Holly Arsenault
PLAYWRIGHT
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Press

Recent Press

Arts Essentials with Rosemary & Holly
TeenTix, May 20, 2020
”TeenTix Newsroom Writer Rosemary Sissel sits down with Holly Arsenault, Playwright, Director of Engagement at UW Drama, & Former TeenTix Executive Director, for a conversation about how art has impacted their lives and how they find connection in a virtual age - all while snacking!”

Cultivating Art While Raising Children: Parent-artists on how they make it work
Encore, March 31, 2020
”’I think that a lot of what our culture, especially our artist culture, tells us is that the qualities that make a good artist and the qualities that make a good parent are really opposite one another,’” Arsenault said. ‘I want parent-artists to stop thinking that that’s true—and to realize that there is so much potential in the journey of parenting that can make your art better. Those are stories that deserve to be told, that belong on stage.’”

Staff Story: Holly Arsenault
The WholeU, August 8, 2019
“‘That changed everything for me,’” Arsenault says. “‘It was like a light bulb—this is what I’m supposed to do. I was probably 25 when that happened and, after 19 years of doing theatre and devoting my life to it and not knowing where I fit, to realize, “I’m a playwright and this is my way of making a contribution to this art form that I love”—was such a good feeling and from there I never stopped writing.’”

Seattle playwright’s ambitious new drama is a warning for the future
Seattle Times, July 19, 2018
"Set in 2050, the play looks back critically on events in the 2020s, when the U.S. battle over immigration explodes. “It’s set in a time where our past history has been whitewashed and perverted,” Arsenault explained. 'I imagined what would happen if everything went as badly as it could possibly go.'"

'When the play opens there’s been a civil war that the winning side has erased from collective memory, and the income gap between rich and poor is far worse,' Kraft added.

Press about Undo

Undo: A Backward Wedding
The Stranger, Jan 23 2013
"The premise is so simple and brilliant...and Arsenault's sharp wit and ear for honest dialogue make the concept work beautifully."

Review: Undo
SeattleActor.com, Jan 22, 2013
"...an exceptionally honest piece of playwriting... ambitious, moving, and deeply gratifying."

Touching, Moving Heartbreak
Seattle Star, Feb 14, 2013
"...a production of human and humane scale that resonates deeply"

Undo at Annex Theatre on Things You Can't Take Back
The Sunbreak, Jan 31, 2013
"...an incredibly believable universe...filled with utter sadness coupled with dry, dark humor." 

Marriage Rewind
Seattle Gay News, Jan 25, 2013
"There is tremendous strength in the writing. The dialogue is realistic and the relationships ring true…"


Parade Productions’ Undo Charts Divorce By Replaying Wedding In Reverse
Florida Theater On Stage, Jan 30 2015
"Holly Arsenault’s melancholy, compassionate script is shot through with mordant gallows humor."

The Man Who Loves: A Theatre Superfan's Year in Review
The Stranger, Dec 25, 2013
"Undo [was my favorite show of the year]...it was such a beautifully written play."

Get out your wedding dress: It's time for your divorce
Jew-ish.com, Jan 8 2013
"JTNews: Was the Jewish context the right choice for this play?
HA: Absolutely. It fits in this world. And maybe if I had decided that they were Methodists, and did that research, I may have found ways that it aligned. But —
MW: [Whispering] Methodists aren’t funny!"

Interview: Playwright Holly Arsenault on her play, Undo
The Mom & Pop Shop Radio Show with George Bettinger, July 2014

Other stuff

Interview: Holly Arsenault and Young Jean Lee
On the Boards, April 2013
Listen:

TeenTix

2016 Superheroes for Washington Kids
The arts visionary: Holly Arsenault
ParentMap Magazine, Apr 2016
"Ultimately, Arsenault says, it’s not about 'putting butts in seats; it’s about offering young people the tools for playing an active role in shaping the arts community.'"

2015 40 Under 40: Holly Arsenault
Puget Sound Business Journal, Sep 11 2015
"'It creates this virtuous cycle,' Arsenault said. 'The better arts organizations do at serving teenagers, the more stable they become.'"

Holly Arsenault: introducing teens to the arts
Seattle Times, Dec 8 2013
"For this fervent enabler, the central mission is clear. 'This is about more than just buying a ticket and taking a seat,' she explains. 'It’s about creating engaged citizens who have affection for the arts, and think of it as a vital part of their community.'"

How Seattle Teens Can Get Into Plays, Museums, and Art Shows for Just $5
KPLU 88.5 FM (NPR), March 21, 2014

Listen:

Guest blogger Holly Arsenault on engaging young audiences
Asking Audiences: Slover Linett blog, Jun 19 2010
"Of course, you can’t lump all teenagers together and say 'this is what they like,' any more than you can with Boomers. This is something I’m confronted with all the time as I work with our participating arts organizations around town: the notion that there is one type of programming that appeals to all teenagers. (That, and the notion that there is some magical incantation of teen slang that I can recite to make hoards of young people rush your box office.) There isn’t, of course, and even if there were, it would change as soon as you figured out what it was. That’s the joyful challenge of trying to serve this demographic; they are impossible to pin down. I love that about them, actually."

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