New City New Year

For close to 30 years New City Theater has been a vital force in Seattle, creating dramas of great subtlety and powerful impact using - to say the least - limited resources. The company has been nomadic for much of its existence, producing their work sporadically in improvised places. In 2010 founders Mary Ewald and John Kazanjian received grants from 4Culture, and a nod of approval from new landlords, to take over a small storefront venue at 18th Avenue and Union Street on Capitol Hill.

For the first time in recent memory New City announced a full slate of productions for 2011. The season starts this week with David Mamet's political satire "November," opening Jan. 21; Elizabeth Kenny's world-premiere show "Sick" opens April 8, and Sam Shepard's "Curse of the Starving Class" runs from May 20-June 12.

In the fall, New City will debut a new work by Seattle playwright Curtis Taylor, and present Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest." In addition New City will host a late-night poetry-performance series, curated by agent provocateur Seanjohn Walsh and a short run of a new piece by Seattle author Rebecca Brown.