Six mainstage plays will comprise what artistic director Warner Shook calls, "Intiman's most ambitious season. Three exciting premieres and a sublimely jazzy take on a Shakespeare favorite. [Also] an edge-of-your seat ghost story and an all-time Intiman favorite comedy."

Here's the 1997-98 lineup for Seattle's Intiman Center:
The Taming Of The Shrew (May 15-June 15, opens May 21)
Mark Rucker adapts and directs an Italian-American version of William Shakespeare's battle-of-the-sexes comedy. The attraction between headstrong Kate and arrogant Petruchio is so strong, romance can't help but bloom amidst the thorns. "Fans of martini music and the Rat Pack" are especially encouraged to attend. The 1960s-era adaptation will feature bouffant hairdos, leather jackets -- and Elizabethan English.
Starring in the work will be Cindy Katz and Marco Barricelli, who played Kate and Petruchio when Rucker staged this production at South Coast Rep in 1996. Also in the cast are Laurence Ballard, Rick Tutor, David Pichette and Liz McCarthy.

The Turn Of The Screw (July 4-Aug. 2, opens July 9)
Jeffrey Hatcher, the author of Three Viewings and Scotland Road, has adapted Henry James' classic ghost story into a two-person thriller. The psychological mystery concerns a governess determined to save her two young wards from spectres haunting their uncle's estate.

Ambition Facing West (Aug. 8-Sept. 6, opens Aug. 13)
Three generations of a Croatian family migrate to the U.S., Japan and beyond. When Stefan, Alma and Joey find "a better life" elsewhere, they must still decide who they are. Anthony Clarvoe's drama, directed by Shook, features Kandis Chappell and Michael McGuire. Clarvoe's last piece at Intiman was a 1996 adaptation of Ibsen's Ghosts.

Tongue of a Bird (Sept. 13-Oct. 12, opens Sept. 17)
A world premiere by Ellen McLaughlin (author of Iphigenia and Other Daughters), Tongue tells of Maxine, a search-and-rescue pilot hunting for an abducted girl. The search kindles her desire to uncover the truth about her own mother's death. Lisa Peterson directs the poetic drama, whose author is best known for playing the Angel in Broadway's Angels In America. The Old Settler (Oct. 24-Nov. 22, opens Oct. 29)
Most recently produced at the Long Wharf, John Henry Redwood's gentle drama takes a heartwarming look at Harlem in the 1940s, as two middle-aged sisters find their lives changed when they take in a handsome boarder. Claude Purdy will direct. For more information on the play and its author, see Playbill On-Line's story, "Hit NJ Old Settler Opens at Long Wharf."

Private Lives (Nov. 28-Dec. 28, opens Dec. 3)
So popular was the Intiman's 1987 mounting of Noel Coward's Private Lives, they're bringing it back -- with the same star (Barbara Dirickson). The frothy comedy follows Elyot and Amanda on their honeymoon after marriage -- to two other people. Shook directs the revival.

For tickets (subscriptions: $90.50-$161; per show $19.50-$31) and information on the Intiman Theatre season, call (206) 269-1900. (Single tickets go on sale after April 22.)

--By David Lefkowitz