Name: Duane Kelly and Katie Zeitler with Rebecca Crichton
Start: 2024-09-16T19:30:00-07:00
End: 2024-09-16T19:30:00-07:00
Location: The Mehdi Reading Room

Duane Kelly and Katie Zeitler with Rebecca Crichton

Abacus — A Play About Consciousness and Caregiving

Date:: Monday, September 16
Time:: 7:30 pm PDT
Cost:: $10 – $35 Sliding Scale

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Venue

: The Mehdi Reading Room
: 1119 8th Ave
Seattle, 98101 United States + Google Map

Note: Town Hall events are approximately 75 minutes long.

Headshots of Duane Kelly and Katie Zeitler with Rebecca Crichton

Arts & Culture

Join Award-winning local playwright Duane Kelly in discussion about his newest play Abacus, premiering this Sept. 19-28 at West of Lenin Theatre in Seattle. Abacus tells the story of a synthetic replicant of a human experiencing unexpected concerns as she cares for a man who suffers the indignities of old age and dementia. (Famed Seattle actor Michael Winters stars in that leading role). Duane will discuss the two years he spent developing this play, including working with a neuroscientist at the Paul Allen Brain Institute and with a renowned philosopher whose work includes the nature of consciousness. Abacus follows on the heels of Duane’s play Enquiry Concerning Hereafter which was a hit at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Duane Kelly is an award-winning Seattle-based author of eleven full-length plays. His plays were produced at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2022 and 2023. His newest play Abacus premieres in Seattle Sept. 2024. Also in Sept. his play Patrimony opens at American Theatre Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Katie Zeitler is the Program Manager for Dementia Friends Washington at the University of Washington Memory and Brain Wellness Center. She has worked with people living with dementia and their caregivers and care partners in different capacities since 2013 and has a varied background in direct patient care, public health, and non-profit work. Katie also currently serves on the Dementia Action Collaborative’s Public Awareness and Community Readiness subcommittee. Her professional interests align with the goals of Dementia Friends which include spreading awareness about dementia, reducing the surrounding stigma, and creating inclusive spaces for people living with dementia.

Rebecca Crichton started her “Encore Career” as Executive Director of NWCCA in 2012 after 21 years with The Boeing Company. She refashioned her skills and knowledge as a writer, curriculum designer, and leadership development coach to offer Creative Aging programs at many Seattle area venues. An active participant in the local aging community, she writes regularly for 3rd Act Magazine.

Presented by Town Hall Seattle.