A.C.T. to Host THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS Talkback, 6/18

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) will welcome legendary Broadway songwriter and lyricist John Kander (Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman), five-time Tony Award–winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman (The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Contact) and book writer David Thompson (Steel Pier, Chicago) for a one-night only conversation with A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff on Monday, June 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the American Conservatory Theater (415 Geary Street, San Francisco).  Entry into the event is free, but all guests must submit an RSVP. You can RSVP by visiting www.act-sf.org/scottsboro or calling 415.749.2228.  

Based on the notorious Scottsboro trials of the 1930s, The Scottsboro Boys tells the story of nine African American teenagers-ranging from 12 to 19 years old-convicted of raping two white girls on a Southern Railroad freight train while hitching a ride to Memphis in search of employment. Despite the fact that one of the original complainants later denied that any rape had occurred, the nine teenagers were subjected to years of brutal imprisonment, death-sentence verdicts, and a denied appeal. Reclaiming the framework of a minstrel show and "turning the taboo form on its head," explains Stroman, the musical-through high-energy dance numbers and exuberant music-courageously addresses one of the most abhorrent episodes in American history.  The Scottsboro Boys performs a limited run June 21–July 15, 2012, at the American Conservatory Theater (415 Geary Street, San Francisco).Tickets (starting at $20) are on sale now and may be purchased online at act-sf.org or by calling 415.749.2228.  

Nominated for twelve 2011 Tony Awards, The Scottsboro Boys features music and lyrics by the legendary Broadway songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb, a book by David Thompson, musical direction by Eric Ebbenga, and direction and choreography by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stromam. Jeff Whiting will serve as associate director and choreographer. Tony and Emmy Award winner Hal Linden (Barney Miller, The Rothschilds on Broadway) joins the stellar cast as The Interlocutor.

The Scottsboro Boys had its world premiere in February 2010 at the Vineyard Theatre in New York City. The show moved to the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis in July 2010, where it played to sold-out houses, before moving to Broadway's Lyceum Theatre in October 2010. Hailed as "a masterwork, both daring and highly entertaining" (New York Post) and "a theatrical triumph" (Philadelphia Magazine), the show was nominated for twelve 2011 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and was the recipient of the 2010 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical and the 2010 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical. The show was also nominated for nine 2010 Drama Desk Awards and received a Drama League Award nomination for Distinguished Production of a Musical. 

Says A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff:  "Susan Stroman is an American treasure whose work has never been seen on the A.C.T. stage. It's such an honor to welcome her to San Francisco with this seamless, passionate, and imaginative staging of Kander and Ebb's fascinating tale. With The Scottsboro Boys, Stroman manages to fuse astonishing dancing with heartfelt and complex storytelling in a unique and masterful way that will provide a wonderful complement to A.C.T.'s history of edgy musicals like The Threepenny Opera, Urinetown, Sweeney Todd, and last season's production of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City."

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