Union Arts Center

Photo: Chris Bennion

"As we progress on our journey with our new merged organization, we are taking time to determine our mission, vision, and values. ACT is a contemporary theatre where artistic ambition and civic engagement unite. With the plays of William Shakespeare at our core, Seattle Shakespeare Company engages our audiences, our artists, and our community in the universal human experience inherent in classic drama through the vitality, immediacy, and intimacy of live performance and dynamic outreach programs."

 

ACT Contemporary Theatre and Seattle Shakespeare Company Announce Historic Merger Effective July 1, 2025!

We are thrilled to announce that both ACT Contemporary Theatre (ACT) and Seattle Shakespeare Company (SSC) Boards of Trustees approved our historic merger with an effective date of July 1, 2025. 

This landmark decision comes after an extensive deliberation and planning process that included incorporating valuable input throughout from staff, donors, community members, and working committees. Under the terms of the agreement, the two organizations will merge under the legal name of “Union Arts Center.” The merged organization, whose public-facing name will be determined at a later date, will present plays and programs representing both the ACT Theatre and Seattle Shakespeare artistic brands.

Also announced as part of our exciting merger news:

• Current SSC Executive Director John Bradshaw will join as Managing Director of the merged company.
• An initial Board of Trustees – comprising seven members of each organization’s current board – in collaboration with Bradshaw and ACT Interim Producing Artistic Director Elisabeth Farwell-Moreland, will continue to meet and engage with the community and stakeholders as they deepen their planning for the new organization.
• The new Board will be tasked with creating the company’s Mission, Vision, and Values, building the staff structure, finalizing an executive board structure, and beginning the nationwide search for an Artistic Director.

We hope you’ll be joining us for the first collaboration between our organizations, the production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in ACT’s Falls Theatre June 7-22. 

Equity Statement

"We recognize that now is a powerful and invigorating moment of change. We seize this opportunity to work towards becoming an anti-racist, fully accessible, multicultural theatre that is truly welcoming to all. With the help of artists, staff, and others, both in Seattle and nationally, including the demands in We See You, White American Theatre, we are doing work to reform our policies and procedures to create change at all levels of our institution. We understand that this work is ongoing, there is no end, no finish line to cross as we continue to learn and evolve as an organization. Being a theatre that is making an authentic effort to improve its culture requires vigilance and care. We will continue to share our steps along this journey with you in the spirit of transparency and continuous growth. Below we have listed the steps we have taken as an organization, and provided hyperlinks to more specific information and to track progress."

For more information about Union Arts Center's commitment to equity and racial justice, view their full equity statement.