he Central Heating Lab at ACT Hosts Seattle Confidential 2/7

Aggressively involve and engage your audience. Let THEM decide the content! Starting February 7, 2011,The Central Heating Lab at ACT Theatre launches an exciting theatrical twist on this ever-evolving concept with the first of four provocativeSeattle Confidential productions created by Ian Bell.

Seattle Confidential is part interactive social experiment, part voyeuristic theatre event. Each quarter, Seattle Confidential's creator Ian Bell will present a new theme, then invite the public to ANONYMOUSLY share their most personal stories, inspired by that theme. Submission guidelines and online submission forms are at www.seattleconfidential.org. Written submissions can also be left at one of five drop boxes placed around town (Capitol Hill Drop Boxes @ Bauhaus Books & Coffee, 301 E. Pine; Elliot Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave; in U-District Drop Box @ Twice Sold Tales, 4501 Univ. Ave; Belltown Drop Box@ Bedlam Coffee, 2231 2nd Ave; Georgetown Drop Box @ All City Coffee, 1205 S. Vale St). The theme for the February 7, 2001 Seattle Confidential Event is "Virginity Lost" and submissions must be received by January 31, 2011.

Everyone has a few stories they would never tell their family, should never tell their friends, but could perhaps tell a room full of strangers. Seattle Confidential makes this spill-the-beans-dream a reality; and with help from Seattle's talented actors as well as the comfortable cloak of anonymity, the voyeuristic playwright can silently bond with today's equally inquisitive audience.

Seattle Confidential's goal is to create a series that engages Seattle's unique, curious and intelligent audience in a new way. The result will be "Event Theatre" that is local, interactive, and personal. Seattle Confidential asks its audience to invest in the creative process fearlessly, frankly, and in a forthcoming fashion; with the potential to bridge our community by turning personal experience into shared understanding.

Actors participating in the February 7, 2011 event include: Mark Chamberlin, Emily Chisholm, Nick Garrison, and Gretchen Krich. New themes and a new list of actors will be introduced for the May 9, August 8 and November 14, 2011 events. Tickets are on sale now through ACT Theatre at acttheatre.org or (206) 292-7676.

About Ian Bell
Ian Bell created The Brown Derby Series at Re-bar (now in its 12th season) and co-created the Neither/Nor series at (the sadly now defunct) Consolidated Works. Bell's 10 years as Artistic Director of theatre group Bald Faced Lie yielded over 30 original shows for multiple local theaters, several tours around the U.S. and across Canada, and regular appearances on NPR. Bell served as both a Board Member and Managing Director of SketchFest Seattle (consecutively, not concurrently) between 2002 and 2006. Bell was Producing Director for Re-bar from 2005-2009 debuting and fostering the earliest work by artists such as AWESOME, The Love Markets, Mark Siano, Day In Dig Nation, and The French Project (many of which have gone on to perform at ACT's Central Heating Lab, and On The Boards). He is also a professional actor, and has worked at Empty Space Theatre, Seattle Children's Theatre, ACT Theatre and the Seattle Repertory as a union performer and at nearly every fringe theatre in town when he was non-union. Bell has appeared in several local-made, feature-length films including "Grass Roots", "A Relative Thing" and "Mulletville". In addition to contributing writing, he was also a performer on the ill-fated local TV show "The John Report with Bob" on KIRO Channel 7, a regular cast member of nationally syndicated "The Eyes of Nye "(with Bill Nye) on PBS stations, and on the nationally broadcast radio show "ReWind with Bill Radke" on NPR.

About ACT: A Theatre of New Ideas - Raising Consciousness Through Theatre
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. 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 100,000 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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