Music and Theatre Ring in the New Year at ACT

A Contemporary Theatre jumpstarts 2011 with the return of two Central Heating Lab favorites and an electrifying guest production. Contemporary Classics' songwriter showcase NEW VOICES returns, hosted by Artistic Director and 2010 Gregory Award winner Brandon Ivie ("Person to Watch") with music direction from 2010 Gregory Award winner RJ Tancioco ("Music/Sound Design"). Next up is the ever popular 14/48: The World's Quickest Theatre Festival, featuring 50 of Seattle's most adventurous theatre artists! And finally, fresh off a sold-out five week run, Seattle's Balagan Theatre transfers their greatest hit to ACT for what is sure to be a CANNOT MISS Seattle event: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog!

Contemporary Classics: NEW VOICES
A Central Heating Lab Event
January 3
Tickets: start at $20 ($15 for students w/ ID), or included with the ACTPass
Hosted by Artistic Director Brandon Ivie (2010 Gregory Award winner," Person to Watch") with music direction by RJ Tancioco (Gregory Award winner, "Music/Sound Design"), NEW VOICES has proven to be one of Seattle's most exciting musical theatre events. Now in its 10th edition, NEW VOICES opens 2011 with a celebratory "Best Of" concert, featuring the best songs from the first five years of show tunes. An exciting blend of Sondheim and pop/rock, this next generation of composers is turning Broadway on its ear with musicals about ADD, grunge bands, red-heads, and Ritalin.

14/48: The World's Quickest Theatre Festival
A Central Heating Lab Event
January 7 - January 15
Tickets: $20 advance, $25 day of show or included with the ACTPass.
All-Fest Pass: $50 - gets you access into every show, January 7-15! Only 50 available.
14/48: The World's Quickest Theatre Festival is 14 plays conceived, written, designed, scored, rehearsed and performed in 48 hours. Each weekend, seven playwrights write seven plays on a randomly selected theme. Twelve hours later, seven directors each blindly select a play and the required number of actors to cast it. After 10 hours of fevered rehearsal with seven designers and seven musicians, another theme is chosen and the process starts all over again. It all adds up to 14 plays you'll never see again, but will never forget.

Balagan Theatre: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
A Guest Production
January 28 - February 12
Tickets: start at $20, or included with the ACTPass
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog tells the incredible story of an aspiring villain...who blogs and sings. In this backwards world, the villain is the hero, and the hero is the villain. But which one will get the girl? Created by Joss Whedon, best known as the creator and showrunner of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse, this Internet sensation combines catchy music, wry humor, and comic book archetypes into a show that is now ready to be experienced in a whole new way - on a live stage!

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 Contemporary Classics, 14/48, 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 plays, ACT offers its patrons a unique opportunity to maximize their theatre experience - the ACTPass: all you can see for only $25 per month ($20 for age 30 and under)! ACTPass Members can attend any ACT produced performance throughout any given month, provided tickets are available. It is the new, more flexible, more affordable way to see more performances for one low price, and is the first of its kind in the region. There is no contract, ACTPass members may cancel at any time, and there is no limit to the number of times a card holder can attend. For the month of January, that means an ACTPass member can see all our shows, if they so choose, for only $25 vs. paying the single ticket price of at least $60 (if buyer would choose to see all offerings). With the ACTPass, that would be similar to three shows for the price of one!

January 2011 Summary

Contemporary Classics: NEW VOICES
January 3
Tickets: start at $20 ($15 for students w/ ID), or included with the ACTPass

14/48: The World's Quickest Theatre Festival
January 7 - January 15
Tickets: $20 advance, $25 day of show or included with the ACTPass
All-Fest Pass: $50 - gets you access into every show, January 7-15! Only 50 available.

Balagan Theatre: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
January 28 - February 12
Tickets: Adults $25, $20 for 17 and younger, students w/ ID, Seniors 65+, and Day-of-Show, or included with the ACTPass

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 Theatre of New Ideas - Raising Consciousness Through 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 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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