ACT Commissions HOMEFRONT For Young Actors

The A.C.T. Young Conservatory (YC) and Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Program present the world premiere production of Homefront, with book by Young Conservatory Director Craig Slaight, music and lyrics by Creighton Irons, and direction by Domenique Lozano. In this passionate and powerful new musical, Emma Kolmeier and her two siblings flee from Germany to escape the war in Europe, leaving everything they know far behind them to settle in small-town America. Set against the backdrop of a tumultuous and riveting moment in history, Homefront tells the story of remarkable young people courageously struggling to come of age in a world rocked by conflict. As they experience the first twinges of romance and dream of the future, their lives are transformed in astonishing ways, forever redefining their understanding of home. This world premiere production of a brand-new, completely original musical launches a new phase in the YC's ongoing commitment to the development of theatrical works created especially for young people. Featuring musical direction by Jane Erwin Hammett and choreography by Christine Mattison, Homefront plays June 10-25, at Zeum Theater, located at Yerba Buena Gardens (Fourth and Howard streets). Tickets are $20.50 and are available by calling the A.C.T. Box Office at 415.749.2228 or online at www.act-sf.org. A.C.T. subscriber, senior, student, and teacher discounts are available. Please call for details.

An acclaimed theater-training institution for young people ages 8 to 19, A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory focuses on the creation of high-quality new works for young actors by celebrated playwrights. Since the Young Conservatory's New Plays Program began in 1989, a long list of professional playwrights have been commissioned by A.C.T. to create new works for young actors, including Ursula Rani Sarma, Timothy Mason, Constance Congdon, Sarah Daniels, and Mark Ravenhill.

Librettist Slaight speaks about the genesis of the Young Conservatory's first commissioned musical: "For ten years we have been working on new music theater that incorporated the music and lyrics of popular composers such as Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Elton John, and Rufus Wainwright, but the goal of the Young Conservatory has always been to evolve our producing program to a point at which we could support the creation of original musical work."

Slaight adds: "I had worked with Creighton Irons and was completely taken by the muscular spirit and the exciting, rock pulse of his music. He seemed the perfect fit for the Young Conservatory's first-ever completely original musical."

A talented group of young actors comprises the cast of Homefront, including A.C.T. M.F.A. Program students Allegra Edwards (class of 2013) and Jason Frank (class of 2012). Joining them are Young Conservatory actors Matthew Avery, Ashley Baker, Julia Belanoff, Danielle Bowen, Carrie Brandon, Lucie Fleming, Christopher Garber, Zach Hollander, Hunter Lowdon, Damion Matthews, Tobiah Richkind, Laura Sanders, Jerrold Peter Scattini, Hannah Sears, Shelby Stewart, Robert Conte Thornton, and Phyllis Wattis.

The A.C.T. Young Conservatory offers a broad range of theater training for young people ages 8 to 19. The ten sessions and eight public productions offered throughout the year are designed to develop talent and creativity, as well as communication and cooperation skills, for young people with all levels of theater experience. Working professional actors and directors lead students in a spectrum of classes, including acting, directing, voice and speech, musical theater, auditioning, and improvisation. Call 415.439.2444 or visit act-sf.org/conservatory for applications and information.
Ranked as one of the top programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, the A.C.T. M.F.A. Program was the first theater training program in the country not affiliated with a college or university accredited to award the master of fine arts degree. The A.C.T. M.F.A. Program functions as the cornerstone of the A.C.T. Conservatory, which also includes the Summer Training Congress, Studio A.C.T., and the Young Conservatory. The third and final year of the program is designed to give students the opportunity to focus primarily on performing for a public audience. Past A.C.T. M.F.A. Program third-year productions have included works by Christopher Durang, Charles Busch, Marc Blitzstein, Georg Büchner, Caryl Churchill, George Farquhar, Henrik Ibsen, Robert O'Hara, Harold Pinter, William Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, and Bertolt Brecht.

A.C.T.'s stage at Zeum Theater is dedicated to the development of new works, new forms, and new artists. A.C.T.@Zeum was launched in October 2001 with the A.C.T. M.F.A. Program's world premiere staging of Marc Blitzstein's No for an Answer, directed by A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff. Zeum Theater is the current home of the Young Conservatory New Plays Program and gives A.C.T. an additional stage for readings, workshops, rehearsals, and other aspects of new play and production development.

Homefront is made possible by a generous grant from The Bernard Osher Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Craig Slaight Young Conservatory New Plays Program endowment and donors to A.C.T.'s season gala.