Seattle Rep

Seattle Repertory Theatre (familiarly known as "The Rep") is a major regional theatre located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound and Theatre Communications Group. Founded in 1963, it is led by Artistic Director Jerry Manning and Managing Director Benjamin Moore. It received the 1990 Regional Theatre Tony Award. Lily Tomlin's one-woman show by Jane Wagner, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, played at The Rep prior to its engagement on Broadway. In 2001, The Rep led a consortium of local theaters in presenting Peter Brook's Hamlet in the Mercer Arts Arena. That same year, Daniel Sullivan returned to direct Proof, for which he won the Tony Award on Broadway, launching its national tour, and a $15 million "Endowment Campaign" under the leadership of Chap Alvord and Janet True was also announced. The 40th Anniversary Season was celebrated in 2003. David Esbjornson became artistic director in 2005. Ping Chong's Cathay: Three Tales of China, Ariel Dorfman's Purgatorio and Restoration Comedy, by Amy Freed, (which went on to be nominated for Best New Play by the American Theatre Critics Association) were among the premieres in 2006. That year also saw a tribute to August Wilson, featuring performances from all ten of his plays. Esbjornson departed in summer 2008, replaced in 2009 by Jerry Manning.