Holiday Season Line-Up at Act Annual Production of a Christmas Carol Heralds the Conclusion

Media Contacts: Jennifer Rice Becky Lathrop Rice Public Relations LLC ACT – A Contemporary Theatre (206) 285-5175 (206) 292-7660 x1327 [email protected] [email protected] (please do not publish these numbers)

HOLIDAY SEASON LINE-UP AT ACT ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL HERALDS THE CONCLUSION OF 2011 Joined by Double Indemnity, Pinter Workshops, Films, Dramatic Readings, and a Teen Musical

Seattle, WA – October 18, 2011– ACT - A Contemporary Theatre wraps up 2012 with performances that both celebrate the holidays and provide an artful array of seasonal alternatives. With offerings that range from a crime thriller to a Christmas tradition, teen angst to a nativity parody, tell-all shorts to Pinter treasures and more, the year-end promises another unforgettable series of live events at the corner of 7th and Union.

PRODUCTIONS & EVENTS Double Indemnity, Falls Theatre A Christmas Carol, Allen Theatre Victor Janusz ACT Fundraiser, Salty's on Alki No Man’s Land Pinter Fortnightly Workshop, Bullitt Cabaret Seattle Confidential Series with Ian Bell, Bullitt Cabaret Rawstock Short Film Festival, Bullitt Cabaret Wisemen from Rosenstock Productions, Bullitt Cabaret 13 from Broadway Bound, Falls Theatre Short Stories Live, Town Hall Seattle

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS

Double Indemnity by James M. Cain Adapted by David Pichette and R. Hamilton Wright Directed by Kurt Beattie- Co-Produced with San Jose Repertory Theatre October 21 – November 20 | WORLD PREMIERE! Tickets: start at $37.50 (adults) $15/$20 (students/people 25 & under) or included with the ACTPass A nail-biting take on the famous novel probes the shadowy human soul. Lust, intrigue, and cliffhanging twists amp up this much-loved crime tale, which Billy Wilder also adapted for his classic noir film. In the dusty, amoral Los Angeles of the 1930s, discontented insurance agent Walter Huff encounters temptations too great to resist and embarks on a dark journey to escape his life. Double Indemnity is a suspenseful and profound consideration of the materialistic and sexual cravings of Depression-era America, rendered in an electrifying new voice by David Pichette and R. Hamilton Wright. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Adapted by Gregory A. Falls | Directed by Allison Narver 36th Annual Production November 25 - December 24 Tickets: start at $27.00 (adults) $22 (children age 5 to 12 & seniors 65 and over) Not included in the ACTPass. Cast announcement scheduled for release Oct. 25. Gather your loved ones and join us for ACT’s own holiday tradition; a ripping-good telling of the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly businessman who requires the intervention of a few ghosts to understand the true meaning of Christmas. More than 150 years after its writing, Dickens’ classic tale of hope and redemption continues to remind us what’s really worth celebrating—at the holidays, or any time.

First Tuesday TUNE-UP, A Fundraiser with Victor Janusz at Salty’s on Alki 1936 Harbor Ave SW, West Seattle November 1 at 6:00 pm Tickets: Entry is free. Enjoy specials on food and beverages. Donations to ACT encouraged. An evening of music and celebration with local performers. Mr. Janusz and special guests will provide entertainment at this recurring event hosted by Salty’s entitled, First Tuesday Tune Up, a series of cocktail fundraisers where community generosity is easy and fun.

A Pinter Fortnightly Special Event: No Man’s Land by Harold Pinter November 11 - 12 Tickets: $15 (adults), $8 (students/seniors/25 and younger) or included with the ACTPass The popular Pinter Fortnightly series presents this special event as a part of the Pinter Festival 2012 Partnership. Thanks to its provocative works of theatre and the riveting post-performance discussions between the artists and audience members, the Monday night Pinter Fortnightly series has become such a staple arts attraction that a full Pinter Festival will be coming to ACT next year. This production of No Man’s Land serves as a bridge between the traditional Monday night readings and the fully produced festival of 2012.

No Man's Land takes place in the study of an elderly alcoholic writer, Hirst, who is playing less than eager host to Spooner, a down-and-out self-proclaimed poet. Their conversation meanders through courtly pleasantry, fragmented recollection, literary allusion, hilarious argument and insult and, finally, a bizarrely touching sense of mutual understanding. Another very special element in these presentations will be the participation of the distinguished British director Penny Cherns whom we are bringing over from London to put us through our paces. Cast Frank Corrado, Hirst Randy Moore, Spooner Peter Crook, Briggs Ben Harris, Foster

Ian Bell: Seattle Confidential November 14 Tickets: $15 (adults), $10 (students/seniors) or included with the ACTPass November’s theme: Holiday Horror Stories. Host Ian Bell and Seattle's finest actors will bring the most intriguing stories to life, on the stage. Seattle Confidential is a fun, fascinating evening that just may have you looking at the audience sitting with you in the dark... in a whole new light! Quarterly, Seattle Confidential present a different provocative topic on which Seattleites are invited to anonymously share their most personal stories. Drop-boxes will be placed throughout the city, and a secure website will be set up to accept anonymous submissions. RAWSTOCK Short Film Festival November 16 Tickets: $10 or included with the ACTPass As part of ACT’s Central Heating Lab, RAWSTOCK continues to be Seattle’s destination for cutting-edge animation, politically incorrect comedy, and grindhouse cinema. RAWSTOCK shows alternative short films in the Bullitt Theatre.

Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre: 13 December 8 - 18 Tickets: $17.50. Not included in the ACTPass. ACT is pleased to welcome Broadway Bound back to The Falls Theatre for a remount of Jason Robert Brown’s coming-of-age drama, 13. Uprooted from his old life, Evan Goldman has to make new friends and maneuver his way through the minefield of junior high school to become part of the – “in crowd” in time for the celebration of his Bar Mitzvah. With an upbeat rock score, 13 is a hilarious, high-energy musical for all ages, performed by teenagers.

Rosenstock: Wisemen December 13 - 22 Tickets: $15 (adults), $18 (at the door, 1 hour before show) or included with the ACTPass Wisemen traces the trials of three representatives from the Wisemen Law Firm: Goldberg, Frankenstein, and Murray. Hired by a cuckolded Joseph to find and prosecute the biological father of the baby Jesus, the three lawyers must hold court against an evil Santa Claus, the gangster-rapping Easter Bunny and God himself in their quest for the truth. Featuring an irreverent script and an original score ranging from klezmer to hip-hop to funk to mariachi, Wisemen will give audiences the opportunity to laugh about the business of Christmas and lighten up the season with a dose of depreciatory humor.

Short Stories Live at Town Hall: Holiday Stories December 18 Tickets: Advance tickets, $13/$10 Town Hall Members, seniors & students; $15/$13 at the door or included with the ACTPass; 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 afternoon of delightfully unconventional Christmas stories, poems, and musical cheer - an "antidotal" alternative to the usual holiday fare - veers between the evocative and the humorous, all delivered by some of Seattle's favorite professional actors reading excerpts from holiday classics. Presented by Town Hall Seattle with ACT – A Contemporary Theatre. Series supported by the Thurston Charitable Foundation.

About The Central Heating Lab 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, SOIL, RAWSTOCK, Pinter Fortnightly, 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. 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 November, ACTPass members can see all these shows, for only $25 vs. paying the single ticket price of at least $72.50 (if a buyer chose to see each performance once).

For more information about November or December programming, the ACTPass, or to arrange interviews, please contact Jennifer Rice at (206) 285-5175 or [email protected].

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 through its annual Mainstage play series and new works generated from the Young Playwrights Program, The Hansberry Project, the Central Heating Lab, and New Works for the American Stage commissioning program. 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.

ACT gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our 2011 Season Sponsors: ACT Foundation, ArtsFund, The Eulalie Bloedel Schneider Artists Fund, The Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, and The Shubert Foundation.