Summer is typically theater downtime, but this year that ain't so! Curious about this season's peculiar swelling of festival-structured productivity, I contacted various theater-makers to find out more. See part one—about ACT's Pinter Festival—here.

Part two: Andrew Russell from Intiman's four-play summer festival, running now through Aug 26. (Read our reviews here.)

Share a brief history of Intiman's festival origin.

Intiman turns 40 this year, but it is our first summer doing a festival in this format. We are producing four shows that opened back-to-back with a repertory company of actors. We wanted to produce something that had a sense of an event, and also ensured that we could deliver the high-quality work for which we have been known, and with a much smaller budget. Thus, we produced this year's maiden festival voyage.

Why choose to produce a high-output festival as opposed to developing works as a part of a traditional season?

There is something healthy about working feverishly for months, blooming with the results, and then going dark to rest, learn, and try again. Plus, we were endeavoring to find a new and innovative model to try, and this seemed to break our mold as well as remain true to the theatre's past.

What makes the process and product of your festival unique?

We rehearse for over two months before we see an audience, and our actors are rehearsing two to three shows at the same time. We've got a design ensemble designing for multiple shows. So, all of these artists are to some degree—whether directly or not—sharing, impacting, influencing each other. Once we open, audiences have the chance to see an actor and the theater transform overnight and witness a completely different production.

What are the drawbacks to a festival format?

Go big or go home. You've got your entire organization surrounded around one tent-pole event. But, with that also comes a significant amount of freedom. You aren't patching the ship as it floats across the ocean—you are creating it in one major move and then releasing it in its completion, come hell or high water, and wishing for the best.

How does your festival affect the community?

We have the opportunity to create a culture, a climate, a conditioning. Because these actors are together for four months, and because they are playing multiple roles and working with an ensemble, they have a chance to hone their craft and really strengthen each other. For audiences, we are producing during a theater-quiet time of the year, and giving them the chance to see true repertory.

How diverse are the experience levels and backgrounds of the artists involved in your festival?

We have an incredible group of individuals ranging from young interns to experienced heavyweights. That's another benefit for us—it's summertime so we can collaborate with many interns as well as get some of Seattle's best actors. Plus, there is a healthy cycle of education with this—putting the learning with the unlearned, and seeing what grows.