ACT Theatre – NWTheatre

We’ll Have a Gay Ol’ Time!

December 4, 2022December 5, 2022 Chase D. Anderson ACT Theatre, BenDeLaCreme, Cafe Nordo, Can Can Culinary Cabaret, Christmas shows, Dina Martina, Jinkx Monsoon, Justin Vivian Bond, Seattle, Seattle Theatre Group, Shoes and Pants Productions, Theatre Off Jackson

Make your yuletide gay with these glittery, queer Christmas shows.

'TIS THE SEASON ON NOW THEATRE

The Christmas Carols, One and All

November 23, 2022December 2, 2022 Chase D. Anderson ACT Theatre, Christmas shows, Harlequin Productions, Seattle Opera, SecondStory Rep, Valley Center Stage

At least nine versions are taking shape throughout the region. How to decide? Here, theatres give the scoop on what fun twists to expect at each — and why they’re like candy coal or a boozy trio.

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Sweat Now. Process Afterwords.

May 19, 2022May 23, 2022 Chase D. Anderson ACT Theatre, Adrienne Campbell-Holt, Anastacia McCleskey, Anne Allgood, Carey Wong, Eliza Palasz, Emily Kaczmarek, John Langs, Lynn Nottage, Mari Nelson, Robert J. Aguilar, Sara Waisanen, Shawn Belyea, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Tracy Michelle Hughes, Zoe Sarnak

Two big productions on now, paint two American portraits, intimate and recognizable, in details both banal and destabilizing. Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama runs through 5/22 at ACT Theatre; and a world-premiere musical at The 5th runs through 5/21.

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The Thrust: In This Weekend’s Shows, Be Careful What You Wish For

February 8, 2022September 4, 2022 Chase D. Anderson ACT Theatre, John Langs, Qui Nguyen, Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts, Scott B. Randall, Seattle, Up North, Village Theatre, Village Theatre KIDSTAGE, Yussef El Guindi

Three shows this weekend explore the deepest desires of their characters. Not all goes according to plan.

FEATURE THEATRE

Solo Fest: Dare to Claim the Stage

February 6, 2020February 26, 2020 Chase D. Anderson ACT Theatre, Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas, Dani Tirrell, Jasmine Joshua, On the Boards, Sharon Nyree Williams, Sherif Amin, Susan Lieu

This weekend, Sharon Nyree Williams brings ‘Dare to Claim the Sky’ to ACT Theatre, alongside work from three other solo performers; and On the Boards features five dancers and seven durational works in its own solo fest later this month.

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Two ‘Social Justice Scrooges’ Stay Up Past Christmas

December 25, 2019July 7, 2022 Chase D. Anderson Aaron Lamb, ACT Theatre, Charles Dickens, Christmas shows, Gregory A. Falls, Harlequin Productions, John Longenbaugh, Kelly Kitchens, Olympia, Seattle, South Sound

Two versions of ‘A Christmas Carol’ — one new and one classic — seek to highlight the social-justice message at the heart of the original. ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol’ plays at Harlequin in Olympia through 12/31; and ‘A Christmas Carol’ plays at ACT Theatre in Seattle through 12/28.

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‘Yen’, on Now at ACT, Is Tender, Crass and Mesmerizing

September 27, 2019September 30, 2019 Chase D. Anderson ACT Theatre, Alyssa Keene, Amber Tanaka, Daniel J Willis, Kenan Fellowship in Directing, Llywelyn Picton, Maggie Rogers, Parmida Ziaei, Rey Zane, Tim Gouran

‘Yen’ is vulgar. Its characters are often unlikeable, even repulsive. But its unexpected glimpses of tenderness, unabashed lack of nuance, and strong direction and performances make this year’s Kenan Fellowship in Directing showcase a highly recommended trip. It runs through September 29.

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In ‘People of the Book’, Soapy Characters Drift to a Mesmerizing Finale

September 16, 2019September 30, 2019 Dusty Somers ACT Theatre, John Langs, Monika Jolly, Quinlan Corbett, Sydney Andrews, Wasim No’mani, Yussef El Guindi

In Yussef El Guindi’s latest, an adrift and too-convenient show is saved by an exceptional performance in its final moments. ‘People of the Book’ runs through September 29.

ON BOOK REVIEW THEATRE

‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ Can’t Quite Match the Magic of the Book

July 29, 2019August 23, 2019 Dusty Somers ACT Theatre, Joan Didion, Suzanne Bouchard, Victor Pappas

The stage adaptation of Joan Didion’s best-selling memoir of grief, on now through August 11 at ACT Theatre, is a beautifully performed, communal catharsis over the inevitability of death. But its attempt at universality leaves it a flattened version of the original.

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Haunting Production of ‘Pass Over’ Brings the Block to the Round at ACT, Under a Noticeable White Gaze

June 20, 2019June 25, 2019 Chase D. Anderson ACT Theatre, Antoinette Nwandu, Tim Bond

It’s a beautiful, multi-layered production of a potent, multi-layered script, artfully packed into an efficient 80-minute performance. So why was the overall result so unsatisfying?

FEATURE THEATRE

5 Questions with Theatre-Makers Mary Ewald & John Kazanjian

June 18, 2019July 7, 2022 Chase D. Anderson ACT Theatre, interview, John Kazanjian, Mary Ewald, New City Theater

Mary Ewald and John Kazanjian, spouses and long-term collaborators behind the New City Theater, have teamed up with ACTLab to produce two short works running through June 30. Ewald and Kazanjian talked with NWTheatre about their current show at ACT, and about the fascinating arc of New City Theater.

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Our Modern Dystopias, pt. 1: ‘Urinetown’

April 24, 2019November 14, 2021 Chase D. Anderson 5th Avenue Theatre, ACT Theatre, Bill Berry, Greg Kotis, Mari Nelson, Mark Hollman, Seattle

In ‘Urinetown’ (ACT/5th Avenue, extended thru 6/2) and ‘Language Rooms’ (Pony World, thru 5/4), two very different shows grapple with similar themes, showing not-too-far-off modern dystopias in which the bounds of truth and loyalty are tested. Each does so with varying levels of success.