Town Hall Association Programs
Town Hall Seattle extends the reach and capacity of approximately 150 small and mid-sized arts and activist organizations per year with production and promotional resources unmatched by any other community rental facility in Seattle. In addition, Town Hall complements the work of its rental partners with a self-produced series of 150+ programs that complete the tapestry of our region's cultural, intellectual and civic life. By actively encouraging participation of diverse community presenters, Town Hall has created a living room for the city--an accessible place where people feel respected and welcome.
Town Hall Seattle employs a team of curators to ensure a diverse, accessible program: Youth/Family programs (Saturday Family Concerts and the King/Snohomish Regional Spelling Bee); Short Stories Live, a literary series co-produced with A Contemporary Theatre; Global Rhythms, a curated series of folk, traditional, and international artists; Town Music, a curated series of ambitious chamber concerts; Town Hall Civics series, addressing political and social issues; and Seattle Science Lectures, featuring talks by leading researchers and authors on a variety of topics at the frontiers of scientific inquiry.
Town Hall's commitment to diversity, in our practices and values as well as in our programs and audiences, complements our commitment to accessibility. From low-cost tickets (most events are offered free, or for a $5 charge) and rental rates to the informal nature of our spaces to our grassroots programming and promotional strategies, broad community accessibility is our highest institutional priority.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
Last year, Town Hall hosted more than 400 events and reached more than 105,000 attendees—the most in its history. There were many highlights from the diverse slate of self-produced programs:
In September 2012, Town Hall launched its exciting new Artist/Scholar-In-Residence program with musician/comic/writer Ahamefule Oluo (Artist) and award-winning journalist Lesley Hazelton (Scholar).
As part of Global Rhythms, a diverse world-music series, Town Hall welcomed an audience of more than 500 people for a performance by Staff Benda Bilili, a group of paraplegic Congolese street musicians.
Town Music, a chamber music presenting program, hosted the 20-member band Alarm Will Sound for a four-day residency. The performances marked the most ambitious shows of Joshua Roman’s six-year tenure as the series’ curator.
The Saturday Family Concerts series continues to provide arts experiences for young people and their families and featured playful hip-hop duo THEE Satisfaction and a sold-out performance by Elizabeth Mitchell.
Town Hall presented its usual stellar lineup of speakers as part of the Seattle Science Lectures and Civics series, including MSNBC host and author Rachel Maddow, former senator Bill Bradley, superstar economist Paul Krugman, and many more.
Town Hall has moved deeply into planning and preparation for a capital campaign designed to ensure that its 100-year-old home sees another century of life in its new role as a community cultural center.