ACT Announces Their 2010 Mainstage Season

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre announces its 2010 Mainstage season, comprised of five plays, plus a one-time only, add on Charter Membership option for Subscribing Members, giving them access to year-round Central Heating Lab programs for only $50.

ACT will open its Mainstage season with the beautifully nostalgic THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL by Horton Foote (May 7-June 6), followed by the wildly funny absurdist comedy THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES by Joanna Murray-Smith (June 18-July 18), Steven Dietz's thriller YANKEE TAVERN(August 13-September 12), David Rambo's THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS, based on the life of Ann Landers (September 10-November 7), and the outrageous dark comedy THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE by Martin McDonagh (October 15-November 14).

"ACT's mission is to present the best contemporary plays, and I think our 2010 Mainstage season answers this call wonderfully," said ACT Artistic Director Kurt Beattie. "These plays are all brilliant, hilarious, and touching, and reach right into both the heart of our present, and our history. Their collective journey captures us from the '50s until today in flashes of bold and entertaining theatrical lightning. I can't wait to get started!"

Subscription Memberships (season packages) and Basic Monthly Memberships (all access pass year round to ACT produced shows) are on sale now exclusively through the ACT Ticket Office, (206) 292-7676 or 700 Union Street in downtown Seattle. Subscription Memberships will be available for purchase online at www.acttheatre.org in mid-September.

Subscription Memberships range from $50 (students with ID/25 and under) to $250, and include a special $142.50 senior matinee package, as well as an exclusive one-time, limited offer Charter Membership for $50, which gives Subscribing Members guaranteed seats to many of ACT's Central Heating Lab programs produced during the 2010 calendar year. Basic Monthly Memberships cost $20 to $25 per month and include access to all Mainstage plays, plus most Central Heating Lab programs. Single tickets/non-membership tickets go on sale mid-March and range $10/$15 (for students with ID/25 and under) to $55.

The 2010 Mainstage Season:

THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL
by Horton Foote
Allen Theatre
May 7-June 6

In 1947 Houston, the elderly Carrie Watts dreams endlessly of visiting her childhood home one last time before it is too late. But first, before she embarks on a sentimental journey home, she must find a way to escape the suffocating confinement of an over-bearing daughter-in-law and under-serving son. Both heartbreaking and uplifting, this haunting American classic is an unforgettable meditation on the idea of Home and its power to sustain us.

THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES
by Joanna Murray-Smith
Falls Theatre
June 18-July 18

Loosely based on a true story, this hilarious satire follows the plucky, obstinate, and opinionated feminist writer Margot Mason on her decent into the tortuous territory of writer's block and the misadventures of a day gone wrong. No feminist doctrine goes unscathed when this sacred monster of the movement is taken hostage by a disillusioned disciple in this viciously funny play about gender politics.

YANKEE TAVERN
by Steven Dietz
Allen Theatre
August 13-September 12
From the acclaimed playwright who brought us the world-premiere of BECKY'S NEW CAR in 2008, comes this astutely funny dramatic thriller brimming with edge of your seat intrigue. In a New York dive bar five years after 9/11, a young couple find themselves face to face with a mysterious stranger who turns what seems like harmless conspiracy theories into a continuous stream of surprising and dangerous revelations in this eye-opening look at the events that forever changed our country.

THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS
by David Rambo
Bullitt Cabaret
September 10-November 7
David Rambo's play invites audiences to spend an evening of home truths and delicious dish with renowned advice columnist Ann Landers, as she shares some of her favorite letters and memories while struggling to write the toughest column of her life. An irresistible portrait of the woman who used charm, chutzpah, and "one hell of a Rolodex" to become America's therapist­ and best friend forever!

THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE
by Martin McDonagh
Falls Theatre
October 15-November 14

A gleefully gruesome comedy from the Oscar-winning author of IN BRUGES, about a merciless Irish terrorist and his obsessive love for the thing that matters most to him: his precious black cat, Wee Thomas. Turn off your political correctness meter and wallow in this outrageous, blood-drenched farce. You won't believe your eyes!

Following the 2010 Mainstage season, ACT will stage its 35th annual production of the Seattle holiday favorite, A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens, adapted by Gregory A. Falls, November 23-December 26, 2009.

Balancing out the Mainstage season is year-round programming presented by The Central Heating Lab at ACT, including after-hour companion pieces inspired by the Mainstage productions, as well as the return of 14/48 (January), Seattle Dance Project (January-February), the 2010 New Play Award and workshop (February-March), the Moisture Festival (March), a dance residency by the sublime KT Niehoff and Lingo Dance (April-May), and much more.

About ACT
For the past 45 seasons, ACT's mission has been to inspire our diverse community through theatre that advances our understanding of human life. To dare, excite, and enrich artists and audiences, and steward our many resources. Through The Central Heating Lab, ACT seeks to heat things up and create a conversation with its season that reaches for an even deeper impact.

ACT gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Season Sponsors ArtsFund, ACT Foundation, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, The Mayor's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, and The Shubert Foundation, along with Producing Partners 4Culture, The Boeing Company, Getty Images, Microsoft Corporation, Nesholm Family Foundation, One Nation, PONCHO, and The Seattle Foundation.