The Man Who Loves
A Theater Superfan's Year in Review
by Brendan Kiley
In May of 2010, Brett Love, a self-described "IT guy from the Eastside," took a chance and went to see A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light by the dance company Lingo at ACT Theatre. To his shock, it changed his life. "That was the single best piece of entertainment I've ever seen," he says, "better than any book or movie. I was so amazed, I thought, 'What else have I been missing?'" Love, who also describes himself as a "serial obsessionist," decided to find out. "In 2010, I went to 101 things," he says. "In 2011, it was 235. In 2012, I managed 241. And for 2013, I'm sitting around 309." (In 2002, previous reigning superfan Joe Boling saw 427. Beat that, Brett!) Though he sees more theater than most critics, Love rejects the idea of becoming one—he worries that thinking too much about why he does or doesn't like a piece of theater will make him jaded. But Seattle's most ardent theatergoer agreed to share his thoughts about 2013:
by Brendan Kiley
In May of 2010, Brett Love, a self-described "IT guy from the Eastside," took a chance and went to see A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light by the dance company Lingo at ACT Theatre. To his shock, it changed his life. "That was the single best piece of entertainment I've ever seen," he says, "better than any book or movie. I was so amazed, I thought, 'What else have I been missing?'" Love, who also describes himself as a "serial obsessionist," decided to find out. "In 2010, I went to 101 things," he says. "In 2011, it was 235. In 2012, I managed 241. And for 2013, I'm sitting around 309." (In 2002, previous reigning superfan Joe Boling saw 427. Beat that, Brett!) Though he sees more theater than most critics, Love rejects the idea of becoming one—he worries that thinking too much about why he does or doesn't like a piece of theater will make him jaded. But Seattle's most ardent theatergoer agreed to share his thoughts about 2013:
