Inside A.C.T.

Did you know that the majestic American Conservatory Theater also houses intimate cabaret performances throughout the season? Tucked away on the fifth floor, the Garret is a vibrant performance space, artfully bordered by exposed brick walls and dotted with colorful posters of past A.C.T. productions. Last weekend, the Master of Fine Arts Program class of 2012 took over the Garret to present three performances of their lively cabaret (with a tongue-and-cheek title), The Sublime and The Ridiculous , created by director Craig Slaight and music director Robert Rutt. Below are some photos of the third-year class, all dressed up and performing their hearts out as they delivered an eclectic mix of songs, from Jackson Browne to Stephen Sondheim. If you missed this performance, don’t despair—A.C.T.’s cabaret season is just beginning! Next up: Young Conservatory students bring their talents to the Garret right before Halloween for a cabaret performance October 28–30. Check back on our ...

posted by Craig Slaight, Young Conservatory Director School may have been out all summer for many, but here at the A.C.T. Young Conservatory (YC), the joint was jumpin’! The summer of 2011 was one of the most exciting in years. It all began in June with the opening of Homefront , the first-ever completely original musical to be commissioned, developed, and produced by the YC. After years of developing our musical theater program and creating new musicals from existing music, the YC commissioned a new musical score from New York composer Creighton Irons. After a year working together (with me on board as playwright), Homefront was born this summer, featuring a cast of 19 (including two members of the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program). Within a week of Homefront ’s opening at Zeum Theater, our four-week session of YC classes began at 30 Grant Avenue, filling the studios with eager and talented young actors, many of whom can only study with us during the summer because of the dist...

posted by Carey Perloff, A.C.T. Artistic Director Cocreated by Carey Perloff and Val Caniparoli, A.C.T.’s world premiere production of The Tosca Project played to sold-out houses in 2010. Now it’s on its way to a second life at Theatre Calgary in Canada, where it was been renamed Tosca Cafe . Performances begin September 13 at Theatre Calgary , followed by an engagement at Vancouver Playhouse in October. Now busily working with Caniparoli to remount and reimagine the show for its Canadian run, Perloff took a quick break to share her thoughts on the show’s journey. It is a gift to be able to revisit a production a year after its premiere—and amazing the clarity that can emerge after some time away. Val Caniparoli and I have been collaborating on The Tosca Project for over four years. It began as an experiment to see what would happen if we put five ballet dancers and five actors in a room and tried to create something together, and culminated with a world premiere on the A...

posted by Rebekah Brockman, member of the A.C.T. M.F.A. Program class of 2013 Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would ever see Conservatory Director Melissa Smith sprawled out under a white blanket in a dirty alleyway, or Head of Voice Jeff Crockett lying motionless on a street grate outside a loading dock at Macy’s. No, I am not describing the results of a fatal accident, but one of the products of this year’s “Leap,” an artistic immersion to kick off the 2011–12 year. For two days the A.C.T. community—including artistic staff, faculty, and M.F.A. students—gathered together for this creative powwow. By far, the Leap is one of the most unconventional ways to “get to know each other” without any of the typical name-games and awkward introductions. Our mornings started off with group warm-ups and workshops designed to take us out of our element. We explored alternative ways to approach the work, which no one was sure of, but all were willing to investigate. Then, in th...

Did you know that the A.C.T. Costume Shop is located smack in the heart of the mid-Market neighborhood? It might not look like much from the outside, but our warehouse at 7th and Market streets holds more than 20,000 costumes (and counting) and is an amazing resource for local theater companies, arts students, and anyone searching for a fantastic Halloween costume. The San Francisco Arts Commission recently created a video that includes a peek inside the costume-lined walls of this A.C.T. treasure, along with a fascinating interview with Callie Floor, A.C.T.’s diligent (and very friendly) costume rentals supervisor. Watch the video, then visit the Costume Shop’s online gallery to check out our incredible array of sartorial finery.

Posted by Emily Hoffman, Publications and Dramaturgy Associate Every day after rehearsal is over and the actors have gone home, the stage manager types up a summary of the day’s work. 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 requests for each design department. These reports provide glimpses into the production’s evolution—and into the (occasionally) wacky and wild goings-on in the studios. Many times they’ll contain requests that, to anyone not intimately involved in the creation of the production, can seem both puzzling and entertaining. Looking back, it is fascinating to see where the seeds of some our favorite onstage moments were planted in rehearsal. Here are just some of the interesting (and chuckle-inducing) notes from the 2010–11 season. PROPS 1. As usual, a few pieces of...