Redwood Theatre kicks off 26th season with state premiere of ‘Thundberbolts and Dunderheads’

October 1, 2009 6:41 pm
Erronyus (Ben Johnson) explains the future to Iris (Jennifer Davies) in a rehearsal for the Redwood Theatre production of “Thunderbolts and Dunderheads
Erronyus (Ben Johnson) explains the future to Iris (Jennifer Davies) in a rehearsal for the Redwood Theatre production of “Thunderbolts and Dunderheads

Redwood Theatre kicks off its 26th season with the Washington state premiere of “Thunderbolts and Dunderheads,” a new farce by Canadian playwright Todd McGinnis.

Directed by Roy Arauz, “Thunderbolts and Dunderheads” runs Oct. 9-24 at the Fred W. Meitzer Theater, inside the Redmond Senior Center, 8703 160th Ave. NE.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets ($14 for adults; $10 for age 60-plus or youth 18 and under) are available for advance purchase at www.brownpapertickets.com. Reservations can be made at ticketing@redwoodtheatre.org or by calling (425) 522-3730.

Also, committed to making theatre accessible to a wider audience, this season, Redwood Theatre will offer a “Pay What You Can First Sunday” for “Thunderbolts and Dunderheads.” If the event is successful, the group will consider making “Pay What You Can First Sunday” a regular feature for future productions.

Arauz described “Thunderbolts and Dunderheads” as “a hysterical comedy … also very timely, as it deals with unemployment and what one goddess will do to keep her job.”

Iris, Goddess of Rainbows, goes to Zeus asking for a job promotion and instead finds out that she is being permanently downsized. To survive, she must become Zeus’ personal assistant and help him “score” with a visiting Nordic goddess, while Hera, Zeus’ wife, has ordered Iris to ruin Zeus’ fun. What’s a goddess to do?

Redwood Theatre’s “Thunderbolts and Dunderheads” features the talents of Jennifer Davies as Iris, Charles Eliot as Hermes, Larry Shaw Jr. as Zeus, Ben Johnson as Erronyus Miscellaneous, Kelly Johnson as Hera, Teresa Widner as Valkyrie, and James Lynch as Hades.

Redwood Theatre, an all volunteer-run theatre company and recipient of a City of Redmond’s 2009 Arts Award for Service to the Community, presents two plays and one musical per season.

They perform in a fully accessible facility, and for the second season in a row, Redwood Theatre will present one performance interpreted for the hearing impaired. That performance will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 and is made possible thanks to a generous grant by 4Culture.

For more information, visit http://redwoodtheatre.org