RAMAYANA, THE SEAGULL and More Highlight ACT's 2012-2013 Fall/Winter Calendar

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre has announced its Fall and Winter calendar, including its biggest party of the year: Wanderlust – ACT's Night of Adventure and Annual Gala just in time to kick off the autumnal season. The rest of the calendar rounds out the year with a plethora of exciting new theatrical events including Central Heating Lab projects, the season's finale production of Ramayana, and ACT's holiday tradition of A Christmas Carol.

Tickets for productions between now and January 2013 are currently on sale at www.acttheatre.org or 206-292-7676.

RAMAYANA
By Yussef El Guindi and Stephanie Timm
October 12 – November 11, 2012 Tuesdays through Sundays
Tickets start at $37.50 (adults), $15 (students), 25% off (seniors), Pay-What-You-Can starts day of the show everyday at 1:00pm in person. Included with the ACTPass.

ACT presents the season finale and theatrical event of the year, the South and South East Asian saga of Ramayana. The epic hero tale, Ramayana tells the story of Rama, a young prince on a quest to rescue his beautiful wife from an evil king. A unique spectacle like nothing Seattle stages have seen; ACT will combine vivid costumes, battle scenes, puppetry, choreography, and re-imagined environments in a huge collaborative effort combining some of Seattle's finest talent. The world premiere production is co-directed by Kurt Beattie and Sheila Daniels with choreography by Maureen Whiting, and a new script interpretation by the award winning playwright Yussef El Guindi and Stephanie Timm.

Bringing this epic to life has been a labor of love for Artistic Director Kurt Beattie as he assembled a large ensemble of collaborators from various artistic disciplines. For over two years ACT's Affiliate Artist Working Group has been shaping this classic work of literature into a stage play using cultural and performance influences from all over the world, and locally more than 70 Seattle artists have contributed to the process through readings, creative collaborations, and workshops.

RAMAYANA supporting event: Lecture
Shadows of the Ramayana in Puppets, Politics, and Film
Sunday, October 7, 4:00pm
Tickets: $10 - $15 Included in the ACTPass

Ramayana traditions have been known in Java, Indonesia's largest island, and Bali, Indonesia's most desirable tourist destination, for at least 1500 years. But the stories changed as they made their way from India to Java and Bali. When Java became Islamic in the 15th and 16th centuries, Ramayana stories began to incorporate Islamic elements. Shadow theatre, a long-lived and much beloved performance tradition, was the vehicle that conveyed Ramayana stories over the centuries. Professor Laurie Sears explores how Ramayana traditions continue to thrive and impact Islamic Javanese culture.

GREAT SOUL OF RUSSIA
Tuesday, October 9, 7:00pm
Tickets: $10 Included in the ACTPass

Presented by The Seagull Project, "The Great Soul of Russia" is a series of readings celebrating great Russian writers. Come share a glass of wine with us, and enjoy a lovely and inspiring series of Russian readings. October's theme is "They Ate Cabbage and Brown Bread." In the spirit of Russian and Irish humor, The Seagull Project will present a reading of two one act plays written by the great Irish playwright Brian Friel, based on Chekhov's work.

RAMAYANA supporting event: Lecture
The Ramayana and the Sacred Temples of Angkor: Cambodia and Beyond
Sunday, October 14, 4:00pm
Tickets: $10- $15 Included in the ACTPass

The Ramayana, an Indian derived epic poem, plays a significant role in the arts and culture of mainland Southeast Asia (Burma, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand). In this multimedia lecture, Professor Boreth Ly will discuss how this story is nuanced and localized in the arts of this region.

WANDERLUST – ACT's Night of Adventure and Annual Gala
Monday, October 15, 5:30pm
Tickets: $200

Come wander with us through a world of art, theatre, music and dance. Take part in an evening of exploration where the cultures and cuisines of the continents converge under one roof. Sate your palette on world flavors paired with cultural performances as you travel the globe throughout every level of ACT's building. Come be a part of the adventure where each guest can choose their own path.

RAMAYANA supporting event: Lecture
Many Sitas
Sunday, November 3, 4:00pm
Tickets: $10 - $15 Included in the ACTPass

The story of Ramayana is not possible without Sita. But which Sita? Sita has had a variety of characteristics, physical appearance, personal traits and relationships with the other characters in Ramayana. Pauwels will describe some of these various incarnations, as they appear in literature, film, television, and other media. This event has been moved from the The Lalie space to the larger Bullitt Cabaret due to demand.

GREAT SOUL OF RUSSIA
By The Seagull Project and presented by the Central Heating Lab
Tuesday, November 13, 7:00pm
Tickets: $10 Included in the ACTPass

Presented by The Seagull Project, "The Great Soul of Russia" is a series of readings celebrating great Russian writers. Come share a glass of wine with and enjoy a lovely and inspiring series of Russian readings. November's theme is "Mother Russia."

BLADFOLD & THE SHELF
By David Nixon and presented by the Central Heating Lab
November 16 & 17, 8:00pm
Tickets: $15 Included in the ACTPass

A film and multimedia event, Bladfold is the story of David Nixon's father Brad Nixon who was an influential and charismatic leader in a sect of Japanese Buddhism in Seattle in the 1970's. The Shelf is a film about a boy who invents a myth to help him understand the vast differences between himself and his brother.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
By Charles Dickens
Adapted by Gregory Falls
November 23 – December 30
Tickets: $27 - $55

ACT proudly presents the Seattle holiday tradition of the classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the curmudgeonly businessman who requires the intervention of a few spectral guides to understand the true meaning of Christmas and life. Well over a century after its writing, Dickens' classic tale of hope and redemption continues to remind us what's really worth celebrating - at the holidays, or any time!

SEATTLE CONFIDENTIAL
Curated by Ian Bell and presented by the Central Heating Lab
Monday, December 3, 7:30pm
Tickets: $10 - $15 – Included in the ACTPass

Everyone has a few stories that they would never tell their family, should never tell their friends…but perhaps they could tell a room full of strangers. "Seattle Confidential" makes this a reality - with the help of Seattle's finest actors, and a cloak of anonymity. December's theme is "Ghost Stories (Or The Afterlife)."

OEDIPUS EL REY
By Luis Alfaro
Produced by eSe Teatro and the Central Heating Lab
December 5 – December 16
Tickets: $20 – Included with the ACTPass

The Greeks descend on modern day California in eSe Teatro's first full theatrical production, Luis Alfaro's Oedipus El Rey, reacquainting audiences with the iconic tragedy through the lens of Chicano culture and ancient Mexican ritual.

WISEMEN
By Rosenstock Productions
Opens December 13 – December 22
Tickets: $20 in advance/ $25 at the door - Included with the ACTPass

A sacreligious musical comedy tracing the trials of three representatives from the Wisemen Law Firm: Goldberg, Frankenstein, and Murray. The three lawyers must hold court against an evil Santa Claus, the gangster-rapping Easter Bunny, and God himself in their quest for the truth.

14/48: THE WORLD'S QUICKEST THEATRE FESTIVAL
Presented by 14/48 and the Central Heating Lab
January 4 – January 12
Tickets: Adults: $20, At the Door: $25, Festival Pass: $40, Students: $10 Included with the ACTPass

14/48 is 14 plays created, written, designed, scored, rehearsed and performed in 48 hours.

THE SEAGULL
By Anton Chekhov
The Seagull Project and the Central Heating Lab
January 24 - February 10
Tickets: $35 – Included with the ACTPass

The lives of ten unforgettable characters unfold before our eyes in Anton Chekhov's first great play. The Seagull Project is about process. By working together for nine months, the company is taking the time to create a vibrant and committed ensemble, inspiring humorous, nuanced and spontaneous performances.

Located in the heart of downtown Seattle and serving a population of curious, open-minded, and brave audiences, ACT - A Contemporary Theatre is the only theatre in Seattle dedicated to producing contemporary work with promising playwrights and local performing artists since 1965. A theatre of new ideas, ACT serves as 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 Hansberry Project, 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. With more than 120,000 people who attend shows annually, 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.

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