ACT Theatre and Seattle Shakespeare Company Forge a New Future
A feature on the merger of ACT and Seattle Shakespeare by Todd Matthews. Plus, its your last chance to catch “Bye Bye Birdie“ and to take an active role in bringing “SUFFS“ to Seattle.
When the house lights dim for Twelfth Night at ACT Contemporary Theatre in June, audience members might not realize they are witnessing a new chapter in Seattle theater history. The performance will represent the first production of the Union Arts Center, a merger between ACT and Seattle Shakespeare Company, which was first announced last year and is slated to be formally finalized later this summer.
It seems like an odd mash-up of one theatre company devoted to producing plays written 400 years ago and another theatre company that literally has the word “contemporary” in its name. ACT has only staged four Shakespeare plays in its 60-year history: As You Like It (1977), Henry IV, Part I (1978), King Lear (1985), and Romeo and Juliet (2019). However, the merger makes sense to the leaders of both theatre companies for several reasons, with good storytelling paramount.
“The nature of the work, doing classic and contemporary theater, is a complementary rather than a competitive relationship,” explained Seattle Shakes executive director John Bradshaw. “We continue to do these [Shakespeare] classics because they still speak to us today.”
On the Stage
Celebrate the last week of Pride Month with some joyous performances: Bye Bye Birdie will have you dancing in your seat, and Barbie gets a symphonic accompaniment with Seattle Symphony.
Bye Bye Birdie
Musical Theatre | 5th Avenue Theatre
Now – June 29 | Tickets
Candy-coated and bursting with spectacular charm, the classic Bye Bye Birdie gets a fresh twist on The 5th's stage! When teen idol Conrad Birdie gets drafted into the Army, he decides to shake up small town Sweet Apple, Ohio with one last performance and a kiss for a fan on The Ed Sullivan Show.
More Events
- Barbie the Movie in Concert | Seattle Symphony | Now – June 28
- The Color Purple | Village Theatre | Now – June 29 | View the Program
- Captioned: June 28
- The Effect | ArtsWest | Now – July 13
Next Line
Be an ambassador for the upcoming national tour of SUFFS and check out the winners of the annual SOLA Awards.
- Seattle has the honor of launching the national tour of SUFFS—the Tony Award-winning musical about the bold women who fought for the right to vote. Now, The 5th Avenue Theatre is inviting the PNW community to be part of the excitement. As a SUFFS Ambassador, you’ll have opportunities to connect with the creators, join special events and conversations, and help spread the word.
- Artist Trust has announced the 2025 recipients of the SOLA (Support Old Lady Artists) Awards, honoring women visual artists in Washington State who are over 60 and have dedicated 25 or more years to their artistic practice. The 2025 SOLA Awards, five unrestricted awards of $5,000 each, have been awarded to:
Caryn Friedlander, Jeanne K Simmons, Consuelo Soto Murphy, Cynthia Toops, and Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen.
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