Theatre Battery’s production of ‘A Maze’ takes the stage at Kent Station

With hopes of bringing theater culture to Kent, Logan Ellis, a Kent-Meridian High School graduate, and several friends and classmates started a production company in 2011.

Now in its fifth year, Theatre Battery is converting a storefront in Kent Station into theater space for this summer’s production of “A Maze.”

Ellis, the production’s director, became interested in directing while he was involved in Kent-Meridian’s drama program. He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in drama with a directing focus from Ithaca College in New York in 2011.

While waiting for an artistic direction apprenticeship to begin in San Francisco the summer after finishing college, Ellis got together with fellow Kent-Meridian graduates Garren Moss and Tobias McCurry and Kentridge graduates Rebecca White and Gianna Gargiulo to establish Theatre Battery and put on their first production.

“We had seven people who did the first show, which was over at Floform Countertops,” he said. “Since then every year we have come back to do it again, and we have completely revamped the structure. As all of us have been working in different careers, some of us in theater, some of us not. We have all brought back our skills and our increased understanding of the world into what we are doing with Theatre Battery.”

Ellis, 24, lives in San Francisco, where he works as a freelance director but returns to Kent each summer to be involved with the theater’s efforts.

This is the third year, Theatre Battery has put on its production at Kent Station.

Ellis said he is grateful that Kent Station has donated the space.

“What that really allows us to do is not only save money on rent … it allows us to spend our money on paying artists and creating more immersive experiences, and that really is a massive reward,” he said. “Kent Station is unbelievably generous.”

“A Maze” was selected from several plays Theatre Battery considered for this year’s performance, Ellis said.

“The reading was followed by a two-hour long debate about the play and about the motivations of its characters and its overall message,” he said. “We realized because it created that debate and because it surprised our company members so thoroughly it had to be the play that we put on.”

He said the production offers a compelling storyline and addresses many social issues.

“The play begins with three extremely distinct storylines that are all thrown in together at the same time,” Ellis said. “It is a little bit confusing at first, but when you stick with it is gives you a massive reward in the middle of the play. As a result, in having these really distinct plotlines existing in the play we are able to talk about so much. We are talking about addiction, rehab, kidnapping, sexual abuse, abduction survival, being a celebrity, what it means to be an artist and what it means to fall in love with someone.”

Ellis said Theatre Battery has developed a relationship with playwright Rob Handel, who wrote “A Maze.”

“We were really fortunate to have him here for the start of our rehearsals a few weeks ago,” Ellis said. “He was here for the first couple of rehearsals, got to meet our cast and crew, got to talk about the play and really bless the ship. He was able to provide his own perspective and his own origins for the play in making our production.”

The cast for the play is local actors, as well as some from other parts of the country.

“It is a cast of eight actors, which is actually a very large cast in terms of plays,” he said. “Many of the actors play multiple characters over the course of the play, so we needed an extremely diverse and versatile ensemble.”

In addition to “A Maze,” Theatre Battery will host the Battery Powered Series, which provides local and emerging playwrights a platform for stage readings.

“They come in with a piece of writing that they want to workshop, that they want to improve upon in someway and sometimes the writing is really close to being ready for full production and sometimes it is really new and really raw,” Ellis said. “We provide them with actors and space and with a director and they get to play around with their words with those actors and the director and also have a free public reading here at Theatre Battery. … A stage reading is essentially a reading of a play with actors with music stands no props or costumes or sets or anything like that with the express goal of hearing the words of the play as spoken by actors that are right for those roles.”

The stage readings, which will be at 8 p.m. July 22, 27, 29 and 2 p.m. July 26, are free and open to the public. Seats can be reserved through the ticketing website but reservations are not required.

Ellis encourages the community to get involved in Theatre Battery.

“Through Theatre Battery and through other artists that are trying to work in Kent, the public here has an opportunity to enhance its own culture and we hope that what we are providing will prove the worthiness of this public to be receiving important and affecting art,” he said. “The most important thing we need now is participation and attendance and discussion.”

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Show time

• Production: “A Maze”, drama by playwright Rob Handel. Directed by Logan Ellis

• Performances: 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, July 16-Aug. 1.

• Stage: Kent Station, 434 Ramsay Way, Suite 103

• Tickets: Tickets $15 for students, seniors and those under 25; $25 for general admission. The July 16, 17 shows are preview performances with discounted ticket prices and the opportunity for audience feedback. Tickets for the preview are $10 for students, seniors, under 25 and Theatre Puget Sound members and $15 for general admission. Opening night on July 18, which includes a reception, costs $20 for discounted tickets and $30 for general admission. Ticket prices for the rest of the shows cost $15 for the discounted tickets and $25 for general admission.

• More Information: 206-419-1675, www.theatrebattery.com