Inside A.C.T.

posted by Lesley Gibson, A.C.T. Publications Intern Every day after rehearsal is over and the actors have gone home, the stage manager for each production (or his/her harried intern) sits down and types up an email that summarizes, in minute detail, that day’s work. Typically containing general information about the production’s progress, as well as notes and updates for the design team, the rehearsal reports are divided into categories (costumes, lights, sound, props, etc.) and presented as a list of updates and/or requests for each department that are sent to designers, production staff, artistic staff, marketing staff, and (luckily for me) the publications intern. I don’t make it into rehearsal very often; I will maybe see a run-through once or twice in the studio before a production moves into the theater for tech rehearsals. While I spend most of my time confined to a cubicle on the seventh floor of A.C.T.’s studios and offices at 30 Grant Avenue, typing away at my computer, t...

posted by Lesley Gibson, A.C.T. Publications Intern Starting off the week with a bit of good news, this month marks the 25th anniversary of American Theatre magazine, the leading professional publication of the regional theater in the United States. In celebration, the editors have rounded up 25 theater professionals from around the country—including A.C.T. Sound Associate Jake Rodriguez and M.F.A. Program alumna Anika Noni Rose —to look ahead and share their ideas of how the landscape of American theater might evolve over the next quarter century. Check out “AT25: An Eye on the Future” for an inspiring glimpse into the future that reinforces our faith that, even in the bleakest of financial times, art will find a way to thrive.

posted by Lesley Gibson, Publications & Literary Intern Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins opened earlier this week. It’s a lovely show, and audiences are going absolutely mad for it. It features Judy Kaye as Florence Foster Jenkins, a tone-deaf Manhattan society dame who, in the 1930s and ’40s, genuinely fancied herself a great coloratura soprano. The play chronicles the trajectory of her 12-year “career” through the eyes of her simultaneously wise, protective, and horrified accompanist, Cosme McMoon (played by Donald Corren), and culminates in a theatrical re-enactment of the infamous, sold-out recital Mme Jenkins gave at Carnegie Hall, in which Judy Kaye miraculously works her way through a series of awe-inspiring costumes in a matter of minutes, including this number. What’s not to like? I saw the opening night performance on Wednesday, which was fun but a little surreal for me personally, not because of anything that actually happened in the perfo...

posted by Lesley Gibson, A.C.T. Blog Editor On December 24, Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter died in London at the age of 78. A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff—a longtime friend and collaborator of the playwright—reflected on the life and work of a man who revolutionized modern theater in yesterday’s issue of the San Francisco Chronicle . A.C.T. deeply mourns the passing of this great artist. Our best to all of you in the New Year.

posted by Lesley Gibson, A.C.T. Blog Editor An article about the bleak financial future of American theaters popped up in yesterday’s New York Times . Recently, A.C.T.’s own trustee Rusty Rueff blogged about the importance of investing in the arts, and the importance of the arts to our very existence. As the recession worsens I anticipate a new stream of dialogue will emerge on this issue, both within our organization and in the media. A common topic of conversation these last few weeks has been the fact that, as one political and economic era comes to a close, an entirely new and unknown era is beginning. I can’t help but wonder if our industry, as we’ve known it, won’t be forever altered (for better or for worse), as well? Time will tell.