You wouldn’t think Seattle needed another theater company, but the New Century Theater Company, despite its eminently forgettable name, looks promising—just because of the people involved. In fact, I think The Stranger has written enthusiastic sentences about all of them. There’s…

• Stranger Genius Award winner Amy Thone: “Her directness, her lack of artifice, is what makes her a great actor. When Thone walks onto a stage, she sucks all the frivolity out of the room, makes you lean forward to listen. Her presence is regal, never clownish. She is the opposite of coy.”

• Hans Altweis: “without a doubt, the best Shakespeare actor in the city.”

• Playwright Stephanie Timm, who wrote Crumbs Are Also Bread, performed last year by WET. From a review of Timm’s W(h)acked by Lindy West: “This play did not cure my hangover. It did, however, captivate my attention and make me laugh, despite my insides’ persistent mad dashes for freedom. And in that, W(h)acked is a miracle.”

• Paul Morgan Stetler, an actor we’ve liked, particularly as the star of Louis Slotin Sonata.

• MJ Sieber, a local actor we’ve praised over and over again. My favorite sentence about him: “MJ Sieber, as the Creature, with his massive, sweaty (and most of the time, nude) body, is exceptionally intimidating…”

The praise becomes slightly less effusive with the rest of the company members. But still, praise is praise:

• Annie Wagner opined that Michael Patten was “competent” in Taming of the Shrew in 2005. (He was also excellent in Accidental Death of an Anarchist and The Water Engine with the Genius Award winning company Strawberry Theater Workshop.)

• Jen Taylor was last praised as “effective” in 2000 for her performance in Fairy Tales of New York. (And check out the reviews on that page by Stranger freelancer cum Weekly staffer cum Seattle Metropolitan arts editor Steve Wiecking.)

• And we’ve never mentioned Ray Gonzalez by name. But he’s the one on the right:

Anyway: a new theater company! Whose name I’ve already forgotten! But with an uncommonly well-liked (by us) team of actors, directors, and playwrights!

The company’s inaugural event is next Monday, January 28, at Seattle Rep at 7:30 pm. There will be drinks, snacks, and a reading of Phyllis Nagy’s Disappeared by company members and guests Darragh Kennan (we’ve praised him), Lori Larsen (and her), and Chelsea Rives (but not her).