Manoel Felciano Joins A.C.T. Core Acting Company; To Take on 3 Roles in Season

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is proud to announce that Tony Award-nominated actor Manoel Felciano has joined the A.C.T. core acting company for the 2009-10 season.

A Bay Area native, Felciano was nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of Tobias Ragg in John Doyle's acclaimed production of Sweeney Todd and was called "revelatory" (Washington Post) for his recent turn in the critically acclaimed production of Ragtime at The Kennedy Center. He is no stranger to A.C.T. audiences, having appeared on the A.C.T. stage last season as Jerry in Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo and as Jan in Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll. Felciano is set to appear in three productions in the 2009-10 season: His first role is a hilarious turn as The Representative of the National Association of Turkey and Turkey Products Manufacturers in David Mamet's November (October 23-November 15, 2009). In the new year, he will star as Azdak in John Doyle's groundbreaking take on Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle (February 18-March 14, 2010) and will play Norman, the misguided lothario at the heart of Alan Acykbourn's Round and Round the Garden (April 29-May 23, 2010). A.C.T. core acting company members also act as teachers and mentors in A.C.T.'s acclaimed Master of Fine Arts Program; Felciano is already slated to direct the fall musical showcase for the class of 2011. Tickets for all productions of A.C.T.'s 2009-10 season are now available through A.C.T. Ticket Services at 415.749.2228 or on the A.C.T. website at www.act-sf.org.

"It is such a novel and exciting change to have a voice in the kind of work you would like to do," says Felciano. "And it's equally exciting to find that opportunity at A.C.T., which, under Carey Perloff's leadership, has become what I would call ‘Big Theater'-theater with big ideas, characters with huge needs, grappling with timeless issues." He adds of his return to San Francisco, where he was born and raised: "It's thrilling to return to my hometown: a city with an educated, progressive, civically engaged, culturally diverse demographic and a thriving cultural life. Not to mention the greenery within the city and spectacular opportunities just across the bridge . . . a world apart from muggy New York summers!"

"It's always exhilarating to welcome a major new artist into the A.C.T. family," says A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff. "Manoel Felciano brings a wealth of talent, energy, passion, and creativity to the table-a consummate musician and singer as well as a transformative actor and compassionate teacher, he is an artist of many appetites. He is anxious to grow in many directions at A.C.T.: as an actor, teacher, director, developer of new work, and an active participant in the life of the whole institution. Because he's native to San Francisco, he is truly excited to reconnect to this community in the broadest way possible. He will be a major driver in moving the core company forward and developing it in new ways."

A.C.T.'s core acting company is supported by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, Jewels of Charity, Inc., and the Nicola Miner and Robert Mailer Anderson Core Company Fund, an endowed fund of The Next Generation Campaign.
Manoel Felciano appeared at A.C.T. most recently as Jerry in Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo after coming directly from his "revelatory" turn as Tateh in The Kennedy Center's revival of Ragtime. For his portrayal of Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd, Felciano was nominated for a 2006 Tony Award and won the Broadway.com Audience Award and Broadwayworld.com Choice Award for Favorite Featured Actor. Other favorite A.C.T. roles include Jan in Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll (also at The Huntington Theatre Company).

He has also appeared on Broadway in Brooklyn, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Cabaret. Off-Broadway credits include Trumpery (Atlantic Theater Company), Shockheaded Peter, and Much Ado About Nothing (New York Shakespeare Festival/The Public Theater). Regional theater credits include Flora, The Red Menace (Reprise Theatre Company), The Three Sisters (Williamstown Theatre Festival, dir. Michael Greif), the title role of Sunday in the Park with George (opposite Kelli O'Hara, dir. Jason Alexander), I Just Stopped By to See the Man (The Old Globe), and Turandot: The Rumble for the Ring (Bay Street Theater). Film credits include Uncertainty, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins, opposite Jenn Colella. Television credits include The Unusuals, Life on Mars, One Life to Live, and All My Children. Concert credits include The World of Nick Adams with Jack Nicholson, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, and Sean Penn (San Francisco Symphony, dir. Carey Perloff), and the world premiere of Nathaniel Stookey's Zipperz with Pulitzer Prize nominee Eisa Davis (Oakland East Bay Symphony). Felciano holds a B.A. from Yale University (Richter and Bates fellowships) and an M.F.A. from the New York University Graduate Acting Program (Tisch Achievement Scholarship), where favorite roles included Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Gaev in The Cherry Orchard, Giovanni in We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay!, and Pericles in Pericles. He has taught master classes at the University of Florida, Boston University, and A.C.T. Felciano is also a singer-songwriter, performing his pop songs regularly at Joe's Pub in New York City. Moonshot, his debut album of originals, was released in December 2007, and last year he completed the online songwriting project SundaySongs2008. Credits as a producer include the New York City workshop presentations of Peter Foley and Kate Chisholm's The Hidden Sky and I Just Stopped By to See the Man. Born and raised in San Francisco, Felciano is a proud graduate of the French American International School.

American Conservatory Theater is a Tony Award-winning theater and educational institution dedicated to nurturing the art of live theater through dynamic productions, intensive actor training in its conservatory, and an ongoing dialogue with its community. A.C.T. embraces its responsibility to conserve, renew, and reinvent its relationship to the rich theatrical traditions and literatures that are our collective legacy, while exploring new artistic forms and new communities. A commitment to the highest standards informs every aspect of A.C.T.'s creative work. Founded in 1965, A.C.T. opened its first San Francisco season at the historic Geary Theater in 1967; more than 320 productions have since been performed to a combined audience of more than seven million people. Today A.C.T. is recognized nationally for its groundbreaking productions of classical works and bold explorations of contemporary playwriting, honored with a Tony Award for outstanding theater performance and training (1979) and the prestigious Jujamcyn Theaters Award (1996). The first actor training program in the United States not affiliated with a college or university accredited to award a master of fine arts degree, A.C.T.'s conservatory has moved to the forefront of America's actor training programs, while serving as the creative engine of the company at large.

 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.