Yussef El Guindi's THREESOME World Premiere to Run 6/5-28 at ACT

Award-winning local playwright Yussef El Guindi (Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World; Ramayana) returns to ACT with a new play that weaves issues ripped from world headlines into an intimate and personal story. Co-Produced by Portland Center Stage and ACT, THREESOME is directed by Chris Coleman and will soon premiere Off-Broadway.

Leila and Rashid, Egyptian Americans with ties to Cairo, attempt to solve their relationship issues by inviting a relative stranger into their bedroom to engage in a threesome. What begins as a hilariously awkward evening soon becomes an experience fraught with secrets, raising issues of sexism, cultural identity, possession, and independence.

Off-Broadway's acclaimed 59E59 Theater has just announced that this production will travel to Manhattan with the same cast to perform Threesome for New York City audiences. El Guindi was also the 2013 winner of the Steinberg/ACTA Award (the nation's largest new play award) for his play Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World which premiered here at ACT and was developed at the Icicle Creek New Play Festival.

The cast features: Alia Attallah - Leila; Dominic Rains - Rashid; and Quinn Franzen - Doug.

On the creative team are: Chris Coleman - Director; Alison Heryer - Costume Designer; Peter Maradudin - Lighting Designer; Casi Pacilio - Sound Designer; and JR Welden - Stage Manager.

DETAILS:

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre Mainstage
Threesome by Yussef El Guindi
Where: ACT, The Falls Theatre, 700 Union Street, Downtown Seattle
When: June 5 - June 28 (Press Opening June 11)
Tickets: All tickets only $20
Available to ACTPass members. Now on sale: 206.292.7676 or www.acttheatre.org

Notice: Be advised that Threesome contains Nudity, Strong Language, and Sexual Themes

CAST BIOGRAPHIES:

Alia Attallah (Leila) - A Minnesota native, Alia received her B.F.A. from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Actor Training Program. In the years that followed she acted in various professional projects, such as King Lear and Ibsen's Ghosts. In 2014, Alia received her M.F.A in Acting from New York University. Alia has also studied in London, where she worked with John Barton (Royal Shakespeare Company) and studied clowning at the London Institute for the Performing Arts (LISPA). In 2010, Alia traveled to India to be part of a cultural immersion project focused on training American Actors in the ancient discipline of Kathakali Theater. Under the tutelage of Ruben Polendo (NYU Abu Dhabi) and Guru Kal, she learned the 2,000 year-old practice of performing theatrical ballads from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Vedic texts. Alia also worked with Eve Ensler (author of The Vagina Monologues) on a performance festival in 2006.

Quinn Franzen (Doug) - A member of the Satori Group, Quinn co-developed and performed in Returning to Albert Joseph, reWilding, and Fabulous Prizes. Other Seattle credits include: Louis in Angels in America pts. 1 & 2, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Frank in Dirty Story (Intiman Festival); Stapleton in Hound of the Baskervilles (Seattle Repertory Theatre); Cassio in Othello, Algernon in Importance of Being Earnest (Seattle Shakespeare Company); and the title role in Crash (Seattle Children's Theatre). He has done a number of smaller commercial and television projects including a spot on NBC's Grimm. He has trained with Pig Iron, The Market Theatre in Johannesburg, Shakes and Co., and LAMDA. Quinn holds a BA in theatre from Williams College.

Dominic Rains (Rashid) is a member of the acclaimed Elephant Theater Company in Los Angeles, having appeared in The North Plan, Baby Doll, Love Sick, Block 9 and the Love Bites series. Dominic has appeared in over a dozen television shows and movies, including the Sundance Film Festival hit The Taqwacores by Eyad Zahra (Best Actor, International Film Festival of Ourense, Spain), Jinn: The Ghost is Dead (Freestyle Releasing) and the critically acclaimed A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (three Independent Spirit Award nominations, Vice Films). Upcoming projects include the title character 'T' in Chee and T (directed by Tanuj Chopra), Funeral Day (directed by Jon Weinberg) and Camino (directed by Josh Waller).

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, ACTLab, 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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