A.C.T. Finds Cast for Jaclyn Backhaus's MEN ON BOATS

American Conservatory Theater announces casting for Men on Boats-Jaclyn Backhaus's hilarious, historical, and moving adventure-playing at A.C.T.'sStrand Theater (1127 Market St., San Francisco) October 17-December 16, 2018.

Spinning historical, theatrical, and gender conventions on their heads, this subversive tale of ten men, four boats, and two rivers contains none of the above. Pack your gear for this 21st-century theatrical spin on 19th-century American explorer and one-armed Civil War veteran John Wesley Powell, who assembles a brawny and eclectic band of men-soldiers, trappers, and adventurers-to explore Wyoming's waterways. Inspired by Powell's actual travel log from 1869, Jaclyn Backhaus's nimble and ingenious script is provocative, laugh-out-loud theater, performed by a diverse cast of female-identifying actors who infuse America's historic myths of male conquest with a sly blast of subtext. With the speed and force of white-water rapids, Backhaus conjures her epic story-in which simple materials are transformed into perilous canyons and death-defying cliffs-out of movement and sheer imagination, shaping an innovative and innately theatrical play that became an off-Broadway sensation.

Single tickets (ranging from $15-$110) are available at the A.C.T. Box Office at 415-749-2228 or online at www.act-sf.org. Ticket prices are subject to change without notice.

"I am passionate about plays that push the theatrical form," says MacKinnon. "First produced by the New York downtown theater company Clubbed Thumb-which gave me my start as a director-Men on Boats is such a play. A troupe of ten amazing Bay Area-based, female-identifying performers bring to life John Wesley Powell's 1869 expedition to discover the Grand Canyon. It is a harrowing and outrageously fun adventure!"

Under the direction of Tamilla Woodard (co-founder of PopUP Theatrics; Artistic Director of The Five Boroughs/One City Initiative at Working Theater), Men on Boatsfeatures a cast of ten local San Francisco Bay Area actors. They are (in alphabetical order): Arwen Anderson (King Lear at California Shakespeare Theater; Hamlet at Marin Shakespeare Company), Rosie Hallett (Red Speedo at Center REPertory Company; Thomas and Sally at Marin Theatre Company), Lisa Hori-Garcia (The Gangster of Love at Magic Theatre; Snow Queen at Marin Theatre Company), Libby King (RooseElvis at The TEAM; Uncle Vanya at East 13th Street Theatre), Amy Lizardo (The Unfortunates at A.C.T.; Quijote Nuevo at California Shakespeare Theater), Ruibo Qian (The Nether at SF Playhouse; Tiger Style! at Huntington Theatre Company), Annemaria Rajala (A Little Night Music at A.C.T.; Our Enemiesat Golden Thread Productions), Katherine Romans (A.C.T. M.F.A student; The Importance of Being Earnest at Livermore Shakespeare Festival), Liz Sklar (A.C.T. M.F.A. graduate; Seagull at Marin Theatre Company), and Lauren Spencer (King Charles III at A.C.T.; Anne Boleyn at Marin Theatre Company).

The creative team for Men on Boats includes Nina Ball (Scenic Designer), Christine Crook (Costume Designer), Robert Hand (Lighting Designer), and Kate Marvin(Sound Designer).

act-sf.org/boats