ACT Theatre (A Contemporary Theatre) 700 Union Seattle

A visit to the ACT theater is never disappointing. Almost every seat is a good seat, a rarity at theaters. The plays that they choose are interesting enough to stand on their own, but are then enhanced by the great acting. I always leave a play at the ACT feeling invigorated and ready for a lively discussion. This is what theater should be. more

ACT has several theater spaces - Falls is a thrust stage and The Allen is theatre in the round. The sets are generally good, especially in The Falls. ACT stages a mix of new and well-known playwrights for an interesting and varied season. Ticket prices are fairly average for Seattle theatre, but students can get tickets for $12 and every show has a "pay-what-you-can" night sometime during the run, with a suggested minimum "donation" of $5. more

My husband and I were given a gift certificate to ACT for a wedding present, and it was by far the best gift we got. We were able to see four shows, and all were excellent. The theatres are small, so that every performance is intimate. While we didn't always enjoy the subject of the play, we were always impressed with the actors and the staging of each show. Their Christmas Carol is wonderful. Patrons under 25 can see the shows very inexpensively as well. We will certainly go back. more

I have bought partial season tickets for two of the last three years. This gave me some flexibility to choose which shows I wanted to see and also accomodated my busy schedule. I'm not schooled in acting or theater criticism but I enjoyed the shows, found them to be well acted, and according to my wife, many of the plays were done by some of the better playwrights of today. The theater is nicely set up, I've never experienced a bad seat. And, it's downtown so you can catch an early drink or dinner before the show. From an administration standpoint, we had parking passes which was a plus and always found the staff to be courteous and helpful when we needed to change a ticket at the last minute (which was often). Be aware of one thing, once you are on their list, they'll call you quite frequently about getting tickets for the next season. We've had to stop buying the season tickets because our schedule doesn't allow anymore. It's not that bad, but I have noticed that they are persistent. more

ACT Theater has a great facility. There are several stages, and in each of them there's not a bad seat in the house. The chairs are comfortable and clean, there are refreshments available, including drinks, and the all around atmosphere is great. The performances are wonderful, too. They put on a wide variety of plays throughout the year, and the caliber of acting is high. I have enjoyed every single performance I've been to. If you subscribe to the entire season, you also get parking vouchers for a small additional fee. This allows you to park inside the Washington Convention Center and take an indoor route into the theater. This is very convenient, especially if you're running late or it's raining outside. The season subscription is a little more pricey than some of the other theaters, but considering the amenities and quality, it's more than worth it. more

Born Yesterday is a comedy mixing politics and to some degree feminism written by Garson KAnin, the great playright that was married to the marvelous Ruth Gordon. This is a good play to see at ACT and just opened last week. It runs from June 17th to July 17th. We saw it last Sunday at a preview and it was truly entertaining. The woman who plays Bilie Dawn (Judy Holliday's character on Broadway) is outstanding if not superb in the role. She has amazing comedic timing and will have you laughing and wanting more. She uses her face to express more than just words and is too funny for words. The supporting cast is good too; especially Rochard Ziman who plays Harry Brock, R. Hamilton Wright and PAul Morgan. Harry's character plays wonderfully against Billie. The Allen Theater in the round means its hard to find a bad seat. If you've never been to act this is a good play to try out. Try and get the closest seats you can. more