Dear Future Fellow: A Letter to the Incoming 2017–18 Season Fellows

-
By Elspeth Sweatman

July and August at A.C.T. sees the arrival of the 2017–18 season’s fellows. All year, the fellows work in A.C.T.’s many departments, from artistic and marketing to education, development, and more. They are a part of the mainstage productions, the New Strands Festival, the Downtown High School Residency program, the season gala, and the M.F.A. Program and Young Conservatory productions.

2016–17 Season Fellows Victoria Mortimer and Jessica Katz. Photo by Elspeth Sweatman.
From the keyboard of a former fellow, here is some advice for our incoming colleagues.

Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. Work in the VIP Lounge, usher in the theater. Attend the conservatory hours. You never know, you may get to share an elevator with Tom Stoppard, exchange emails with Annie Baker, or show A Thousand Splendid Suns author Khaled Hosseini to his seat.

2016–17 Season Fellows Decorating The Geary.
Photo by Amy Hand.
Enjoy the perks of being a fellow. In November, the fellows gather at The Geary Theater to decorate the theater for the holidays. In the spring, they take part in the New Strands Festival, and produce their own show in A.C.T.’s Costume Shop. These are unique; savor them.

Explore and investigate. Go over to The Costume Shop and see the amazing work they do. Go behind the scenes at The Geary. Chat with people who work in development, in education, in artistic, and in company management. Go say hi to the fellows over at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. See shows throughout the Bay Area. You never know what you might discover.

It’s a journey. There is so much to learn and take in at A.C.T. There are days that will challenge you as an artist and as a team member. Just take a deep breath. The fellowship is a year long for a reason.

Remember to eat lunch. It sounds dorky, but it’s important. Take a break, go out on our patio, enjoy San Francisco’s weather, and say hi to our resident seagull.

We can't wait to meet you all and see what amazing things you will accomplish during the 2017–18 season.

For more information about A.C.T.’s Fellowship Program, click here.

Popular posts from this blog

“To Be or Not to Be”: The Iconic Speech’s Origins, Interpretations, and Impact

-
Image
By A.C.T. Publications Staff The opening line of Hamlet ’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy is theater’s most iconic, most referenced quote. What’s less known is the famous speech’s history, with Hamlet ’s earliest publications offering varying versions of its language. Also questioned is its meaning—is Hamlet contemplating suicide or is he weighing the consequences of murder? Though definitive answers are unlikely to arise, the questions “To be or not to be” asks have kept audiences, scholars, and actors engaged for centuries. Hamlet ’ s "To be or not to be" speech as it appears in the three original editions of the play. Photo by Georgelazenby. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons. The first edition, or First Quarto (Q1), of Hamlet was published in 1603. Because the text is much shorter than later editions and its language is less poetic, it is nicknamed the “Bad Quarto” by scholars. “To be or not to be” in Q1 reads as: To be, or not to be—ay, there’s the point. To die,
Read more

The American Sound: The Evolution of Jazz

-
Image
By Cecilia Padilla There is nothing so uniquely American as jazz music. In its simplest form, jazz embodies the essence of the American people: bold and inventive. The improvisation of the jazz ensemble can even be seen as a metaphor for the American democratic ideal: musicians playing solos have the liberty to express themselves as long as they adhere to the overall structure of the tune—individual freedom but with responsibility to the group. The evolution of jazz music also carries with it the social development of our nation from slavery to the swinging songs of World War II. Musically, jazz contributed immensely to the way contemporary musicians approach instrumentation, composition, and vocal arrangements. It is difficult to find a popular tune today that does not derive from such jazz icons as Joe Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Thelonious Monk. Jazz is the great equalizer; for more than a hundred years, it has been the common ground between blacks and whites, me
Read more

Purely Pinteresque: The Elements of Pinter's Language

-
Image
By Taylor Steinbeck Most artists take years to establish their voice and style. This wasn’t the case for playwright Harold Pinter. His first West End play, The Birthday Party, showcases the elements of Pinter’s aesthetic that would later be evident throughout his 29 plays and 23 screenplays: the rhythm of colloquial language punctuated by pauses and silences, mysterious characters who rarely say what they mean, and the unsettling, yet witty juxtaposition of comedy and terror. Suspenseful and comical, familiar and foreign, disturbing and alluring, The Birthday Party is quintessential Pinter. Graphite drawing of Harold Pinter. By A.C.T. Senior Graphic Designer Brad Amorosino. Pinter is a playwright who uses the back-and-forth of everyday conversation to create conflict and shape power dynamics between characters. “My characters tend to use words not to express what they think or feel,” said Pinter in a 1995 speech, “but to disguise what they think or feel, to mask their actual
Read more