HIGHER Premieres at A.C.T., 2/4

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is proud to present the world premiere of Higher, written by A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff and directed by A.C.T. Associate Artistic Director Mark Rucker.

In this smart and sexy new play, which recently received The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation Theatre Visions Fund Award, two American architects dive into a high-stakes competition to design a memorial in Israel. They’re also in love—but don’t know that they are vying against one another. Higher whisks us from sleek New York studios to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, as the architects confront their own pasts in a race to make their mark on history. Faith, family, desire, and design fuel this thrilling new work, featuring A.C.T. core Acting Company member René Augesen, A.C.T. favorite Andrew Polk (The Homecoming, November), Concetta Tomei (The Elephant Man, Noises Off, and Goodbye Fidel on Broadway, Providence on television), and Alexander Crowther and Ben Kahre, members of the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program class of 2012. The San Francisco Chronicle exclaimed that “Perloff’s scope is bracingly ambitious,” with Variety adding “[Perloff writes] dialogue that springs to life.” Higher performs February 1–19, 2012, at The Theater at Children’s Creativity Museum (formerly Zeum Theater, 221 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103). Press night is Saturday, February 4, 2012, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $10 and are available by calling the A.C.T. Box Office at 415.749.2228 or at act-sf.org.

Perloff said about her inspiration for the piece: “Higher was born in part out of my fascination with architects, and with the kind of obsession it can take to imagine and create a signature building. Then I began to imagine how much more complicated the process could become when love, desire, betrayal, and professional jealousy became involved. It’s also a play about memory, and loss, in a particularly Jewish context.” She added: “After collaborating with Mark Rucker on a site-specific reading at the Contemporary Jewish Museum last year, I’m thrilled to finally have a chance to see the play come alive in a full production in San Francisco.” Rucker also said: “It has been a rich experience developing the play with Carey over the last two years. The design process has been amazing and I can’t wait to get into the rehearsal room with Carey and the actors.”
Higher is the fourth full-length play written by Perloff, who is best known as a director and champion of other playwrights, including Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, José Rivera, and Philip Kan Gotanda. She has been developing Higher with A.C.T. Associate Artistic Director Mark Rucker for two years, beginning with a workshop at New York Stage and Film, followed by workshops at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Florida and the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco last fall.
The creative team for Higher includes scenic designer Erik Flatmo (Scapin, November, The Government Inspector, and The Imaginary Invalid at A.C.T.), lighting designer Gabe Maxson (artistic associate with The Wooster Group), costume designer David Draper, and sound designer Will McCandless. Higher is stage-managed by Danielle Callaghan.
A.C.T. will offer numerous InterACT events—many of which are presented free of charge—in association with Higher that will give patrons opportunities to get closer to the action while making a whole night out of their evening at the theater:

• 10UP: World-Class Theater at Happy-Hour Prices: Feb. 1–11

Live it up with 10UP! Enjoy the Bay Area’s best theater for only $10 a ticket during select performances.

• Audience Prologue Featuring Director Mark Rucker: Fri., Feb. 3, at 5:30 p.m.

Get inside the artistic process at this lively preshow discussion with the director and A.C.T. artistic staff.

• Audience Exchanges: Tue., Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. / Sun., Feb. 12, at 2 p.m. /
Wed., Feb. 15, at 2 p.m.

After the show, stick around for a lively Q&A session with the actors and artists who create the work onstage.

• OUT with A.C.T.: Wed., Feb. 8, following the 8 p.m. performance

The best LGBT night in town! Mingle with the cast and enjoy free drinks and treats at this popular afterparty. Visit www.act-sf.org/out for information about how to subscribe to OUT nights throughout the season.

• Theater on the Couch: Fri., Feb. 10, following the 8 p.m. performance

Led by Mason Turner, chief of psychiatry at San Francisco’s Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, this exciting postshow discussion series explores the minds, motives, and behaviors of the characters and addresses audience questions.

A.C.T.’s production of Higher is sponsored by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation Theatre Visions Fund with additional support by the Koret Foundation. Higher is made possible by producers Dr. Gideon and Cheryl Sorokin. A.C.T. would also like to acknowledge its 2011–12 season company sponsors Ray and Dagmar Dolby, Frannie and Mort Fleishhacker, Ambassador James C. Hormel and Michael P. Nguyen, Koret Foundation, Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston, The Shenson Foundation, Burt and Deedee McMurtry, Patti and Rusty Rueff, Mary and Steven Swig, Doug Tilden, and Jeff and Laurie Ubben.

A.C.T.’s 2011–12 season continues with many other incredible productions. February also introduces a celebrated Middle Eastern voice to the Bay Area with the West Coast premiere of Wajdi Mouawad’s haunting play Scorched (February 16–March 11, 2012), starring Academy Award nominee David Strathairn. After receiving more than 100 productions (in several languages) worldwide, the Lebanese-Canadian writer’s haunting new play will be directed at A.C.T. by Carey Perloff in a beautiful translation from the original French by distinguished Canadian author Linda Gaboriau. The season continues with the West Coast premiere of a brand-new work that was the hit of this year’s esteemed Humana Festival of New American Plays: Jordan Harrison’s hilarious and touching Maple and Vine (March 29–April 22, 2012), directed by Mark Rucker. May welcomes Tony Award–winning actor and A.C.T. associate artist Bill Irwin back to A.C.T. with the two Samuel Beckett plays Endgame and Play, directed by Carey Perloff. The 2011–12 season culminates with five-time Tony Award–winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman’s (The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Contact on Broadway) production of The Scottsboro Boys (June 21–July 15, 2012), which received 12 Tony Award nominations this year, including Best Musical, Best Direction, and Best Choreography. The final collaboration between the legendary songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb (Chicago and Cabaret), The Scottsboro Boys features a book by Tony Award–nominated writer David Thompson (1996 revival of Chicago and Steel Pier on Broadway) and will showcase many of the original Broadway cast members in a coproduction with The Old Globe. To subscribe or to receive a season brochure, please call 415.749.2250 or visit act-sf.org.