Inside A.C.T.

By Publications Manager Dan Rubin Leading up to World War II, drinking coffee was an important ritual, considered by most to be a basic human right. The city is home to the caffè sospeso, the suspended coffee, in which a customer anonymously pays for the coffee of someone in need. Neapolitan writer Luciano de Crescenzo says, “It was a beautiful custom. When a person who had a break of good luck entered a café and ordered a cup of coffee, he didn’t pay for just one, but for two cups, allowing someone less fortunate who entered later to have a cup of coffee for free. . . . It was a cup of coffee offered to the rest of humankind.” But Italy did not grow its own coffee beans, and as the wartime blockades made importation difficult, the staple became precious—and expensive. Instead of visiting cafés, customers had to visit the black market to get their caffeine fix. Coffee came to Naples late compared to other major Italian cities. When it first arrived in the late eighteenth century, i...

By Publications Manager Dan Rubin Napoli! takes place in a Neapolitan basso, which literally means the "lows." These windowless, street-level, studio apartments have historically been home to the city's underclass. They are cramped, and their occupants have no privacy from passersby, who can peer through the open door, the only point of both ventilation and light. In 1884, a British journalist described the dwellings as follows: Imagine a doorway of a cave where on entering you must descend. Not a ray of light penetrates into it except by the one aperture you have passed through; and there, between four black battered walls and upon a layer of filth mixed with putrid straw, two, three, and four families vegetate together. The best side of the cave, namely that through which humidity filtrates the least, is occupied by a rack and manger to which animals of various kinds are tied; a horse it may be or an ass, a calf, or a pig. On the opposite, a heap of boards and rag...

posted by Victoria Flores, A.C.T. Web Development Fellow An actor's view of the house with techies installing scenery. When the lights dim and the grand drape goes up, you see a polished, in the current moment, put together stage. Scroll back a few days and imagine the actors, designers, stage hands, and scene shop crew filling the stage—weaving around the scenery and each other. A.C.T. 's production of Major Barbara  exemplifies the intricate process of implementing a set design. During a performance it can be easy to glaze over the tiny pieces that make-up a design. For this reason, as the web development fellow, I took a step behind the scenes to help illuminate the depth of thought surrounding some of the tech process for Major Barbara . Coming from a computer science and theater background my perspective of the design process is multifaceted. I see the descriptive metadata of the set's components alongside its process details and artistry. Wielding a came...

A.C.T.'s Scene Shop builds Major Barbara , a set on Flickr. The fourth show in our 2013–14 season, Major Barbara features a complex scenic design by Tony Award-nominated Daniel Ostling. A visit during the early stages of build, reveals the bricolage of mullions and stencils being pieced together at A.C.T.'s Scene Shop. Locally sourced piles of window and door frames are seen throughout the shop ready to be installed on the concave oval curve that makes up the structural backbone of the design. While scenic artists work on the scumbled deck and intricate custom rug, carpenters piece together a large Salvation Army emblem. For more info and to buy ticket go to  http://www.act-sf.org/majorbarbara #ACTBarbara

Elke Janssen A Christmas Carol Showing Dec 6 - 28. Learn more about the production and order tickets. Meet Elke Janssen, who plays the role of Martha Cratchit in A Christmas Carol . How many times have you been in A Christmas Carol ? I was Belinda last year, and now I'm Martha Cratchit. I am really part of the family! What are your favorite holiday traditions? Saint Nicholas day, a German tradition, where we place a shoe in the window the evening of December 5th with a carrot or apple for Saint Nicholas' horse, and the next morning it's filled with old time candy and a wooden toy! I also love going downtown and looking at all the Christmas windows, especially the SPCA puppies, then picking out an ornament at Macy's. What's your favorite thing about the Bay Area during the holidays? Everyone is smiling and I love the smell of the air....you know Christmas is coming. What is your favorite moment in  A Christmas Carol ? When Christmas Past appear...

Campbell Zeigler A Christmas Carol Showing Dec 6 - 28. Learn more about the production and order tickets. Meet Campbell Zeigler, who plays the roles of Pickpocket Cousin, Boy Scrooge, and Ghost of Christmas Future in A Christmas Carol . How many times have you been in A Christmas Carol ? This is my first year and I love it already. I'm really, really excited to be a part of it. What are your favorite holiday traditions? I like putting up the Christmas tree because it marks Christmastime to me. I have a few favorite ornaments like the German Pickle and this cool Spiderman ornament. I like waking up before anyone else and seeing my presents. And I LOVE hot chocolate. What's your favorite thing about the Bay Area during the holidays? I like going to see the Christmas tree here in Walnut Creek and the one in Union Square. And I really like seeing A Christmas Carol at ACT during the holidays! And now I'm in it! Campbell playing Boy Scrooge alongside ...