The Seattle Files

Between Seattle and Tacoma sits a town everyone has been through but no one knows anything about.  What is the history behind the worst named city in Washington?

Today’s Guests:

Greg Stackhouse is a regular with Unexpected Productions since 1994, and can be seen in a variety of shows at the Market Theater. In addition he has lent his voice to many video game characters over the years. He’s a Northwest Native, moving to Seattle from Federal Way when he was 19 years old, back when rent was less than $400 per month on Capitol Hill.

A costumed man patrols the streets of Seattle looking for crime to fight.  Some call him a hero and others call him delusional. Who is Phoenix Jones?

Today’s Guests:

Daniel Stoltenberg is a local actor, theatre educator, playwright, and lyricist, as well as a hobbyist board game designer. He’s currently writing lyrics for a musical about the origins of the Lady of the Lake, and preparing to shape the minds of tomorrow through youth theatre summer programs. He lived in Seattle back before Shoreline was a city, moved into Seattle itself in 2006, and plans on staying in the city as long as he can afford to do so. His favorite things on the internet are videos of corgis and french bulldogs, though not necessarily at the same time.

A notoriously corrupt Spokane police department spent the Great Depression robbing creameries and selling the stolen butter on the black market.  A murder committed during one of these robberies went unsolved for over fifty years until a modern day investigator solved the case.

Today’s Guests:

“Michael Draper is an improviser and sketch comedian based in the Seattle area. He can be found all over town playing with a variety of groups including Kangaroo Court, Always Be Clothing, and A Tribe Called Yes. Michael is, in my (Chris Allen’s) opinion, one of the undeniable rising stars of the Seattle comedy scene, and I consider myself (Chris Allen) lucky to count him as a close personal friend. I, Chris Allen, wrote this bio.”*

*Chris Allen did not write this bio.

J.Z. Knight claims she can channel a 35,000 warrior spirit from the lost continent of Lemuria.  Along with her spirit guide she runs a cult out of the small Washington town of Yelm and has thousands of followers worldwide.

Today’s Guests:

Caitlin Obom is a local comedian and songwriter. She is a member of the sketch comedy group Drop the Root Beer and Run and the musical sketch duo Love Snack, and has performed at comedy festivals in Seattle, Vancouver, Boise, and Chicago, as well as Seattle Fringe Festival. She is trying her very best.

Just a few years after women won the right to vote in Washington State, Seattle elected Bertha Knight Landes as it’s mayor.  A shrewd politician and dedicated public servant, she served as the first female mayor of a major American city.

Today’s Guests:

Kinzie is a company member at Unexpected Productions. Her greatest achievement is being one half of the duo, FEELINGS. FEELINGS brings you queer, intersectional, feminist, improv pajama realness. She also one of the founders of Intersections (a diversity festival in Seattle) which is launching Spring 2018. Check it out on the Facebooks!

Guy Phinney was a lumber baron who built a menagerie on his 200 acre tract of land east of Green Lake.  In the 1940s it became home to a bizarre spectacle as the monkeys in captivity went to war with each other.

Today’s Guests:

Amalia is a proud Seattle native and has been an improviser and musical theater actor for most of her life. She has performed in shows all over Puget Sound, as well as in Portland, Honolulu, New York, London, and College Station, Texas. Recent favorites include Book Club, A Tribe Called Yes, and Ms. PakMan:On My Last Heart! She loves Christmas and also you should let her pet your dog. –@amaliatown

The landscape of Seattle has been drastically altered by man.  At the site of present day Belltown there used to be a massive hill stretching from Pike Place Market to the Seattle Center.  What happened to this piece of land?

Today’s Guests:

John Keister is best known as host of the long running local sketch program Almost Live.  He is the recipient of ten local Emmy awards and could be seen most recently on The 206.

David B. Williams is a former national park ranger, geologist, and author of the book Too High and Too Steep: Reshaping Seattle’s Topography.  You can learn more about him or purchase his book here.

Kate Jaeger is very active in the Seattle theatre community as an actor, director, improviser, emcee and educator. Locally she has performed with Village Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Balagan Theatre, ArtsWest, Book-It’s Touring Company, Macha Monkey and Teatro Zinzanni. Kate is a proud member of Jet City Improv.

Love Israel and his followers believed we are all one, love is the answer, and drugs got you closer to God.  They lived on Queen Anne Hill for years until cocaine and financial troubles tore them apart.

Today’s Guest:

Maddie Downes is a writer, comedian and actor. She has performed at the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival, the SheDot Comedy Festival, and the Macefield Music Festival Comedy Stage. Maddie is the co-creator of Northern Belles, a webseries that you can and should watch on Vimeo. Maddie is the co-creator of the podcast Sexual Awake’n’Baking and is an ensemble member of Town Hall, soon to be Water Talk at Scratch Deli.

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Henry Yesler’s sawmill transformed the young city of Seattle and brought jobs, money, and opportunity.  This two time mayor and captain of industry led a fascinating personal life with an open marriage and attempts to communicate with the dead.

Today’s Guest:

Brett Hamil is a standup comic, columnist for City Arts and host of The Seattle Process with Brett Hamil, a political comedy talk show at Northwest Film Forum. His debut comedy album, Grower, is available on the internet. He’s lived in Seattle since 2000.

Audio File:

The mythological creature of Bigfoot has origins in Coast Salish legends and has been a staple of the Northwest for years.  While there have been thousands of sightings, there is no clear evidence that the beast actually exists.

Today’s Guests:

Nancy Guppy was a cast member of KING TV’s late night comedy show “Almost Live” for 10 years. She is currently host/senior producer of  “Art Zone with Nancy Guppy”, a TV show about the local art scene that airs on Seattle Channel 21.  www.seattlechannel.org/artzone

Douglas Willott is a Seattle based professional performer, director, and arts educator. He’s performed with Jet City Improv regularly since 1996, and worked with many of Seattle’s beloved theaters over the years. Learn more about Doug and see him in action at douglaswillot.net.

Alison Lührs is an actor, playwright, improviser and professional Wizard. Recent credits include Strangers (Mirum Mirum Productions), Vicious and Vulgar (Mirum Mirum Productions) Black Flag (Jet City Improv) and the serial podcast Mermaid in Manhattan. Alison is a cast member at Jet City Improv and a producer of the College Improv Tournament.

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