SEATTLE — To understand what makes Macha Theatre Works so unique, you have to talk to the artists who work with them.
Playwright Maggie Lee said at Macha, "There's no expectation. There's no need for a woman to be this or to be that." With Macha, Maggie Lee's play Sheathed won a 2019 Gregory Award for Outstanding New Play. She credits in part the freedom to present female characters truthfully on stage.
"Theater nowadays is into strong female characters, but they don't really know what that is. Are strong female characters like Wonder Woman? Do they have to beat everybody up? Do they have to be stone-cold? They have to be like men? What Macha does, it lets playwrights and artists ask the question, what is strong, said Lee.
Macha's latest play is called the Fifth Wave and was inspired by the Me Too movement. One of the playwrights, Jenn Ruzumna, said "It asks a question of where are we going next? In our world as women, how are we going lift each other up? How can we use our much-deserved anger to unite, instead of divide?"
Amy Poisson is Macha's Artistic Director, and she said they want stories that are bigger than wives, secretaries, and moms, "I love all that. I'm a mom. I am a wife. Women aren't one thing. I want stories that are complicated." Actor and Playwright Lisa Every said, "It's a place where you can come be yourself, create your art; and that's just empowering."
Macha's latest production, The Fifth Wave was postponed because of COVID-19. Macha plans to announce new show dates soon. You can check for updates here.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.