Kwame Kwei-Armah's LET THERE BE LOVE Begins at A.C.T. Today

Continuing its 2014-15 season, American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) presents Let There Be Love, an intimate and disarmingly honest play from Kwame Kwei-Armah, one of England's most distinguished contemporary playwrights.

Let There Be Love tells the story of Alfred, a cantankerous and aging West Indian immigrant living in London, who has managed to alienate all those around him-including his equally headstrong daughter, with whom he rarely sees eye to eye. When an idealistic young Polish caregiver, new to the country, is assigned to look after him, he experiences a powerful reckoning with his past. Filled with the sumptuous jazz standards that pour forth from Alfred's beloved gramophone and featuring a tour-de-force performance from stage and screen star Carl Lumbly, Let There Be Love explores the unrelenting grip of memory, regret, and forgiveness-and what can happen when we let go of old prejudices and welcome new possibilities. Let There Be Love performs at A.C.T.'s Geary Theater (415 Geary Street) from today, April 8-May 3, 2015. The performance schedule is as follows: Tuesdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 2 p.m. Press night for Let There Be Love is Wednesday, April 15, 2015. Tickets (ranging from $20-$105) are available at the A.C.T. Box Office at 415.749.2228 or online at www.act-sf.org.

Says A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff: "Kwame Kwei-Armah's arrival in the American theater scene has been a thrilling and energizing one for the whole field, and Let There Be Love is a marvelous opportunity to introduce the work of this multi-talented writer, director, actor, producer and artistic director to the Bay Area community. It's a play with its own superb sound track and a huge heart, shedding light on an aspect of immigration rarely talked about or explored. I have loved watching Kwame, along with director Maria Mileaf and actor Carl Lumbly, dig into the piece in our workshops, and know that Let There Be Love will fill the Geary with surprise and passion."

The cast of Let There Be Love includes Carl Lumbly (TV's Cagney & Lacey, Southland and Alias) as Alfred; Donnetta Lavinia Grays (In the Next Room and Well on Broadway) as Gemma; and Greta Wohlrabe (Venus in Fur at Milwaukee Repertory Theater; As You Like It at Santa Cruz Shakespeare) as Maria.

Directed by Maria Mileaf, the creative team for Let There Be Love includes set design by Dan Ostling, lighting design by Russell Champa, costume design by Lydia Tanji, and sound design by Bart Fasbender.

In association with Let There Be Love, A.C.T. will offer numerous InterACT events-many of which are presented free of charge-that will give patrons opportunities to get closer to the action while having an entire night out at the theater. Visit act-sf.org/interact to learn more about subscribing to these events throughout the season:

• Bike to the Theater Night
Wednesday, April 8, 7 p.m.
Providing a greener alternative to theater transportation, A.C.T. and the San Francisco Bike Coalition offer free valet bike parking, as well as a special discount on tickets, for these select performances.

• Prologue:
Tuesday, April 14, 5:30 p.m.
Before the curtain goes up, get behind the artistic process at this fascinating preshow discussion with the director and artistic staff.

• Theater on the Couch:
Friday, April 17, following the 8 p.m. performance
Led by Dr. Mason Turner, chief of psychiatry at San Francisco's Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, this exciting postshow discussion series explores the minds, motives, and behaviors of the characters and addresses audience questions.

• Audience Exchanges:
Tues., April 21, 7 p.m. | Sun., April 26, 2 p.m. | Wed., April 29, 2 p.m.
After the show, stick around for a lively Q&A session with the actors and artists who create the work onstage.

• OUT with A.C.T.:
Wednesday, April 22, following the 8 p.m. performance
The best LGBT night in town! Mingle with the cast and enjoy free drinks and treats at this popular after-party.

• Symposium:
Saturday, April 25, following the 2 p.m. performance
A.C.T. invites you to join us in the theater immediately following your performance for a discussion moderated by A.C.T. dramaturg Michael Paller.

• Wine Series:
Tuesday, April 28, 7 p.m.
Before the show, raise a glass at this wine tasting event featuring a selection of tastings from Wine Night sponsor Wente Vineyards, the country's oldest continuously operated, family-owned winery located in the Bay Area's Livermore Valley.

• PlayTime:
Saturday, May 2, 12:45 p.m.
Before this matinee performance, get hands-on with the artists who make it happen at this interactive theater workshop.

A.C.T.'s production of Let There Be Love is made possible by executive producers Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston, The Shenson Foundation; Barry Williams and Lalita Tademy; producers Don and Judy McCubbin; Jon and Barbara Phillips; and associate producers Mrs. Michael Dollinger; Anne and Gerald Down; Myrna and Tom Frankel; Dr. Allan P. Gold and Mr. Alan Ferrara; Ms. Betty Hoener; and Mary and Gene Metz, with additional support provided by Acorn Winery, Campari, Inspiration Vineyards, and Piazza Market Catering.

A.C.T. would also like to acknowledge its 2014-15 company sponsors Frannie Fleishhacker; Priscilla and Keith Geeslin; Jeri Lynn and Jeffrey W. Johnson; Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston, The Shenson Foundation; Burt and Deedee McMurtry; Barbara Ravizza and John S. Osterweis; Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock; and Doug Tilden and Teresa Keller, as well as its official hotel sponsor, Hotel G, and season partners, Wells Fargo and PG&E.

A.C.T.'s 2014-15 season continues with the West Coast premiere of Caryl Churchill's internationally acclaimed new work, Love and Information, and Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's most rapturous and seductive musical, A Little Night Music.

A.C.T.'s 2015-16 season will feature the West Coast premiere of Will Eno's inventive new comedy, The Realistic Joneses; OBIE Award winner John Douglas Thompson in Terry Teachout's Satchmo at the Waldorf; the groundbreaking new musical, The Unfortunates; Eugene O'Neill's classic comedy, Ah, Wilderness!; and the world premiere of Monstress, a theatrical adaptation of short stories by San Francisco author Lysley Tenorio. In addition, A.C.T. is happy to welcome back the Bay Area's favorite holiday tradition, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, after its record-breaking run last season. The additional two productions - along with performance order and run dates - will be announced at a later date.

Full-season subscriptions offer incredible savings, unparalleled access, exclusive benefits, and personalized customer service. Subscribers save as much as 50% off single-ticket prices. Students and educators are eligible to save up to half price on subscriptions, and senior discounts are available for some 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, discounts for neighborhood restaurants, and the opportunity to subscribe to Words on Plays, A.C.T.'s in-depth theater guide for each show. Subscriptions can be ordered via the A.C.T. subscriptions office by calling 415.749.2250 or online at www.act-sf.org/subscribe.

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