ACT Dishes Advice, Blood, Insanity, Lectures, Awards and Spooky Stories In October

Julie Briskman continues in the moving portrayal of Ann Landers, The Lady With All the Answers, while Martin McDonagh's highly anticipated, blood-drenched farce The Lieutenant of Inishmore takes to the stage next door. The popular Pinter Fortnightly series returns with a reading of The Hothouse, a hilarious comedy about inmates running an asylum, as well as - for the first time - a reading from a writer other than Pinter: Madagascar by J.T. Rogers (winner of the Pinter Review Prize for Drama). ACT's exciting new lecture series, InterACTions, continues with neurosurgeon Dr. George Ojemann as he explores Human Brain Mechanisms for Consciousness. ACT also opens its doors to Theatre Puget Sound's 2010 Gregory Awards, honoring outstanding local artists, productions, and companies. And on Halloween, horror haunts Town Hall as Short Stories Live returns with a terrifying mix of stories sure to chill you to the bone!

The Lady With All the Answers by David Rambo
Now - October 31
Tickets: Single tickets start at $37.50 (adults) $10/$15 (students/people 25 and under) or included for ACTPass Monthly Members
Starring Julie Briskman, enjoy an evening of home truths and delicious dish with renowned advice columnist Ann Landers as she shares some of her favorite letters and memories while struggling to write the toughest column of her life. This is an irresistible portrait of the woman who used charm, chutzpah, and "one hell of a Rolodex" to become America's Therapist.

Pinter Fortnightly
A Central Heating Lab Event
October 4 & 11
Tickets: FREE or included for ACTPass Monthly Members; seating is limited, reservations are required.
Curator Frank Corrado continues the popular Pinter Fortnightly series - free Monday evening readings of works by the late Nobel laureate playwright Harold Pinter, performed by some of Seattle's favorite local actors. October readings feature the full-length play The Hothouse, a deliciously cynical and fast-moving romp around the notion of the asylum being overseen by the lunatics. Cast includes: Gretchen Krich, Mark Chamberlin, Burton Curtis, Frank Corrado, Allen Galli, Jean Sherrard, and Ian Bell, with Director Jane Kaplan. On October 11, the series will introduce - for the first time - a writer other than Pinter: the important young American playwright J.T. Rogers, and his play Madagascar (winner of the Pinter Review Prize for Drama). Cast includes: Hana Lass, Megan Cole, and Frank Corrado, with Director David Ellenstein, artistic director of the North Coast Repertory Theatre.

The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh
October 15 - November 14
Tickets: Single tickets start at $37.50 (adults) $10/$15 (students/people 25 and under) or included for ACTPass Monthly Members
A gleefully gruesome comedy from the Oscar-winning author of In Bruges, about a merciless Irish terrorist and his obsessive love for the thing that matters most to him: his precious black cat, Wee Thomas. Turn off your political correctness meter and wallow in this outrageous, blood-drenched farce. You won't believe your eyes!

InterACTions: MindScapes-Part 3- Human Brain Mechanisms for Consciousness
A Central Heating Lab Event
October 24
Tickets: $15, free for students/people under 25, or included for ACTPass Monthly Members
Part three of the new annual InterACTions speaker series features neurosurgeon Dr. George Ojemann as he discusses what is commonly called 'consciousness', and how the brain both responds to external stimulus and overlays it with deeply encoded memory that can influence a conscious experience.

2010 Gregory Awards
October 25
Tickets: $20 advance; $30 at door; TPS members: $15 (advance only)
Join Theatre Puget Sound (TPS) for Washington's second annual regional theatre awards ceremony. The 2010 Gregory Awards will celebrate outstanding local artists, productions and companies from the 2009-2010 season, honoring over 60 nominees across 12 categories. TPS will also present the 13th annual Gregory Falls Lifetime Achievement Award. Mingle with local theatre celebrities while enjoying live music by The Love Markets, Red Carpet interviews, hors-d'oeuvres, refreshments, and the presentation of this year's Gregory Award recipients.

Short Stories Live at Town Hall: The Witching Afternoon
A Central Heating Lab Event
October 31
Tickets: Advance tickets, $13/$10 Town Hall Members, seniors & students; $15/$13 at the door or included for ACTPass Monthly Members; online at brownpapertickets.com.

Think of it as NPR's Selected Shorts, Seattle style: ACT Artistic Director Kurt Beattie selects compelling short stories based on a common theme; then local actors bring the stories to life during readings at Town Hall. This Halloween, horror haunts the afternoon hours with this program of spooky short stories read by Kurt Beattie, John Bogar and Paul Hunter. On the program: "Wicked John and the Devil," a work of English/American lore from American folk tales and songs compiled by Richard Chase; the good-versus-evil tale "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne; and the chilling "Narrative of The Ghost of a Hand" by Sheridan Le Fanu, the premier ghost-story writer of the 19th century.

Launched in 2008, The Central Heating Lab at ACT serves as an incubator and catalyst for new works. ACT cultivates, produces, and presents artists working in all performance genres and provides an artistic home for a variety of local performance groups and artists. Relationships develop daily with individual actors, performers and playwrights while established partnerships with groups such as the New Century Theatre Company, RAWSTOCK, Seattle Dance Project, and Icicle Creek Theatre Festival deepen. New programs are added throughout the year.
With year-round programming produced by The Central Heating Lab at ACT alongside ACT's Mainstage season of plays, ACT offers its patrons a unique opportunity to maximize their theatre experience - the ACTPass Monthly Membership: all you can see for only $20 (under age 30) to $25 per month! Members can attend any ACT produced performance throughout any given month, provided tickets are available. It is flexible, affordable, and is the first of its kind in the region. There is no contract, members may cancel at any time, and there is no limit to the number of times a member can attend. For the month of October, that means a Member can see all our shows, if they so choose, for only $20 to $25 vs. paying the single ticket price of at least $103 (if buyer would choose to see all offerings).

October 2010 Summary:

The Lady With All the Answers by David Rambo
September 10-October 31
Tickets: Single tickets start at $37.50 (adults) $10/$15 (students/people 25 and under) or included for ACTPass Monthly Members

Pinter Fortnightly
A Central Heating Lab Event
October 4 & 11
Tickets: FREE or included for ACTPass Monthly Members; seating is limited, reservations are required.

The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh
October 15- November 14
Tickets: Single tickets start at $37.50 (adults) $10/$15 (students/people 25 and under) or included for ACTPass Monthly Members

InterACTions: MindScapes-Part 3- Human Brain Mechanisms for Consciousness
A Central Heating Lab Event
October 24
Tickets: $15, free for students/people under 25, or included for ACTPass Monthly Members

2010 Gregory Awards
October 25
Tickets: $20 advance; $30 at door; TPS members: $15 (advance only)

Short Stories Live at Town Hall: The Witching Afternoon
A Central Heating Lab Event
October 31
Tickets: Advance tickets, $13/$10 Town Hall Members, seniors & students; $15/$13 at the door or included for ACTPass Monthly Members; online at brownpapertickets.com.

ACT Theatre
Ticket Office: (206) 292-7676
Group Sales (12 or more): (253) 839-4204
700 Union Street, Seattle WA 98101
www.acttheatre.org

About ACT - A Contemporary Theatre
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 local 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. 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 100,000 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.

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