New Century Theatre Company (NCTC), Seattle’s newest professional theater, is gearing up for its debut at ACT Theatre’s Falls Theatre space with Elmer Rice’s rarely produced American masterpiece, The Adding Machine. NCTC was founded by eight well-respected Seattle theater artists - Hans Altwies, Paul Morgan Stetler, Amy Thone, Michael Patten, Stephanie Timm, Ray Gonzalez, Jennifer Lee Taylor and MJ Sieber - who share a deep desire to help reinvigorate Seattle’s national reputation as a vibrant force of cutting-edge, ambitious, relevant theater. Locally respected theater artists Darragh Kennan, Betsy Schwartz, and Peter Dylan O’Connor have recently joined NCTC to bring the company’s membership to eleven.
About “The Adding Machine”Written in 1923, this groundbreaking play, with its themes of American business and quiet lives of desperation, is not only considered to be the first piece of expressionistic theater in the United States, but is also a surprisingly up-to-the-minute attack on the dehumanizing effect technology has on modern society. This serio-comic tale follows the exploits of Mr. Zero, a hard working, psuedo-Everyman as he toils through his rather inconsequential existence only to discover that after years of soul-rending dedication to his job, he'll soon be replaced by a machine. Mr. Zero does not take this news lightly and his choices will soon send him on a path discovering the true nature of his existence. The Adding Machine is directed by John Langs (King Lear, Romeo & Juliet at Seattle Shakespeare Co.; Louis Slotin Sonata at Empty Space, Crumbs Are Also Bread at WET) and the cast features the acting talents of company members Paul Morgan Stetler (Eurydice at ACT) as Mr. Zero, Amy Thone (Leni at Strawberry Theatre Workshop) as the relentless Mrs. Zero, Darragh Kennan (Hamlet at Seattle Children’s Theatre) as the eerie Shrdlu, Jennifer Lee Taylor as the wilted Daisy, and MJ Sieber as Lt. Charles. Other cast members include Tracy Hyland, Evan Whitfield, Jane May, Joseph P. McCarthy, Kate Wisniewski, Jonah Von Sprechen, Kate Witt, Erwin Galan, Noah Benezra and Kate Parker.Videos