters.
NAME: Melanie BurgessOCCUPATION: Costume designerON CAREER PATHS: “Sometimes I think I was trying to find acting and costume design found me.”FAVORITE GIG SO FAR: Jesus Christ Superstar at the Village TheatreSEE HER WORK: In Inherit the Wind (Strawberry Theater Workshop; through 10/8), Harold and the Purple Crayon (Seattle Children’s Theatre; through 10/30) and Sylvia (Seattle…
Bill Gates is Mad and Thinks You Should Be Too
In an interview for the October 2011 issue of Ebony magazine, Bill Gates makes it clear that he is none too happy about the state of public schools, namely those in inner cities. He points to it being a civil rights issue. And he wants to know why a strong social movement – especially in…
Seattle Magazine 2011 Spotlight Award: Garrett Fisher
NEW ARIA CODE: Composer Garrett Fisher is creating a new genre of note
Sitting on the living room floor of his modest Capitol Hill home, a cup of tea in hand and a large cat lounging nearby, Garrett Fisher hardly seems poised to upend opera as we know it. But he might just do so. The acclaimed composer has earned accolades nationwide for his fresh approach, blending ancient…
Seattle Magazine 2011 Spotlight Award: Kyle Loven
MASTER OF PUPPETS: Kyle Loven performs a magical hand jive
At Kyle Loven’s studio space in Belltown, the worktable is littered with ears—latex ears, which he’s been perfecting for his recent work, When You Point at the Moon. The spooky story is based on Chinese moon mythology that warns, “Don’t point at the moon, or the moon will cut your ears off.” Loven, a skilled…
Seattle Magazine 2011 Spotlight Award: Troy Gua
POP EYE: Troy Gua turns pop culture into high art
Visual artist Troy Gua wants to be famous. His deadpan stare and signature slicked black topknot are unmistakable at local art gatherings—and often the subject of his own artwork. He’s hung large-scale photographs of himself, fashioned a small sculpture of himself urinating (after the famous “Manneken Pis” in Brussels), and even translated his face into…
Seattle Magazine 2011 Spotlight Award: Mandy Greer
HIGH IN FIBER: Installation artist Mandy Greer weaves dreams from detritus
“This is my eight-year-old dream come true,” says Mandy Greer, surveying her home studio, which her husband (artist Paul Margolis) recently built with a friend in a space adjoining the laundry room. Countless clear plastic tubs are packed to bursting with colorful fabrics. Sparkly garments hang from hooks, as does a furry wolf head and…
2009 Spotlight Award: Ray Tagavilla
Actor Ray Tagavilla steals the show on small stages.
NAME: Ray TagavillaART FORM: TheaterWEB SITE: Look him up on Facebook.comNEXT UP: Tagavilla may perform at Capitol Hill’s Balagan Theatre in October; check balagantheatre.org Anyone who saw Washington Ensemble Theatre’s exquisite production of The Mistakes Madeline Made last February knows Ray Tagavilla—even if they don’t remember his name. The 31-year-old actor played Wilbur, the weird,…
2009 Spotlight Award: Karen Finneyfrock
Poet Karen Finneyfrock is queen of the spoken word.
NAME: Karen FinneyfrockART FORM: PoetryWEB SITE: finneyfrock.wordpress.comNEXT UP: Regular appearances with the Seattle Poetry Slam (seattlepoetryslam.org) at Spitfire downtown, 2219 Fourth Ave. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. $5 Anyone still unsure of exactly what spoken word poetry is should ask Karen Finneyfrock, the Seattle poet who, in 2006, was honored as a slam “Legend” at the National…
2009 Spotlight Award: Ellie Sandstrom
Dancer Ellie Sandstrom takes moving and shaking to the max.
NAME: Ellie SandstromART FORM: DanceWEB SITE: sandstrommovement.comNEXT UP: Performing with Locust and AMYO/Tiny Rage at Portland’s TBA Festival 9/3–9/13; see her Web site for additional appearances Watching Ellie Sandstrom dance is like watching a spider wrap a fresh kill in its web—it’s fascinating and a little frightening to witness something so precise, innate and powerful….
2009 Spotlight Award: Bao Tran
Filmmaker Bao Tran busts stereotypes on screen.
NAME: Bao tranART FORM: FilmWEB SITE: bookiethemovie.comNEXT UP: See Black Coffee on the big screen at Bumbershoot’s One Reel film festival 9/5–9/7; Also this month, watch Bookie online at bookiethemovie.com “I’m an old person in a young person’s body,” asserts local filmmaker Bao Tran. It’s a little hard to believe at first glance, given Tran’s…
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