A.C.T. Announces New Performance Dates and Casting for A.C.T. Out Loud Series

Today, American Conservatory Theater announced new performance dates and initial casting information for A.C.T. Out Loud, a series of filmed play readings featuring enduring works by some of the greatest minds of generations past. These plays have the power to reach across time, speaking both to the age in which they were written and the ever-changing currents of today, and include works that have been long-celebrated as well as those that have not received the attention they are due. The three upcoming readings are: Alice Childress's Trouble in Mind, directed by Awoye Timpo (In Old Age at New York Theatre Workshop; The Homecoming Queen at Atlantic Theater Company); George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man, directed by 2020 SAG Award nominee, Obie Award winner, and Tony Award nominee Colman Domingo (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom on Netflix; The Scottsboro Boys on Broadway, Fear The Walking Dead on AMC); and Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, directed by Dawn Monique Williams (Moon Man Walk at A.C.T.; The Merry Wives of Windsor at Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Tickets ($5-$50) are available now by calling the A.C.T. Box Office at 415-749-2228 or visiting www.act-sf.org.

"I am thrilled to get to hear these three great plays, and to see performers up close," says A.C.T. Artistic Director Pam MacKinnon. "Readings always strip a play down to the essentials of language, story, and performance. Three visionary directors and A.C.T. bring together actors from around the Bay and the country to entertain, provoke, and investigate big themes of racism, power, agency, war, money, and marriage with Childress, Shaw, and Wilder standing the test of time and showing the way. We're happy after four days of rollicking and rigorous process to capture each play, alive with first impressions, big truth, and happy energy."

"Our incredible artistic and production teams have worked tirelessly to bring to life a virtual stage where artists-separated by continents and time zones-could safely gather, making for a truly unique and memorable A.C.T. experience," adds A.C.T. Executive Director Jennifer Bielstein. "Audiences will get to see Dakin Matthews in his first A.C.T. production in almost 35 years, witness the A.C.T. debuts of artists such as David Harbour and Awoye Timpo, welcome Colman Domingo back to the San Francisco theater scene, and cheer lauded Bay Area artists such as Steven Anthony Jones, Anthony Fusco, Catherine Castellanos, and Dawn Monique Williams."

Alice Childress's Trouble in Mind

Directed by Awoye Timpo
March 29-April 4, 2021 - New On-Demand Performance Dates
March 29, 2021 at 6 p.m. PST - Opening Night Watch Party

Time: 1957. Place: New York City. Six actors gather in a Broadway theater to rehearse an anti-lynching play, written and directed by white artists. Newcomer John believes in the sanctity of theater, ingénue Judy insists there's only the human race, and veteran actress Wiletta is torn between getting along and delving into the authentic truth of her character. As the actors get on their feet and small talk turns into discussion on motivation and theme, tension begins to run high, ultimately reaching a point of no return. A boulevard comedy with undeniable dramatic force, Alice Childress's masterpiece would have been the first play by a Black woman produced on Broadway if she had agreed to the producers' demands that she soften its message. Funny, incisive, and poignant, this play-within-a-play is an unflinching examination of white fragility and liberalism in the theater industry.

Casting for Trouble in Mind includes: Patrice Johnson Chevannes, Anthony Fusco, David Harbour, Kadeem Ali Harris, Steven Anthony Jones, Eliza Kaye, Dakin Matthews, Johnny Rice, Lauren Spencer, and Kaiy Watts.

Creative team for Trouble in Mind includes: Jason Ardizzone-West (Production Designer), Beryl Baker (Video Designer & Editor), and Arminda Thomas (Dramaturg).

George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man

Directed by Colman Domingo
April 12-18, 2021 - New On-Demand Performance Dates
April 12, 2021 at 6 p.m. PST - Opening Night Watch Party

Between a hero and a mercenary, who would you choose? In 1885's Bulgaria, young heiress Raina finds herself in the thrillingly romantic situation of finding Bluntschli, a fleeing enemy soldier-for-hire, in her room. Raina is engaged to a Bulgarian war hero but risks her reputation to shelter Bluntschli, despite his annoying habit of undercutting her grand speeches with inveterate pragmatism. When the conflict ends, Raina's fiancé comes home just as the mercenary reappears. Will Raina choose the hero or the cynic? Set against the backdrop of the Serbian-Bulgarian War, Arms and the Man is a comedy of manners about the limits of romance and the unexpected allure of practicality.

Casting for Arms and the Man includes: Phillip James Brannon, Allen Darby, Allie Marie Evans, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Ariel Shafir, and Liam Vincent. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Creative team for Arms and the Man includes: Luis Garcia (Video Designer & Editor).

Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker

Directed by Dawn Monique Williams
April 26-May 2, 2021 - On-Demand Performance Dates
April 26, 2021 at 6 p.m. PST - Opening Night Watch Party

Matchmaker Dolly Levi has promised to help wealthy widower Horace Vandergelder find his next wife and whisks him away to Manhattan to meet his dream woman. But Dolly has an agenda of her own, and Horace soon finds himself embroiled in a comedy-of-errors involving his niece and her lover, as well as two clerks who long for adventure in the city. From one of America's most beloved playwrights Thornton Wilder, this charming farce inspired the popular musical Hello, Dolly!, and is an uproarious exploration of the necessity of generosity, the limits of wealth, and the pursuit of the good life.

Casting for The Matchmaker includes: Michael J. Asberry, Clint Bidwell, Aldo Billingslea, Catherine Castellanos, John Chukwudelunzu, Will Dao, Ashley J. Hicks, Jordan Maia, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Zahan F. Mehta, Mākena Miller, Rachel Morrison, Christopher James Stevens, and Kaiy Watts. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Creative team for The Matchmaker includes: Luis Garcia (Video Designer & Editor).

To post a comment, you must register and login.