ACT Theatre facts for kids
ACT Contemporary Theatre is a special place for plays in Seattle, Washington. It's a non-profit organization, which means it uses its money to put on great shows, not to make a profit. Gregory A. Falls started ACT in 1965. He was also in charge of the Drama Department at the University of Washington back then. Falls wanted to create a theater that showed new and exciting plays, different from the classic plays often seen at the Seattle Repertory Theatre.
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The Theatre Building
ACT is located in a building called Kreielsheimer Place, at 700 Union Street in Downtown Seattle. This building is very old and used to be known as the Eagles Auditorium Building. It was once connected to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center by a tunnel.
The building was changed into theater spaces and apartments. It was named Kreielsheimer Place after a big gift from the Kreielsheimer Foundation.
Inside the Stages
ACT has two main stages, and each can hold about 390 people.
- The Gregory A. Falls Theatre is below street level. It has a rectangular stage that sticks out into the audience, called a thrust stage.
- The Allen Theatre is above ground. It used to be the Eagles Auditorium hall. Now, it's an "in-the-round" venue, which means the audience sits all around the stage.
The Allen Theatre still has its beautiful old features, like a fancy balcony, decorated ceiling, and sparkling chandeliers. These were kept because the building is a historic landmark. Even though it's now an "in-the-round" stage, you can still see where the old proscenium stage used to be. Famous people like Martin Luther King Jr. and the band Grateful Dead performed on that old stage.
The building also has a smaller space called the Bullitt Cabaret and other rooms for different activities.
ACT's Story
Gregory A. Falls started ACT in 1965 to offer a new kind of theater in Seattle, especially for summer shows. Their very first play was on July 9, 1965. ACT first performed in a theater in Queen Anne Hall, which is now home to another group called On the Boards.
Falls was the artistic director until 1988. After him, Jeff Steitzer and then Peggy Shannon took over.
Moving to a New Home
ACT moved to its current home at Kreielsheimer Place in 1996. The first play there was on September 1, 1996. After the move, the theatre faced some challenges. Peggy Shannon left in 1997, and the theater had some financial difficulties.
Then, Gordon Edelstein became the artistic director. He helped ACT become popular again. He brought in famous actors like Julie Harris and Jane Alexander, and musicians like Randy Newman. He also worked with experimental directors and composers like Joanne Akalaitis and Philip Glass. Many plays that started at ACT later became successful in New York City.
However, putting on these big shows was expensive, and ACT faced more financial challenges. In 2002, they were in serious danger of closing down.
Saving the Theatre
Luckily, people stepped in to help. Donations, including a large one from Boeing chairman Phil Condit, and some careful planning helped save ACT. A successful 2003 season under artistic director Kurt Beattie brought the theatre back to stability.
By 2006, ACT was once again putting on exciting and bold plays, like The Pillowman.
In December 2015, John Langs became the new artistic director, taking over from Kurt Beattie. In 2018, Yussef El Guindi joined as a special playwright for the company.
What Makes ACT Special
For over 40 years, ACT has been one of Seattle's most important theaters. It is one of the three largest playhouses in the city, along with the Cornish Playhouse and Seattle Repertory Theatre.
ACT's main stage has shown many plays for the very first time in the world, in America, or on the West Coast. Many of their productions have even moved on to be performed in New York City.
ACT is part of several important theatre groups, like the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Theatre Communications Group. They are also members of local Seattle business groups.
Images for kids
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Queen Anne Hall (2007), where ACT first performed.
