Golden at Falls Theatre

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Written By Besa Gordon

SEATTLE, WA (April 2, 2025) — ACT Contemporary Theatre announced the cast and creative team of the world premiere play Golden, written by award-winning Seattle playwright Andrew Lee Creech. Directed by Tyrone Phillips, Golden begins April 26 in ACT’s Falls Theatre and plays through May 11.

Commissioned by ACT Theatre and first seen as a staged reading at ACT’s inaugural New Works Northwest Festival in 2023, Golden is set after the Great Recession of 2008. Morris Golden, fighting to save his laundromat, finds an unexpected source of hope in a broken change machine with mysterious powers. From the mind of celebrated Seattle writer Andrew Lee Creech (Last Drive to Dodge, Riverwood), this riveting world premiere peels back the layers of lives and relationships to reveal the profound impact of choice and the enduring power of human connection.

Golden is part of Creech’s nine-play cycle, The Legacy Plays Project, which examines pivotal moments in the lives of Black Americans throughout U.S. history.

“Every once in a while, you come across a play that feels like it already lives in your soul—in your memory, as part of a timeless thread of storytelling magic—and yet, it is also fresh and leads you into the unexpected and the unknown,” said ACT's Interim Producing Artistic Director Elisabeth Farwell-Moreland. “Andrew Lee Creech's Golden takes us on that journey on both a heartbreaking and a deeply hopeful path forward.”

ACT’s 49th world premiere, Golden runs April 26 – May 11, 2025, with an Opening Night Celebration on Thursday, May 1. A full schedule of events is available at ACTtheatre.org.

MEET THE CAST

  • Ty Willis as Morris Golden

  • Tracy Michelle Hughes as Rheeda Golden

  • Mesgana Alemshowa as Zora Harris (understudy: Evangeline OpongParry)

  • Elena Flory-Barnes as Jazmine Harris

  • Arlando Smith as Earl

  • Kaughlin Caver as Quikk

CREATIVE TEAM

  • Director: Tyrone Phillips

  • Scenic Designer: Parmida Ziaei

  • Costume Designer: Ricky German

  • Lighting Designer: Robert J. Aguilar

  • Assistant Lighting Designer: Casey Price

  • Sound Designer: Erin Bednarz

  • Dramaturg: Martine Kei Green-Rogers

  • Intimacy Director: Jasmine Lomax

  • Fight & Movement Coach: Alyssa Kay

  • Casting Directors: Quetzie Taborga, Dedra Woods

  • Stage Manager: Shay Trusty

  • Production Assistant: Tiana Ross

  • Youth Supervisor: Myles Wright

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Andrew Lee Creech is a playwright, content creator, and performer. He is the creator of The Legacy Plays Project, a nine-play, multi-century-spanning meditation on the journey of Black Americans through pivotal moments in American history. His plays have been produced or developed by Taproot Theatre, Seattle Public Theater, Playwrights’ Center, and ACT Theatre. Accolades include:

  • 2025 Semifinalist – Page 73 Fellowship

  • 2024 Finalist – Ojai Playwrights Conference

  • 2023 Finalist – Seven Devils Playwrights Conference (Golden)

  • 2021 Winner – Blue Ink Award (Last Drive to Dodge)

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Tyrone Phillips is the founding Artistic Director of Definition Theatre in Chicago. A first-generation Jamaican-American, Phillips is a graduate of the University of Illinois and has studied abroad at Shakespeare’s Globe. His directing and acting credits include work with Steppenwolf, Goodman Theatre, Berkeley Rep, and Off-Broadway’s Stage 42. He serves on the Board of Directors for the League of Chicago Theatres and teaches at both DePaul University and the University of Illinois-Chicago. He was recently awarded the Arts Midwest Peter Capell Award for Creativity & Entrepreneurship.

PERFORMANCE DATES

April 26 – May 11, 2025

  • Evenings: 7:00 p.m. (Tues, Wed, Sun) | 7:30 p.m. (Thurs, Fri, Sat)

  • Matinees: 2:00 p.m.

Key Dates:

  • First Preview: Sat, April 26 at 7:30 p.m.

  • Industry Night: Tues, April 29 at 7:00 p.m.

  • Opening Night Celebration: Thurs, May 1 at 6:30 p.m. (Show at 7:30 p.m.)

  • Student Matinee: Tues, May 6 at 11:00 a.m.

  • ASL & Audio-Described Performance: Sat, May 3 at 2:00 p.m.

  • Community Day: Sun, May 4

    • 1:00 p.m. – Meet the Playwright (ages 14–25)

    • 2:00 p.m. – Matinee performance

    • 4:00 p.m. – Panel discussion, art, performances, food, and social hour

    • 7:00 p.m. – Evening performance

LOCATION

ACT Contemporary Theatre – Falls Theatre
700 Union Street, Seattle, WA

TICKETS

Pay What You Choose starting at $5
Discounts available for students, industry professionals, and more.
Tickets + info: acttheatre.org/2024-25-season/golden/

PRESS ROOM

Press assets and headshots available soon: ACT Theatre Press Room

🔗 SOCIAL MEDIA

Besa Gordon
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