CLUE #5

Follow me as we steal away to see art wrought on stage,
Many things to mend, whether as in Wilson’s Pulitzer play,
Or Kabuki theatres made of straw, bamboo or wood,
Affixed at the happy end, success may earn you some cachet.

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Bumbershoot Connection

This stanza relates to the great performances of the acting stage that Bumbershoot celebrates each year. Among the most important and memorable performances was when, in 1986, The Grand Kabuki Theatre was brought to Bumbershoot. Traditional Kabuki had rarely been performed outside Japan and the performances received an overwhelming response at the time. We also refer to the late, great (and also toward the end of his life, local) Pulitzer prize-winning playwright August Wilson whose work has been performed at Bumbershoot on a number of occasions.

Clue Theme: Fence(s)

Many of the references in this clue have to do with “fences”—quite literally. Our first line uses both ‘Steal’ a type of fence and ‘Wrought’ a kind of fence. The second line references August Wilson’s Pulitzer play, ‘Fences’. The third line talks about how Kabuki was often performed in fenced enclosures that were originally built with straw, then bamboo and finally wood. The last line speaks to the specifics of this year’s search. Our answer, fence, is where this year’s medallion was attached or affixed.