Project
Seattle Performing Arts Lovers
A community of friends who gather to experience live performance and deepen their connection to the arts and one another.
Seattle Performing Arts Lovers, or SPAL, is a community dedicated to the simple, vital joy of experiencing live performance together. Born from isolation during the pandemic, SPAL began when I — like so many in Seattle — missed the electricity of the stage, the hum of a concert hall, the collective breath of an audience. Rather than wait for connection to return, I built it.
What started as a small circle of friends in early 2022 has grown into a thriving network of people who cherish the arts in all forms: symphonies and rock shows, ballets and experimental forest dances. We come together to experience the unrecordable — those fleeting moments that only happen when performers and audiences share a space.
SPAL’s rhythm is simple. Members share upcoming performances through our community listserv, invite one another to join, and often gather for pre-show dinners or post-performance conversations that spill late into the night. Many of us are not just attendees, but artists ourselves — musicians, actors, dancers — united by our devotion to the creative pulse of Seattle.
At its core, SPAL is a reminder that art isn’t meant to be consumed in solitude. It’s meant to be experienced together, out in the world. In an era defined by streaming and screens, we choose real life, with all its ups, downs, and drama. Supporting the arts isn’t just about buying a ticket; it’s about belonging to a community that keeps the lights on and the curtain rising.