The Hairy Baby, by Seattle's Ki Gottberg, will open A Contemporary Theatre's FirstACT weekend of readings Nov. 18. FirstACT, meant to introduce new plays by Seattle scribes, will feature staged readings with post-show discussions to follow.

Hairy Baby, directed by Rosa Joshi, sets Claire's perfect marriage on edge when she creates her ultimate fantasy. Gottberg, an National Endowment for the Arts Playwriting Fellow, will be represented at the New City Theatre in April, 2000 with Big Boss.

Nov. 19, Allison Gregory's Point Deception will be read with direction by playwright Steven Dietz (Force of Nature, Private Eyes). Deception takes place in a lighthouse where five women, four lies and one ghost come together. Gregory's Fall Off Night recently completed a successful Los Angeles run.

Fetch, part "Dracula," part Harvey, takes two twins and pairs them with a strange creature who holds a strong, possibly harmful influence over them. Playwright Dawson Nichols is known for the one- person shows I Might Be Edgar Allan Poe, Three Descents of Darwin and Virtual Solitaire and the award-nominated play, Escher's Hands. Robert Sindelar directs the reading Nov. 20.

The final play will be Vincent Delaney's The Robeson Tape. The story of the relationship that springs up between a novice FBI agent and the target of his investigations, singer and activist Paul Robeson, Tape will be directed by Leslie Swackhamer for a performance Nov. 21. Delaney is an actor and playwright whose MLK and the FBI won a Seattle Arts Commission grant. Tickets are $5 for general admission and available by calling the ACT box office at (206) 292-7676. A Contemporary Theatre is located at the corner of 7th Avenue and Union Street.

-- By Christine Ehren