ACT Announces Their July and August Lineup

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre splashes into summer with the continuation of its SOIL at ACT window displays, the irreverent satire The Female of the Species by Joanna Murray-Smith, then shifts to edge-of-your-seat intrigue with the Seattle premiere of Yankee Tavern by acclaimed playwright Steven Dietz. The Central Heating Lab at ACT delivers fresh hot talent all summer long with the next installment of RAWSTOCK's experimental synergistic cinema project, a new songwriter showcase by Contemporary Classics, a bevy of Buffoons in UMO Ensemble's presentation of El Dorado, and a first-of-its-kind event, the Icicle Creek Theatre Festival: An Uncorked Conversation: New Play Festival and Wine Tasting.

SOIL at ACT
A Central Heating Lab Event
July 1 & August 5
Tickets: FREE!
ACT's First Thursday art collaboration with SOIL Artist-Run Gallery continues, July 1 and August 5. Commissioned by ACT, SOIL has curated and will install two, four-month cycles of new art at ACT in the windows facing 7th Avenue, between Pike and Union, through August 30, with the second cycle, September 6-December 31. The cycle of window displays are inspired by ACT's 2010 Mainstage season in what Artistic Director Kurt Beattie describes as "an evolution of consciousness, a journey through the ‘50s to now." Each window is viewable from the street, and inside of ACT one hour prior to each show. Theatre tours are also available on First Thursdays. RSVP to service@acttheatre.org the Sunday prior.

The Female of the Species by Joanna Murray-Smith
A Mainstage Play - A Seattle Premiere!
June 18- July 18
Tickets: start at $37.50 (adults) $10/$15 (students/people 25 and under) or included for ACTPass Monthly Members
Directed by Allison Narver and loosely based on a true story, this hilarious satire follows the plucky, obstinate, and opinionated feminist writer Margot Mason on her descent 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. Veteran Seattle stage actor Suzy Hunt leads a stellar cast, including Renata Friedman, Morgan Rowe, Paul Morgan Stetler, Tim Hyland, and Mark Chamberlin.

RAWSTOCK Short Film Festival
A Central Heating Lab Event
July 14 & August 18
Tickets: start at $10, or included for ACTPass Monthly Members
Now in its third year of partnership with ACT's Central Heating Lab, RAWSTOCK Short Film Festival
continues to be Seattle's destination for cutting-edge animation, politically incorrect comedy, and
relentless grindhouse cinema. This summer, RAWSTOCK debuts two new chapters of its Everyday is a Journey "synergistic cinema" project, where one story is told by six writers/directors via six
individual "chapter" films. See each chapter unfold at each RAWSTOCK event through November 17,
culminating in the final full screening of the film in its entirety in December.

Yankee Tavern by Steven Dietz
A Mainstage Play - A Seattle Premiere!
July 30- August 29
Tickets: start at $37.50 (adults) $10/$15 (students/people 25 and under) or included for ACTPass Monthly Members
From the acclaimed playwright who brought us the world-premiere of Becky's New Car in 2008 comes an edge-of-your-seat political thriller brimming with 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 seem 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 cast includes Charles Leggett, Jennifer Lee Taylor, Shawn Telford and R. Hamilton Wright.

Contemporary Classics: NEW VOICES
A Central Heating Lab Event
August 2
Tickets: start at $20 ($15 for students w/ ID), or included for ACTPass Monthly Members
Now in its 9th edition, featuring an exciting blend of Sondheim and pop/rock, this songwriter showcase has become a Seattle tradition, providing a first look at the future of musical theatre. This next generation of writers is turning Broadway on its ear with musicals about hysterical pregnancies, grunge bands, redheads and Ritalin. NEW VOICES stars some of Seattle's hottest performers and the best songwriters in the country; it's a concert event not to be missed!

UMO Ensemble
A Central Heating Lab Event
August 19 - 29
Tickets: start at $20, or included for ACTPass Monthly Members
UMO Ensemble returns to Seattle with its internationally acclaimed El Dorado. Through dark humor, live music, stylized text and fantastical images, El Dorado reveals the spirit of conquest and domination that characterized the European settling of the Americas. It's created in the style of European "Buffoon Theatre." Buffoons -similar to the classic court jester - play at humanity, mocking our follies and obsession with power. El Dorado applies this engaging, acrobatic, and colorful form to a retelling of the Spanish Conquistadors' quest for the legendary "Kingdom of Gold."

Icicle Creek Theatre Festival: An Uncorked Conversation: New Play Festival and Wine Tasting
A Central Heating Lab Event
August 23 - 24
Tickets: start at $40 (includes commemorative wine glass), for ACTPass Monthly Members, $20
The fourth annual Icicle Creek Theatre Festival tours from Leavenworth to Seattle bringing along wine from eight different area wineries and plays from two of this country's most talented contemporary
theatrical voices. Starting at 5:30 p.m., attendees can sample two dozen different wines along with hors d'oevres, followed by staged readings of two new plays: Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World by Yussef El Guindi and And When We Awoke There Was Light and Light by Laura Jacqmin. Post play discussions with the playwrights follow.
Launched in 2008, The Central Heating Lab at ACT serves as an incubator and catalyst for new works. ACT cultivates, produces, and presents artists working in all performance genres and provides an artistic home for a variety of local performance groups and artists. Relationships develop daily with individual actors, performers and playwrights while established partnerships with groups such as the New Century Theatre Company, RAWSTOCK, Seattle Dance Project, and Icicle Creek Theatre Festival deepen. New programs are added throughout the year.
With year-round programming produced by The Central Heating Lab at ACT alongside ACT's Mainstage season of plays, ACT offers its patrons a unique opportunity to maximize their theatre experience - the ACTPass Monthly Membership: all you can see for only $20 (under age 30) to $25 per month! Members can attend any ACT produced performance throughout any given month, provided tickets are available. It is flexible, affordable, and is the first of its kind in the region. There is no contract, members may cancel at any time, and there is no limit to the number of times a member can attend. For the month of July and August, that means a Member can see all our shows, if they so choose, for only $20 to $25 vs. paying the single ticket price of at least $165 (if buyer would choose to see all offerings).
For more information about July-August programming or the ACTPass Monthly Membership, or to arrange interviews, please contact Jennifer Rice at (206) 285-5175 or rice1234@yahoo.com.

July/August 2010 Summary:

The Female of the Species by Joanna Murray-Smith
A Mainstage Play - A Seattle Premiere!
June 18- July 18
Tickets: start at $37.50 (adults) $10/$15 (students/people 25 and under), or included for ACTPass Monthly Members

RAWSTOCK Short Film Festival
A Central Heating Lab Event
July 14 & August 18
Tickets: start at $10, or included for ACTPass Monthly Members

Yankee Tavern by Steven Dietz
A Mainstage Play - A Seattle Premiere!
July 30- August 29
Tickets: start at $37.50 (adults) $10/$15 (students/people 25 and under), or included for ACTPass Monthly Members

Contemporary Classics: NEW VOICES
A Central Heating Lab Event
August 2
Tickets: start at $20 ($15 for students w/ ID), or included for ACTPass Monthly Members

UMO Ensemble
A Central Heating Lab Event
August 19-29
Tickets: start at $20, or included for ACTPass Monthly Members

Icicle Creek Theatre Festival
An Uncorked Conversation: New Play Festival and Wine Tasting
A Central Heating Lab Event
August 23 - 24
Tickets: start at $40, or for ACTPass Monthly Members, $20

ACT Theatre
Ticket Office: (206) 292-7676
Group Sales (12 or more): (253) 839-4204
700 Union Street, Seattle WA 98101
www.acttheatre.org

About ACT - A Contemporary Theatre
Located in the heart of downtown Seattle and serving a population of curious, open-minded, and brave audiences, ACT - A Contemporary Theatre is the only local theatre dedicated to producing contemporary work with promising playwrights and local performing artists since 1965. A theatre of new ideas, ACT serves as a cultural engine that makes plays, dance, music, and film that touch us. Because contemporary life demands examination, ACT is driven to inspire and strengthen our diverse community through works that advance our understanding of human life. ACT is an interactive community where artists and the public witness, contemplate, and engage in dialogue on today's thought-provoking issues, ideas and art, presented with intelligence, insight, and humor.