American Conservatory Theater Sets Complete Lineup for 2017 NEW STRANDS FESTIVAL

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.)'s Associate Artistic Director Andy Donald announced the complete lineup for A.C.T.'s second annual New Strands Festival taking place at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater (1127 Market Street, San Francisco) May 17-21, 2017.

Featuring new theatrical pieces, works-in-progress, and readings - as well as experimental work by innovative artists across different disciples, including music, visual arts, and more - the New Strands Festival is devoted to supporting local, national, and International Artists in the creation and completion of original theater.

In addition, A.C.T. will hold public presentations of the recently announced projects from New York City's acclaimed Ma-Yi Theater Company that were chosen as part of A.C.T.'s inaugural New Strands Residency.

This free festival enables artists to connect and collide, and for communities to experience theatrical projects as they take shape, all under one roof at A.C.T.'s The Strand Theater. Performances at the New Strands Festival are free and open to the public. Reservations are strongly encouraged and are available now at www.act-sf.org/newstrands.

"For this year's New Strands Festival, we've invited an incredible group of artists and makers from all corners of the country to collaborate with the diverse communities of San Francisco," says Donald. "From new A.C.T.-commissioned musicals about religion and startups, to an original clown and movement piece about fatherhood, to our three New Strands Residency plays from Ma-Yi that tackle big global issues, the festival lineup is meant to be authentic to this city, its people, and this moment. We can't wait to introduce new artists - and some familiar ones - and enlist our audience in the birth of this important new work."

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The lineup for the second annual New Strands Festival is as follows:

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17

7-9 PM - "Thinking About Theater in the 21st Century" Master Class with Carey Perloff
The Rembe at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater

7-9 PM - Clown Master Class with Stephen Buescher
The Rueff at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater

THURSDAY, MAY 18

7-9 PM - Songwriting Master Class with Casey Lee Hurt
The Rembe at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater

7-9 PM - Playwriting Master Class with Dipika Guha
The Rueff at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater

FRIDAY, MAY 19

6 PM - HAPPY HOUR FEATURING DRINKS SPECIALS AND LIVE MUSIC
Strand Theater Lobby

7 PM - PRESENTATION OF THE GREAT LEAP
The Rueff at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater

by Lauren Yee
Directed by Lisa Peterson

When an American college basketball team travels to Beijing for a "friendship" game in the post-Cultural Revolution 1980s, both countries try to tease out the politics behind this newly popular sport. Inspired by events in her own father's life.

Yee is one of the Ma-Yi Theater Company playwrights chosen to be part of A.C.T.'s inaugural New Strands Residency program.

SATURDAY, MAY 20

12 PM - PRESENTATION OF FATHERVILLE
The Rembe at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater

Co-created by Carey Perloff, Basil Twist, Darron L. West, ShelDon Smith, and Stephen Buescher
In collaboration with Pascal Molat, Bruce Turk, Peter Anderson, and Gregory Wallace

Exploring ideas of lost fathers and wishful sons, shooting-gallery machismo and carnival family trips, Fatherville is a non-verbal, devised work back by popular demand from last year's New Strands Festival.

*A.C.T. New Strands Residency

1 PM - PRESENTATION OF SNOWFLAKES, OR RARE WHITE PEOPLE
The Rueff at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater

by Dustin Chinn
Directed by Mina Morita

In a dystopian future, the dwindling white American population is protected by the federal government. Two of the last White Americans are brought to Nueva New York's Museum of Natural History but are "freed" by a disgruntled activist. Is America ready for their return?

Chinn is one of the Ma-Yi Theater Company playwrights chosen to be part of A.C.T.'s inaugural New Strands Residency program.

3:30 PM - STRANDS AND STRINGS
Strand Theater Lobby

Composed by Tania Chen

Internationally acclaimed pianist and video artist Tania Chen premieres a new piece exclusively for the New Strands Festival, to be performed by a string quartet in the Strand Lobby in conjunction with an original video installation.

*Supported by a Building Demand for the Arts Implementation Grant from the Doris Duke
Charitable Foundation

4 PM - PRESENTATION OF THE MAN FROM SAIGON
The Rueff at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater

by Don Nguyen
Directed by Hal Brooks

As Saigon nears collapse in 1975, a South Vietnamese intelligence agent forges a complicated friendship with Richard Armitage, a charismatic US officer who would later become George W. Bush's deputy secretary of state. A political thriller based on the story of the playwright's father.

Nguyen is one of the Ma-Yi Theater Company playwrights chosen to be part of A.C.T.'s inaugural New Strands Residency program.

6 PM - THE 2050 NEW STRANDS FESTIVAL: THE FUTURE OF THEATER PANEL DISCUSSION
The Rembe at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater

With New Strands Festival Artists; moderated by Jeremy Cohen

What will the New Strands Festival look like in 2050? A festival artist panel convenes at The Strand-A.C.T.'s incubator for new theatrical work-to discuss the evolution of new work development, the state of the industry in San Francisco and beyond, and the challenges and opportunities of producing work for the next generation. The panel is moderated by Jeremy Cohen, Artistic Director of the Playwrights Center in Minneapolis, MN.

6 PM - HAPPY HOUR FEATURING DRINK SPECIALS AND LIVE MUSIC
Strand Theater Lobby

7:30 PM - ENCORE PRESENTATION OF FATHERVILLE
The Rembe at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater

Co-created by Carey Perloff, Basil Twist, Darron L. West, ShelDon Smith, and Stephen Buescher
In collaboration with Pascal Molat, Bruce Turk, Peter Anderson, and Gregory Wallace

Exploring ideas of lost fathers and wishful sons, shooting-gallery machismo and carnival family trips, Fatherville is a non-verbal, devised work back by popular demand from last year's New Strands Festival.

*A.C.T. New Strands Residency

9 PM - PRESENTATION OF REVIVAL
The Rueff at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater

A New Musical
by Lucy Thurber and Casey Lee Hurt

When you come from small-town America, it takes courage to leave and strength to stay. Obie Award-winning playwright Lucy Thurber (The Hill Town Plays) and composer Casey Lee Hurt (The Unfortunates) craft an epic musical about family and first love, the history of the land and the power of the church.

*A.C.T. New Strands Commission

SUNDAY, MAY 21

1 PM - PRESENTATION OF PORT CITY
Strand Theater Lobby

A New Musical
by Christopher Chen and Byron Au Yong
Directed by Eric Ting

In a musical fable framed as a spectacular product launch, Bay Area playwright Chris Chen (Caught) and composer Byron Au Yong (Stuck Elevator) investigate the psychological and philosophical questions of how technology shapes our lives.

*A.C.T. New Strands Commission, made possible by a grant from The MAP Fund, supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

3:30 PM - STRANDS AND STRINGS
Strand Theater Lobby

Composed by Tania Chen

Internationally acclaimed pianist and video artist Tania Chen premieres a new piece exclusively for the New Strands Festival, to be performed by a string quartet in the Strand Lobby in conjunction with an original video installation.

*Supported by a Building Demand for the Arts Implementation Grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

4:30 PM - PRESENTATION OF BLACK BUTTERFLIES
The Rembe at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater

by Darren Canady
Directed by Tyrone Davis

When you're a girl of color trapped between school, court, and the incarceration system, orange ain't the new black. An exploration of how young women try to escape the "school-to-prison pipeline," despite the community-wide complicity of parents, educators, and lawyers.

*A.C.T./Young Conservatory Commission for the Collaborative Youth Arts Project

6 PM - HAPPY HOUR FEATURING DRINK SPECIALS AND LIVE MUSIC
Strand Theater Lobby

7 PM - PRESENTATION OF MALICIOUS ANIMAL MAGNETISM
The Rueff at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater

by Dipika Guha and Jeremy Cohen
Directed by Jeremy Cohen

In 1973, amid men in suits, men weeping, and one psychiatrist in a Nixon mask, ten-year-old Peter witnesses a landmark moment in gay rights and reaches out to grab the hand of Oakland boy Deshawn. An epic story about love, queerness, and what we can't help looking at.

*A.C.T. New Strands/Z Space Co-Commission for the M.F.A. Program Class of 2018

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New Strands is A.C.T.'s newly expanded commissioning and development program, devoted to supporting artists in the creation and completion of original theater for A.C.T.'s multiple performance venues. Year-round, A.C.T. offers commissioned artists and companies mentorship, feedback, acting talent, time, and space to work in ways that suit each project specifically, with the goal of seeing their creations on one of A.C.T.'s stages and beyond. From translations and adaptations to original work, A.C.T.'s commissions include interdisciplinary projects, San Francisco-inspired stories, and pieces that have an international scope.

The New Strands Festival is made possible by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Fund for New Works, Theatre Forward, the Priscilla and Keith Geeslin New Strands Fund, and San Francisco's Office of Economic and Workforce Development - Invest in Neighborhoods.

The inaugural New Strands Residency with Ma-Yi Theater Company is supported by a Building Demand for the Arts Implementation Grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the new A.C.T. Asian stARTup Council to bring together Asian/Asian American artists and tech workers in the Bay Area.

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