Written by Tracy Reich All photos by Giao Nguyen James Nichols is not just a man behind the curtain. He’s the man overhead, the man off stage left, the man below the floor. There are very few places in our home James hasn’t been throughout his 28 years with ACT Theatre. He’s literally part of the walls. Which is why we’ll miss him when he retires on July 4th. "I work in all the weird places" James found his way [...]
Holly Arsenault’s play, Underwater Weather, will be presented November 3, 2024 at ACT’s New Works Northwest festival as a special collaboration with ACT’s Young Core Company (YCC). What are the unique challenges and opportunities of writing plays for an ensemble of young artists? I want them to feel seen, and I want to ask questions that interest them, and I want to write parts that feel fun and rich for them. I don’t approach [...]
McKenna Deen, our Digital Content and Communication Manager at ACT, talked with Zora Howard about the upcoming production of STEW at ACT as well as what Howard is doing in the theatre world. Learn more about STEW here. Deen: What was your inspiration in writing STEW? Howard: I started writing STEW in the wake of the 2014 murder of Tamir Rice, a 12-year old Black boy in Cleveland, Ohio, and the subsequent grand jury decision not to [...]
(Seattle, June 10) — It is with a mix of sadness and gratitude that ACT – A Contemporary Theatre announces the departure of Managing Director Becky Witmer. Becky informed the Board of Trustees in April that after 10 years with ACT she would not renew her contract for another term. We will miss Becky’s inspiring leadership and dedication over the past decade, first as Director of Marketing, then as General Manager and finally as [...]
You’ve seen Keiko Green, the actor on the Seattle stage for years. ACT regulars remember her in such roles as Mash in Stupid Fucking Bird and Emilie in Dangerous Liaisons. Yet it was Green’s writing that captured the eye of Artistic Director John Langs this time. And it is these words that will soon be powering a new production on the ACT (virtual) stage during the 2021 Digital Series as the world premiere of her play Wad makes its [...]
Here in his own words, ACTLocal playwright Andrew Lee Creech tells us about his newest play, Last Drive to Dodge (which was recently workshopped at ACT). This play is part of a planned nine-play, multi-century-spanning cycle exploring the lives of Black Americans in pivotal moments of American history. He also talks about his inspiration, the writing process and what it's like to work in these COVID times. Don't miss Andrew in conversation with director Valerie Curtis-Newton Thursday, [...]
For many Northwest theatergoers, A Christmas Carol has become a ritual not to be missed, even during this season in which live theatre has been suspended. ACT pivoted and produced Gregory Falls’ adaptation of the holiday classic as an audio play in the style of the radio plays of yore, complete with a full cast, Adam Stern’s music and sound effects. Kurt Beattie is no stranger to ACT audiences and to A Christmas Carol. His turn as [...]
Did you miss the live broadcast on October 13? Don't worry - you can still listen to this audio production through November 8. Click here to hear It Can't Happen Here presented by Berkeley Rep. In 1935 Sinclair Lewis wrote It Can’t Happen Here and created a play inspired by his novel. The play is about a demagogue who gets elected as the president of the United States by promising to return the country [...]
