ACT Presents THE TOSCA PROJECT, Runs 6/3-27

The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) 2009-10 season culminates in the highly anticipated world premiere production of The Tosca Project, created and staged by A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff and San Francisco Ballet's Val Caniparoli. Conjuring a world in which love, betrayal, and hope emerge from The Shadows and disappear with the clink of a glass, this gorgeously choreographed and achingly moving dance-theater piece brings together internationally acclaimed artists from San Francisco Ballet with a cast of renowned actors. Inspired by San Francisco's legendary Tosca Cafe, which bore witness to every shift in the city's history over the past century, The Tosca Project is a thrilling exploration of the people and events that have shaped San Francisco into what it is today.

Set to an enthralling score, which features music ranging from Puccini to Hendrix, The Tosca Project continues A.C.T.'s exploration of multidisciplinary storytelling through original large-scale works. The piece features an all-star dance and acting ensemble including San Francisco Ballet principal dancers Pascal Molat and Lorena Feijoo and former San Francisco Ballet principal dancer Sabina Allemann alongside celebrated actors Peter Anderson (star of A.C.T.'s The Overcoat) and Rachel Ticotin (Boleros for the Disenchanted at A.C.T. and Macbeth on Broadway), as well as A.C.T. core Acting Company members Gregory Wallace and Jack Willis. The Tosca Project plays June 3-27, 2010, at the American Conservatory Theater (415 Geary Street, San Francisco). Press night is Wednesday, June 9, 2010, at 8 p.m. Tickets-starting at $10-are available by calling A.C.T. Ticket Services at 415.749.2228 or at www.act-sf.org.

"The Tosca Project is a celebration of North Beach's legendary Tosca Cafe as a metaphor for all those magical bars around the world in which the ghosts of a million encounters remain present in the air," says Perloff, who has guided this production through a three-year developmental process. "This beautiful, emotionally vivid, and magical piece is a unique collaboration between some of the best Bay Area artists and the city we love, offered as a valentine to our extraordinary audience." Her artistic partner Caniparoli adds: "When Carey and I first started discussing the project, we knew that this was going to be an incredible collaboration, featuring artists from different disciplines, backgrounds, and styles. I have loved seeing these completely different artists working in a room together."

The original idea behind The Tosca Project was a simple one: A chance to experiment with creating a piece using both dancers and actors. Inspired by the visual and physical feast of A.C.T.'s production of The Overcoat, Perloff and Caniparoli were excited to see if there was a way to develop a piece locally using the wealth of dance and theater talent in San Francisco. The specific setting of the piece happened almost by chance. When Perloff first scheduled a meeting with Jeannette Etheredge, of the Nureyev Foundation, to discuss the idea, Etheredge invited her to meet at North Beach's famous Tosca Cafe, which Etheredge owns. Perloff remembers the moment vividly: "As I was sitting there at 2 p.m. on a sunny afternoon, it was dark inside the bar with the sun streaming in the front window. The ghosts of that place were tangible. I went to speak to Jeannette about this project because I knew of her incredible affinity for dancers and actors-that was not the surprise. The surprise was looking around the bar and suddenly seeing the piece so clearly before my eyes in that magical setting. I remember calling Val on the way out and saying, ‘I think we should make the piece about this bar.'" After that decision was made, the A.C.T. artistic team plunged into researching both the living history of the North Beach area and Tosca Cafe itself. The team has collected more than 100 hours of interviews with a variety of individuals whose lives have been touched by this unique bar, including Etheredge, old-time bartenders in the area, and even the two daughters of one of the founders of Tosca Cafe. The piece started taking shape through a series of developmental workshops over the years, including a sold-out series of public performances at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in 2007.

Perloff speaks to the collaborative nature of this process: "It's been tremendously fulfilling to shepherd The Tosca Project to its world premiere on our stage through concepts, meetings, and numerous workshops. And I cannot imagine a more appropriate partner for this adventurous journey than Val, an artist that I truly admire and have a long history with. In a way, this production is as much about the artists with whom Val and I have had the chance to collaborate as it is about the city and this incredible bar."

The long and sporadic developmental process of the piece provided opportunities for many artists of differing backgrounds and experience levels to be involved in the production. Throughout the project's evolution, ballet dancers, modern dancers, professional actors, and A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program students have been involved in various parts of the process, and the final ensemble of The Tosca Project features an eclectic group of performers. On the dance side are San Francisco Ballet principals Pascal Molat (The Little Mermaid and Romeo & Juliet) and Lorena Feijoo (Giselle and Caniparoli's Ibsen's House), as well as award-winning modern dancer Nol Simonse. Joining them is former San Francisco Ballet principal Sabina Allemann, who returns to San Francisco from Australia after retiring in 1999. On the acting side are acclaimed Canadian performer Peter Anderson, who dazzled A.C.T. audiences with his physical mastery in The Overcoat; Rachel Ticotin, who appeared at A.C.T. in Boleros for the Disenchanted and started her performance career with the New York dance Company Ballet Hispanico; as well as A.C.T. core Acting Company members Jack Willis (A.C.T.'s Rock 'n' Roll and The Caucasian Chalk Circle) and Gregory Wallace (A.C.T.'s Rich and Famous and The Caucasian Chalk Circle). Kyle Schaefer and Sara Hogrefe, members of the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program class of 2010, complete The Tosca Project ensemble.
Music and sound are woven vibrantly throughout The Tosca Project. Drama Desk Award-nominated sound designer Darron L West (Time Stands Still on Broadway, numerous shows with Anne Bogart's Siti Company, and The Government Inspector at A.C.T.) has pulled together a wide-ranging selection of music-from famous arias from Puccini's Tosca to the evocative rock sounds of Jimi Hendrix-that effectively becomes another member of the ensemble. Perloff speaks to the significant role that music and sound play in the storytelling: "All it takes is a sound. A coin in a jukebox, a burst of steam from an espresso machine, and suddenly we're back in another time and place." As the music transports the audience through the decades, the set, inspired by Tosca Cafe and designed by Tony Award-nominated scenic designer Douglas W. Schmidt (Into the Woods and 42nd Street on Broadway, Rock 'n' Roll and Travesties at A.C.T.), recreates the atmosphere of the original bar with meticulous attention to detail. The design team also includes acclaimed lighting designer Robert Wierzel (Fela! on Broadway; Rock 'n' Roll, 'Tis a Pity She's a Whore, and Happy End at A.C.T.) and costume designer Robert de La Rose (Caniparoli's Lady of the Camellias at Boston Ballet and numerous productions at The Metropolitan Opera).

A.C.T. offers numerous InterACT events in association with The Tosca Project that give patrons opportunities to get closer to the action-and to save big-while making a whole night out of their evening at the theater:

• 10UP: World-Class Theater at Happy Hour Prices: Thurs., June 3-Sun., June 13

Get in on 10UP and enjoy the Bay Area's best theater at only $10 a ticket for our second-balcony seats. Bar opens one hour before curtain time-sip discount specialty cocktails, beer, and wine, and then enjoy world-class entertainment in one of the most beautiful theaters in the world. It's theater, with a splash. Cheers.

• Audience Prologue Featuring Director Carey Perloff: Tues., June 8, at 5:30 p.m.

Get inside the artistic process. Join us for this half-hour discussion with the director introducing the production. FREE and open to the public (no tickets required).

• Bring What You Can/Pay What You Wish: Thurs., June 10, at 8 p.m.

Pay any amount for your tickets when you bring nonperishable food donations for the San Francisco Food Bank (sffoodbank.org). Patrons are limited to two tickets per donated item, two tickets per person. Tickets go on sale at 6 p.m. the day of the performance. Sponsored by Bank of the West.

• Audience Exchanges: Tues., June 15, at 7 p.m. / Wed., June 16, at 2 p.m. /
Sun., June 20, at 2 p.m.

Join us for lively Q&A sessions with the actors and A.C.T. artistic staff members after these performances.

• OUT with A.C.T.: Wed., June 23, at 8 p.m.

A dynamic series for LGBT theater lovers that includes a catered afterparty with complimentary wine and desserts and a cast meet and greet. Visit www.act-sf.org/out for more information about subscribing to OUT nights.

A.C.T.'s board of trustees would like to thank commissioning sponsors George Frederick Jewett Foundation, Kathleen Scutchfield, and Susan A. Van Wagner for their early and generous support of The Tosca Project. A.C.T.'s production of The Tosca Project is presented by Koret Foundation. The Tosca Project is also made possible by American Express; Istituto Italiano di Cultura; Michael Mina; National Endowment for the Arts; Carol Franc Buck Foundation; The Hellman Family Foundation; The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Fund for New Works, an endowed fund of The Next Generation Campaign; Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation; The Carey Perloff Artistic Director's Production Fund, an endowed fund of The Next Generation Campaign; Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation; executive producers Lesley Ann Clement and Doron Dreksler, Frannie and Mort Fleishhacker, and Carlie Wilmans; producers Judith and David Anderson, Russ Selinger, Jo Schuman Silver, Dr. Gideon and Cheryl Sorokin, Doug Tilden, and Barbara and Paul Weiss; and associate producers Nancy and Joachim Bechtle, Flo and John Bryan, Ronald Casassa, Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson, Holly and Christopher Hollenbeck, Ambassador James C. Hormel and Mr. Michael P. Nguyen, Anne and Michelle Shonk, and Ruthellen Toole.