A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory To Present Marisela Trevino Orta's A PLACE TO BELONG And URINETOWN

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) announced today that A.C.T.'s Education & Community Programs, Young Conservatory (YC), and Destiny Arts Center will present the world premiere of A Place to Belong (formerly titled SeaChange)-a new play from playwright Marisela Treviño Orta and this year's Collaborative Youth Arts Project co-produced with Destiny Arts Center and A.C.T.'s Education & Community Programs. In addition, A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory will present the Tony Award-winning satirical musical Urinetown: The Musical. Performances of A Place to Belong will take place July 24-27, 2018, at The Rueff at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater and July 28-29, 2018, at Destiny Arts Center in Oakland; single tickets range in price from $5 to $30. Performances of Urinetown: The Musical will take place August 8-18, 2018, in The Rembe at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater; single tickets range in price from $20 to $35. Tickets for both productions are available now by calling the A.C.T. Box Office at 415.749.2228 or online at www.act-sf.org/csvshows. Tickets for performances of A Place to Belong at Destiny Arts Center are available online at
https://aplacetobelong2018.eventbrite.com.

"The Collaborative Youth Arts Project was established to provide a theatrical platform for the too-often untold stories of young people from systemically marginalized communities, as well as to provide young people from multiple communities the chance to work together on both sides of the bay," said A.C.T. Director of Education & Community Programs Elizabeth Brodersen. "We are honored to deepen the collaboration with longtime community partner Destiny Arts Center, a nationally recognized leader in creative youth development founded thirty years ago to inspire and ignite social change through the arts. Having produced three world premieres of powerful work for young people by noted playwrights of color-Snakes, by Chris Webb (2015), Top of the Pyramid, by Nikkole Salter (2016), and Black Butterflies, by Darren Canady (2017)-our collaboration with Destiny Arts Center continues to flourish. As CYAP continues to evolve, we look forward to building ever stronger bridges to the Bay Area's many diverse communities and empowering young people to tell the stories that most need to be told."

"We are excited to have a talented group of 21 teen actors from A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory, in addition to four of our current A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program students, in this production of Urinetown," said A.C.T. Young Conservatory Director Jill MacLean. "I am proud to bring back a show that ran to critical acclaim on the Geary stage 15 years ago in the summer of 2003. Urinetown's themes of revolutionary uprising, political corruption, and oppression are as relevant as ever, and it is even more significant and important with young actors performing the roles."

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A Place to Belong (formerly titled SeaChange)
A Collaborative Youth Arts Project
by Marisela Treviño Orta
Directed by Elizabeth Carter
July 24-27: The Rueff at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater (1127 Market Street, San Francisco)
July 28-29: Destiny Arts Center in Oakland (970 Grace Ave, Oakland)

Rents are rising.
Police are profiling.
Communities are changing.
We know it's happening.
What are we going to do about it?

In this snapshot of a day in the life of Bay Area teens, playwright Marisela Treviño Orta explores the impact of gentrification, LGBTQ+ intolerance, mental health stigmas, and systemic discrimination on our youth. Through the power of technology, photography, and spoken word, A Place to Belong questions what it means to be Bay Area bred and feel like you don't belong.

Inspired by the real-life stories of teens from rapidly changing neighborhoods in Oakland and the Mission, Bayview, and Fillmore districts of San Francisco, this world premiere combines a cast of young actors from A.C.T.'s Education & Community Programs, Destiny Arts Center in Oakland, A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory, and the M.F.A. Program. Now in its fourth year, the Collaborative Youth Arts Project initiative brings together a diverse group of young actors from the Bay Area to create a play articulating social justice issues confronting today's teens.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, July 24, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, July 25, 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 26, 7 p.m.
Friday, July 27, 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 28, 7 p.m.
Sunday, July 29, 2 p.m.

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Urinetown: The Musical
Music and Lyrics by Mark Hollmann
Book and Lyrics by Greg Kotis
Directed by Jessica Bird
The Rembe at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater (1127 Market Street, San Francisco)

In a world of water shortages, corporate greed, and bureaucratic mismanagement, you're either one of the powerful or one of the powerless. But for the residents outside Public Amenity #9, the time has come to stand up to the Urine Good Company and assert their right to pee for free. A comedic lampooning of everything from capitalism and big industry to city life and Broadway classics, this Tony Award-winning musical is a quirky look at the forces that divide us and unite us.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, August 8, 7 p.m.
Thursday, August 9, 7 p.m.
Friday, August 10, 7 p.m.
Saturday, August 11, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Wednesday, August 15, 7 p.m.
Thursday, August 16, 7 p.m.
Friday, August 17, 7 p.m.
Saturday, August 18, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

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The Young Conservatory (YC) at A.C.T. is an internationally recognized professional theater training program for young people between the ages of 8 and 19. Young actors from throughout the Bay Area (and often other states) who attend the Young Conservatory develop their creative talent, perform in professional-caliber productions, and learn confidence and communication skills. Under the direction of Jill MacLean, the Young Conservatory offers dynamic courses throughout the year for both beginners exploring acting for the first time and young actors with previous experience. Classes are designed to develop imagination, concentration, character, professionalism, and technique, and to strengthen the student's command of their body and voice. For more information, visit www.act-sf.org/yc.

A collaboration among the Young Conservatory, A.C.T.'s Education & Community Programs, and Destiny Arts Center in Oakland, each year the Collaborative Youth Arts Project (CYAP) commissions a playwright of color to write a new play exploring social justice issues as seen through the eyes of young people. Now in its fourth year, this five-week intensive acting and new-play development experience is taught by professional theater artists, provides opportunities for community engagement, and culminates in six performances in The Rueff at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater in San Francisco and at Destiny Arts Center in Oakland. There is no tuition necessary to participate as CYAP is funded by the generous support of various foundation grants.

Under the leadership of Director of Education & Community Programs Elizabeth Brodersen, A.C.T.'s community-based educational efforts bring diverse groups of young people and adults from across the Bay Area together with the A.C.T. community to experience firsthand the transformative potential of dramatic storytelling. The ACTsmart arts education programs-which serve 15,000 students each year-include our Student Matinee (SMAT) program, which offers low-cost and complimentary tickets to mainstage and A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program performances; Will on Wheels, the annual tour of a Shakespeare classic performed in schools and community venues; ACTsmart workshops and tours for school and community groups; and the ACTsmart Intensive Residency program, which provides instruction in writing and performance for youth with the least access to theater education. A.C.T. also offers Back to the Source, an immersive summer institute for educators who use theater techniques in the classroom, as well as ongoing professional development throughout the school year. In addition, A.C.T.'s community programs connect with communities that have historically had the least access to theater performance and education, particularly the Bayview and Tenderloin neighborhoods, to offer a variety of opportunities to experience live theater: workshops, free tickets to mainstage and M.F.A. Program shows, community dinners and events with cast members, and other special events. The annual Every 28 Hours Black Arts Festival brings community members and students in our ACTsmart Intensive Residencies together with students in A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory and M.F.A. Program to highlight police brutality and oppression against Black communities and celebrate the resilience of the Black community. The Citizen Artist curriculum, a partnership with the A.C.T. M.F.A. Program, trains M.F.A. students to be socially conscious teaching artists and provides them direct experience working in our various school and community programs. For more information, visit www.act-sf.org/education.

ACTsmart Education & Community Programs support provided by Bank of America, Bank of the West, California Arts Council, Walter & Elise Haas Fund, The Hearst Foundations, Jewels of Charity, Kimball Family Foundation, Laird Norton Family Foundation, PG&E, San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco Department of Children Youth & Their Families, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, The Vermut Education Fund, and Wells Fargo.

Additional support provided by The Rawley T. Farnsworth Fellowship Fund, The Stanley S. Langendorf Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, The Sato Foundation, Theatre Forward, Union Bank Foundation, U.S. Bank, Linda Jo Fitz, Jeri Lynn & Jeffrey W. Johnson, Janet V. Lustgarten, Gerald B. Rosenstein, Lori Schryer, and Martin Tannenbaum & Alex Ingersoll.

Destiny Arts Center inspires and ignites social change through the arts by providing young people with inclusive spaces for self-discovery, expression, and connection. In our North Oakland studios, at school and community partner sites, and on stages throughout the Bay Area, Destiny Arts Center serves over 3,000 students ages 3 to 24 each year. Young people are taught mastery of movement arts, conflict resolution, and how to be advocates for peace towards the goal of becoming confident and honorable citizens and leaders. Our process creates a tightly knit community of peers that cuts across geography, age and socio-economics, busting down walls and building bridges towards a beloved community. Rooted in the values of love, respect, care, responsibility, honor and peace since 1988, Destiny moves at the intersection of the arts, civic engagement, and social change. For more information, visit https://destinyarts.org/.

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