Taproot Theatre opens its month-long run of “Bach at Leipzig” this weekend, with previews on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. There’s also a Pay What You Can performance on May 22.

Imagine, Leipzig, 1722. Germany’s most renowned music director is dead at the keyboard. As the country’s greatest organists descend to vie for the job, melodies of rivalry, trickery and blackmail compose a fugue of plots and counterplots. Rooted in history but reveling in flights of fiction, Bach at Leipzig is deliciously scored with wild and witty revelations.

Taproot Theatre is at 204 N. 85th St.

Method Prefab began delivering the first of Taproot Theatre‘s 21 modules yesterday for its expansion in downtown Greenwood. Originally scheduled to take three days to place all those modules, Taproot Marketing Director Nikki Visel told me this morning they’re on track to be finished by this afternoon.

Crews get the administrative offices module ready for lifting just after 10 this morning, while Taproot Producing Artistic Director Scott Nolte gives an interview.

Then it’s slowly hoisted off the flatbed truck.

The crane swings it over towards its new home.

It’s almost in position.

Less than five minutes after being hoisted off the flatbed, the office module is in place.

This is what the new building looks like from the front, as of 11 a.m.

Each module has windows, doors and molding already in place, and the bathroom and kitchen modules already have plumbing, tile, sinks, toilets, etc.

It will take about six weeks to finish joining all the modules, then a couple of months of finish work inside. Visel says Taproot plans a big community celebration when the new building opens sometime in August.

The first set of modular components of Taproot Theatre‘s expansion are being set in place today in downtown Greenwood.

Here’s that same box being carefully lined up with the piece below.

Three more pieces were waiting on Palatine Avenue near the corner of North 87th Street at 1:30 this afternoon. The one on the right says “Roof Deck.”

And three more were around the corner on 87th.

And here the crews get the hoist ready to lift another piece into place.

The rest of the 21 modules will be delivered Tuesday and Wednesday. It will take construction crews about six weeks to fully join the pieces together. The new building (housing a second theater, scene shop, dressing room, offices and a cafe) is expected to be open sometime in August.

The building replaces the empty lot left after the 2009 arson destroyed the Eleanor Roosevelt building, which housed four restaurants.

Taproot Theatre‘s newest production, “The Whipping Man,” asks difficult questions about slavery, war and freedom.

Ryan Childers, William Hall, Jr. and Tyler Trerise. Photo by Erik Stuhaug, Taproot Theatre.

Can loyalty and freedom coexist? A Jewish Confederate soldier and two of his former slaves are left to observe Passover together in the wake of the Civil War, prompting the challenging examination and reconciliation of the past while revealing the fear and uncertainty of venturing into a new future. This is a poignant play that The New York Times experienced as, “Haunting, striking, and powerful.”

The show opens on Friday and runs through April 27, with previews this Wednesday and Thursday.

Note: According to Taproot, this play contains profane language and vivid descriptions of war and slavery. It is recommended for ages 16 and up.

Taproot Theatre’s expansion is coming along, as crews get the site ready for the modular construction building to be installed sometime this summer.

The back side of Taproot Theatre’s existing building is on the right.

Taproot’s Producing Artistic Director, Scott Nolte, tells me the plan is for the new building to be finished in late summer. With modular construction, the building components are completed offsite, then installation and finish work takes about four to six weeks.

The expansion takes the place of the former Eleanor Roosevelt Building, which housed four restaurants and burned in the Oct. 23, 2009, arson. The new building will include a second theater, dressing rooms, offices, scene workshop and a café and wine bar at 208 N. 85th Street.

If you’re wondering about the huge mural that was installed along the construction fence two months after the arson, Nolte said it is currently in storage, waiting for someone to come forward with a new site for it. Nolte said the mural would likely need to be touched up by the artists first.

The mural used to cover most of the length of the construction fence.

Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., presents “Jeeves in Bloom” from Feb. 1-March 2 (previews Wednesday and Thursday).

Randy Scholz, Matt Shimkus and Aaron Lamb. Photo by Erik Stuhaug.

Peace. Tranquility. The English countryside. Then Bertie Wooster pays a visit. While ducking romance, fleeing a cleaver-wielding chef and burgling his uncle, Bertie’s trail of mischief and mayhem is set right by his unflappable valet, Jeeves. Based on characters created by author P.G. Wodehouse…

Wodehouse’s Jeeves series is considered by many to be some of the most humorous writing in the English language. The characters rose in popularity and were made infamous in the 1990’s BBC comedy series, Jeeves and Wooster, starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. The Jeeves character also inspired the phrase “right ho, Jeeves” and the internet search engine, askjeeves.com. Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse was a master of English prose who was admired by his contemporaries and successors alike.

Taproot Theatre’s production of Jeeves in Bloom is directed by Associate Artistic Director Karen Lund and features Matt Shimkus as Jeeves and Aaron Lamb as Bertie Wooster, accompanied by the talented Marianna de Fazio, Stephen Grenley, Parker Matthews, Kim Morris and Randy Scholz. The production team includes scenic and sound designer Mark Lund, costume designer Sarah Burch Gordon and lighting designer Roberta Russell. Micah Lynn Trapp serves as stage manager, Christine Marie Brown as dialect coach and Tina Polzin as dramaturg.

Greenwood’s Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., is now selling subscriptions for its 2013 season, which runs from January through October (single tickets go on sale in January).

Jeeves in Bloom – Adapted by Margaret Raether from the stories of P.G. Wodehouse
Feb 1 – Mar 2, Previews January 30 & 31

Peace. Tranquility. The English countryside. Ahhh … Then Bertie Wooster pays a visit. While ducking romance, fleeing a cleaver-wielding chef and burgling his uncle, Bertie’s trail of mischief and mayhem is set right by his unflappable valet, Jeeves. Based on characters created by author P.G. Wodehouse, this confectionary treat is a delightful respite from the daily grind.

The Whipping Man -  By Matthew Lopez
Mar 29 – April 27, Previews March 27 & 28

Can loyalty and freedom coexist? A Jewish Confederate soldier returns from war to his house in shambles. Two former slaves greet him, one who stayed and one who is returning. As they observe Passover and remember the Jewish exodus from Egypt their shared pasts and secrets threaten the freedom of all three men.

Bach at Leipzig – By Itamar Moses
May 17 – June 15, Previews May 15 & 16

Leipzig, 1722. Germany’s most renowned music director is dead at the keyboard. As the country’s greatest organists descend to vie for the job, melodies of rivalry, trickery, and blackmail compose a fugue of plots and counterplots. Rooted in history but reveling in flights of fiction Bach at Leipzig is deliciously scored with wild and witty revelations.

Illyria – Book, Music and Lyrics by Peter Mills, Adapted by Peter Mills and Cara Reichel from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
July 12 – Aug 10, Previews July 10 & 11

This musical adaptation of Twelfth Night has all the hilarious hijinks and unrequited love of Shakespeare’s famous comedy. A mistaken identity sets off a chain of events that has everything topsy-turvy. As these classic characters sing of romance and shenanigans, you’ll be transported to a mythical land of love.

The Matchmaker – By Thornton Wilder
Sept 20 – Oct 19, Previews Sept 18 & 19

Thornton Wilder’s hit comedy about love, money and the love of money has matchmaking busybody Dolly Levi brokering true love for a wealthy businessman. Will anyone get what their heart desires? Unlikely circumstances and hilarious complications bring surprises at every corner in this play that inspired Hello, Dolly!

Patrons can buy tickets online or through the box office at 206-781-9707 or email box@taproottheatre.org. The box office is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12-5 p.m., and until show time on performance nights.

Taproot Theatre once again will produce “Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol” for the holiday season.

Terry Edward Moore and Stephen Grenley in the 2010 production of “Sherlock Holmes.” Photo by Erik Stuhaug.

“Sherlock,” by Seattle playwright and author John Longenbaugh, was last seen at Taproot in 2010. It runs Nov. 23 through Dec. 29, with low-price previews on Nov. 16-17 and a pay-what-you-can performance on Nov. 21.

These then are the facts: The year, 1894. The date, Christmas Eve. The location, 221B Baker Street. After being presumed dead for three years, a hardened Sherlock Holmes resurfaces, turning his back on the people who need him most. Three unexpected callers arrive on Christmas Eve uncovering clues from the detective’s past, present and future. Can they save Holmes and his world from a dire end? They must “do it all in one night” to accomplish the task. A mystery full of Christmas spirits your whole family will enjoy.

Don’t forget that the Greenwood Community Council is hosting a candidates forum at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Taproot Theater, 204 N. 85th St.

Here’s the agenda:

• 6:30 – Welcome and Introductions
• 6:40 – Initiative 502 (Marijuana Legalization)
• 7:10 – Seattle Seawall
• 7:25 – Initiative 1240 (Charter Schools)
• 7:55 – 36th District – Gael Tarleton vs. Noel Frame
• 8:25 – Thanks and adjourn

Each candidate or campaign spokesperson will make an opening and closing statement, with time for audience questions. A reception will immediately follow the forum, so audience members can meet the candidates.

The Greenwood Community Council is hosting a candidates forum at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Taproot Theater, 204 N. 85th St.

Here’s the agenda:

• 6:30 – Welcome and Introductions
• 6:40 – Initiative 502 (Marijuana Legalization)
• 7:10 – Seattle Seawall
• 7:25 – Initiative 1240 (Charter Schools)
• 7:55 – 36th District – Gael Tarleton vs. Noel Frame
• 8:25 – Thanks and adjourn

Each candidate or campaign spokesperson will make an opening and closing statement, with time for audience questions. A reception will immediately follow the forum, so audience members can meet the candidates.

Taproot Theatre’s upcoming mainstage production is Dorothy L. Sayers’ classic mystery “Gaudy Night.”

Jeff Barryman and Alyson Scadron Branner. Photo by Erik Stuhaug, Taproot Theatre.

Harriet Vane’s Oxford reunion is terrorized by murderous threats from the “Poison Pen,” a vicious vandal determined to destroy our heroine and everything she holds dear. Is her sleuthing enough to apprehend the villain? And where is Lord Peter when she really needs him?

Dorothy L. Sayers published her first novel in 1923, introducing Lord Peter Wimsey, who would become the hero of many short stories and fourteen volumes of novels, including Gaudy Night. Her work as a mystery novelist won her the role of president of the Detection Club, whose membership included the likes of G.K. Chesterton and Agatha Christie. Dorothy L. Sayers set out as a mystery author, “with the avowed intention of producing something ‘less like a conventional detective story and more like a novel.’” This manifested itself in her work when she occasionally, “indulged in a little ‘good writing’ here and there” (excerpts from an essay Sayers published about Gaudy Night in 1937).

Gaudy Night’s setting, Shrewsbury College, was inspired by Dorothy L. Sayers’ alma mater, Somerville College, a women’s college in Oxford. This story takes place when there was a widespread belief that women were incapable of high academic achievement, but this idea was being refuted by brilliant women rising to the occasion with numerous diverse accomplishments. This initiated the foundation for a shift in that viewpoint. In the 1930’s we have Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly the Atlantic Ocean solo; Billie Holiday, who made her first recording in 1933; Peggy Guggenheim, the art collector, opened her Guggenheim-Jeune gallery in London to exhibit avant-garde art; First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt held her own press conference, allowing only women reporters to attend. In Gaudy Night, the ladies of Shrewsbury College are anxious to protect the academic respect they have earned.

“Gaudy Night” runs Sept. 21 – Oct. 20, with previews on Sept. 19-20. Taproot Theatre is at 204 N. 85th St.

Taproot Theatre’s expansion plans took another step forward today as the Seattle Department of Planning and Development issued its Determination of Non-Significance with regards to environmental impacts.

The theatre is expanding into the space formerly occupied by four restaurants that burned in the Oct. 23, 2009, arson. The new building will include a second theater, dressing rooms, offices, scene workshop and a café and wine bar at 208 N. 85th Street.

DPD also conditionally approved Taproot’s design plans, and its plan to install a wine bar in its new café.

Appeals of any of DPD’s decisions must be received by the hearing examiner no later than Aug. 30.