“Ten minutes, everyone. Ten minutes!”
Step backstage — without leaving your seat. The title 10 Out of 12 refers to the number of hours Actors’ Equity Association allows for one very long day in the technical process of building a show. Accomplished playwright Anne Washburn catapults us into the world beyond the curtain, capturing the magical chaos of a tech rehearsal when lights, sound, and costumes collide with nerves (and personalities) in anticipation of opening night.
Always immersive Quantum takes it to a new level with innovative technology that allows the audience to eavesdrop on the backstage drama of creation. You’ll wear a headset, that one-earpiece staple of Stage Managers everywhere, so you, too, can hear the folks in the booth as well as the actors onstage. This combination makes for a rare insight into the rhythms, joys, and frustrations of making theatre.
Washburn’s clever comedy is an ultimately moving love letter to the theater and to the people who work to create the beautiful, funny, unexpected worlds that live on the stage. Director Andrew William Smith and Sound Designer Steve Shapiro navigate 10 Out of 12’s jaw-dropping complexity so you can enjoy the ride in the dazzlingly gorgeous Art Deco gem of an auditorium cozily nestled below ground level in the Mellon Institute on Fifth Avenue.
April 3 – 26, 2026
Staged at the Mellon Institute, Oakland
