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two hours from now, the curtain will rise here at the Geary theater for the first performance of the american conservatory theater. This theatrical organization represents another attempt by san Francisco, the sponsor and sustain a resident theater group replacing the ill fated, unattended and controversial actor's workshop.

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But as William Ball, executive director of Acts says there is a considerable difference between act and the workshop. Mr Bull. How would you describe the difference between the american conservatory theater and the actor's workshop? Well, I think the main difference is that the actor's workshop has

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been a repertory theater and this is a conservatory theater. It's a difference in uh the approach to the theater. This is training and performing Institute And we have a major training complement, always with the large repertory. Also, we have a rotating repertory program in which 16

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plays will be inactive repertory in two theaters at the same time. Now, I think we're the first company in the United States who has a double theater repertory running throughout the year. This is our, the first big engagement here in san Francisco and we hope that

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it will become our home. Now, you've chosen as your opening play, Moliere's Tartu. Why that play? Well, it has been in the repertory for two years. This, this is the production that I directed at the Lincoln center in new york city two years ago, it was

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a big success there. Some of the cast members from that production are still with me and we found that it's one of the most rollicking. Yeah, funny productions in our repertory and it's one that the audiences have tremendously responded to. What do you think is unique

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or unusual about this particular play? Well, about Tartuffe, I think uh it has all of the, the wildness, the bawdiness of uh the greatest comic writer in western civilization. Moliere was the finest comedic writer in my opinion, for the stage. And it has also a great,

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deep, touching moral theme. It's marvelous for families and most people are little. They feel that Moliere is giddy, but this is a deeply touching human family situation. Well, now we're looking at it now and have been looking at it sort of a wild scene there is

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that the end of the first act, that's the end of the first act. The father or gone is throwing out his son dummies, throwing him out of the house in favor of Tartu from he's taken in as a hypocrite, thinking tartuffe to be a zealot who

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will convert the family and teach them religious ways. Actually, Tartu is as it's called in in french the hypocrite. Now you're gonna spend part of your time here in san Francisco and part of it in Chicago. How are you going to divide this time? It will

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be uh A 5050 arrangement beginning with the summer, we enter into an arrangement with San Francisco and Chicago for 20 weeks in each city And then we'll spend 10 weeks of preparation and rehearsal during the summertime. And will each city will receive The entire repertory, usually

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between 16 and possibly 24 plays That will Mount six new productions in each city so that the six new productions we do for Chicago will come to san Francisco. In addition to the six new ones we do here. Yeah. Last summer act performed at stanford University

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to remarkably good reviews. Both the theater group and the city hope that tonight will be the beginning of a long and profitable relationship. KPI X news at the theater. The more I will do to keep him without delay, I'll fight this

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household and his bride by giving him my daughter as his bride. Yes, in this very night do you understand, I shall admire you all and make it clear that I'm the one who gives the orders here. Come, let's kneel down and clasped his blessed feet. I

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asked that swindlers, pardon why I'd rather behind an empty purse is all you'll get from me. Violence makes me, I cannot speak and find myself. You I'm going to have from there. Mm hmm. Okay. Yeah,

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yeah. Up in san Francisco for opening night for the american conservatory theater known as act. And opening night was a glittering sellout. That alone considering the weather and the gale swept highways and the warnings to stay

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off those highways is an auspicious accomplishment. It wasn't quite as glittering as Truman Capote's Bash, but there were a few celebrities around like Raymond Massey and Ethel Merman. The company will do 16 productions in a 22 week season. Everything from Charlie's aunt to the seagull, They

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will spend half the season in Chicago starting in 1968. Tonight's season opener was tartuffe by Moliere in getting ready for this opening night. The company has had aches and growing pains and there will doubtless be more. The late defunct actor's workshop found out that san Francisco

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has plenty of pitfalls for a dramatic company. But this company, known as Act, hopes to avoid those pitfalls by a higher level of professionalism and a greater variety of repertory. This is Jim Anderson at the Geary Theater, opening night of the american Conservatory theater.