Satay and the Stone Soup Downstage Theatre Are No More

Satay’s last day was yesterday, we’ll be missing Satay’s dog-friendly back porch and laid back atmosphere. Stone Soup Theatre will be shutting down the DownStage performance space at 40th and Stone Way after 20 years of performances this December.

From Satay: We’d like to thank all our customers, employees, friends and family for their support over the years. A special thanks goes out to our Auntie Moon whose generosity in teaching us how to cook Malaysian food is much appreciated.

Sincerely,
The Satay Brothers

From Stone Soup Theater: One thing we can all count on is change. Many months prior to the 2015/16 season, a decision was made to devote the year to increasing income and balancing debt by expanding our drama outreach programs, summer camps, and future presence with The Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs Creative Advantage program. Another piece of our yearly plan was the development of rental income from “resident companies” familiar to both Stone Soup audiences and the community. This plan did not come to fruition and has led us to the unfortunate decision to discontinue producing at The DownStage at the end of December. This was as much of a surprise to us as it may be to you. But not to mistake, our presence as a non-profit is shifting, not coming to an end.

To preserve the spirit of our theatrical legacy, look for co-productions between Stone Soup and familiar Seattle theater companies. This shift will allow us to expand our non-profit school programs and summer camps which have made it possible for us to keep our theater for the past 20 years. We pride ourselves on this accomplishment. We have contributed approximately $50k annually to independent directors and teaching artists in the city and will continue to build this relationship.

With the guidance of education director, Kathya Alexander, and support from the Office of Arts and Culture, we introduce the Young Writers Program, What I Wore:The Events That Shaped Me. This program will engage a team of local youth in exploring drama, storytelling, and writing as a channel for personal growth. Spring performances to be announced.

Words cannot express the accumulation of beautiful moments shared by those who graced and supported The DownStage. Thank you.