Inside A.C.T.

Posted by Sharon Rietkerk, Marketing Project Manager Sky Festival scheduling = Excel jigsaw puzzle! The annual A.C.T. Sky Festival is a dynamic event that brings together the A.C.T. community in the creation, rehearsal, and performance of a vibrant and eclectic range of work. Each year A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Program students and faculty, core acting company members, and artistic staff submit proposals for projects they are personally passionate about, offering students an opportunity to approach work from multiple angles, from directing to devising to performing. Ranging from self-written work to movement-based interpretations of printed texts and conventional explorations of "straight plays," the chosen projects (12 this year) are developed over two weeks of intense rehearsal and exploration, culminating in two days of studio presentations. But how do you get three classes of M.F.A. Program students, 12 projects, plus faculty and advisors sorted out to ...

This fall, the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program classes of 2012 and 2013 are facing an entirely new challenge: taking on roles in two plays that will be performed in repertory October 19–November 5 at Hastings Studio Theater. This means they have been simultaneously rehearsing roles for two very different productions: Aphra Behn’s rollicking 17th-century comedy The Rover; or The Banish’d Cavaliers and Arthur Miller’s haunting Depression-era saga The American Clock: A Vaudeville . You can find more information about the shows at www.act-sf.org/mfashows . Conservatory Project Manager Sharon Rietkerk recently sat down with Christina Lorenn Elmore, member of the M.F.A. Program class of 2012, to chat about her experiences performing double duty. Christina Lorenn Elmore (right) and Courtney Thomas rehearse The Rover . Photo by Dan Rubin. Sharon: What was your initial reaction to doing two plays at once? Christina: My initial reaction was, “Great! Let’s do it!” True repe...