Olympia Dukakis to Return to A.C.T. in ELEKTRA; Full 2012-13 Season Announced!

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Artistic Director Carey Perloff announced the lineup for the company's 46th subscription season, which includes an eclectic and unforgettable world premiere musical event, a masterwork from acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard, a world premiere comedy from one of Canada's most prolific playwrights, a sultry Tennessee Williams drama, a revitalized classic starring Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis, and the return of Lorenzo Pisoni's sold-out stage memoir. An exciting world premiere event – to be announced at a later date – will fill the ninth show slot.

The 2012–13 season marks the 20th anniversary of Carey Perloff as A.C.T.'s artistic director. Says Perloff: "Twenty years marks a time to celebrate the past and, even more importantly, to make a bold commitment to the future: to new artists, new work, and new ways of imagining the theater. There are so many threads that I wanted to include in this anniversary season, and I chose the kind of work that has truly distinguished A.C.T. over the past twenty years: gorgeous writing, international work, new explorations of Greek tragedy, the work of Tom Stoppard, unusual music-theater and dance-theater collaborations, Bay Area–themed work, and a Canadian surprise. I'm delighted to share this adventurous and groundbreaking season with the San Francisco Bay Area."

Following its critically acclaimed and sold-out run, A.C.T.'s 2012–13 season kicks off with the return of Lorenzo Pisoni's one-man show Humor Abuse (August 3–19). In this hilarious stage memoir filled with stupendous physical feats, Pisoni takes us under the big top with the incredible true story of growing up as the youngest member of the Pickle Family Circus. Celebrating the complicated, no-holds-barred life of a performer, Pisoni shows off the tricks of the trade he learned from his father, Pickle cofounder Larry Pisoni. A humorous and heartfelt event that will delight audiences of all ages, Humor Abuse dazzles with unforgettable memories and mesmerizing routines. Humor Abuse will play for a strictly limited engagement.

Direct from its acclaimed sold-out premiere in Los Angeles, Carey Perloff will bring her sweeping production of Sophocles' Greek tragedy Elektra-featuring a specially-commissioned new translation by London playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker-to the Bay Area (November 1–25). A feast of poetic language featuring haunting original music by Pulitzer Prize–winning composer David Lang, Elektra features two of A.C.T.'s most beloved performers: core Acting Company member René Augesen in the title role and associate artist (and Academy Award winner) Olympia Dukakis as the fiercely partisan Chorus Leader.

Featuring a lively cast of dozens, delightful music, gorgeous costumes, and those deliciously spooky ghosts, the Bay Area's favorite holiday tradition returns with A.C.T.'s celebrated production of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol (December 6–29). Now in its 36th year, this version of A Christmas Carol, adapted by Paul Walsh and Carey Perloff, stays true to the heart of Dickens's timeless story of redemption and brings a playful sensibility to his rich language. A Christmas Carol is a cornerstone of the A.C.T. repertory and has become a holiday tradition for families around the Bay Area.

Next A.C.T will present the world premiere of George F. Walker's Dead Metaphor-a hilarious dark comedy about the hypocrisies of postwar living (January 17–February 10). When Dean returns home from the war in Iraq, he discovers that his superior sniper skills don't get him very far in the working world. He readjusts to non-bunker life by moving in with his parents and pregnant ex-wife, then takes the only job he can get-with a crusading politician on her own mission for "truth and justice." The recipient of The Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement-the highest honor presented for excellence in the performing arts in Canada-George F. Walker is one of Canada's most acclaimed and widely produced playwrights.

Widely considered one of the most influential plays of the 20th century, Tennessee Williams' sultry classic, A Streetcar Named Desire (February 28–March 24) takes the stage in a sumptuous new production. When fading Southern Belle Blanche DuBois arrives at her sister Stella's home in New Orleans, she quickly arouses the attention of Stella's husband, Stanley Kowalski, a primal and violently sensual force of nature. In this twisted web of turmoil and passion, the tension builds, as fantasy clashes with reality and Blanche's sordid history catches up to her. Filled with some of the most iconic characters in the American theater, this passionate drama features A.C.T. core Acting Company member René Augesen as the troubled and mesmerizing Blanche DuBois.

In the spirit of the beloved hit The Black Rider, A.C.T. is thrilled to continue the tradition of introducing eclectic, unforgettable musical projects to the stage with the world premiere of Stuck Elevator (April 4–28). A powerful and poignant hip-hop opera, Stuck Elevator is based on the true story of a Chinese restaurant deliveryman who was trapped in a Bronx elevator for 81 hours. Sounding the alarm will open the doors to freedom, but calling for help also means calling for attention-with dire consequences for this illegal immigrant. Stuck in limbo, he launches into poignant and hilarious hallucinations about his past, present, and future. Inventively staged by OBIE Award winner and internationally acclaimed artist Chay Yew, Stuck Elevator unleashes an evocative collision of stories, sounds, instruments, and ideas, from immigration and labor to familial obligation and fortune cookies.

As the event of the season, A.C.T. is thrilled to present the Bay Area premiere of The National Theatre of Scotland's internationally acclaimed production of Black Watch (May 3-June 9). Written by Gregory Burke and directed by John Tiffany (who recently completed work on the acclaimed Broadway musical Once), Black Watch is based on interviews Burke conducted with soldiers of the legendary Scottish regiment who served in Iraq. Using video sequences, song, and dance, the production creates a visceral, complex and urgent piece of theatre told from the point of view of the soldiers that has been called "one of the most richly human works of art to have emerged from this long-lived war" (The New York Times). This groundbreaking and intensely physical production will be performed in the long dormant Drill Court at San Francisco's historical Armory, a space used as a National Guard facility from 1914 until 1976. Located in the heart of the Mission district, the Armory will bolster the production's dramatic military environment as it hurtles audiences from a pool room in Fife, Scotland, to a beleaguered armored vehicle in Iraq. Says Perloff: "The minute I saw Black Watch I knew A.C.T. had to be a part of bringing this monumental piece of majestic theater to San Francisco, but its demands of setting and size truly had us searching high and low for the right venue. The Armory, a building with a rich history of its own, was the perfect fit to set the stage and enhance the audiences' experience and their understanding of what happened to the Black Watch soldiers."

The 2012–13 season culminates with a new production of Tom Stoppard's masterwork Arcadia (May 16–June 9). Perloff's production of Arcadia in 1995 launched her deep relationship with playwright Tom Stoppard, and both she and Tom were anxious to reprise their work at the Geary. Hailed as one of the best plays of the 20th century, Arcadia unfolds in a beautiful English country house and moves between the 19th century and the present through a series of love stories, as characters from both eras discover connections, unearth mysteries, and unravel hidden truths about the nature of heat and desire. Filled with gorgeous language–and brimming with suspense-Arcadia is "the perfect blend of brains and emotion, wit and heartache" (The New York Times). This will mark the seventh time Perloff has collaborated with friend and colleague Stoppard during her 20-year tenure, including the American premieres of Indian Ink and The Invention of Love, and Popular Productions of Rock 'n' Roll (2009) and Travesties (2006). Says Stoppard: "I have felt part of A.C.T.'s extended family for decades, and for 20 years part of Carey's family. It's a great thing to have a play on her stage, a rare tribute to have a play revived by the company, and best of all to have Arcadia returning to A.C.T. - I don't take it lightly, and I'm grateful."

Full-play subscriptions are available for $238-$637and offer incredible savings, unparalleled access, exclusive benefits, and personalized customer service and are available via the A.C.T. subscriptions office or online. Subscribers save as much as 50% off single-ticket prices. Students and educators are eligible for half-price subscriptions. Senior citizen discounts are available for certain series. To make subscriptions more affordable, A.C.T. also offers all subscribers an extended payment plan that allows payment in two easy installments. A.C.T.'s competitive subscriber benefits include free ticket exchanges up to the day of scheduled tickets, guaranteed best seating, ticket insurance, access to convenient prepaid parking one block away from the theater, and discounts for neighborhood restaurants and Words on Plays, A.C.T.'s in-depth theater guide for each show. To renew an A.C.T. subscription, please call 415.749.2250 or log on to www.act-sf.org/renew.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos