History of Theatre:
About, By, For, and Near

ACT’s 47th World Premiere!
January 28 – February 12, 2023, the Falls Theatre at ACT
Produced in partnership with The Hansberry Project
Written by Reginald André Jackson
Directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton

Runs approximately 1 hour, 40 minutes with no intermission

Please be aware that History of Theatre: About, By, Near and For contains themes, language, and imagery that may affect viewers. For full details, click here.

Travel back in time – 200 years, to be precise – with your host, Sister Blacknall, and meet the Black theatre artists of America’s history, who have returned to ensure that this time, they will be remembered. Reginald André Jackson’s wildly original play challenges the stories we’ve been told about who makes theatre and who it is for; creating a spellbinding evening that is both illuminating and inspiring. History Of Theatre: About, By, For, and Near takes audiences on a journey from 1820 to the mid-1930s, through the lens of a contemporary artist making their way in our very own Seattle theatre scene. Witness the forgotten impact of The Rabbit’s Foot founder Pat Chapelle, who created the first all-Black touring vaudeville troupe in 1900, the boundary-breaking actors Ira Aldridge and Rose McClendon, as well as members of Seattle’s own Negro Repertory Company.

One of The Seattle Times’ most anticipated shows of 2023!

Read more about History of Theatre: About, By, For, and Near and playwright Reginald André Jackson in Grace Gorenflo’s profile for The Seattle Times here.

Cast:
Tracy Michelle Hughes
Reginald André Jackson
Be Russell
Arlando Smith
Amy Thone
Malcolm J. West
Dedra D. Woods
R. Hamilton Wright

Understudies:
Anne Allgood – ensemble and understudy
Nicholas Japaul Bernard
Alexandria J. Henderson

Creative:
Valerie Curtis-Newton – Director
Jennifer Zeyl – Scenic Design
Cathy Hunt – Costume Design
Robert J. Aguilar – Lighting Design
Larry D. Fowler – Sound Design
Juniper Shuey – Projection Designer
Donald Byrd – Movement
Amani Dorn – Dialect Coach
Martine Kei Green-Rogers – Dramaturg
LB Morse – Associate Lighting Designer

Stage Management
Ruth Eitemiller – Stage Manager
Hazel Rose Gibson – Assistant Stage Manager
Noah Sarkowsky – Production Assistant