Kurt Beattie News

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre was recently awarded $35,000 for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Art Works Award to support the development of the medieval Japanese epic Tale of the Heike, slated for production in 2017. The thirteenth-century epic is about two clans fighting for control of Japan. It will be directed by Artistic Director Emeritus Kurt Beattie and will combine dance, puppetry, and mask work to tell the story. It is currently being co-adapted by notable playwrights Philip Kan Gotanda and Yussef El Guindi.

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre is proud to present its 40th annual production of Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL, adapted by Gregory A. Falls. A CHRISTMAS CAROL is directed by incoming Artistic Director John Langs with current Artistic Director Kurt Beattie returning to play Ebenezer Scrooge, in alternating performances with Gregory Award-winning actor Charles Leggett who will debut in the role of Scrooge.

The University of Washington School of Drama, under the leadership of Executive Director Todd London, is proud to announce its 75th Anniversary Season. This historic season will celebrate, honor, and build upon the School of Drama's deep connections to Seattle's theatre community and serve as a bridge between the School's rich history and its future.

A Contemporary Theatre is thrilled to present the imaginative dark comedy of MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY by Anne Washburn (The Internationalist, A Devil At Noon, and The Small). Spanning several years to several decades after the end of the world, survivors must begin again to create a new society. As the survivors bond by recounting the popular 'Cape Feare' episode of The Simpsons, the story evolves into its own mythos.

A Contemporary Theatre is thrilled to present the imaginative dark comedy of MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY by Anne Washburn (The Internationalist, A Devil At Noon, and The Small). Spanning several years to several decades after the end of the world, survivors must begin again to create a new society. As the survivors bond by recounting the popular "Cape Feare" episode of The Simpsons, the story evolves into its own mythos.

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre is proud to announce the Mainstage productions and two ACTLab productions for the dynamic debut season of incoming Artistic Director John Langs.

In our jaded and cynical world sometimes our inner cup of hope and romance can get a little low and we can use something to refill it. Well never fear romance seekers as ACT's World Premiere production of Steven Dietz's "Bloomsday" is here. This sweet little charmer is bound to fill up the romance cup of even the most jaded among us, at least a little bit.

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre is proud to present the world premiere of Bloomsday by Steven Dietz. Set against the backdrop of James Joyce's masterwork, Ulysses, an American man searches for the Irish woman who first captured his heart 30 years earlier while leading a "Bloomsday" walking tour in Dublin. We meet the couple at different points of their lives, as their younger and present selves. Told with humor, wit and heartache, this buoyant and moving new play commissioned by ACT brings the power and importance of living in the present to the light.

The University of Washington School of Drama, under the leadership of Executive Director Todd London, is proud to announce its 75th Anniversary Season. This historic season will celebrate, honor, and build upon the School of Drama's deep connections to Seattle's theatre community and serve as a bridge between the School's rich history and its future.

Frank Corrado has sported just about every hat available in the theatre world

Tennessee Williams' searing southern drama, 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' currently playing at ACT, opens with Brick (Brandon O'Neill) and his wife Maggie (Laura Griffith) in a heated conversation about the disintegrating state of their marriage and is filled with sexual tension. Or at least it should be. Unfortunately the relationship of Griffith and O'Neill's Maggie and Brick feels so stale and desperately one-note that there's nowhere for the characters to go. In fact it wasn't until Act Two that the play held much interest for me and really got into the richness of some of these characters.

Rehearsals have begun for a scorching new revival of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof directed by Kurt Beattie in his final season as Artistic Director. The first play to kick off ACT's 50th Anniversary harkens back to our inaugural 1965 season when Cat on a Hot Tin Roof had its Seattle Premiere directed by ACT founder Gregory A. Falls.

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre is pleased to announce that single tickets for the 2015 season have now officially gone on sale.

The first play of ACT's 50th Anniversary Season will be packed with talent. Broadway alums and Seattle favorites Laura Griffith and Brandon O'Neill will play Maggie the Cat and Brick, one of the most iconic couples in the theatrical canon. John Aylward, a Seattle treasure who went on to make a name for himself in Hollywood with recurring roles on ER, The West Wing, and Mad Men, will play the family patriarch Big Daddy. Rounding out the cast of leading roles will be elite Seattle acting veteran Marianne Owen as Big Mama. Kurt Beattie, in his final year as Artistic Director will direct this powerhouse cast.

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre, Seattle's most prolific producer of live local modern theatre, announces new leadership promotions and new staffing heading into its 50th anniversary year. Founded in 1965 by Seattle theatre pioneer Gregory A. Falls, ACT has been committed to excellence in the field of live performance with a mission of raising consciousness through theatre. Executive Director Carlo Scandiuzzi and Artistic Director Kurt Beattie are thrilled to welcome new staff to the ACT Theatre team and promote dedicated leadership to new roles in the company.

In a continued outpouring of solidarity among a giant consortium of the American theater's artistic directors, more than 30 additional artistic directors have signed the open letter that was issued yesterday in support of Ari Roth, following his recent dismissal from the Jewish Community Center in Washington, D.C., where he has served as Artistic Director of Theater J for the past 18 years.

In an unprecedented display of solidarity among a giant consortium of the American theater's artistic directors, an open letter has been issued in support of Ari Roth, following his recent dismissal from the Jewish Community Center in Washington, D.C., where he has served as Artistic Director of Theater J for the past 18 years. The letter, released earlier today represents the views of top theater brass from coast-to-coast, who believe that his dismissal was an act of politically motivated censorship in retaliation for Roth's choice to produce and publicly defend challenging and provocative work.

When the musical adaptation of "A Christmas Story" first came to the 5th Avenue Theatre back in 2010 for the pre-Broadway Premiere I was dubious at best. And my fears turned out to be well founded as the musical felt scattered and lacked the emotional core that the original story and movie had. Luckily for all of us when the show went on to New York it was retooled to trim out all the fat and now that it's back has had its heart restored with direction by Brandon Ivie. So what once felt like a desperate attempt to turn a holiday classic into a cash cow now feels like a delightful homage to the original and a simpler time.

Rehearsals begin today for A Christmas Story, The Musical - the sensational hit Seattle can't stop talking about. After premiering at The 5th Avenue Theatre in 2010, A Christmas Story, The Musical spent two wildly successful holiday seasons in New York City and spurred a national tour.

A Contemporary Theatre Board President Colin Chapman announces that Artistic Director Kurt Beattie will retire at the end of ACT's 2015 50th Anniversary Season and will be succeeded by John Langs, a nationally recognized theatre artist who has served as ACT's Associate Artistic Director since 2013. Beattie, ACT's Artistic Director since 2003, will assume the role of Artistic Director Emeritus upon his retirement, stewarding long-term projects already in development as well as acting and directing in upcoming seasons.