From August Wilson to Shakespeare: The Acting Company lands at A.C.T.
The Acting Company comes to A.C.T. with two powerhouse productions, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater takes the stage at Cal Performances, and tickets go on sale for a celebration of pride this June.
A.C.T. Artistic Director Pam MacKinnon sat with with Lili-Anne Brown, director of Two Trains Running, and Devin Brain, director of The Comedy of Errors, to talk about canon, creation, and community.
Pam: Let’s start by talking a little bit about The Acting Company. Lili-Anne, have you ever directed for The Acting Company before, or is this your first time?
Lili-Anne: First time.
Pam: How were you approached, and what made you lean in? What made you excited about Two Trains Running?
Lili-Anne: I had not, honestly, known very much about The Acting Company, but I knew [Artistic Director] Kent Gash. I met him when he was here in Chicago, doing Choir Boy at Steppenwolf, and he used several of my favorite designers to work with. And so, they let me know that they really liked him, I should meet him, and that we would be friends, so that’s how that relationship started. At first we just communicated back and forth, now and again, about resources, just shooting the breeze. He said, “I’ve got this show,” because he was very aware that I am on an August Wilson tear. I got my first opportunity to do August Wilson a couple of years ago at the Huntington. Coming from thinking, truly believing I would never get to get anywhere near August Wilson’s work ever in my career.
On the Stage
This week, a powerful historical story comes to life at Berkeley Rep, a celebrated dance company takes the stage at Cal Performances, The Acting Company brings August Wilson to the stage, and more.
Here There Are Blueberries
Theatre | Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Now – May 11 | Tickets
In 2007, a mysterious album featuring Nazi-era photographs arrived at the desk of a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum archivist. As curators unraveled the shocking truth behind the images, the album soon made headlines and ignited a debate that reverberated far beyond the museum walls.
More Events
- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | Cal Performances | Now – April 13
- Alsop Conducts Music of the Americas | San Francisco Symphony | Now – April 12 | View the Program
- Six | BroadwaySF | Now – April 20
- Two Trains Running | The Acting Company at A.C.T. | April 15 – May 4 | View the Program
Next Line
Tickets go on sale this week for the Pride Concert this June, A.C.T. announces the talented team that will bring Co-Founders to the stage, and enter to win tickets to a performance at SF Opera.
- Tickets go on sale on April 17 for the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus’ Pride Concert. Two performances will take place at the Curran Theatre on June 21 at 1 and 7:30 p.m. The Pride Concert will feature Grammy Award nominee Justin Tranter and will celebrate and uplift the Trans and Nonbinary communities through the power of music.
- A.C.T. has announced the full cast and creative team for the world premiere of Co-Founders, a new hip-hop musical opening at the Strand Theater this May. The show follows Esata, a young Oakland coder fighting to stay rooted in her community while navigating the cutthroat world of Silicon Valley startups. Created by Bay Area artists RyanNicole Austin, Beau Lewis, and Adesha Adefela, and directed by Jamil Jude, the musical blends local hip-hop with soul, gospel, funk, and more—plus some groundbreaking tech on stage. The cast includes Aneesa Folds, Roe Hartrampf, Tommy Soulati Shepherd, and several of the show’s creators. Co-Founders runs May 29 – July 6.
- As a subscriber to Encore+, you are eligible to enter to win two tickets to an upcoming performance of La boheme at San Francisco Opera on June 21. Share this newsletter with your friends and family, ask them to subscribe, and they’ll be entered to win as well!
