Inside A.C.T.

A Prologue Discussion: Director Maria Mileaf Talks About Let There Be Love at A.C.T. In this exciting preshow discussion, A.C.T. Dramaturg Michael Paller discusses Let There Be Love with director Maria Mileaf. Mileaf’s passion for plays with strong characters led her to Kwame Kwei-Armah’s unforgettable work about a cantankerous, aging West Indian immigrant whose life and family relationships are transformed by a young Polish caregiver who has recently arrived in London. Mileaf has said that the play is bound to create a unique relationship between the actors and audience: “It’s a three-character play; they all have very different perspectives on the world, but they’re all dealing with the same events—maybe the person next to you is going to see the story through the point of view of a different character from the one you are most drawn to. That’s going to make for an interesting conversation after the show.” Mileaf discusses the rich world of Let There Be Love , from t...

Go behind the scenes of Anne Washburn's post-apocalyptic play with a discussion ranging from nuclear meltdowns to Springfield Follies Amidst apocalyptic chaos, a group of survivors find comfort in recounting a beloved episode of The Simpsons in Anne Washburn’s exhilarating Mr. Burns, a post-electric play . Director and A.C.T. Associate Artistic Director Mark Rucker joins Washburn onstage to discuss the importance of “low-brow” media and why we cling to stories in the face of tragedy. Moderated by A.C.T. dramaturg Michael Paller, this discussion will give you a revealing look at this mind-blowing theatrical homage to our popular culture. For more about Mr. Burns , be sure to read our latest edition of Words on Plays ! Click here to order online. For tickets to Mr. Burns visit act-sf.org/burns .

posted by Rose Hogan, A.C.T. Marketing Intern This week’s episode discusses one of the ways in which A.C.T. is involved in the community—through a student-run organization called The NIA Project. Theater in its essence gives back to the community. The entire purpose of performing is to mirror society and inspire it. In addition, many theaters offer a wide variety of programs to better engage and help the community. A.C.T. offers several programs to encourage people that might otherwise not be able to attend the theater to see mainstage productions. One of the ways that A.C.T. is most out there and engaged in the community is through the conservatory. The A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program has several built-in ways in which the students actively involve the community in their process and use inspiration from the community in their own original works. Plus, in the second year, with the Will on Wheels program, students tour a Shakespeare play to schools around the Bay Area, teaching...

posted by Deborah Munro, A.C.T. artistic administration intern The A.C.T. intern podcast has returned, and in this episode we explore the process of creating new works, from germination to full-fledged realization. Each season, A.C.T. hosts the development of dozens of new works, from table readings of works-in-progress to mature productions that appear on our mainstage. Some projects, like War Music and next season’s The Tosca Project , involve seasoned artists who shepherd works from the studio to the mainstage—a process that can take years of hard work. Most of these projects, however, find a home in our conservatory, where they serve as an educational tool, challenging students to work with new forms and ideas, affording them the opportunity to originate roles, and even empowering them to devise their own pieces. Because new work is by nature experimental and innovative, it really can “change the world,” as one student says—but how does the process work? How do people colla...

posted by Rose Hogan, A.C.T. Marketing Intern So, I am an intern at A.C.T. —the marketing intern to be more precise. I organize press, help with promotions and special events, research shows and the demographics to which they appeal, and make lots and lots of copies. Some days I don’t know how a single person could possibly get everything done, and other days I reorganize newspaper clippings as I wait for something else to do. It was one of those fateful days when I had an idea. While my fellow interns and I are learning more and more about our prospective fields, we find there is still a lot about A.C.T. and the theater business as a whole that we don’t know about. So, why not take some time this year to rectify that—get all we can out of this internship? And if we in the “inner circle” have all these questions, isn’t it possible that audience members and other aspiring young theater professionals might want to hear the answers, as well? . . . MY IDEA: Create an intern-run podca...