Short Stories Live returns for the 2021 season with a series of live readings that celebrate and explore our uniquely human connections. Directed by local theater icon Jane Kaplan, each installment considers the threads that connect us all.
In April’s Short Stories Live, series director Jane Kaplan brings together a collection of stories circling around the complexities of family relationships; connections that are often hard to define, but inevitably define us. Andi Alhadeff, Basil Harris, Shin Yu Pai, and Nicole Suyama take the stage to read remarkable stories about how family shapes us, for better or worse.
The readings will include work by authors Tobias Wolff, Patricia Marx, and Beth Piatote, with music by Sondra Segundo-Cunningham.
Presenter Bios
Andi Alhadeff is a local artist, performer, writer, and educator with a passion for the power of storytelling. Highlights from her theater credits include Prospect Theatre Company’s production of Jasper In Deadland, The 5th Avenue Theatre’s Ragtime, Grease, and RENT, ACT Theatre/5th Avenue Theatre’s co-production of Urinetown, and Seattle Reps’ Indecent, among many others. Andi is very excited to play Kali this spring in the 5th Avenue Theatre’s production of Afterwords.
Basil Harris (he/him) has performed locally at ACT, Seattle Rep, Village Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, and Seattle Shakespeare Company. He is a regular voice on Jim French’s Imagination Theatre, including the serial audio dramas Murder and the Murdochs, The Adventures of Harry Nile, and The Hilary Caine Mysteries. Currently, Basil can be heard in Book-It Repertory Theatre’s audio adaptation of The Three Musketeers.
Shin Yu Pai is the author of 10 books of poetry. Her work has appeared in publications throughout the U.S., Japan, China, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and Canada. She has twice been commissioned to write poems by the Dallas Museum of Art, and her work has been featured in the Poetry in Motion program sponsored by Dallas Area Rapid Transit. A 2014 Stranger Genius Award nominee, Shin Yu has been a featured presenter at national and international literary festivals, including the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival and the Montreal Zen Poetry Festival.
Jane Kaplan is a producer and director whose professional work has graced Seattle’s stages for decades including as a collaborator/director for ACT’s Pinter Fortnightly Reading Series from 2009-2012. She has been the driving force behind The Rendezvous and Jewelbox Theater for over 20 years providing artists a public stage to present new work and build community. Jane holds an MFA from Yale School of Drama.
Sondra Segundo-Cunningham is a multifaceted Haida Language Warrior/Preserver. She is the lead female vocalist of the Tribal funk band Khu’eex’, which is based in Seattle and sings in the Tlingit and Haida languages. She grew up singing in the church choir and also singing Haida songs. Sondra also composes, sings, and produces music solos with her husband, Eric. In 2018, Sondra founded Haida Roots, an organization created to preserve the Haida language. She is the author and illustrator of Killer Whale Eyes and Lovebirds: The True Story of Raven & Eagle.
Nicole Suyama (Inupiaq) is an Alumni of Red Eagle Soaring Native Youth Theatre in Seattle; today, she actively works with Indigenous youth to build their self-confidence and clarity of expression through the performing arts. Nikki has been with Red Eagle Soaring for 17 years as a student, teaching artist, and director, and serves as the current Program Manager. She is an accomplished singer and is the current reigning champion of World Karaoke Tour North America. Her stage acting accolades include productions such as The Callers and Journey West, and the YTT Urban Native Performing Artists’ play Killer Whale & The Black Rush. She was the lead actress for the short film Master Control, winner of Best Film in City for the 2018 Seattle 48-Hour Horror Film Festival Competition.
