Seattle Theater+Dance

Chad Jennings was set to walk away from acting when his “day job” boss encouraged him to go to one more audition at the 5th Avenue Theatre. That led to a role in Sunday in the Park with George and, much to Jennings’ surprise, an even better paying gig in the national tour of South Pacific . A graduate of Western Washington University, the Yakima native had found regular roles in Seattle’s busy theater scene, working at Wooden O, Village Theatre, and Seattle Children’s Theatre, among others. But, like many actors, the older he got, the gaps between jobs and the low pay began to be less appealing. Without a big breakout role, Jennings started looking for other work. “Basically, I’d given up,” said the 36-year-old Jennings, “and decided to get a ‘real job’ that ended up being right across the street from the 5th Avenue. I was doing tech support, which was a great fit for my skill set. I’m decent around a computer and I enjoyed talking to people.” Jennings was set fo

One of the ancient Greece’s most dysfunctional families dominated the plays of the time and still resonate and shock today. Brother and sister reconcile. Photo: John Uhlman           . Which means the first question asked of director Sheila Daniels is: does Electra’s mommy Clytemnestra deserve to die? “To me, Electra is not a question of whether anyone deserves to be killed. When we think of ancient Greece, it is very clear that in their law, she does deserve to die for her crimes. In the rules of the gods, it is an eye for an eye,” said Daniels. “But one of the things that is interesting to me is the very clear statement at the end of play: but will there be killing after killing forever? In other words, does violence beget violence? Interestingly, it’s stated by one of the villains.” Electra’s struggles with this cycle of violence fascinate Daniels, as does the mother and daughter debates between two strong characters. “Clytemestra can jus