The decade of the 2020s started with ACT being dark for the entire 2020 mainstage season. While closed
for the pandemic, there was a change in leadership as Anita Shah moved in as Managing Director. The
first play after the pandemic closure was Hotter Than Egypt, written by Core Company member Yussef el Guindi
- a world premiere.
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1997
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The Notebook of Trigorin (1997)
Tennessee Williams’ fresh adaption of the Chekhov’s classic brings to life the story of Constantine, the sensitive young writer, whose quest for love, art and acceptance is larger than life itself. Young playwright, Constantine premiere’s his new play at his uncles lakeside estate, before family, friends and Nina, the young actress that he has deep feelings for. Constantine’s mother, the famous actress Madame Arakadina (and Prima Donna), not one to suppress her true feelings for her son’s contribution to the theatre, lets everyone know that she abhors it. Constantine sulks over his life, his art and continues to dote on Nina even though she only has eyes for Arkadina’s companion, the established writer, Trigorin. Scorn and jealousy get the better of Constantine as Trigorin becomes more and more the object of affection for both Nina and Arkadina. The lives of these individuals as well as others in this tight knit ensemble soon find their dreams, infidelities and their self- deceptions revealed. As with most of Chekhov’s plays, these individuals struggle to find sympathy, love and understanding.
The Nina Variations (1997)
In this funny, fierce and heartbreaking homage to THE SEAGULL, Steven Dietz puts Chekhov's star-crossed lovers in a room and doesn't let them out. In forty-three variations on their famous final scene, Nina (a young actress) and Treplev (a young writer), pit their vibrant wit and soaring passions against one another in a fast-paced tour de force of romantic entanglement.
Going to St. Ives (1997)
This gripping psychological drama centers on two women brought together by that which is personal. They explore the dark moral continent of the greatest good, and ultimately share a shocking secret.
Blues for an Alabama Sky (1997)
A highlight of the Olympic Arts Festival in Atlanta last summer, BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY is the latest play from the author of FLYING’ WEST. Against the backdrop of 1930s Harlem, five friends struggle to hold onto the fading glory of the Harlem Renaissance by seeking the good times with as much humor and passion as they can muster. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, BLUES is a bittersweet story about friendship, family, and the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit.
Old Wicked Songs (1997)
Music is the key to unlocking the secrets of the human heart in this lovely, Pulitzer-nominated play about an American, ex-prodigy pianist and the eccentric Austrian professor who attempts to restore the young man's creative spark. With a beautiful Schumann score as their guide, student and teacher embark on a journey of self-discover, and, along the way, learn a great deal about music, and a lot more about life
The Big Slam (1997)
Fresh from its record-breaking run at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington, DC, THE BIG SLAM is a fast and furious comedy. Following the dictates of a get-rich-quick video, an unlikely trio of go-getters invents a bizarre new product to unleash on the unsuspecting market place. When one too many entanglements ensure, things go hysterically awry.