Ann Landers, Winning Short Stories, Big Parties, and Cerebral Dates Make for a Delightfully Fun Filled September at ACT!

September 2010

Seattle, WA – September 2, 2010 – September is loaded with a variety of plays, readings, presentations and parties, starting with David Rambo's portrait of renownedadvice columnist Ann Landers in The Lady With All the Answers. Also answering the big questions is ACT's new lecture series, InterACTions with “The Physiology ofImagination and the Aesthetics of Stability” with historian Mott Greene. The popular Pinter Fortnightly series and Short Stories Live return, along with Seattle Dance Project’s 2010-2011 season opener, Project Orpheus, based on the tragic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. September also marks the return of ACT Out! Gala & Benefit, a fun filled night featuring the talents if UMO Ensemble, “Awesome” and The Love Markets.

The Lady With All the Answers by David Rambo

September 10-October 31

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.

Short Stories Live at Town Hall: The Jewish Imagination

A Central Heating Lab Event

September 12

Tickets: Advance tickets, $13/$10 Town Hall Members, seniors & students; $15/$13 at the door or included for ACTPass Monthly Members; online atbrownpapertickets.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. The season premiere of Short Stories Live features excerpts from classic short stories capturing the Jewish imagination: Woody Allen’s "Hassidic Tales, With a Guide to Their Interpretation by the Noted Scholar"; the Depression-Era "Looking for Mr. Green" by Saul Bellow; and J.D. Salinger’s story-within-a-story, "The Laughing Man." Readers include: Kurt Beattie, Frank Corrado, and Chris Ensweiler.

ACT OUT! Gala & Benefit

A Special Event at Seattle Art Museum

September 13

Tickets: $200 (or just $35 for the ACT Out for Central Heating Lab party)

For 2010, ACT's party of the year is heading to Seattle Art Museum. ACT OUT!, the formal gala, is upstairs, featuring a menu by TASTE, select wines from Columbia Crest Grand Estates, and jaw dropping entertainment provided by UMO Ensemble, with musical act, The Love Markets. And that’s not all: for only $35, get access to the party action downstairs with hosts Ian Bell and Peggy Gannon, along with the talents of Jose Bold and headlining performances from CHL artist "Awesome", making for an unforgettable evening of fun in support of ACT’s artistic and educational programming.

Seattle Dance Project: Project Orpheus

A Central Heating Lab Event

September17-September 25

Tickets: start at $25 or included for ACTPass Monthly Members

Based on the tragic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Project Orpheus showcases the choreography of Wade Madsen, Eva Stone, and Olivier Wevers. Join Artistic Directors Julie Tobiason and Timothy Lynch on a journey to the underworld and witness furies, snakes, and powerful creatures as they interact with Orpheus and Eurydice in this original, modern dance interpretation. Originally created in the Bullitt Cabaret at ACT in 2008 as a companion piece to Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, Project Orpheus opens Seattle Dance Project’s 2010-2011 season and will be restaged in the round for ACT’s Allen Theatre.

Pinter Fortnightly: The Dumb Waiter and Family Voices

A Central Heating Lab Event

September 20

Tickets: FREE! Seating is limited and reservations are strongly encouraged

Curator Frank Corrado continues the popular Pinter Fortnightly series with readings of two contrasting one-act plays. In The Dumb Waiter, one of Pinter’s funniest plays, a pair of seemingly inept hit men occupy a shabby basement room awaiting instructions for their next job, instructions that come from above via a very comically inclined dumbwaiter. Family Voices is a more sober work, at times witty and ironic, and at times anguished and poignant. It consists of intercutting monologues that suggest either narrated letters between a mother and son, or possibly an interior monologue given voice. Cast includes: John Ayward, R. Hamilton Wright, Susan Corzatte, and Burton Curtis.

InterACTions: Mindscapes – Part 2 – The Physiology of Imagination and the Aesthetics of Stability

A Central Heating Lab Event

September 26

Tickets: $15, free for students/people under 25, or included for ACTPass Monthly Members

Part two of the new annual InterACTions speaker series features historian Mott Greene as he investigates how it is becoming increasingly evident that the pace of fundamental novelty and imagination, at the end of the 20^th century and beginning of the 21^st century, is actually slowing down. He will share how an explosion of a variety of cultural products acts as a brake on the creative process and the acceptance of change within our social and technical structures – and our artistic creations.

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 July and August, 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 $165 (if buyer would choose to see all offerings).

September 2010 Summary:

The Lady with all the Answers by David Rambo

A Mainstage Play

September 10-October 31

Tickets: start at 37.50 (adults) $10/$15 (students/people 25 and under) or included for ACTPass Monthly Members

Short Stories Live at Town Hall: The Jewish Imagination

A Central Heating Lab Event

September 12

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 OUT!

A Special Event at Seattle Art Museum

September 13

Gala & Benefit Tickets: $200

CHL Party Tickets: $35

Seattle Dance Project: Project Orpheus

A Central Heating Lab Event

September 17-September 25

Tickets: start at $25 or included for ACTPass Monthly Members

Pinter Fortnightly: The Dumb Waiter and Family Voices

A Central Heating Lab Event

September 20

Tickets: FREE, but seating is limited and reservations are strongly encouraged

InterACTions: Mindscapes – Part 2 – The Physiology of Imagination and the Aesthetics of Stability

A Central Heating Lab Event

September 26

Tickets: $15, free for students/people under 25 or included for ACTPass Monthly Members

Seattle Rep stages Broadway's Tony-winning God of Carnage

Seattle, WA — Seattle Repertory Theatre opens its 2010-2011 season with the recent Broadway smash God of Carnage. Seattle Rep is the first theatre outside of New York to produce the hit comedy in the United States.

Tickets are available now through the Seattle Rep Box Office at 206-443-2222 as well as online at www.seattlerep.org.

Four Northwest actors take on the roles of two couples sparring over a playground fight between their children. Hans Altwies (An Iliad, The Seafarer) and Amy Thone (Speech & Debate) square off with Denis Arndt (long-time Oregon Shakespeare Festival vet) and Bhama Roget (Restoration Comedy, Noises Off).

In the play—written by French playwright Yasmina Reza of "Art"— an innocent discussion over an incident between children becomes an all-out, fur-flying, hilarious brawl. Altwies and Thone bring a particular realism to the parts: the two are married in real-life with children of their own.

Director Wilson Milam (Tony nominee for his The Lieutenant of Inishmore on Broadway) returns after the success of last season's Glengarry Glen Rossand 2009's The Seafarer. He's joined again by set designer Eugene Lee(long-time production designer for "Saturday Night Live" and Tony winning designer for Broadway's Wicked).

"This is one of the things Seattle Rep does best—take a recent Broadway smash and make it our own," said Artistic Director Jerry Manning. "We have the privilege of being the first theatre off Broadway to produce God of Carnage. We cast it with wonderful Northwest actors who are going to be dynamite. And with Wilson [Milam], the master of dark comedy, at the helm? This one should be lots of fun."

God of Carnage recently closed on Broadway after over 400 performances. The original Broadway cast starred Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden. The play won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Play and garnered nearly universal praise from critics.

# # #

God of Carnage Fact Sheet

WHAT: Seattle Repertory Theatre presents God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, directed by Wilson Milam

WHEN: October 1-24, 2010 (Opening Night: Wednesday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m.)
Performance times: Wednesday-Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
with Saturday, Sunday, and select Wednesday matinees at 2 p.m. (no matinees during previews)

Spotlight Night, Show Talks and More for In the Heights!

The 5th Avenue Theatre offers special programming to complement first show of the 2010-11 season

SEATTLE, WA –As The 5th Avenue prepares for the first show of its 2010-11 season, the Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights (September 28-October 17), it announces several special events designed to enhance and support the performances, including a TV special on KCTS 9, a dedicated Spotlight Night, and a series of Show Talks during the production’s run.

First up KCTS Channel 9 will be airing In The Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams, a special episode of the PBS Series Great Performances. The show chronicles the Broadway opening of the show, and the critical and audience success that followed. Airing of this special takes place on Sunday September 5 at 2:00 PM.

Then on Thursday September 16 it’s the first 2010-11 installment of our enormously popular Spotlight Night series. This free event is a favorite of theatergoers who love some insight into what happens on the other side of the curtain. In a program celebrating both In the Heights and Memphis, our smash hit from the 2008-2009 season, The 5th’s Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the work of a theatrical producer, as well as presents a sampling of upcoming music from the season. The Spotlgiht Night special guest is Kevin McCollum, the man responsible for bringing not only In the Heights to Broadway, but also producing one of the most amazing string of hit shows ever produced, including Rent, Avenue Q, The Drowsy Chaperone, White Christmas and the current Broadway revival of West Side Story. McCollum and Armstrong will be joined by 5th Avenue Producing Partner Kenny Alhadeff, who talks about the effort involved in taking Memphis from workshop to full production and from Seattle to Broadway where it earned four 2009 Tonys, including Best Musical. The evening also includes Seattle artists performing musical excerpts from Vanities: A New Musical, Next to Normal, 9 to 5: The Musical and A Christmas Story: The Musical!—all of which are featured in our upcoming season!

During the run of In the Heights The 5th will also be hosting Macy’s Show Talk: the 5th Avenue Discussion Series before select performances. These Talks feature guest speakers discussing the themes and inspiration behind the show. Confirmed guests include Matt Barreto, Associate Professor at the UW and author of Ethnic Cues: the Role of Shared Ethnicity in Latino Political Behavior, who will speak on politics and Latino Culture, and The 5th Avenue’s Artistic Associate Albert Evans, who will chart the history of musicals that feature New York City in a “starring role.” For dates and details on Show Talks as they develop, go to5thavenue.org/education/showtalk.aspx.

BACK TO SCHOOL: STUDENTS LEARN TO PREVENT BULLYING FROM SEATTLE TOURING GROUP

Taproot Theatre’s Road Company teaches bullying and cyberbullying prevention

SEATTLE – August 25, 2010 – As students are abuzz with back-to-school excitement, for some autumn is a time of anxiety. Bullying directly affects as many as one in four students, studies show, and technologies such as e-mail, social networking sites, blogs and text messaging have extended the potential for bullying from the playground into cyberspace. Using the power of storytelling to help combat the issue, Taproot Theatre’s Road Company launches a new season of touring educational plays to schools with the world premiere of Don’t Tell Jessica… on Friday, September 10, at Vashon Island’s McMurray Middle School (a private performance for the school).

Guided by Seattle-based Committee for Children’s acclaimed bullying-prevention curricula, the Road Company teaches students how to respond to—and even prevent—bullying and cyberbullying. The Road Company’s method is simple: Present a captivating story with compelling characters, and weave lessons on respect and bullying prevention into it. Then when it’s over, the actors interact with the students, reinforcing the lessons. One look at the statistics is enough to show the urgency.

In the United States, 15-25% of students report being bullied, and 15-20% report bullying others, according to the “Stop Bullying Now!” website of the Health Resources and Services Administration. In some cases bullying has led to suicide. For the offenders, it can lead to suspension, expulsion or even criminal charges. InWashington, nearly 15,000 students were suspended and 442 expelled in 2008-2009, according to data published by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction last January. In King County alone, 2,231 students were suspended and 89 expelled.

In Washington, a new expanded anti-bullying law took effect in June, stating that although a law had been put in place to prohibit harassment, intimidation and bullying, the problem had failed to decline. The new law expands efforts, requiring schools to institute policies regarding harassment, intimidation and bullying, and requires each school district to appoint one individual to be the primary contact on the issue.

Don’t Tell Jessica…--one of four plays in the 2010/2011 touring repertoire—teaches students the dangers of gossip, rumors and cyberbullying and the consequences their actions can have. The season also features the brand-new Treasure Ally, along with the popular Super School and New Girl. Taproot Theatre commissioned Bethany Wallace and Josh Hornbeck to write the scripts.

Touring to schools throughout the Puget Sound region and across the Pacific Northwest, the Road Company has performed for over one million students since it began touring social-issues plays a quarter of a century ago.

Kaleidoscope of performers give tribute to the psychedelic era with House of Thee UnHoly #4

70’s “Rock-lesque” Spectacular returns to The Triple Door September 23 -25

SEATTLE — Let music be your master as thirteen dancers, three singers and five musicians rock you all night long in an epic psychedelic 70’s trip down memory lane of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll.

This collaborative production, brought to The Triple Door by producer The Swedish Housewife Presents, brings audiences an electric event that draws from a kaleidoscope of artists from virtuoso actors, Broadway-caliber singers, accomplished musicians, talented modern and ballet dancers and the best-of-the-best burlesque performers. Now in its fourth year, House of Thee UnHoly brings artists together to collaborate on this epic “Rock-lesque” (rock-meets-burlesque) extravaganza. Billed as "Broadway Level Burlesque" by Seattle Weekly, this production features three performances for the 17+ crowd and two for 21+ audiences. Tickets are $25 in advance, $28 day of show.

Seattle audiences will recognize many of the performers in House of Thee UnHoly from their appearances on stage in straight and musical theatre, live band performances, professional burlesque, dance and the Seattle Erotic Art Festival.

The three founders of Dance Belt, a pop-culture movement group, take the stage again this year in House of Thee UnHoly. The trio, Waxie Moon, Inga Ingénue andLou Henry Hoover met through the second production of House of Thee UnHoly and have since gained recognition through The Stranger’s HUMP! Film festival, area classes and on Q 13 Fox. Dance Belt classes won the 2010 Seattle Weekly Best of Award of “Best Way to Unleash Your Inner Diva.”

Waxie Moon, currently shooting his second film, Fallen Jewel, is a gender-blending queer “boylesque” performance art-solo stripping sensation. He is the lead Choreographer of The House of Thee UnHoly and designed the show using a technique called Viewpoints to build the show in a collaborative effort. His first film, Waxie Moon: The Documentary, has been an International smash-hit in the festival circuit. Waxie has performed at The Triple Door, On The Boards, Seattle Erotic Art Festival, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and ACT – A Contemporary Theatre. He is on the Faculty of The Academy of Burlesque.

Inga Ingénue, "The Little Blonde Bomb," infuses her bubbly personality with traditional bump 'n' grind, resulting in an adorable mix of sexy blonde ambition and innocent "ingenuity." Since joining the Seattle burlesque community in 2005, Inga has become an international burlesque star. She is also an instructor at The Academy of Burlesque.

Lou Henry Hoover is the character creation of Ricki Mason. Lou Henry has appeared in Dance Belt, The Cherdonna & Lou Show and beyond at The Triple Door, The Pink Door and Century Ballroom. Ricki Mason directs LAUNCH Dance Theatre and performs with KT Niehoff’s Lingo Dance Theatre. Ricki teaches ballet and modern at Velocity Dance Center, embodied movement at The Academy of Burlesque and social dances at Century Ballroom. Ricki will be choreographing The Swedish Housewife Presents: Wham! Bam! Glitter! Glam! Debuting March 3rd, 2011 at The Triple Door. As a choreographer, Ricki is the recipient of funding from 4Culture, ArtistTrust, The Bossak Heilbron Charitable Grant Foundation and beyond.

House of Thee UnHoly also features burlesque star, Lily Verlaine. Billed as “the living, breathing work of art,” Lily performs with internationally with The Atomic Bombshells. A classical ballet dancer (trained at Pacific Northwest Ballet, The School of San Francisco Ballet, Chicago Ballet among others), Miss Verlaine choreographed and co-produced the popular productions of Land of The Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker and Through The Looking Glass: The Burlesque Alice in Wonderland.

Other dancers include Miss Indigo Blue (Founder of The Academy of Burlesque and star of documentary film A Wink and a Smile), Heidi Von Haught, Polly Wood(Sinner Saint Burlesque), Leroi The Girl Boi (New York City), Gerard Delacroix, Douglas Ridings, prima ballerina Paris Original, Lydia Mclane our Living Loving Maid and The Swedish Housewife. As both Miss Indigo Blue and Leroi The Girl Boi, have acts done to “Lemon Song,” The Swedish Housewife has invited them to a “Dueling Lemon Act” in this incarnation of House of The UnHoly.

The singers (or “Sirens on the Rock”) of this production will be Jen Ayers, Sarah Rudinoff and Nick Garrison. Jen Ayers, front woman of Seattle band Honey Tongue, has opened for Jack Johnson, Tom Petty, and Dave Matthews. Sarah Rudinoff leads the band We are Golden and has appeared at The Triple Door, The Showbox, The Pink Door and Re-Bar. Rudinoff has also appeared on stage at Seattle Repertory Theatre and The 5th Avenue Theatre. She was The Stranger’s 2004 Genius Award Winner in Theatre. Nick Garrison, of Seattle's band, The Love Markets, has appeared at The Triple Door, Re-Bar, The Can-Can, Seattle Repertory Theatre and beyond. Garrison received rave reviews for his performance of the Emcee in The 5th Avenue Theatre’s production of Cabaret.

The band (or “Mighty Arms of Thor”) consists of Darren Loucas and Tim Sharpe on guitar, Charlie Lorme on drums, Ryan Burns on keyboard, and Nick Rhinehart on bass.

Accomplished guitarist, Darren Loucas, has played with The Long Winters, Crooked Fingers and Juke. Among others, Loucas has also played with B.B. award winning alt-blues band The Jellyrollers.

Keyboardist Ryan Burns, a luminary in the Seattle music scene, having worked with award-winning jazz groups Bebop and Destruction, the Tacoma Symphony, Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden), Peter DiStefano (Porno For Pyros, Jane’s Addiction) and beyond.

Tickets are available now. Order over the phone by calling 206-838-4333, in person at the box office at 216 Union St, Seattle, WA 98101, or online at tripledoor.net

Please contact Keridwyn Deller, PR & Social Media Director, at (206) 412-0269 or keridwyn80@gmail.com with questions or to schedule individual interviews.

About The Swedish Housewife Presents
Billed as a “producer extraordinaire” and short-listed for The Stranger’s “Genius Award” as an organization, Paula The Swedish Housewife has mounted award-winning, sold-out shows starring some of the modern underground’s most celebrated performers for more than 20 years. A Cultural Educator who pushes the envelope with a velvet glove while eliciting shock and awe to the Seattle Audiences, The Swedish Housewife conceptualized House of Thee UnHoly and has been the Creative Director for each incarnation since 2006. Website: http://swedishhousewife.com. Facebook: Facebook.com/shwpresents & Twitter: twitter.com/theSHW.

The Swedish Housewife Presents upcoming shows:

October 12 - Joey Arias & Eliot Douglass in "Strange Fruit" at The Triple Door

October 23 - Our Lady J's "Gospel for The Godless" at West Hall

November 18 - Thee 2nd Annual "Cornucopia Cabaret Fundraiser for Treehouse" at The Triple Door

December 18 - Taylor Mac ("One of the most exciting theater artists of our time." -Time Out, NY) at West Hall

About The Triple Door
Originally home to the Embassy Theatre, a vaudeville house that opened in 1926. Built by the Mann and Gallatly families,, the theatre quickly transitioned to films in the late 1920s. The theatre remained one of the premier Seattle movie houses for 30 years, but by the early 1960s, the grand days of the Embassy came to an end. It continued as a blue movie and burlesque house until it closed its doors in 1983. In 1999, Rick and Ann Yoder bought the historic building from Dave Gallatly, with plans to build a music and dinner theatre in the old Embassy. In the fall of 2002, renovation began with a simple goal: an intimate, comfortable space that would connect performers to their audience. Every effort was taken to preserve the ornate qualities of the old theatre, such as the original stage proscenium and ceiling fixtures. Rich fabrics, plush seating, and state of the art sound would complete the renovation, transforming the grand old space for a new generation of entertainment. The essential idea behind The Triple Door is this: provide the best in sound, lighting, atmosphere and hospitality to make something real and alive happen between artist and audience. Visit The Triple Door to venture beyond the familiar, to share in the thrill of discovery. http://tripledoor.net

The Swedish Housewife Presents gratefully acknowledges the generous support of sponsors Inn at the Market and Crowne Black Car.