ACT to Premiere RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN, Begin. 7/12

Is the grass really greener on the other side? Obie Award winning playwright Gina Gionfriddo's searing new comedy Rapture, Blister, Burn explores the evolving attitudes of women towards career, marriage and family - and the consequence of choice. ACT is proud to present the West Coast premiere of Rapture, Blister, Burn which the The New York Times described as "an intensely smart, immensely funny new play." A smash Off-Broadway hit and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and Kennedy Theatre Prize, Gionfriddo's Rapture, Blister, Burn confronts a variety of post feminist topics from the ongoing career vs. family debate, male dominance in business and relationships, feminist implications of torture movies, and even takes on society's acceptance and consumption of pornography. Described by the author as an unintentional homage to Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles, with a title inspired by the band Hole's single, "Use Once and Destroy", Rapture, Blister, Burn is a wickedly perceptive and surprisingly relevant take on cross-generational feminism.

ACT's literary manager Anita Montgomery will direct Rapture, Blister, Burn. "Gina's script started out as a play about internet pornography," says Montgomery, " but it evolved into a story less about porn than the unresolved issues of the feminist movement in America. She's delivered an offbeat, sexy, unbelievably clever and political domestic comedy."

After grad school, Catherine pursued a career as a feminist academic who soon became a literary rockstar and favorite of the pundit circuit, while her college friend Gwen decided to build a home with her husband and children. Catherine has returned home to care for her ailing mother Alice and reconnects with Gwen who is married to her old college flame Don. Both are dabbling in regret and attempt to explore the road not taken, with hilarious and surprising results. Gionfriddo mixes love, emotion, envy, and academics in a play the New York Daily News called "a smart, funny, and lighting-paced look at feminism."

Cast:
Jeffrey Fracé (DON HARPER)
Priscilla Lauris (ALICE CROLL)
Mariel Neto (AVERY WILLARD)
Kirsten Potter (CATHERINE CROLL)
Kathryn Van meter (GWEN HARPER)

Creative Team:
Anita Montgomery - Director
Matthew Smucker - Scenic Design
Pete Rush - Costume Design
L.B. Morse - Lighting Design
Brendan Patrick Hogan - Sound Design
Jeffrey K. Hanson - Stage Manager

Rapture, Blister, Burn Mainstage Performances:

Friday, July 12, 8:00pm (previews begin)
Saturday, July 13, 8:00pm
Sunday, July 14, 7:30pm
Tuesday, July 16, 7:30pm (Behind the Scenes, 6:00pm)
Wednesday, July 17, 7:30pm
Thursday, July 18, 7:30pm - OPENING NIGHT
Friday, July 19, 8:00pm
Saturday, July 20, 2:00pm and 8:00pm
Sunday, July 21, 2:00pm and 7:00pm
Tuesday, July 23, 7:30pm (Post-show discussion)
Wednesday, July 24, 7:30pm
Thursday, July 25, 2:00pm and 7:30pm

Friday, July 26, 8:00pm
Saturday, July 27, 8:00pm
Sunday, July 28, 2:00pm and 7:00pm (Post-matinee discussion)
Tuesday, July 30, 7:30pm
Wednesday, July 31, 7:30pm
Thursday, August 1, 7:30pm
Friday, August 2, 8:00pm
Saturday, August 3, 2:00pm and 8:00pm
Sunday, August 4, 2:00pm and 7:00pm (Post-show discussion after 7:00pm performance)
Wednesday, August 7, 7:30 pm
Thursday, August 8, 7:30pm
Friday, August 9, 8:00pm
Saturday, August 10, 2:00pm and 8:00pm
Sunday, August 11, 2:00pm - Closing Performance

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 theatre in Seattle 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 through its annual Mainstage play series and Central Heating Lab program. Because contemporary life demands examination, ACT is driven to inspire and strengthen our diverse community through works that advance our understanding of human life. With more than 120,000 people who attend shows annually, 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.