1965 - A Contemporary Theatre Begins
In 1965, Gregory and Jean Falls established A Contemporary Theatre in lower Queen Anne, producing an eclectic mix of contemporary fare for Seattle audiences.
Gregory Falls was a Fulbright scholar who founded theatres in Ohio and Vermont before coming to Seattle to serve as director of the University of Washington School of Drama from 1961 to 1971. While at the UW, Falls founded the highly acclaimed Professional Actor Training Program and the school’s doctorate program.
Falls decided to create ACT in 1965 because he saw the two-year-old Seattle Repertory Theatre as mainly committed to classics. He wanted ACT to produce plays that explored contemporary experiences, plays that were at the time revitalizing the American theatre.
Throughout his 22 years as artistic director, Falls remained committed to contemporary work. Also instrumental in helping other Seattle theatres get their start, including the Empty Space Theatre and Intiman Theatre, Falls is credited with helping to create Seattle's strong theatre community known for its spirit of cooperation.
More than any other individual, Falls was “most responsible for the theatre boom in this town,” says Arne Zaslove, the former artistic director of the Bathhouse Theatre at Green Lake. “He was the impresario bringing it all together.”
Former Seattle Times theatre critic Wayne Johnson also commented on Falls’ lasting legacy: “A key reason for the diversity and vigor of the Seattle theatre community is the prevailing attitude of symbiotic cooperation which has triumphed over the more common practice of cutthroat competition. Nothing helps a theatre here as much as other theatres. Gregory A. Falls [is] one of the people most instrumental in developing the cooperative spirit among Seattle theatres.”
Greg Falls died in 1997 and is survived by his wife Jean, who funds Theatre Puget Sound’s yearly Gregory Falls Sustained Achievement Award, initiated in 1997 to honor the memory of her husband. This award recognizes individuals who have devoted time, energy and talent to Seattle’s theatre community, and who have influenced theatre locally and beyond.
1972
In 1972, ACT won its first NEA grant.
The National Endowment for the Arts enriches our nation and its diverse cultural heritage by supporting works of artistic excellence, advancing learning in the arts, and strengthening the arts in communities throughout the country.
1973
In 1973, ACT purchased the building at 1st and Roy.
Before ACT was in its present home, the theatre was housed at the base of Queen Anne hill on the corner of 1st Avenue and Roy Street. Audiences at the old ACT sat surrounding the stage on three sides, in fashion similar to the Falls thrust-style theatre in current use at Kreielsheimer Place, ACT’s present home at the corner of 7th Avenue and Union Street in downtown Seattle.
1975
By 1975, ACT had staged more than 70 contemporary plays at its Queen Anne location.
Contemporary playwrights whose work was performed at ACT include Edward Albee, Samuel Beckett, Bertolt Brecht, Arthur Miller, Harold Pinter, John Steinbeck, James Thurber and Tennessee Williams.