ACTLab to Present New Musical BAD APPLES

Bad Apples is the new rock musical inspired by the real-life prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Bad Apples seeks to answer the simple question: How in God's name did this happen? Two soldiers ended up pregnant by fellow soldier Charles Graner; both women wanted to marry him, competed with each other to win his love, and enthusiastically tortured prisoners together, documenting most of it in pictures that later leaked and shocked the world.

Originally mounted in 2012 at LA's Circle X Theatre Co., the 4 week run was extended to a staggering 14 weeks of packed houses. Now ACTLab, together with ArtsWest and Circle X, seeks to push boundaries further, capture new audiences, and take this jaw-dropping show to the next level.

Club Abu, the most twisted party in Baghdad, opens in downtown Seattle on September 7, 2016 for 15 performances. Night after night this incendiary rock musical will pull back the curtain on one of the greatest moral challenges this nation has faced. While maintaining an appealing yet irreverent back beat, Bad Apples poses the questions: Who were the victims? Who were the villains? Is sadism part of being human? Or is it normal for war? Normal for love? Was Abu really an aberration brought on by a few "Bad Apples" or does it speak to something deeper in our national psyche?

Bad Apples is not a history play. It digs deeper than the facts, exploring a twisted theatrical world inspired by a fictionalized Abu Ghraib.

Directed by ACT's Artistic Director John Langs, Bad Apples features the talents of Kate Morgan Chadwick (recent National Guard recruit Pvt. Lindsay Skinner; tough & vulnerable underneath) Carlton Byrd (charismatic & manipulative Sgt. Chuck Shepard) ACT Core Company member Keiko Green (smart, strong & sexy career military Lt. Margaret Scott) Frederick Hagreen (naive & young Southern Christian PFC Curt "cunny" Lingus), John Patrick Lowrie (Lindsay's brusque-but-loving deeply suspicious stepfather), Mari Nelson (Lindsay's tough, pragmatic mama with dry deadpan humor) and JorDan Taylor (ensemble).

The book is by Jim Leonard (Major Crimes, The Closer, Dexter) with music by Beth Thornley and Rob Cairns (music heard in the film Magic Mike, as well as TV hits Royal Pains and Friday Night Lights). Additional creative team members include: Crystal Dawn Munkers (Choreographer), Julia Hayes Welch (Scenic Designer), Pete Rush (Costume Designer), Andrew D. Smith (Lighting Designer), Robertson Witmer (Sound Designer).

Tickets start at $20, with limited VIP Night Club Seating available, and may be purchased online at www.acttheatre.org, by phone at 206.292.7676, or at the ACT Ticket Office at 700 Union Street. Available to ACTPass members.

ABOUT Jim Leonard: Jim writes plays, movies, and television. Published plays include The Diviners, And They Dance Real Slow In Jackson, V&V Only, Crow and Weasel, and Anatomy of Gray. His newest play Battle Hymn opened at LA's Circle X Theatre in 2009 to outstanding reviews. Jim was a member of New York's Circle Repertory Company for twenty years. Theatrical honors include three NEA Fellowships, a New York Villager Award, the Midland Writers Award, the Samuel French Best New Play Award, and the Dramatists Guild Award. He co-wrote the screenplay for Mira Nair's award-winning film My Own Country. He created the television series Close to Home (CBS), Skin (Fox), and Thieves (ABC); he wrote and produced The Marshal (ABC), Internal Affairs (NBC), Night Visions (Fox), Kilroy (HBO), and the American version of Cracker (ABC).

ABOUT John Langs John Langs became ACT's Artistic Director in 2016 after serving as Associate Artistic Director for three years. Langs' 16-year freelance career has afforded him the opportunity to work with many prestigious theatre companies across the country. He has directed productions at Playwrights Horizons NY, Ensemble Studio Theater NY, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Lookingglass Theater Company in Chicago, Circle X in Los Angeles, The Resident Ensemble, New Century Theatre Company, Washington Ensemble Theatre, and Seattle Shakespeare Company. Langs received his directing degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Some of his favorite directing credits include The Shaggs Philosophy of the World (Los Angeles Drama Critic Circle Award for Best Original Musical), and Brothers Karamazov (seven LADCC Awards including Best Production of the year and Best Direction) and directing Kurt Beattie in King Lear. Langs received the first annual Seattle Gregory Award honoring excellence in direction for The Adding Machine. Recent Seattle credits include NCTC's Mary's Wedding, The Seagull Project's The Three Sisters, and Seattle Shakespeare's Othello. As a dedicated fan of original work, Langs has shepherded over a dozen projects to their premier production.

Photo Credit: Jeff Galfer