A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program Announces A DOLL'S HOUSE and TARTUFFE in February

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Conservatory Director Melissa Smith announced today that the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Program will present two classic works this February: Henrik Ibsen's classic drama A Dolls' House and Molière's hilarious farce Tartuffe. All performances take place at A.C.T.'s Hastings Studio Theater (77 Geary Street, San Francisco).Tickets for each performance are $20 and are available by calling the A.C.T. Box Office at 415.749.2228 or online at www.act-sf.org. Two-show packages are available for $20 (a savings of 50%) and are available at https://tickets.act-sf.org/online/doubleup.

From February 6 to 15, the M.F.A. Program will present Ibsen's classic drama A Doll's House. Feminism meets marriage in this controversial nineteenth-century drama, which introduced one of modern theater's earliest feminist heroines. Directed by A.C.T. core Acting Company member René Augesen (who played the role of Nora on the Geary stage in one of A.C.T.'s most successful classical productions ever), A Doll's House showcases members of the M.F.A. Program class of 2013 in one of Ibsen's most famous-and fascinating-works. The students will be joined by A.C.T. core Acting Company member (and M.F.A. Program graduate) Omozé Idehenre (A Christmas Carol, Scorched, Clybourne Park at A.C.T.). Performances of A Doll's House will take place on February 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, and 15, at 7:30 p.m.

From February 12 to 16, the M.F.A. Program will present Molière's Tartuffe. When the seemingly pious Tartuffe overstays his welcome at the house of Orgon, most of the family begins to hate and distrust him. The master of the house, however, has fallen under the magnetic spell of this mysterious stranger-and wants to sign over his estate and marry his daughter to the cunning con man. Hilarious comedy and dazzling farce ensue in one of Molière's most popular works. Directed by A.C.T. Associate Artist Giles Havergal (last seen in A.C.T.'s mainstage production of Endgame), Tartuffe will perform on February 12 and 14, at 7:30 p.m., and February 16, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Ranked as one of the top programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program is the only theater training program in the country accredited to award the master of fine arts degree, yet is not affiliated with a college or university. The essence of A.C.T.'s actor training lies in the interplay between the professional company and the Conservatory. Student actors at A.C.T. perform frequently within the program in Studio Productions, as well as in cabaret and Shakespeare productions that tour to the larger Bay Area. Third-year M.F.A. Program student actors perform in A.C.T.'s mainstage production of A Christmas Carol and also audition for roles in A.C.T. mainstage productions. In recent years, students have played leading roles in Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City, Once in a Lifetime, Marcus; or The Secret of Sweet, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle, as well as performing in new and commissioned works. Many graduates of the program go on to distinguished careers in theater and film and include such celebrated actors as Elizabeth Banks, Annette Bening, Christopher Fitzgerald, Danny Glover, Omar Metwally, Dileep Rao, Anna Deavere Smith, and Denzel Washington. A.C.T. provides a wealth of talented actors for productions across the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond: graduates of the M.F.A. Program have taken on leading roles in productions at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, San Jose Stage, and Shakespeare Santa Cruz, among others. The 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, and trains more than 3,000 students annually. For more information, visit act-sf.org/conservatory.

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