1984 by AuroraTheatreCompany

A U R O R A T H E AT R E C O M PA N Y P R E S E N T S

BY George Orwell ADAPTED BY Michael Gene Sullivan † DIRECTED BY Barbara Damashek

STARTS

NOV 10, 2023

†

I N T I M A T E . I N C L U S I V E1 . I N S P I R I N G . G E T I N .

Dear FriendsMichael Gene Sullivan is a Bay Area treasure. Writing, acting, and instigating with the San Francisco Mime Troupe, Michael has long carried the torch for political theatre with bite. As an actor at Aurora and on other stages across the Bay Area, Michael has delighted audiences for years. His adaptation of 1984 should be seen as a major contribution to the national and international canon, having had celebrated productions around the country and the globe. Somehow, this adaptation had never had a professional Bay Area production until now. Barbara Damashek is another Bay Area treasure; this is the ninth production she has directed at Aurora (most recently The Children, our final production before the pandemic shutdown; she’s also working on a new play commission through our Originate+Generate program). She was the obvious choice to direct Michael’s adaptation -- one of her many specialities is telling stories about the dark side of human nature, with a keen awareness of politics and history. Her feel for theatricality is a perfect fit for this very theatrical adaptation of George Orwell’s novel. Published in 1949, in the wake of World War II and that fight against fascism, 1984 remains stubbornly relevant after 74 years. Orwell takes the impulse towards fascism he saw in midcentury Europe to its logical conclusion: control not just of bodies and actions but of thought. We’ve seen firsthand over the last several years how disinformation and propaganda can distort reality and infect minds; Orwell would not be surprised by the ways today’s forces of fascism are seeking to gain power in the United States and around the world. I believe in the power of story to move conversations forward, and I hope this production will help us understand the ways in which fascism infects people and societies, and inspire us to do our part in the fight against it. We are in the midst of our end-of-year fundraising drive right now. If you haven’t already contributed, I invite you to be a part of helping Aurora continue to keep telling stories that inspire. Thank you, and enjoy the show.

Josh Costello ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

TIME AND PLACE Time: Not only 1984 or now Place: Anywhere and everywhere 2

Josh Costello

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Robin Dolan & Nicole Elise Schulz CO-MANAGING DIRECTORS

AURORA THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

BY GEORGE ORWELL ADAPTED BY MICHAEL GENE SULLIVAN † DIRECTED BY BARBARA DAMASHEK THE CAST DAVID BRYANT*......................................................................................... Fourth Party Member DANIEL DUQUE-ESTRADA* �� First Party Member WARREN DAVID KEITH* �� O’Brien / Voice BRADY MORALES-WOOLERY* �� Third Party Member JOSEPH PATRICK O’MALLEY* �� Winston Smith MEGAN SOLEDAD �� Second Party Member UNDERSTUDIES CASSIDY BROWN*............................................................................ First Party Member, Winston DAVID BRYANT*........................................................................................................O’Brien / Voice CARLA GALLARDO...................................................................................... Second Party Member DOV HASSAN*...........................................................Third Party Member, Fourth Party Member CREATIVE TEAM LEAH HAMMOND Lead Props LAURA HICKS* Stage Manager KURT LANDISMAN** Lighting Designer DAVE MAIER Fight Director MAGGIE MORGAN** Costume Designer

CHELSEA PACE Intimacy Director JEFF ROWLINGS** Scenic Designer KAITLIN STEPHENS Assistant Stage Manager MATT STINES Sound Designer

ASSOCIATE SEASON SPONSORS Craig & Kathy Moody ASSOCIATE SPONSORS Ellen & Barry Levine Thomas Edwards & Rebecca Parlette-Edwards Alison Teeman & Michael Yovino-Young Aurora Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges the following foundations and government agencies for their support: City of Berkeley Civic Arts Program & Civic Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, and The Shubert Foundation. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (Copyright, 1949), by permission of Bill Hamilton as the Literary Executor of the Estate of the late Sonia Brownell Orwell, adapted by Michael Gene Sullivan.

Special Thanks to John & Molly Gordon

†

*Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers, The Director is a Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.**United Scenic Artists Member

D R A M AT U R G Y

1984

THEN

The New Yorker’s first review of Nineteen Eighty-Four was published June 10, 1949. Written by Lionel Trilling, it was titled Orwell on the Future: George Orwell’s “1984” predicts a state of things far worse than any we have ever known.

Trilling wrote: “‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ is a profound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating book. It is a fantasy of the political future, and, like any such fantasy, serves its author as a magnifying device for an examination of the present. … Indeed, it is exactly one of the cruel essential points of the book that utopianism is no longer a living issue. Orwell … said what Dostoevski and all the other critics of the utopian ideal had said before—that men might actually gain a life of security, adjustment, and fun, but only at the cost of their spiritual freedom, which is to say, of their humanity. Orwell agrees that the State of the future will establish its power by destroying souls. But he believes that men will be coerced, not cosseted, into soullessness. They will be dehumanized not by sex, massage, and private helicopters but by a marginal life of deprivation, dullness, and fear of pain.”

As the real-life year 1984 approached, TIME dedicated a cover story to Orwell’s vision of what that year could have been like. The story in the in the November 28, 1983 issue headlined as “That Year Is Almost Here.” Paul Gray wrote: “The proper way to remember George Orwell, finally, is not as a man of numbers—1984 will pass, not Nineteen Eighty–Four—but as a man of letters who wanted to change the world by changing the word.”

Right: Photos of Barbara Damashek† and Michael Gene Sullivan by Scot Goodman

1984

The effect of 1984 on the English language is extensive; the concepts of Big Brother, Room 101, the Thought Police, thoughtcrime, unperson, memory hole, doublethink, and Newspeak have become colloquial phrases for referencing totalitarian authority or culture. The adjective “Orwellian” means similar to Orwell’s writings, most often 1984. The practice of ending words with “-speak” (such as mediaspeak) is drawn from the novel.

NOW

Playwright Michael Gene Sullivan says about his adaptation of 1984: During the early days of the “War On Terror” I realized that many of the shows I was writing or thinking about writing were very much in an Orwellian world; not just in regards to the propaganda, unending warfare and ever-threatening/ almost defeated enemy, but also in the acceptance by the ordinary citizens of the violence and torture done in their names. Suddenly, it seemed, beatings, waterboarding, forced feedings, and shackled prisoners hanging from the ceiling was okay because they were the “enemy.”... Frightening Americans to the point they will accept the obliteration of the human rights of others and of the degradation of the civil rights of themselves in the name of defending “freedom,” accepting surveillance in the name of security, clamoring for fear instead of facts, fantasy instead of history… how could I not write an adaptation of 1984. Director Barbara Damashek† also offers: As Orwell writes, “If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” And this linguistic virus always shelters an “intoxication with power that will achieve its most devastating effects in the field of consciousness” (D.J.Taylor, his biographer). To say nothing of how it unleashes the viruses of tyranny and terrorism. We are obviously living in Orwellian times. Historically, Americans have often been both victim and perpetrator of crimes against human rights. So we too are on the mat here. Michael Gene Sullivan explained in our discussion that it was his response to our government’s treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo that inspired his adaptation. As Winston eventually perceives, “if you want to keep a secret you must also hide it from yourself.” In his essay “Why I Write,” Orwell says, “The Spanish War and other events in 1936-7 turned the scale and thereafter I knew where I stood. Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written directly, or indirectly against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism as I understand it.” And “What I have most wanted to do throughout the past 10 years is to make political writing into an art.” 1984 is and sadly always has been now…now…now. Dramaturgy by Molly Van Der Molen, Artistic Associate

C O M M U N I T Y PA R T N E R S

Aurora Theatre Company’s

Community Partner’s Program

Aurora Theatre Company’s Community Partners program connects each of our productions to a partner organization, grounding Aurora into the life, work, and culture of our community. By sharing resources between Aurora Theatre Company and our partner organizations, we build lasting relationships that further our mission and yours while strengthening our community in Berkeley, the East Bay, and the Bay Area. Tre’Vonne Bell, Ed Gonzalez Moreno*, Gabriella Fanuele*, Margo Hall*, Michael J. Asberry*, Sam Jackson*, and Adam KuveNiemann* in Ike Holter’s Exit Strategy. *Member AEA. Photo by David Allen.

CELEBRATING OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS NOW AND STILL TO COME

AURORA INSIGHTS

Affinity NIGHTs

1984 in 2023: Why Orwell is Still Relevant

Every Friday, we invite a specific group to come together and enjoy community in the Aurora space through the shared experience of playgoing. While all are welcome to any performance, these nights are meant to provide a safe and intentional experience for these specific cross-sections of our community.

SAT, DEC 2 STARTS AT 4PM Aurora INsights are a moderated panel and discussion offered to our donors of any level to continue the conversations inspired by the themes of our 2023/2024 Season. To learn more about this program and other donor benefits, visit:

November 10 - College Night November 17 - LGBTQIA+ Night December 1 - BIPOC Night December 8 - To Be Announced

auroratheatre.org/donor-benefits.

Community Discounts Aurora is pleased to offer a variety of discounts for eligible subscribers or single ticket buyers, including options for: • Full-Time High School and College Students

We also provide options for:

• Group Rates

• Full-Time Teachers

• Pay-What-You-Can for select performances

• Anyone 35 & Under

• $20 Rush subject to availability

• Active & retired U.S. military personnel

For more details, please visit auroratheatre.org/discounts or contact the Box Office at 510.843.4822 or boxoffice@auroratheatre.org

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in the Theater, and Death Defying Acts. His Bay Area theater credits also include: Macbeth, As You Like It, Henry IV (pts 1&2), Much Ado About Nothing, and The Winter’s Tale for California Shakespeare Theater; King Charles III, War Music, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Mary Stuart, Machinal, and Arcadia at A.C.T.; Heartbreak House and Rhinoceros at Berkeley Rep; An Uncommon Vision, The Rules of Charity, Mauritius, and What We’re Up Against at Magic Theater, The Nether and The Christians at S.F. Playhouse, and extended runs at The Marsh Berkeley and The Marsh San Francisco of Acid Test: The Many Incarnations of Ram Dass. His screen credits include: Fargo, The Big Lebowski, A Serious Man, and Nomadland.

DAVID BRYANT* (FOURTH PARTY MEMBER, U/S O’BRIEN) has performed on Broadway in Amadeus, Sunday in the Park with George, and Showboat. He also starred as the original Marius in Les Misérables on Broadway. He can be heard on the Broadway cast recording, and notes that he has sung more “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” for benefits than he can remember. He also appeared in the Off-Broadway play, Appear and Show Cause, for which he won an Audelco Award for Best Actor. Recent film works include Estella Scrooge: A Christmas Carol with a Twist. Television: Stars in the House, Law and Order, Law and Order SVU, Sex in the City. He is the voice of Sebastian Shaw in the X-Men cartoon series.

BRADY MORALESWOOLERY* (THIRD PARTY MEMBER) was most recently seen at Aurora in Born With Teeth in the role of Will Shakespeare. He trained at the University of California at Berkeley. Select theatre credits include Private Lives (Victor Prynne, Arizona Theatre Company), Clue (Wadsworth, Center Rep), Romeo y Juliet (Benvolio, Cal Shakes), The Curious Case of the Watson Intelligence (Watson, Shotgun Players), Twelfth Night (Cal Shakes), Once (42nd Street Moon), Retablos (Word for Word), Bright Shining Sea (SF Playground), Barefoot in the Park (Paul, Willows Theatre Company) The Kentucky Cycle (Patrick, Willows Theatre Company), and FSM (Mario Savio, Stagebridge). Feature films include Quitters, Pushing Dead, The Internship, and the upcoming Avenue of the Giants. He sends love to his family and friends for their continued support.

Since moving back to the Bay Area, Bryant has performed in productions of Noises Off, Enchanted April (PCRC), David Copperfield, Breaking the Code (Jewel Theatre), and Rags (TheatreWorks). Spanning an acting career of over 30 years in stage, film and television, Bryant has had the pleasure of working with Sir Peter Hall, Ian McKellan, Stephen Sondheim, James Lapine, Sir Trevor Nunn, Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, Hal Prince, Frank Langella, Elaine Stritch, John McMartin, Jeremy Northam, Vincenzo Natali, Marissa Haggerty among others. DANIEL DUQUEESTRADA* (FIRST PARTY MEMBER, FLIGHT CAPTAIN) makes his Aurora debut. In the Bay Area, Duque-Estrada has worked with the Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, CalShakes, Shotgun Players. Other theaters include The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (two seasons), The Dallas Theatre Center (Brierly Resident Acting Company Member), and Trinity Repertory Company, where he is currently a Resident Company Artist. Off-Broadway: The Woman’s Project and PlayCo. He holds an MFA in Acting from Brown University/ Trinity Rep.

JOSEPH PATRICK O’MALLEY* (WINSTON) returns to Aurora having previously appeared in Colonialism is Terrible, but Pho is Delicious, Creditors, and A Number. Other Bay Area productions: War of the Roses, Macbeth, King Lear, Nicholas Nickleby at Cal Shakes; Ms. Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Charlotte’s Web at Marin Theatre Co.; Spamalot!, Measure for Measure at Marin Shakespeare Co., The Liar at Center Rep.

WARREN DAVID KEITH* (O’BRIEN/VOICE) is delighted to return to Aurora where he has previously been seen in G.B.Shaw’s Widowers’ Houses, The First Grade, The Devil’s Disciple, Hysteria, A Life 8

O’Malley has been seen regionally in The Gift of Nothing at the Kennedy Center, The Tall Girls at

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Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot (Custom Made Theater), The Tempest (Oakland Theater Project), The Box (Pulitzer Center/Marin Shakespeare), & Retablos (Word 4 Word), just to name a few. Through acting, she has worked with many programs surrounding education & awareness on a myriad of topics with students all over Northern California with NCTC’s YouthAware, Word 4 Word’s Youth Program, the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Youth Theater Project & Kaiser Permanentes’ Educational Theater. On her down-time, she enjoys quality time with her loved ones, sipping on a cafecito, exploring beaches on warm, sunny days, and dancing to anything that makes her move & groove.

La Jolla Playhouse, Seminar at B Street Theatre. Motion Capture: NBA2K, Mafia: Definitive Edition, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge, Fortnite. O’Malley earned an MFA from USC and a BA from Santa Clara University. “For L+R”. MEGAN SOLEDAD (SECOND PARTY MEMBER) makes her Aurora Theatre Company debut. Recent credits include A Chorus Line (San Francisco Playhouse), The Woman in The Turn of the Screw (Town Hall Theatre Company), and Dancing Home at the San Francisco Fringe Festival, where she performed with the San Francisco Youth Theatre. Other Bay Area credits include In the Heights (Berkeley Playhouse), The Sound of Music (Throckmorton Theatre), and Silent Sky (Summer Repertory Theatre). Soledad recently earned her master’s in opera from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and has a B.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon University. When not performing in a show, Megan loves to sing with her salsa band! @meganmateosky

DOV HASSAN* (U/S THIRD PARTY MEMBER & FOURTH PARTY MEMBER) grew up in the Bay Area where he has been working as an actor, musician, director, and teacher for many years. Hassan is very excited to be working with Aurora Theatre Company for the first time. He is a co-founder and member of Theatre Cultura and a company member with Oakland Theater Project. Recent acting work includes The Dignity Circle (Central Works), Lear (CalShakes), Vinegar Tom (Shotgun Players), Hamlet (Oakland Theater Project), and CHEER: Story of a Dreamer (Theatre Cultura). Hassan received his MFA in Acting and Directing from University of Missouri – Kansas City and currently is head of the Theater Arts Department at Chabot College.

CASSIDY BROWN* (U/S FIRST PARTY MEMBER & WINSTON) is very happy to return to Aurora, where he has previously appeared in Safe House and Bosoms and Neglect. Other Bay Area credits include Berkeley Rep, SF Playhouse, Center Rep, Word for Word, Golden Thread, SF Shakes, and Theatreworks. His most notorious achievement is performing in 5 different productions of the 39 Steps as both Clowns as well as Richard Hannay. Beyond the Bay, he has been seen in several shows at both Capital Stage (Sacramento) and Pacific Repertory Theatre (Carmel). He is also the co-host of the spiritual comedy podcast “All the Answers”. CARLA GALLARDO (U/S SECOND PARTY MEMBER) is a Bay Area actor, and is beyond honored to have an opportunity to work with the Aurora for the first time as an understudy! Her previous credits include : Doméstica Realidad and Las Azurduy (La Lengua Teatro), Exodus to Eden and Book of Sand (a fairytale) (Oakland Theater Project), References to

BARBARA DAMASHEK † (DIRECTOR AND COMPOSER) is happy to be back at Aurora after her production of The Children, which was the last before the Covid hiatus. For the past year she has been creating new project under an Aurora commission and last September she directed a staged reading of Bad Roads by Natalya Vorozhbyt for the Ukrainian Worldwide Playreading Relief Initiative at the theater. Other Previous Aurora productions include: Creditors, A Number, Splendour, The Lyons, American Buffalo, Fat Pig, and Private Jokes, Public Places. An award winning director, she has worked at many of the country’s leading regional theaters including Oregon Shakespeare Festival, A.C.T., Berkeley Rep, South Coast Repertory Theatre, the Actors Theatre of Louisville, American Repertory Theatre, Trinity Repertory, The Mark Taper Forum, the Denver Center, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and at International Theater Festivals and at the Little Globe Theater in Kirovohrad, Ukraine. She has taught at many of the

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nation’s leading theater conservatories and more recently was a professor at San Francisco State University. She is best known nationally as the Director, Composer-Lyricist and Co-Author of Quilters which received 6 Tony Nominations in 1985 including 3 for Ms. Damashek for Best Direction, Best Original Score, and (with co-author Molly Newman) Best Book Of A Musical.

Theaters and have been awarded 22 BATCC Awards. He has designed for many Opera Companies across the US, and Kurt also served the San Francisco Opera as Assistant Lighting Designer for 4 years. Internationally, he created designs in Tokyo, Singapore, and Shanghai. You can learn more at kurtlandisman.com DAVE MAIER (FIGHT DIRECTOR) has previously worked with Aurora on Cyrano, American Buffalo, Breakfast with Mugabe, and The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, among others. He is recognized as a Master Fight Director and Master Instructor with Dueling Arts International and is currently the resident fight director at San Francisco Opera and Oakland Theatre Project. He is a five-time recipient of the Theatre Bay Area Award for Outstanding Fight Choreography and a six-time recipient of the SFBA Theatre Critics Circle Award. Recent credits include POTUS (Berkeley Rep), Il Trovatore (SF Opera), Hamlet and Twelfth Night (Marin Shakespeare Co.), Romeo & Juliet (Opera San Jose), and Of Mice and Men (Livermore Valley Opera). Dave is an instructor of theatrical combat at UC Santa Cruz, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Studio ACT, and Berkeley Rep School of Theatre. He is a founding member of Dueling Arts San Francisco.

LEAH HAMMOND (LEAD PROPS) is excited to be back at Aurora to build more weird stuff! Leah has worn many theatrical hats over the past 20-odd years, and currently designs and builds props and sets at theaters around the Bay Area, including for: Shotgun Players, Magic Theatre, SF Playhouse, Z Space, and more. Leah has also dabbled in acting, including playing Universanaut in Disinsemination, Lenny in Rumors, multiple 24 hour play festivals, and a very cute 5-year-old Tortoise in Tortoise and the Hare. Current work can be seen in Citizen (Z Below) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Shotgun Players) LAURA HICKS* (STAGE MANAGER) is a new Bay Area resident that has recently moved from Alabama. In the Bay Area, she has been a Stage Manager for TheatreWorks New Works Festival, as well as ASM for TW Steel Magnolias. Before her move, she was a Resident Stage Manager with Red Mountain Theatre in Birmingham. There, she was the stage manager for Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Holiday Spectacular, and their Performing Ensemble program. Additional Stage Manager credits include You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Virginia Repertory Theatre), 1776 (Virginia Repertory Theatre), The Velveteen Rabbit (Virginia Repertory Theatre), Glory Denied (Opera Birmingham), and The Tragedy of Carmen (Opera Birmingham). Assistant Stage Manager credits include Dreamgirls (Virginia Repertory Theatre), Dreamgirls (Red Mountain Theatre), Elixir of Love (Opera Birmingham), Fiddler on the Roof (Red Mountain Theatre), Beauty and the Beast (Red Mountain Theatre), and The Nutcracker (Alabama Ballet)

MAGGIE MORGAN** (COSTUME DESIGNER) is based here in the Bay Area and designed Paradise Blue and The Real Thing at Aurora. Her New York credits include Soul Doctor (Broadway, off-Broadway) and David’s Red-Haired Death at Soho Rep. She recently designed Justice: A New Musical at Marin Theatre Company, Office Hour at Berkeley Rep, and many shows at many places including: Pasadena Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, Theatre Works, Center Rep, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Magic Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Mark Taper Forum, Matrix Theatre, Playground, Capital Stage, Hollywood Bowl, and Yale Repertory Theatre. Her film and series designs include Car Dogs, Alex in Wonder, and the Emmy nominated Send Me: An Original Web Series on BET.com. Maggie has worked as an Assistant Costume Designer on many films including Men in Black, Casino, Mona Lisa Smile, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Visit www.maggiemorgandesign. com

KURT LANDISMAN** (LIGHTING DESIGNER) is pleased to return to Aurora Theatre Company to light Barbara Damashek’s production of 1984 adapted for the stage by Michael Gene Sullivan. Amongst the 25 productions Kurt has lit for Aurora, they notably include A Delicate Balance directed by Tom Ross, Detroit directed by Josh Costello, American Buffalo directed by Barbara Damashek, and Dry Powder directed by Jennifer King. His designs have been seen at all of the major Bay Area

GEORGE ORWELL (NOVELIST) was an English novelist, essayist, and critic most famous now for his novels Animal Farm (1945) and 10

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Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). Born Eric Arthur Blair in British-occupied India in 1903, Orwell was educated in England and spent time as a policeman in Burma before returning to England to begin his writing career as an occasional journalist and the publication of some of his lesser-known novels. In the late 1930s, Orwell fought and was wounded in the Spanish Civil War, which he recounted in his Homage to Catalonia (1938). During the Second World War, his growing reputation as an essayist and journalist allowed him to serve as a correspondent and broadcast supervisor for the BBC from 1941 to 1943, and in 1945 Animal Farm was published to great acclaim. In the last years of his life, Orwell wrote hundreds of articles and published a collection of his Critical Essays, while working on his final novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. After many years of poor health, Orwell passed away in January 1950 at the age of 46, barely six months after the publication of Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Production Manager for American Conservatory Theater; Production Manager/Resident Designer for San Diego Rep; and Production Manager/Resident Designer for the Magic Theatre. He co-founded Foghouse Productions which produced R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe in San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle, and Culture Clash in America in San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Other designs include lights for Dan Hoyle’s Talk To Your People at the Marsh in SF; set & lights for Viola Davis’ west coast premiere of Paradise in Los Angeles; set & lights for Fogg Theatre’s The Cable Car Nymphomaniac; lights for Word for Word’s Retablos and Smut; and lights for Marin Theatre Co’s Hotter Than Egypt, Jazz, The Oldest Boy, and Magic Forest Farm. Additionally, Jeff is President of the Board for Mendocino Theatre Company. KAITLIN STEPHENS (ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER) is thrilled to be the Assistant Stage Manager for 1984! Throughout high school at Saint Mary’s College High School, Kaitlin was involved in the technical theater club, doing everything from lighting design to stage management. They were excited to enter the professional world as Spotlight Operator for Berkeley Playhouse’s Becoming Robin Hood and are delighted to be continuing with Aurora Theatre Company!

CHELSEA PACE (INTIMACY DIRECTOR) THEATRE: BROADWAY: Strange Loop, Leopoldstadt, K-POP. OFF-BROADWAY: The Shed: HELP, INTAR: Bundle of Sticks. REGIONAL: Berkeley Rep: POTUS; La Jolla: SUMO, As You Like It; Signature: Bridges of Madison County, Into the Woods, Passing Strange, Color Purple, Daphne’s Dive, RENT, Detroit ‘67; Woolly Mammoth: Incendiary, Strange Loop; Studio Theatre: Fun Home, John Proctor is the Villain, White Noise; Folger: Midsummer Night’s Dream; Arena Stage: Seven Guitars; Philadelphia Theatre Co: Tattooed Lady. Resident Intimacy Consultant at Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre, and Woolly Mammoth. FILM/TV: Select: A League of Their Own, Harlem, Best Man: Final Chapters, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, The Tender Bar, MASHED. Forthcoming TV/Film: Drive Away Dolls, Dr. Death, Mother’s Instinct, American Sports Story. Co-Founder, Theatrical Intimacy Education. AUTHOR: Staging Sex: Best Practices Tools and Techniques for Theatrical Intimacy. AWARDS: Kennedy Center Gold Medallion. www.chelseapace.com @professorpace

MATT STINES (SOUND DESIGNER) is extremely grateful to be back at Aurora. Favorite memories in this room include Metamorphosis, The Arsonists, A Bright New Boise, and Splendour. He has taught theatre sound at San Francisco State (BA, 2009), St Mary’s College, and Sonoma State. In addition to many local stages, his creative work has been shown in festivals like FringeNYC, Prague Quadrennial, MEDIATE’s Soundwave, and SF Sketchfest. He’s been broadcast on KQED, Mutiny Radio, and Crackscape roaming radio. He plays: drums in Spleen; whatever he wants in FULLGROWNMIN; everything and nothing in S T A I N S. mikestains.com Deepest love and gratitude to Lindsay, Didi, and Gogo. MICHAEL GENE SULLIVAN (PLAYWRIGHT) is an actor, writer, director, blogger, and teacher committed to developing theatre of social and economic justice, of political selfdetermination, and, of course, musical comedy. Michael is also an alum of the nationally-acclaimed Playwright’s Foundation, a Djerassi Center Artist Fellow, and in 2022 was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.

JEFF ROWLINGS** (SCENIC DESIGNER) is a San Francisco and Mendocino based set & lighting designer, and production manager. Aurora designs include Born with Teeth, This Much I Know, Detroit ’67, and Eureka Day. Mendocino Theatre Company designs include Woody Guthrie’s American Song, A Doll’s House Part 2, Ideation, and Rumors. Jeff was the 11

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An accomplished veteran of Bay Area theater, with credits from American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco Playhouse, Theatreworks, The Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Denver Center Theater Company, The California, San Francisco and Marin Shakespeare companies as well as many others, Michael is also a Collective Member and Resident Director of the Tony and OBIE awardwinning, always revolutionary, and never, ever silent San Francisco Mime Troupe, where he has written, acted in, and/or directed over thirty plays.

Aphra Behn’s The Rover. He was the Education Director at Marin Shakespeare Company, and a faculty member at Cal Shakes, ACT, SF Shakes, UC Riverside, Cal State Long Beach, South Coast Rep, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Costello holds a BFA in Theatre from Boston University, and an MFA in Directing from the University of Washington, Seattle. ROBIN DOLAN (CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR) began working at Aurora as Audience Services Manager in 2013, was promoted to the Business Manager position in 2018, and is now serving as Co-Managing Director. Her prior Arts Administration jobs were with CalShakes and the SF Ballet. Robin served as Co-Artistic Director for Magical Acts Ritual Theatre from 2003 - 2005, and directed the devised piece Heretics, Harlots and Heroes. Robin has fed her passion for dramaturgy by leading post show talks with audience members at Aurora, and pre-show Grove Talks at CalShakes. Robin has sung with the Oakland Symphony Chorus, the San Francisco Choral Society, the trio Moonrise, the California Revels, and the Spiral Dance Chorus (where she also was Music Director for 8 years). With MART and at conferences, Robin has taught classes on audition prep, singing, improvisation, and acting, and post pandemic has taught dramaturgy and ritual theatre classes at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre.

As a playwright Michael’s work has appeared across the United States, as well as in Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, The Netherlands, Argentina, Australia, the United Kingdom, Columbia, Hong Kong, Canada, China, and Ukraine. Michael’s directing credits include work with the San Francisco Mime Troupe, The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, and The African-American Shakespeare Festival.

JOSH COSTELLO (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR) is the Artistic Director of Aurora Theatre Company. Throughout his career, he has worked to make theatre more accessible for more people, sharing a passion for the visceral experience of live theatre with new audiences and underserved communities. He was the founding Artistic Director of Impact Theatre, which focused on audiences in their teens and twenties. As the Artistic Director of Expanded Programs at Marin Theatre Company, Josh created and administered several programs that built relationships with new audiences. At Aurora, Josh initiated student matinee and Community Partner programs and led a revision of Aurora’s mission to emphasize the theatre’s role as storyteller to the community.

NICOLE ELISE SCHULZ (CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR) specializes in Finance, Ops, and HR, and brings to her current role at Aurora Theatre Company 20+ years of experience as a nonprofit administrative professional. Nicole started at Aurora in the 2003/2004 Season. Over the 10 seasons that followed, Nicole played key roles in supporting the theatre’s tremendous growth. Her contributions were essential during the physical expansion of Aurora’s space as well as the multiple transitions of leadership over the years. Nicole rejoined Aurora in March of 2020 during the COVID shutdown. In between she worked with The Nature Conservancy, CAL Alumni, became a mother, traveled, and wrote. Though an accountant by day, with an MA in Dramatic Art and BA in Modern Literature, Nicole is at heart a lover of storytelling in all its forms.

Josh has directed Born with Teeth, Cyrano, This Much I Know, The Flats, Exit Strategy, The Importance of Being Earnest, Detroit, Wittenberg, and The Heir Apparent for Aurora, as well as the world premiere of Eureka Day, which won every Bay Area new play award. His world-premiere production of Aaron Loeb’s Ideation with SF Playhouse in both San Francisco and New York City won the Glickman Award for Best New Play in the Bay Area and the Theatre Bay Area Award for Outstanding Direction, and was named a New York Times Critic’s Pick.

THE CASTING COLLECTIVE is a team of casting directors with extensive experience and deep ties to the Bay Area theatre community. They have created and maintain the most

Costello’s other directing work includes My Children! My Africa! at Marin Theatre Company, House of Lucky at Magic Theatre, and his adaptations of Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother and

C R E AT I V E T E A M

comprehensive, regularly updated local talent database in the region. Casting locally is the predominant practice of the Collective. In the wake of the pandemic and the massive national call for greater EDI representation and prioritization, regional theatre has fundamentally changed. The Casting Collective is a response to this call for change in the way theatres access, promote, and hire artists, in order to foster an anti-racist, inclusive, collaborative future. Their purpose is to advance the interests of local actors and encourage institutions to explore, engage with, and hire from within this community instead of searching elsewhere for their talent. castingcollective.org

FIRST REHEARSAL

AT-A-GLANCE

THOMAS EDWARDS & REBECCA PARLETTE-EDWARDS (ASSOCIATE SPONSORS) have been supporters of Bay Area live theatre for over 40 years and subscribers to Aurora for 30 years. They take particular pleasure in supporting our local actors and artisans. ‘Looking forward to seeing you at the theatre.’ ELLEN & BARRY LEVINE (ASSOCIATE SEASON SPONSORS) freely admit that they are long-time theater addicts and believe that this is a wonderful addiction. They have been sharing their theater passion for over 50 years not only in the Bay Area but also with annual visits to New York and, as often as possible, to London. These theatrical “pilgrimages” tie in perfectly with their great love of traveling throughout the world. CRAIG & KATHY MOODY (ASSOCIATE SPONSORS) believe live theatre can be lifechanging. They are distressed by the paltry government support of the arts in general and of theatre in particular in the United States. Accordingly, they encourage all who read this to donate generously to a theatre or theatres of their liking. Aurora would be an excellent place to start. ALISON TEEMAN & MICHAEL YOVINO-YOUNG (ASSOCIATE SPONSORS) are theatre lovers and longtime Aurora Theatre Company supporters and friends. They own Yovino-Young, Inc., a Real Estate Appraisal and Valuation firm in Berkeley and support the arts locally and enjoy traveling and seeing theatre and music in New York and London. Alison is a former Aurora Board Member and was Board President from 2004-2006.

Photos by Scot Goodman

*Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers, †The Director is a Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union. **United Scenic Artists Member

DONORS

ANNUAL FUND DONORS

Aurora Theatre Company Theatre Company extends its heartfelt appreciation to all of our generous annual fund donors, whose gifts enable Aurora Theatre Company to provide a nurturing environment for theatre artists and to enrich the lives of our audience. For more information about giving to Aurora Theatre Company’s annual fund, please visit auroratheatre.org/donate, or email development@ auroratheatre.org or call 510.843.4042 x308. Thank you! List is current as of October 12th, 2023.

PARTNER $50,000 + Nina K. Auerbach COMPANION $25,000-$49,999 George & Candy Hisert Craig & Kathy Moody Tom & Amy Worth COLLABORATOR $10,000-$24,999 Margaret & Matt Jacobson Rosalind & Sung-Hou Kim Ellen & Barry Levine Sally Shaver Cindy & Stephen Snow Kathleen Garrison & David Wood FAMILY $5,000-$9,999 Gertrude Evans Allen Barbara Forsstrom Luna Foundation Helen Marcus Thomas W. Edwards & Rebecca Parlette-Edwards Patrick Laney & Kinman Tong Alison Teeman & Michael Yovino-Young FRIEND $1,500-$4,999 Anonymous Dean Francis Sandra & Richard Gilbert Bonnie & Earl Hamlin Karen & John McGuinn NEIGHBOR $100-$1,499 Anonymous (4) Kathy Allen

Claire Allphin Hope & Noah Alper Carlene & Richard Anderson Sara Armstrong Stephen Twigg & Susan C. Aumiller Helen Hutchison & Lee Aurich Francine M. Austin Bobbi Baron Ruthanne Barulich Susan & Barry Baskin Nancy & Peter Bickel Barbara Anscher & Steven Binder Heather Bloch & Mark Briner Bonnie G. Bogue William Bombria Ruth & Michael Botchan Robert & Carin Bryans Bruce Carlton Cassandra & James Carpenter Andrea & Michael Cassidy Steven & Karin Chase Susanne Stoffel & Michael Coan Ms. Sandra Blair & Dr. Carol Cohen June & Michael Cohen Marilyn & Richard Collier Melissa A M Costello Lawrence R. Cotter Jane & Tom Coulter Te Smith & Dennis Cress Ann O’Connor & Edward Cullen Clytia & Joseph M. Curley Venus & Narsai David Mary Hope Dean Karen & Jean-Pierre Deshayes Sharon Dolan Susan Driscoll Carol Emory Margery Eriksson 14

William Espey & Margaret Hart Edwards Merle & Michael Fajans Falk Family Fund Barry David Feiner Claudia H. Fenelon Linda Fogel Harvey & Deana Freedman Tiffany Treece & William Freeman Mark Aaronson & Marjorie Gelb Jane & Stephen Greene Lee Hackett Karen & Ken Harley Donna Lee Heinle Dixie & Clifford Hersh Nancy Friedman & Terry Hill Mark A. Hoffman Nolan R. Hughes & Darcy A. Hughes Deborah & Craig Janke Cheryl Guyer & Marty Kahn Robert & Kathleen Kaiser Richard Kalish Patricia & Chris Kenber Nancy Mennel & David Kessler Birthe Kirsch Steven Silberblatt & Rita Kohl Ben Hermalin & Ruth Konoff Barbara Kuklewicz Kathryn S. Martin & David J. Kurtzman David H. Laforge Leavitt Family Fund Leslie Radin & Nic Leo Joseph Jackson & Joann Leskovar Henry Levy Jennifer S. Lindsay Eugenia Loken Ana Maria Martel

DONORS

Claire & Paul Maxwell Brad & Jennifer McCullough Robert McDowell Arnold Yip & Alison McLean Judith Wilber & Bob Miller Everett & Julia Moore Thomas C. Moore Mark J Powers & Albert E Moreno Miriam Morgan Mike & Sharon Morris Sue Morris Karen Mullarkey Rosenthal-Murphy Family Trust Adrian Borrero & David Nalley Bob Guilbault & Molly G. Noble Thomas O’Brien Margo & Roy Ogus Ken & Kim Olofsen Patrick O’Reilly Sylvia Pascal Kirk Patterson Barbara Schonborn & P David Pearson Linda Perkins The Perttula Family Evan Painter & Wendy Polivka Zachary Polsky Caroline Purves Ingrid J. Madsen & Victor Rauch Leonard Gabriele & John Richardson Helen Rigby, Dramarama Theater Tours Ann Riley Steve & Linda Rosen Yvonne Lalanne & Mark M. Rubenstein Joshua Miele & Elizabeth Ruhland Deborah Dashow Ruth Diane & Ed Ryken Sue Sheftel Barbara Silverberg Harriet Simpson Betsy Smith Eileen Soden

Ruth MacNaughton & Harold Spencer Richard Sterling Bonnie Stiles Jay Atkinson & Ariel Summerlin Lisa Taylor Shirley & Michael Traynor Laurel I Schaefer Trent Stephen van Meter Marcia & David Vastine Gail & Arne M. Wagner Susan & Brad Wait Laurence Walker Emily & Robert Warden Georgeanne Ferrier & Steven Weinberg Stuart Swiedler & Judy Weiss Sallie Weissinger Victor Willits Ann Willoughby Diane Wilson Barbara Lanier & John Wilson Linda & Steve Wolan Andy Steinberg & Laurie Wolkow Sally Woolsey COMMUNITY $1-$99 Anonymous (4) Martha Salzman & Jay Aleck Ken & Joyce Altshuler Jeni Anderson Stewart Applin Maria Baird Barbara Barer Stephanie Barnhill Rob & Lisa Bates David Brossard & Sally Beck Elizabeth Brady China Brotsky Barbara & Gerald Brunetti Shawna Casey Amara Kali Lawson-Chavanu Brenda Jean Corelis Adam & Felicity Cowlin Charley 15

Susan David Elaine M. Eger Sandra R. Farkas Cynthia Fleury Jake Fong Lisa Foust Joan Frenkel Cathy Gale Paul S. Gerken Mitchell M. Gitin Margaret Goodman John S. Gravell Hollis Greenwood Barbara Hadenfeldt Gretchen Hayes Hawley S. Holmes Elisabeth Houseman Christine Izaret Margaret Kendall Loren Dean Linnard Pat Manley Elene Z. Manolis Wendy Markel John Golding & Martin Mass Katherine McKenzie Penny Mikesell Bergit Mueller Dirk Neyhart Philip O’Brien Roberta S. O’Grady Robert P. Camm & Susan Pearson Josh Rotenberg Anne Sigmon Brian E. Spencer Susan Stanley Laurence Stevens Gary McDole & Sharon Toth Gabi von Ingersleben Jo L. Warner Margo Webster Frances Ann Widejko Jennifer Winch Paul L. Wyman Pik Yee Pam Young

DONORS

Members of the Barbara Oliver Society for The Next Generation have designated Aurora Theatre Company in their estate plans, enabling us to serve not just you—our first-generation audience—but generations to come. For more information on how to make a charitable bequest or designate Aurora Theatre Company in your estate plan, contact the development office at 510.843.4042 x308 or development@ auroratheatre.org. Thank you to the following members:

Anonymous (2) Gertrude E. Allen Nancy Axelrod Steven Beckendorf Norman Abramson & David Beery* Elizabeth Burwell Carol Emory Jacquelin Ewing Marge Glicksman* Candy & George Hisert

Ellen & Barry Levine Ines Lewandowitz* Sumner & Hermine Marshall* Margaret D. & Winton McKibben* Alison McLean Shelly Osborne Thomas W. Edwards & Rebecca Parlette-Edwards Gladys Perez-Mendez* Margaret A. Phillips

Betty Pigford* Tom Ross David Rovno Julianne H. Rumsey* Deborah Dashow Ruth Sylvia Saunders Valerie Sopher Lisa R. Taylor Janis Kate Turner *In Memoriam

CORPORATE DONORS $2500 + $100-$999 Adobe Systems Incorporated+ ChevronTexaco+ + Matching Gift Program

FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT Aurora Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges these foundations and government agencies for their support:

City of Berkeley Civic Arts Program Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust National Endowment for the Arts The Shubert Foundation HONOR ROLL List is current as of October 11th, 2023.

In Memory of Sheldon Bornstein In Memory of Marcia Renee Goodman In Memory of Ron Forsstrom

In Memory of Jack Kirsch In Memory of Robert Meola In Memory of Denise Nolan

In Honor of Dawn Monique Williams In Memory of David J. Williamson

IN-KIND DONORS Aurora Theatre Company is thankful for the following donors who gave generous in-kind contributions of $100 and above. List is current as of October 17, 2023.

Ed & Kay Blonz Samuela Evans Susie Sargent

We strive for accuracy in our program listing, but errors do occur. Please contact Development at 510.843.4042 x308 if you notice a discrepancy, and thank you very much for helping us keep our records as accurate as possible! 16

O R I G I N AT E + G E N E R AT E

SPECIA L L IMITED ENG AG EM ENT H A RRY’S U P STAG E I N AUROR A’S DAS HOW WING

GENERAL $30 / SUBSCRIBERS $27

Featuring Bay Area artists Carlos Aguirre (aka Infinite), Keith Pinto, Tommy Shepherd (aka Emcee Soulati), Dan Wolf, hip hop theater collective Felonious has been a force in the Bay Area theater and music scene for more than 25 years, often merging the two mediums to create intelligent, socially and politically-conscious, community-minded projects, and productions that tell the stories of marginalized people and communities. From live hip hop musical performances to award-winning theater productions such as Angry Black White Boy, Stateless, and Beatbox: A Raparetta, this collective of rappers, actors, beat boxers, musicians, dancers, and writers are known to turn hip hop shows into ass-shaking musical theater. Join Felonious for an evening of exhilarating hip hop theatre, some of which you may already know and some that might be new to you. Aurora Theatre Company is thrilled to present this performance that will fuse the power and traditions of theater, music, dance, and education.

NOV 30 - DEC 2 & DEC 7 - 9 T I C K E T S O N S A L E N O W | A U R O R A T H E A T R E . O R G | 510 . 8 4 3 . 8 4 2 2 17

SNAPS FROM THE PAST

FEATURING CAST AND CREW FROM 1984

Anna Marie Sharpe* in Dominique Morisseau’s Paradise Blue. Includes Costumes by Maggie Morgan** and Props by Leah Hammond. Photo by Kevin Berne.

Dan Hoyle*, Michael Gene Sullivan*, and Warren David Keith* in G.B. Shaw’s Widowers’ Houses. Photo by David Allen.

Anthony Doan and Joseph Patrick O’Malley* in Dustin H. Chinn’s Colonialism is Terrible, but Pho is Delicious. Photo by Kevin Berne.

Brady Morales-Woolery* in Liz Duffy Adams’ Born with Teeth. Photo by Kevin Berne.

CDO & SUPPORT

Give now. Give generously. Together, we are Aurora. As storytellers for our community, Aurora is a treasury: a plurality of voices and world views. Each of your unique perspectives and experiences is incredibly important to us: combined, they reflect the vast diversity of the Bay Area. Your support today ensures Aurora will continue sharing works both old and new and classic that inspire each of us to laugh louder, think harder, and celebrate the many dimensions of the human condition. auroratheatre.org/donate Anna Ishida* and Rajesh Bose* in This Much I Know. *Member, AEA. Photo by Kevin Berne.

AURORA DINING PARTNERS

CONFRONTING & DISMANTLING OPPRESSION

Eating out before or after the show? Check out one of our Dining Partners for special offers to Aurora’s patrons! Find more details at

At Aurora Theatre Company, we use the phrase “Confronting and Dismantling Oppression” rather than “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” because we recognize that this work must be active and ongoing. It is not a box to be checked: it is a continual and intentional process.

auroratheatre.org/dining-partners

This work is an essential piece of Aurora Theatre Company’s intention to be the storyteller for our community. Thank you for being a part of this process with us. Learn more about Aurora Theatre Company’s CDO initiatives and commitments at: auroratheatre.org/CDO

T H E AT R E Y O U R W AY

HEY!

Have you heard we’re back?

Photo: Myers Clark, Rafael Jordan*, and Akilah A. Walker* in Detroit ‘67 by Dominique Morisseau. Photo by David Allen. *Member, AEA.

SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES

Get IN, where you fit in. Aurora offers a variety of subscription packages to meet our patrons where they’re at. Find a package that works for you and your lifestyle. 3-PLAY FLEX PASSES

All the benefits, zero commitment. Purchase an Aurora Flex Pass now and choose your plays and dates later.

3-PLAY SUBSCRIPTION

See any three shows in our season with a 3-Play Subsciption. Choose your plays and dates at purchase.

SUBSCRIPTION & SINGLE TICKET DISCOUNTS

Aurora is committed to making theatre affordable to all. We offer a variety of subscription and single ticket discounts, including Pay-What-You-Can and Rush tickets. Check out all the discounts we offer at auroratheatre.org/discounts.

WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE 510.843.4822 | AURORATHEATRE.ORG | 2081 ADDISON STREET BERKELEY CA , 94704 21

A U R O R A T H E AT R E C O M PA N Y

AURORA STAFF Josh Costello ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Felicity Cowlin

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

AURORA PRODUCTION STAFF Tiffany Hernandez Alberto ELECTRICIAN

Emma Buechner

ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Kat Demith

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Robin Dolan

CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR

Sophia Craven LX PROGRAMMER

Darrel De La Rosa SOUND TECHNICIAN

Eli Harris

DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Alandra Hileman

MARKETING SPECIALIST

Roman JohnDoza

ASSISTANT BOX OFFICE MANAGER

Dayna Kalakau

Wyn Di Stefano

SCENIC CHARGE ARTIST

Adriana Gutierrez STITCHER

Hannah Haliburton COSTUME CREW

SENIOR DIRECTOR, MARKETING & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Cheryle Honerlah*

Dee Miranda

Cindy Ngu

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Jenn Ruygt

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Nicole Elise Schulz

CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR

David Shultz

BOX OFFICE MANAGER

Molly Van Der Molen ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE

BOX OFFICE ASSOCIATES Venee Call-Ferrer Zola Hanson HOUSE MANAGERS Lisa Klein Michael Mansfield Linda Wu

REHEARSAL STAGE MANAGER COSTUME SHOP AND WARDROBE SUPPORT

Ashley Renee

COSTUME SHOP SUPERVISOR

Becca Salsburg-Frank CARPENTER

CASTING DIRECTORS The Casting Collective Salim Razawi Kieran Beccia FOUNDERS Dorothy Bryant Marge Glicksman Ken Grantham Barbara Oliver Richard Rossi

ADVISORY COUNCIL Ulises Alcala, John Caner, Joy Carlin, Barbara Damashek, Rafael Jesús González, Robert B. Hetler, Malcolm Margolin, Alan Miller, Helen Meyer, Bob Oliver, Hilary Perkins, Hillary & Jonathan Reinis, M. Graham Smith, Steve & Cindy Snow, Jonathan Spector, Beth Wilmurt O+G ARTISTS Christopher Chen Barbara Damashek Britney Frazier Felonius Margo Hall Cleavon Smith Jonathan Spector Beth Wilmurt SHOW ARTWORK BY Eddie Colla VIDEOGRAPHY BY Flying Moose Pictures SPECIAL THANKS TO Scott Goodman Walter Mork Co. Kitt Shute, Berkeley Rep Maquette Construction By Webster Colcord FORMER ARTISTIC DIRECTORS Barbara Oliver Tom Ross

USHER COORDINATOR Linda Wu

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

COMING UP NEXT

STARTS

BY MARY KATHRYN NAGLE D I REC TED B Y SHANNON

FEB 9

R. DAVIS

A young Lenape woman, Jane Snake, returns to her ancestral homeland, Manahatta, to work as a securities trader on Wall Street – the once walled street built by enslaved Africans to keep the Indigenous Lenape out. Set against the backdrop of the Occupy Wall Street movement and across time, Manahatta draws parallels between the forced removal, taxation, and fiscal impact on Native Americans during the 2008 financial crisis and the 1626 Dutch purchase of the island of Manahatta/ Manhattan. Playwright Mary Kathryn Nagle (a citizen of the Cherokee Nation), teases the duality in Jane as she seeks to uncover her complicity in infrastructure designed to destroy her people; Jane’s career is thriving on “the island of many hills” (Manahatta in Lenape), while back home in Oklahoma, her mother and sister are grieving the loss of family, and struggling to maintain their culture, language, and their finances to stay in their over-mortgaged home. AURORA THEATRE COMPANY CONTACT INFORMATION BOX OFFICE Hours: Tues-Friday, 1pm-5pm Phone: 510.843.4822 Online: auroratheatre.org ADMINISTRATION 2081 Addison Street Berkeley, CA 94704 Phone: 510.843.4042 Fax: 510.843.4826

EXCHANGE Free exchanges require at least 25 hours’ notice. Exchanges to a more expensive date require payment of the difference in ticket price. Exchanges with less than 25 hours’ notice will incur a fee. SINGLE TICKET EXCHANGE Single ticket buyers may exchange tickets with at least 25 hours’ notice for a fee of $10 per ticket.

PERFORMANCES For Wednesday evening and Sunday matinee performances, masks are required at all times while in the Aurora building. For all other performances masks are encouraged but not required. Smoking, including e-cigarettes, is prohibited. Please turn off all cell phones during the performance (and any other devices that could be distracting). Photographs and recordings of any kind are strictly prohibited. No children under 5 permitted and every person entering the theatre must have their own ticket.

BAY AR E A P R E MI ER E BY Mary Kathryn Nagle

BY Tanya Barfield

DIRECTED BY Shannon R. Davis

DIRECTED BY Darryl V. Jones

FEB 9 - MAR 10, 2024

APR 19 - MAY 19, 2024

2023/2024 INTIMATE. INCLUSIVE. INSPIRING.

GET IN. BAY AR E A P R E MI ER E BY Jeremy Kareken & David Murrel & Gordon Ferrell BASED ON THE BOOK BY John D’Agata and Jim Fingal DIRECTED BY Jessica Holt

JUN 21 - JUL 21, 2024