American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) will partner with the San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF) to present screenings of short silent films before select Friday night performances of its season opener, Once in a Lifetime, the madcap Kaufman and Hart comedy about how the movies learned to talk. On September 30, October 7, and October 14, the SFSFF will host screenings of such silent short classics as Life and Death of 9413, A Hollywood Extra, and The Cameraman's Revenge, starting at 7:15 p.m. at the American Conservatory Theater before the 8 p.m. performance of Once in a Lifetime. The 30-minute screenings are free for all ticket holders. Additionally, on Friday, September 23, A.C.T. will host a conversation between A.C.T. Associate Artistic Director Mark Rucker (who directs Lifetime) and SFSFF Artistic Director and local film luminary Anita Monga following that night's performance. For more information on these events and Once in a Lifetime, please visit act-sf.org/once.
"The San Francisco Silent Film Festival has long been one of my favorite events of the entire year," said Rucker. "It's a real thrill to get a chance to partner with this organization for this show and to get a chance to have a conversation with Anita for our audience." Monga, who programmed San Francisco's famed Castro Theatre for 17 years, added: "A.C.T. has a long history of adventurous, high-caliber productions, and Mark Rucker's innovative approach to Once in a Lifetime is an ideal opportunity for us to collaborate. We are thrilled to be part of this production."
A.C.T. opens its 2011-12 season with the George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart comedy Once in a Lifetime. In this "a delicious Hollywood sendup" (The New York Times), a trio of down-on-their-luck vaudevillians head west to pull off the ultimate con: posing as vocal coaches to help Hollywood stars make their speaking voices as beautiful as their glamorous mugs as silent films evolve into "talkies." This witty satire by the Broadway greats behind such comedy classics as The Man Who Came to Dinner and You Can't Take It with You will be directed by A.C.T. Associate Artistic Director Mark Rucker and will feature an enthralling ensemble cast of 15 who will take on 70 roles. This unique production will incorporate period film clips and dynamic cinematic backdrops that meld the worlds of theater and film, redefining audiences' experience with "Moving Pictures." Once in a Lifetime performs September 22-October 16, 2011, at the American Conservatory Theater (415 Geary Street, San Francisco). Press night is Wednesday, September 28, 2011, at 8 p.m. Tickets (starting at $10) are available by calling the A.C.T. Box Office at 415.749.2228 or at act-sf.org.
Anita Monga, artistic director of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, is also a member of the programming team for the Seattle International Film Festival, where she served as the original artistic director for the festival's SIFF Cinema. A founding member of the Film Noir Foundation, Monga co-curates San Francisco's Noir City Film Festival and has advised and contributed to many film festivals including Palm Springs International Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, and SF IndieFest, among others. From 1987 to 2004, she programmed San Francisco's Castro Theatre and shepherded the theater to international prominence. She is the recipient of San Francisco International Film Festival's Mel Novikoff Award and the San Francisco Film Critic's Marlon Riggs Award for courage and vision in the Bay Area film community.
Mark Rucker is associate artistic director at A.C.T. and has directed Marcus; or The Secret of Sweet, The Rainmaker, and The Beard of Avon at the American Conservatory Theater and A.C.T.'s production of Luminescence Dating at Magic Theatre. He is an associate artist at South Coast Repertory, where he has directed more than 20 productions, including world premieres by Richard Greenberg, Christopher Shinn, Annie Weisman, and Culture Clash. Other regional theater credits include work at Yale Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Arena Stage, Intiman Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, The Old Globe, Ford's Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, The Acting Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Asolo Repertory Theatre. Rucker's feature film, Die, Mommie, Die!, won a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
