'JACQUES BREL', With Louis Hobson and Kendra Kassebaum, Opens Tonight at ACT in Seattle

Beginning this month, A Contemporary Theatre (ACT) continues to partner with the 5th Avenue Theatre, co-producing a musical that appears on each organization's season and performed at ACT. Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris opens tonight, March 12, and runs for 10 weeks in the Falls Theatre, directed by David Armstrong. The production runs through May 17, 2015.

In 1968, a musical revue of songs by a little-known Belgian singer/songwriter opened Off-Broadway at the Village Gate and astounded the audiences who came to see it. It would run for four years and go on to be performed around the world. Packed with wit, intelligence, and raw human emotion, Brel's songs radiate stories of love and loss, hope and despair, humor and pathos. The emotional power of these songs has inspired hundreds of artists (everyone from David Bowie and Neil Diamond to Celine Dion and Nirvana) to cover his work. The poignant, passionate, and profound songs of Jacques Brel are brought to vivid theatrical life in this intense musical experience.

In the cast are Eric Ankrim*, Louis Hobson* (Mar 7-Apr 12), Cayman Ilika*, Kendra Kassebaum*, Timothy McCuen Piggee*, and Matt Owen* (Apr 14-May 17).

The band/music staff features Dwight Beckmeyer - Associate Music Director, Conductor, Piano; Greg Fulton, Guitar; Chris Monroe, Percussion; Dave Pascal, Bass; and Dane Andersen - Music Coordinator.

On the creative team: David Armstrong - Director & Musical Staging; Joel Fram - Music Supervisor; Tom Sturge - Scenic & Lighting Designer; Harmony Arnold - Costume Designer; Chris Walker - Sound Designer; Chryssie Whitehead - Associate Director & Associate Choreographer; Ian Eisendrath - Resident Music Supervisor; Dwight Beckmeyer - Associate Music Director; Tristan Roberson - Associate Projection & Assistant Lighting Designer; Brendan Patrick Hogan - Associate Sound Designer; Jeffrey K. Hanson* - Stage Manager; Erin B. Zatloka* - Assistant Stage Manager; and Adrienne Mendoza - Production Assistant.

All ticket purchases and information are available at www.acttheatre.org or (206) 292-7676. For more about the production, click here.

A Contemporary Theatre - ACT is the only local theatre dedicated to producing contemporary work with promising playwrights and local performing artists since 1965. ACT is a cultural engine that makes plays, dance, music, and film that touch us through its annual Mainstage Play series and new works generated from the Young Playwrights Program, the Central Heating Lab, and New Works for the American Stage commissioning program. Because contemporary life demands examination, ACT is driven to inspire and strengthen our diverse community through works that advance our understanding of human life. ACT is an interactive community where artists and the public witness, contemplate and engage in dialogue on today's thought-provoking issues, ideas and art, presented with intelligence, insight, and humor. Dedicated to the advancement and preservation of today's contemporary work for future generations, ACT is a destination for contemporary theatre and arts in downtown Seattle.

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