THE LEHMAN TRILOGY & More Set for ACT Theatre 2023/24 Season
The season also features Cambodian Rock Band, A Case for the Existence of God and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Apr. 12, 2023
Seattle's ACT Theatre has announced its 2023-2024 season, featuring a dynamic lineup of contemporary live theatre productions that reflect the company's unwavering commitment to producing work at the cross-section of artistic ambition and civic engagement. With a focus on producing cutting-edge works that challenge the status quo and speak to the world we live in today, this season promises to captivate audiences with compelling and thought-provoking performances. From bold new voices to established playwrights pushing the boundaries of the form, ACT Theatre remains at the forefront of contemporary theatre, and looks forward to the conversations this season will inspire.
Kicking off the season is a co-production with The 5th Avenue Theatre of the 2019 critically-acclaimed play with music, Cambodian Rock Band, which has been hailed as a "wildly entertaining, thoroughly original" production by The Hollywood Reporter. Written by accomplished and award-winning American playwright Lauren Yee (The Great Leap, King of the Yees), this electrifying play follows a Khmer Rouge survivor and her daughter as they confront their family's past, set against the backdrop of the vibrant Cambodian rock music scene. Cambodian Rock Band is backed by a live band playing contemporary Dengue Fever hits and classic Cambodian oldies.
Next up is award-winning and influential contemporary playwright Samuel D. Hunter's A Case for the Existence of God, telling a surprising story of the magnetic pull between two strangers and offering a thought-provoking revelation on the complexities of the "American Dream." This play is a thought-provoking exploration of the human condition.
The season also features the comedy-drama Stew, a bold and innovative new work by 2021 Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Zora Howard. The play follows three generations of women in a family as they navigate their relationships and struggles with identity, love, and loss over the course of one day. The New Yorker called this play "A captivating story that's intimate, funny, and heartbreaking in equal measure" and the New York Stage Review said "Howard clearly is an upcoming artist to watch."
ACT's 4-show season concludes with the thrilling Seattle debut of The Lehman Trilogy, a tour-de-force production that has wowed audiences and critics alike on both sides of the Atlantic. Written by Stefano Massini and adapted for the stage by Ben Power, this epic Tony Award-winning play charts the rise and fall of the Lehman Brothers and the financial system they helped create. Reported as "one of the great plays of the decade" (The Sunday Times), The Lehman Trilogy is a must-see event for theatre lovers and history buffs alike.
ACT Artistic Director John Langs said, "The contemporary theatre is in a new chapter as our storytellers are looking into the way modern society learns, grows, shifts, and changes. Artists are looking beneath the melodrama to the revelations that rise often from the intimate unexpected moment. This is a season where the quiet flutter of a butterfly's wings create a tsunami of emotion that can catalyze a generation of change. Joy breaks from tragedy to a rock and roll beat, and tenderness emerges from our contemporary storm like a lightning strike. This season we explore the art of the intimate epic and we're thrilled to get to share it with our audiences."
With its diverse array of productions, each with its own unique style and perspective, ACT Theatre's 2023-24 season promises to be a thrilling and unforgettable journey through the world of live theatre. Don't miss your chance to experience these award-winning productions and join us for a season of unforgettable performances. Season subscriptions are on sale now at ACTtheatre.org and through the Box Office at 206.292.7676.
MORE ABOUT THE 2023/24 SEASON AT ACT THEATRE
Cambodian Rock Band
A co-production with the 5th Avenue Theatre
In association with Alley Theatre, Signature Theatre, and Center Theatre Group
by Lauren Yee
Featuring Songs by Dengue Fever
Directed by Chay Yew
September 29-November 5, 2023
Guitars tuned. Mic checked. Get ready to rock! This darkly funny hit play with music tells the story of a Khmer Rouge survivor returning to Cambodia for the first time in thirty years, as his daughter prepares to prosecute one of Cambodia's most infamous war criminals. Backed by a live band playing contemporary Dengue Fever hits and classic Cambodian oldies, this thrilling story toggles back and forth in time as father and daughter face the music of the past.
A Case for the Existence of God
2022 New York Drama Critics' Winner for Best Play
February 2-18, 2024
Inside a small loan brokerage in Idaho, two men struggle to make a place for their family in the American dream, navigating the tensions of parenthood, financial security, desire, and empathy. This award-winning play leads the audiences on a twisting journey of intrigue, revelation and surprise as the lives of two fathers intertwine in a glorious reflection on what it means to be human.
Stew
By Zora Howard
2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist
March 15-31, 2024
Mama's up early to prepare the perfect stew for a very important community meal. As the day rolls on, tempers go from a simmer to a boil, and secrets rise to the surface for three generations of Tucker women. When the violence hovering around the periphery of their lives begins to intrude upon the sanctity of the kitchen, mothers and daughters wrestle with loss and hope in this hilarious, haunting drama.
The Lehman Trilogy
Adapted by Ben Power
Tony Award-Winning Play, 76th Annual Awards
April 26-May 12, 2024
The Tony Award®-winning Best Play makes a thrilling Seattle debut after a triumphant run on London's West End and Broadway. The Lehmans begin as so many American immigrants do: on a cold dock in New York City 1844 as a young Jewish man enters his new country for the first time. Joined by his two brothers, he lives the American Dream: from humble beginnings to outrageous success. 163 years later, that legacy-The Lehman Brothers-comes crashing down, triggering the largest financial crisis in history. How? Why? This extraordinary feat of storytelling invites us to question what success is worth, how legacy is defined, and what we value in the wake of devastating collapse.
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