The Young Conservatory New Plays Program at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre kick off their brand-new series at the Zeum Theatre with a Foote — two world premiere Horton Foote one-acts entitled Expectations. The new works, The Actor and A Young Lady of Property, play Jan. 17-27. Craig Slaight directs.
The Actor, specially commissioned for ACT's Young Conservatory and London's Royal National Theatre, concerns young Horace Robedaux, Jr. of the Depression Era South, who must decide between following his parents' wishes or his desire to become an actor. The 15-year-old heroine of A Young Lady of Property wants to be a Hollywood star but discovers after she leaves her troubled family that they mean more to her than she could have imagined.
Foote won the Pulitzer Prize for The Young Man from Atlanta and two Oscars, for "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Tender Mercies." His many stage works include The Trip to Boutiful, The Chase, Lily Dale, Valentine's Day, Talking Pictures and The Road to Home. He was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 1996.
Expectations features Julia Bellows, Adam Brooks, Cameron Chernoff, Sarah Grandin, Zach Kenney, Natalie Kotin, Julia Mattison, Jonah Meadows, Nina Negusse, Natalie Solomon and Ian Wolff.
Tickets are $15. The Zeum Theater at Yerba Buena Gardens is at the corner of Howard and Fourth Streets. For reservations, call (415) 749-2228. *
The 210-seat Zeum Theatre in the Yerba Buena Gardens recently became the second of the American Conservatory Theatre's performance spaces, joining the 1000-seat main house, the Geary Theatre. ACT will remain at the Zeum for three years, producing the company's MFA student productions in the theatre (including two Shakespeare productions and Peer Gynt in the spring), while creating weekend theatre programs designed to attract children and families.
ACT's Young Conservatory will also produce four works at the Zeum. They include the Horton Foote short plays and a new full-length work by British playwright Sarah Daniels, to premiere in August, 2002.
— By Christine Ehren
