A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory Announces Winter/Spring 2017 Lineup

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Young Conservatory (YC) Director Craig Slaight announced today the lineup for the YC's winter/spring 2017 performances. From February 7-11, the YC will present Timothy Mason's The Life to Come, a co-commission with His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen, Scotland. From April 18-22, the YC will present Tomorrow, two one-act plays by Horton Foote. Both productions will take place in The Rueff at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater (1127 Market Street, San Francisco). Tickets for individual productions are $20. Both are available now by calling the A.C.T. Box Office at 415.749.2228 or online at www.act-sf.org/csvshows.

Set in 1918 as the United States of America takes its place alongside the Allies in World War I, The Life to Come tells the story of eight young students facing uncertain futures. Who will thrive and who will not? Who knows what the life to come will bring? Directed byDomenique Lozano, The Life to Come is an enchanting play about friendship, betrayal and enduring hope. The culmination of a two-year exchange project, The Life to Come is a co-commission with His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen, Scotland. This marks the sixth commissioned play by Timothy Mason for A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory.

Says Slaight: "Beginning in 1989, the Young Conservatory has been engaging prominent professional playwrights to write plays that see the world through the eyes of the young. The very first play we commissioned, Ascension Day, was from the amazing Timothy Mason. The play concerned a group of teens grappling with the end of World War II. Since that play, Mr. Mason has delivered five more new works which deal with various periods of American history and how the events impacted young people. WithThe Life to Come, we have the final installment of what we now call The Young American Cycle, a collection of new plays that address young Americans coming of age. As we approach the centenary of America's involvement in World War I, it feels particularly apt now to be producing this final play in the cycle. And having shared the journey with young actors from Scotland's His Majesty's Theatre makes all of our efforts far-reaching and thrilling."

A coproduction with the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program, Tomorrow consists of two one-act plays--The Actor­­ and Blind Date--by one of America's greatest theatrical storytellers, Horton Foote. Commissioned by the Young Conservatory and the Royal National Theatre, and first produced at A.C.T. in 2001, The Actor is an autobiographical play that tells the story of Foote's own reckoning as a teenager. Growing up in Depression-era Texas with the dream of becoming an actor, he must stick to his convictions amidst ridicule from his peers and fear of failure from his parents. This was Foote's last play and is the only truly autobiographical theater piece by the esteemed playwright. Directed by Slaight, Blind Date imagines a meeting of two fragile teens manipulated by adults with personal agendas. Hilarious and unflinchingly honest, it offers a world where the teenagers are wiser and more grounded in reality than the adults.

"Perhaps, somewhat for personal reasons, I chose Horton Foote plays for my final outing at A.C.T.," says Slaight. "Foote was not only an inspiration to my work but a mentor and friend. Foote often saw a challenging world through youthful eyes and even before I knew him, I was drawn to his plays for this very reason. It took years before he had the time to do a play especially for the Young Conservatory and when he did, he gave us his most personal and autobiographical story, The Actor, charting his own bumpy immersion into a life in the theater. It is a timeless story and one that speaks immediately to our students who are seeking, as Horton did, some permanence in the world of creating art. For more of a meal, I've added in Mr. Foote's short comic soufflé, Blind Date, perhaps his funniest play, with its story about adults overcomplicating young people's lives."

The Life to Come and Tomorrow are made possible by a generous grant from The Bernard Osher Foundation and Jewels of Charity. Additional support is provided by the Crescent Porter Hale Foundation and donors to A.C.T.'s season gala.

The A.C.T. Young Conservatory offers a broad range of theater training for young people aged 8 to 19. The ten sessions of classes and eight public productions offered throughout the year are designed to develop talent and creativity, as well as communication and cooperation skills, for young people with all levels of theater background. Working professional actors and directors lead students in a spectrum of classes, including acting, directing, voice and speech, musical theater, audition, and improvisation. Call 415.439.2444 or visit act-sf.org/conservatory for applications and information.

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