ACT Theatre announced today the recipient of the first ACT New Play Award is local playwright Elizabeth Heffron, author of "Mitzi's Abortion."

This award and accompanying workshop are sponsored by a multi-year grant from Gian-Carlo and Eulalie Scandiuzzi. The Scandiuzzi sponsorship provides for an annual competition among playwrights. The winner receives a grant of $2,500 and the opportunity to have the winning play professionally staged at the theatre.

“I deeply appreciate the Scandiuzzi’s generosity and making this annual award possible. It is extremely important that playwrights like Ms. Heffron see their work come to life on the professional stage. This gift contributes to ensuring that this happens,” said Kurt Beattie, ACT’s artistic director.

“We are a theatre that develops new works,” Beattie added. “After reading many worthy and interesting scripts from talented emerging playwrights from all over the country, it's a special pleasure that we've chosen a local writer. Elizabeth Heffron’s play, Mitzi's Abortion, is one of the most challenging and exciting scripts to come on the scene for some time. Owing to its enormous potential and important subject matter, it cries out for development. I'm thrilled to be working on it in workshop.”

Since its founding in 1965 by Dr. Gregory A. Falls, ACT has commissioned more than 30 new plays and presented more than 30 world premieres to its Seattle audiences. This is a beginning of a new initiative at ACT to broaden and deepen ACT’s commitment to new work.    

“This is a fantastic opportunity. I’m amazed and delighted they chose this piece for the first ACT New Play Award and I look forward to bringing my play to the stage,” said Heffron.

The play Mitzi’s Abortion, originally commissioned for the 2003 FringeACT Festival, is an intensely compassionate and political investigation of government intrusion into a deeply personal situation. In it we find a young woman innately trying to do the right thing while at the same time attempting to avoid the systemic politicization in which she finds herself. It will be staged on March 4th and 5th, 2005.

About Elizabeth Heffron
Elizabeth’s plays include New Patagonia, produced by the Seattle Repertory Theatre, and Mitzi’s Abortion, commissioned by ACT Theatre for the 2003 FringeACT Festival of New Plays. She’s created three site-specific musicals for Seattle’s One Reel Productions, including Icicle Times, which featured 250 live performers, plus a horse, a donkey, and two chickens. Her work has been staged in Seattle, Vancouver B.C., New York, St. Louis, and San Francisco. She's a third-year Teaching Artist for ACT’s Young Playwrights Program, and is the recipient of 3 Seattle Artist grants from the Seattle Arts Commission, as well as a Playwriting Fellowship from Artist Trust and the Washington State Arts Commission.

Currently at ACT A Christmas Carol
November 28 – December 26 (Previews November 26, 27)
The Perennial Holiday Favorite!
By Charles Dickens, adapted by Gregory Falls
Directed by Kurt Beattie

About ACT Theatre
For the past 40 years ACT’s mission is to present a broad spectrum of the very best of contemporary theatre that speaks to audiences of all backgrounds. A significant part of ACT Theatre’s mandate is to commission new works and to foster the development of those works in a supportive and inspiring workplace. ACT’s 2005 Mainstage season will feature six plays that are intelligent, provocative, engaging and surprising and the annual production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This year ACT Theatre introduced a new companion season of mystery shows called “Winter Thrills” to keep the theatre vibrant all year long. The ghost play The Woman in Black opens February 9.

ACT Theatre at 700 Union Street. www.acttheatre.org Box Office 206.292.7676

ACT also offers a wide variety of special programs and events - such as pre and post- play discussions, Happy Hour, ACT’s Beer Tasting Club and ACT-Out Nights - designed to add value to the theatre-going experience.

Continental Airlines is the Official Airline of ACT Theatre. ACT Theatre gratefully acknowledges the following for their generous support: The Boeing Company; Getty Images; ArtsFund; Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, PONCHO; 4Culture King County Lodging Tax; Washington State Arts Commission; The National Endowment for the Arts, The Nesholm Family Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Inc. and Kreielsheimer Remainder Fund.